Benson Amps Benson Germanium Fuzz

The Benson Germanium Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from Portland's Benson Amps, the makers of the sought-after Preamp pedal, built around two germanium transistors in the ubiquitous 60's circular fuzz topology, a Fuzz Face variant¹²³. What sets it apart from most germanium fuzzes is its automatic thermal bias technology: a circuit that gently warms the transistors to a preset operating point, so the sound stays consistent regardless of the temperature around it¹².

Germanium fuzz circuits have always been finicky. Their sensitivity to temperature changes affects gain, bias and tone consistency, and they are known to fight with buffered pedals and humbuckers. This pedal was designed to solve those problems². It is voiced as a "pretty" fuzz in the 60's and 70's classic rock and psychedelic rock vein, not a spitty, harsh experimental fuzz: it often sounds like an overdrive or distortion until the gain is all the way up and the impedance is turned down²⁴.

A germanium fuzz that heats its own transistors

The core idea is the heater. The bias of the transistors is automatically regulated by a circuit that warms them to a fixed operating point, a patent-applied-for design¹⁷⁸. When the LED is orange, the transistors are warming up to increase their hFE (transistor gain) and to shift the bias point to the correct voltage; when it turns green, the correct bias and hFE are set and the warmer switches off, toggling back and forth as needed while the pedal is on²⁴.

On That Pedal Show, Chris Benson explained the indicator and the wait in plain terms⁹:

Other reports put the warm-up at 2 to 3 minutes on average after plugging into power before the pedal sounds correct²⁵. The pedal is designed to operate between freezing and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, though it might still sound fine outside that range²⁵.

Because the heater fights the temperature problem at the source, the finish matters outdoors. Benson offers two colors chosen with temperatures in mind: Studio Black, which is not meant for direct sunlight, and Solar White, which is fine with it. Benson says there is a 20 degree Fahrenheit difference between a black pedal and a white pedal in direct sunlight²⁵.

The controls

The pedal keeps it to three knobs, and they are interactive rather than independent²⁷.

The impedance and gain controls are very interactive, offering many colors of tone²⁴. The circuit has been tuned so the pedal works as a rich sounding clean boost, an overdrive, or an aggressive fuzz with some octave overtones, depending on where the gain sits².

There is also an internal trimmer, precisely set at the factory. Turning it voids the warranty².

Buffers and placement

A Class A buffer is installed at the very input of the pedal⁴. Reviewing for guitar.com, Michael Watts noted that Benson also added a class A buffer feeding a passive guitar pickup simulator⁶. From serial number 2501 onward, that extra buffer and pickup simulator drastically improve compatibility with other pedals in a chain². Benson has also said he put a buffer in the front end so the pedal presents a high input impedance⁹. For players used to germanium fuzzes misbehaving after a buffer or with humbuckers, this is the practical fix².

Power: 9V, under 100mA

The Germanium Fuzz runs on a 9V DC Boss style center negative power supply only, and there is no battery². guitar.com's review likewise lists a 9V center negative power input only⁶. It draws less than 100mA when the heater is engaged, and far less when the heater is off².

History and versions

The Germanium Fuzz came out of work by Chris and the Benson Amps crew⁴. Premier Guitar's press release tells the origin story: Chris set up a remote workspace in an eighties RV and got to work designing a pedal, and because the correct germanium transistors are difficult to source, the Germanium Fuzz will only be built when there are parts available, sold until supplies run out⁸. On the release date, sources disagree: a JHS Pedals video with Chris Benson says the Germanium Fuzz pedal started in 2020¹⁰, while Guitar World reports the Germanium Fuzz and Germanium Boost were launched in 2021¹⁰³.

The circuit is a Fuzz Face variant set up in the 60's circular fuzz topology and tuned for good sound¹³. In the JHS video, Josh described it in circuit terms:

Benson later applied the same thermal bias idea to another circuit: the Benson Germanium Boost grew out of a voltage controlled error correction circuit that was rejected during the Germanium Fuzz's development, when the temperature control approach was chosen instead¹¹¹²¹³.

The Germanium Boost

A sibling pedal came out of the same development. While designing the temperature controlled fuzz, Benson tried a voltage controlled error correction circuit to bias a single germanium transistor; it ultimately did not work for the fuzz, which is comically sensitive to transistor gain attributes, but it became the Germanium Boost, a one-knob germanium clean boost pedal¹²³. The maker describes the result as a germanium clean boost that can use a germanium transistor without the weird artifacts that were previously unavoidable, with a bias correcting circuit¹³. It lists at $199.00, runs on 9V DC center negative only with space for a battery, and carries a 2 year warranty¹³.

Reviewing it for guitar.com, Richard Purvis found the Level control cuts output on the left side of the dial with unity gain around the number five, and rated it 9 out of 10 overall¹¹:

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day called it a gorgeous fuzz pedal, one that pairs perfectly with Benson's Preamp pedal, and noted the fuzz tone is not spitty or harsh, more often sounding like an overdrive or distortion until the gain is all the way up and the impedance is turned down⁴. gearnews.com framed the patent-applied-for tech as potentially making a huge difference for players seeking vintage germanium fuzz tone without the usual hassle⁷, and MusicRadar asked whether the temperature controlled design was about to set a new benchmark for pedals⁴⁷.

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