The Harley Benton Twoface is a combined Tube Screamer-style overdrive and tremolo pedal, built as a dual-effect unit with a footswitch for each circuit, so you can run the drive, the tremolo or both, and an order-switching toggle decides which circuit comes first. It is an analog pedal in a compact enclosure, listed at $85 / £701.
Controls
| Control | Circuit | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | Overdrive | Sets the amount of drive1 |
| Tone | Overdrive | Tones the overdrive side1 |
| Level | Overdrive | Sets output level1 |
| Warm/Hot switch | Overdrive | Two levels of clipping1 |
| Speed | Tremolo | Sets the tremolo rate1 |
| Depth | Tremolo | Sets tremolo depth1 |
| Bias | Tremolo | Changes the color by making the waveform non-symmetrical1 |
| Effect order toggle | Both | Switches the order of the two circuits1 |
The overdrive side
The drive circuit follows the familiar green overdrive template. MusicRadar described it as "a take on the original Japanese green OD circuit with smooth gain and distinct mid-hump characteristics"2, and gearnews.com called it "a 'green Japanese OD' vintage style overdrive"3. The Warm/Hot switch gives two levels of clipping, so you can go from a gentler edge to a heavier saturation without touching the Drive knob1.
Guitar World's reviewer found that the "level up, gain down" strategy yields "tasty saturation and compression for punchy blues licks", pushing a low-wattage tube amp1. If you want to compare it with other takes on the same circuit family, see Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, or the Overdrive Pedals page for the wider field.
The tremolo side: optical, with Bias
The tremolo is an optical design, which Guitar World's reviewer found "results in a choppy effect when Depth is dialed all the way up"1. The Bias control is the interesting one: it changes the color by making the waveform non-symmetrical, and the reviewer found this "more swampy sound really opens up the pedal at hotter gain settings and interacts nicely with a tube amp"1. MusicRadar's launch coverage described the tremolo as "warm analog optical tremolo"2. For other tremolo designs, see Tremolo Pedals.
Where it came from
The Twoface combines two effects in one compact case, with a footswitch for each circuit as well as an order-switching toggle1.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's reviewer summed the pedal up this way:
"if you're looking for a drive and tremolo to pair with a tube amp for blues and rock, it's a compact, great-sounding pedal that won't break the bank"
The Twoface has a single set of In/Out sockets shared by both circuits1, and it runs on 9VDC center-negative power1, so plan your power supply accordingly on a shared brick.
Videos
EytschPi42
Gregor Fris
BassTheWorld.com
Questions
Is the Harley Benton Twoface true bypass?
Yes. Guitar World's review lists the Twoface as true bypass, so when both circuits are off your guitar's signal passes through the pedal without any buffering or tone change. That matters on a pedalboard where the Twoface might sit in a chain of several effects, since true bypass switching keeps the signal path clean when the pedal is not in use.
What power supply does the Harley Benton Twoface need?
The Twoface runs on a 9VDC center-negative power supply, the same standard used by most compact pedals. Guitar World's review lists this as the pedal's power requirement. As with any center-negative pedal, use an isolated or appropriately rated supply rather than a battery, and check the current draw against what your power brick can supply on each output.
Can you use the overdrive and tremolo on the Twoface separately?
Yes. The Twoface has a footswitch for each circuit, so the overdrive and the tremolo can be switched independently, and an order-switching toggle lets you choose which circuit comes first in the signal chain. That means you can run the drive alone, the tremolo alone, or both together with the tremolo either before or after the overdrive.
What is the difference between Warm and Hot on the Twoface?
Warm and Hot are two levels of clipping on the overdrive side, selected with a switch. Warm gives the gentler, more open clipping of the classic green overdrive character, while Hot engages a heavier clipping stage for more saturation and compression. Guitar World's reviewer found the level up, gain down approach yielded tasty saturation and compression for punchy blues licks.
Is the Twoface overdrive a Tube Screamer clone?
The overdrive side is described as a Tube Screamer-style circuit, and gearnews.com called it a green Japanese OD vintage style overdrive. MusicRadar described it as a take on the original Japanese green OD circuit with smooth gain and distinct mid-hump characteristics. So it follows that well-known circuit family rather than being an exact copy of any one pedal.
Sources (3)
- Harley Benton Twoface review, Guitar World, 2023-05-15
- Harley Benton launches new Double Pedal series dual guitar effects, MusicRadar, 2022-07-08
- Harley Benton Double Pedal Series: Two effects in one compact pedal, gearnews.com, 2022-07-08
