Benson Amps Germanium Preamp
Benson Amps returns to the channel with the Germanium Preamp — the Preamp Pedal and the Germanium Boost combined into one. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Benson Amps Germanium Preamp takes center stage — featuring the Kauer Guitars Gripen with three Wolfetone Kauerbuckers and Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo and Caroline Guitar Company Arigato Phaser join throughout.
🔊 Benson Amps Germanium Preamp: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitarpedals/germaniumpreamp
The Benson Preamp Pedal has been one of the most loved amp-in-a-box overdrives in the boutique pedal world. The Germanium Boost has become a staple for players who want the unique warmth and compression of germanium transistor character without the temperature sensitivity that makes germanium fuzz circuits unpredictable. The Germanium Preamp takes one step from each: it replaces the first FET transistor stage in the Preamp Pedal's gain circuit with the servo-biased germanium gain stage from the Germanium Boost.
In Benson's own words: "The result is an alternate universe take on our flagship pedal that marries the incomparable feel of germanium with the careful equalization and tone controls of the preamp pedal. The result is a slightly lower gain, but richer sounding and feeling overdrive/boost/fuzz/whatever we really, really dig."
The servo-biased design is the key practical detail. Standard germanium circuits are temperature-sensitive — they drift with heat and cold and can cut out at around 120°F on a hot stage. The servo bias from the Germanium Boost stabilizes the gain stage so it maintains consistent germanium tonality without the temperature dependency. It reliably imparts the germanium character without affecting frequency response or requiring warm-up time.
Four controls: Gain (distortion amount), Treble (low-pass filter), Bass (high-pass filter), Volume. The Treble and Bass knobs are active EQ — Treble rolled off warms and darkens, Treble cranked brightens. Bass rolled off tightens, Bass cranked fattens. Explored across the full range in this demo, including guitar tone knob all the way down at 03:53 and EQ extremes at 07:44. The Gripen's three-pickup configuration with Emerson Treble Bleeds gives a wide range of tonal starting points for the Germanium Preamp to interact with.
9VDC center negative or battery, 50mA.
🎛️ Benson Amps Germanium Preamp: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitarpedals/germaniumpreamp
🎸 Kauer Guitars Gripen: https://www.kauerguitars.com/instruments/gripen
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Kauer Guitars Gripen | 3x Wolfetone Kauerbuckers | Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds | Neck-Through Mahogany
🎛️ Benson Amps Germanium Preamp | Servo-Biased Ge Gain Stage | Gain / Treble / Bass / Volume
🎛️ Also: Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo | Caroline Guitar Company Arigato Phaser
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
