Condition: Used, Excellent

Combining the warm character of vintage echo with modern precision, the Benson Amps Delay utilizes a PT2399 chip driven by the open-source Bontempo tap architecture, a compander, analog filtering, and custom gain staging. Spanning 30ms to 1250ms of delay time, it delivers smooth, pitch-sweeping time adjustments without digital glitching, complete with a self-calibrating tap tempo and a hold function on the tap footswitch for instant, trim-pot adjustable self-oscillation. Deep modulation capabilities include Speed and Depth controls paired with three LFO waveforms (Sine, Square, and Random), alongside three tap divisions (Quarter, Dotted Eighth, Eighth Note) accessible via an intuitive dual-footswitch menu mode. Housed in a true-bypass enclosure powered by a standard 9V DC supply (100mA), this pedal offers an extraordinarily musical, analog-voiced delay experience for modern boards.

SOUND

Drawing inspiration from our history in tape and bucket brigade echo servicing, our design goal was 

creating floaty and colorful repeats with a chaotic yet musical degradation. That’s the heart of the thing, the whole point.

RANGE 

With a 30ms-1250ms range, the Benson delay goes fast enough to do chorus, vibrato and slapback, and slow enough to create blurred and haunted soundscapes, with a whole spectrum of warbly musical sounds in between. 

ALIENS 

Hold down the tap knob to boost feedback for some self oscillation! Perfect for holding notes out, and especially for making alien invasion noises in tandem with the time knob (within a toe’s reach). Works when the feedback knob is up a bit. Does not introduce unwanted clicking sounds into the signal path.  Adjustable via internal trim pot.

WARBLE

The Low Frequency Oscillator has a tremendous range of both speed and depth, as well as sine, square and random waveforms. Does warble, seasick, tape flutter, all the good sounds. 

TAP

The Benson Delay has the most accurate tap tempo ever applied to the PT2399 thanks to Bontempo, an open source technology concocted by Antoine Ricoux at Electric Canary, which was then refined and implemented by film colorist Octave Zangs (two geniuses). Each pedal CALIBRATES ITSELF IT’S SO COOL.

SMOOTH

We wanted to avoid the more modern issues of delay design; like the digital jaggedness that can come from adjusting the time control on a digitally clocked device, whether analog or a fully digital simulation (HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?). In other words, let’s not assume the aforementioned aliens have glitchy spaceships.

WOW THE NARRATIVE

The design process was characteristically obsessive and obliquely dysfunctional, so we’ll spare you most of it. Lots of bright people in the industry left their mark in one way or another. Special shout outs to Jack Deville, Bryan Sours and John Snyder. Lessee...after dutifully slogging through the modern bucket brigade scene for a while, we found our paradise in the form of the ubiquitous PT2399. Turns out, when you treat it well, you can get a great sounding delay with a massive range out of it.  We utilized a combination of gooey compander chip, analog filtering, and careful gain staging (amp designers are decent at that). We hope you love it.

THE MENU

To access LFO waveform and tap division menu, hold down BYPASS for two seconds, then tap TAP/ HOLD once. BYPASS switch toggles between SINE, SQUARE and RANDOM waveforms, which will blink 1, 2 or 3 times respectively. TAP/HOLD switch toggles through QUARTER, DOTTED EIGHTH, and EIGHTH note tap divisions, and the LED will blink 1, 2 or 3 times (respectively). Hold down BYPASS for two seconds to exit MENU.

Center Negative 9VDC power supply, 100ma current draw.

Warranty

This item is sold without the Sound Pure 3-year warranty (used / B-stock / dealer-exempt). Coverage terms for items in this category live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.

Returns

Try Before You Buy: 48-hour audition. Program details →