Like the Germanium Fuzz before it, the Benson Stonk Box attempts to take a classic '60s fuzz design and bring the sound into the modern world without bringing along any of the flaws and inconsistencies of the original! In this case, Benson set their eyes on the "MK1" fuzz (which is itself a modified version of the very first fuzz ever made). They kept the original controls (Filter and Volume), and added a Tone knob and Trim control to expand the palette of sounds available.
The original circuit is considered one of the hardest of the classic fuzzes to get right because of the difficulty in transistor selection… with Benson's patented technology, they can do it easily and consistently, for the first time ever!
Automatic Thermal Bias Technology
The bias of the transistors in this pedal is automatically regulated by a circuit that gently warms the Germanium transistors (2N404 or 2N527) to a preset operating point using analogue components, and ensures a consistent sound — no matter the external temperature. When the LED is amber, the transistors are warming up to increase their hFE (transistor gain) and to shift the bias point to the correct voltage. When the LED turns green, the warmer is off because the correct bias and hFE have been set. Expect the LED to toggle back and forth every so often while the pedal is on… that is how you know it's working.
The heaters will warm the transistors enough to still be effective on a summer stage, but far cooler than anything that would harm the transistors. This pedal is designed to operate between freezing and 100F, but might still sound fine outside this range. Up to about 120F is where Benson found germanium straight up ceases to function… which can happen if it's left in the sun!
Controls
- Trim: A gain control right before the two amplifying germanium transistors. Turned all the way up is how the stock design is all the time.
- Filter: Manipulates both the gain and the bias point of the first gain stage. When turned down it will take away gain, bass frequency response, and will bring in to a gentle dynamic expander type effect (where quiet notes will be quieter than normal, the opposite of a compressor). Trim and Filter are interactive and there are many different flavours of fuzz and distortion to dial in. This pedal will not clean all the way up; even at low trim volumes there will be some distortion (in a nice way).
- Tone: A low-pass filter at the end of the circuit, carefully designed to act almost like a tilt EQ to balance the bright attack and full body of the sound, made possible by the original circuit being way brighter than the bypassed guitar signal. Benson think they've struck a good balance here!
- Volume: Sets the output level, which Benson have increased many orders of magnitude from the original. They took the training wheels off so you can push the front end of your amp into sonic madness (if you want). NOTE: this user-beware approch can also lead to settings with a high noise floor. Please remember, this is a crazy and primitive fuzz at its heart… not a piece of pristine recording equipment.
- Internal Trimmer: Please don't turn the internal trimmer. It is precisely set at Benson's factory. Turning the trimmer voids the warranty. The correct trimmer position is marked in case you get one used where a tone lord hath already turned it!
Specifications
- Power Requirements: 9V DC Centre Negative (PSU not included)
- Current Draw: 100mA
