Portable Distortion 424 MKII
Captures the lo-fi saturation of a Tascam 424 4-track cassette recorder preamp.
Benson Amps was founded in 2012 by Chris Benson in Portland, Oregon, after his years as a repair tech at Verellen Amps and Old Town Music. Known for handwired, roadworthy amplifiers, Benson expanded into pedals that capture the same ethos: player-friendly designs built for working musicians.
The Portable Distortion 424 MKII recreates the sound of pushing a Tascam 424 Portastudio 4-track cassette recorder preamp into distortion—a lo-fi recording technique beloved for its gritty, compressed character. From subtle tape-style warmth to chaotic, blown-out grind, it covers the full range of cassette abuse.
The bypassable buffer changes the gain character significantly, offering two distinct flavors of lo-fi destruction. The MKII revision refined the circuit for improved noise performance while maintaining the authenticity of the original tape-saturated character.
For players chasing bedroom demo aesthetics, lo-fi textures, or just something genuinely different from another tube screamer variant.
Reverb
Amazon
