Iconic Tube Tones Updated with Masterful Modern Engineering
Inspired by the splashed-out sounds of the 1960s, the Benson Tall Bird Plus pairs lush analog spring reverb with the chop of optical and harmonic tremolo. This one-two punch of tube-driven effects features a ground-up original Benson circuit design that comes complete with Dwell, Size, and independent Dry/Wet knobs — the Dry knob can even be cranked to strengthen your signal with enhanced output and authority. Moreover, while the Tall Bird Plus’s reverb section excels in the arena of surfy drip, its expanded range allows you to cop expansive hall-style echo textures. Moving on to the tremolo section, the Tall Bird Plus boasts both Classic and Harmonic tremolo modes, along with a 3-pole adjustable oscillator that drives the tremolo’s lamp to cover both ultra-slow and rapid-fire tremolo tempos. To top it all off, Chris Benson elevated the Tall Bird Plus from its vintage predecessors with true bypass circuitry to prevent volume loss on the tremolo circuit, a tube-driven output buffer, organic-sounding reverb trails, and a grounding scheme inspired by the world of hi-fi stereos. It’s all wrapped up in a distinctly old-school, handsome head-style unit that pays tribute to the finest tube amps of the golden era while refining their sound for a new generation of guitarists.
Related Videos: Tall Bird Plus Tube Spring Reverb and Tremolo Unit
Savor the splash of analog spring reverb
From traditional surf-laden washes to regal hall-style echoes, the Tall Bird Plus dramatically expands the capabilities of old-school analog spring reverb. This unit’s reverb side features four different knobs to shape your sound — Dy, Dwell, Wet, and Size — and you can even drive your tube amp into sweet saturation by cranking up the Dry knob. What’s more, while Chris Benson designed the Tall Bird Plus to sing with a fully flat frequency response, the unit also leverages a Hi Fidelity/Natural switch on the back. Sweetwater’s inveterate tone chasers find this function perfect for smoothing over upper treble frequencies in Natural mode.
Two unique types of tube tremolo
Tube tremolo is all but synonymous with the 1960s, and the fine folks over in Fullerton, California, experimented with a variety of different methods throughout the golden era of amplification. Instead of sticking with a single sound, the Benson Tall Bird Plus packs two distinct styles, covering everything from the chop of optical tremolo to the phaser-adjacent swirl of harmonic tremolo. Finally, the Tall Bird Plus also brandishes a 3-pole adjustable oscillator that allows you to take your trem tones from low and slow to a hummingbird flutter.
Benson Amps: supplying boutique tone since 2012
The quest for the ultimate tone can lead guitarists down a seemingly endless path. For Christopher Benson, a self-described "relentless tinkerer," the journey led him to take matters into his own hands. After stints as an amp tech around the Pacific Northwest — and with his flagship Monarch amplifier design already in tow — Benson introduced his eponymous company in 2012. Leveraging meticulous quality, practical expertise, premium components, and a passion for vintage-inspired design, the Oregon-based outfit aims to create original circuits that effortlessly transition from euphoric, rich cleans to glorious harmonic distortion with a mere change in pick attack. Whether it's a meticulously handcrafted pedal or a no-compromise handwired amplifier, players seeking tonal nirvana owe it to themselves to plug into one of Benson Amps' heirloom-quality offerings.
Benson Tall Bird Plus Features:
- Tube-driven spring reverb/tremolo unit capturing the sought-after effect sounds of the 1960s with a wholly original Chris Benson design
- Packs a trio of 12AX7s and a single EL84 to provide true tube-powered warmth
- Reverb section covers both standard spring splashes and hall-style flourishes with Dwell and Size controls
- Independent Wet/Dry reverb controls; Dry control boasts the ability to drive your signal with enhanced authority when pushed
- Tremolo section includes both choppy optical tremolo and brown-panel-style harmonic tremolo
- 3-pole adjustable oscillator allows you to engage an extensive range of tremolo speeds
- True bypass tremolo circuitry defeats the volume drop that typically occurs when amp trem circuits are disengaged
- Reverb bypass disconnects the send signal to the reverb tank, ensuring your reverb trails naturally dissipate instead of cutting off all at once when the effect is disengaged
- Utilizes a grounding scheme inspired by hi-fi stereos to eliminate noisy ground loops
- Hi Fi/Natural switch on the back takes the reverb’s tonality from ultra-flat and crisp to slightly smoothed over
- Tube-driven output buffer keeps even the longest cable runs running strong
- Comes with dual LED footswitch
