Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII vs Dunlop AT95 Akira Takasaki Cry Baby Fuzz Wah

The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII and the Dunlop AT95 Akira Takasaki Cry Baby Fuzz Wah are both pedals sharing saturated, bright. The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII leans edge of breakup and fuzzy. The Dunlop AT95 Akira Takasaki Cry Baby Fuzz Wah leans high gain and dynamic. Current prices: $199 vs $150.68.

Similarity
citedBlended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.

33% somewhat different

Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • saturated
  • bright
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
0%
0%
Price

$199via Reverb

$150.68via Reverb

Description

The Benson Amps 424 MKII is a preamp and distortion pedal designed to recreate the saturation and harmonic character of the input stage of the Tascam Portastudio 424 MkII cassette four-track recorder. The circuit captures the non-linear behavior of cassette-era input electronics, spanning from subtle coloration and clean boost through compressed broadband distortion and unstable breakup. A switchable front-end buffer fundamentally alters the gain structure: engaged, it presents a high-impedance guitar input with tighter low end and increased headroom; bypassed, the circuit returns to a darker, fuzzier low-impedance cassette response. Four controls -- gain, trim, bass, treble -- cover a wide EQ range. Internal 18V operation provides increased headroom. Made by Benson Amps in Portland, Oregon.

The Dunlop AT95 Akira Takasaki Cry Baby Fuzz Wah is a signature pedal for Akira Takasaki, guitarist of Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. It combines a Cry Baby wah circuit with a switchable onboard fuzz, custom-voiced for a low-frequency sweep tailored to Takasaki's fast, aggressive playing style. Auto-return switching engages the wah only when the pedal is depressed, and LED indicators show the active status of fuzz and wah independently. Designed for heavy metal, shred, and high-gain lead playing.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
  • Electronic
  • Experimental
  • Indie
  • Indie Rock
  • Metal
  • Blues
  • Classic Rock
Tonal lean
  • edge of breakup
  • fuzzy
  • transparent
  • high gain
  • dynamic
  • mid-forward
  • sustaining

Related searches

Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII vs Dunlop AT95 Akira Takasaki Cry Baby Fuzz Wah — Shared Character & Differences — NodeTone