Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII vs Friedman IR-D
The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII and the Friedman IR-D are both pedals sharing bright, transparent. The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII leans saturated and edge of breakup. The Friedman IR-D leans crunchy and dynamic. Current prices: $199 vs $392.17.
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Blended 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.35% — somewhat different
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- bright
- transparent
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$199via Reverb
$392.17via Reverb
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 Friedman IR-D is a dual-channel all-tube preamp and DI pedal powered by two high-voltage 12AX7 preamp tubes, based on Dave Friedman's modded JTM45 circuit. Each channel features a three-band EQ, independent boost, Structure control, and Bright switch. Onboard IR cabinet simulation with 13 preloaded impulse responses enables direct recording or live DI use without a power amp or speaker cabinet. Both channels deliver Marshall-derived British-voiced preamp tones.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Electronic
- Experimental
- Indie
- Indie Rock
- alternative
- blues
- rock
- saturated
- edge of breakup
- fuzzy
- crunchy
- dynamic
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Occasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.- Live
- Silent Recording
- Silent Stage
- Studio