Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII vs Hudson Electronics Dual Broadcast
The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII and the Hudson Electronics Dual Broadcast are both pedals sharing saturated, bright, transparent. The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII leans edge of breakup and fuzzy. Current prices: $199 vs $285.
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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.34% — somewhat different
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Genres both listings are associated with.- Electronic
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- saturated
- bright
- transparent
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$199via Reverb
$285via 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 Hudson Electronics Dual Broadcast is a two-channel version of the discrete Class-A germanium preamp, with a low-gain mode on one footswitch and a high-gain mode on the other, each independently adjustable. In the low setting it covers everything from a sparkling clean boost through transparent overdrive, with plenty of volume on tap to push an amp; switched to the high-gain side with the Gain Trim wound up, it delivers heavier, distorted tones with a warm, fuzzy edge. Shared Low Cut and Gain Trim controls shape both sides, with Low Cut rolling off bass as it's turned up and Gain Trim increasing output and gradually breaking up the signal. Built around a Triad steel-core transformer and a germanium transistor for its distinctive, console-breakup-inspired character. It suits players wanting both a transparent clean/low-gain boost and a warmer, fuzzier high-gain drive instantly switchable from one pedal.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Experimental
- Indie
- Indie Rock
- Blues
- Classic Rock
- edge of breakup
- fuzzy