The Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal is a Benson Amps preamp pedal. Close alternatives include the Benson Amps BA-Pre and the MXR M264 FET Driver. It pairs well with the JHS Tidewater Tremolo and the MXR Micro Amp.

Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal

Benson Amps · pedal

The Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal is a FET-based preamp pedal based on the Benson Chimera 30-watt guitar amplifier circuit, substituting FET transistors for the original vacuum tubes. Controls include Gain, Volume, Treble, and Bass. The Treble and Bass controls actively shape the type of gain generated rather than passively filtering the output. 9V DC or battery, 50mA. Priced at $249 from Benson Amps, Portland, Oregon. Described by multiple reviewers as the most amp-like gain pedal, hypersensitive to touch and pick attack through both tube amplifiers and amp modeling systems. Stacks well with other drives, fuzzes, and compressors.

What stands out

  • “Tone: FET-based preamp gain from clean transparent boost through amp-like overdrive into fuzz-adjacent saturation; the Treble and Bass controls actively reshape the gain character”

    — from the community notes

  • “The Treble and Bass controls actively shape the type of gain generated”

    — from the listing

  • “Standout weakness: some reviewers came away underwhelmed after extended use; the amp-like responsiveness requires playing through a real amplifier to fully appreciate”

    — from the community notes

  • “Described by multiple reviewers as the most amp-like gain pedal, hypersensitive to touch and pick attack through both tube amplifiers and amp modeling systems”

    — from the listing

  • “Strengths: FET-based Chimera 30 circuit; Gain, Volume, Treble, and Bass with active gain-character shaping; hypersensitive touch response; pairs well with drives, fuzzes, and compressors”

    — from the reviews

  • treble
  • bass
  • gain
  • amp like
  • fet
  • touch
  • fuzz

Genres the Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal is commonly used in

  • Indie Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Alternative
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Blues
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Country
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Classic Rock
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Pedals that stack with the Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal

JHS Tidewater Tremolo

JHS Pedals

23% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)

Keep JHS Tidewater Tremolo after Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal in the signal chain, clear of Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal's own gain stage

Comes earlier in the signal chain

MXR Micro Amp

MXR

23% match
$76.56via Reverb

gain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)

MXR Micro Amp layers clean boost onto an already fuzzy signal

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Citadel Bus Driver Compressor

Citadel

22% match
$199via Reverb

shapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)

Citadel Bus Driver Compressor leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Z.Vex Super Hard On

Zvex

22% match
$189via Reverb

gain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)

Z.Vex Super Hard On layers clean boost onto an already fuzzy signal

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Suhr Discovery

Suhr

15% match
$579.53via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Suhr Discovery's warm voice goes after Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal's own bright character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy Analog Delay

Electro-Harmonix

15% match
$104.76via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)

Put Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy Analog Delay after Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal in the signal chain, clear of Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Tone City King of Blues

Tone City

tonal match
$79.15via Reverb

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Into Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal, Tone City King of Blues is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end

Laney TI-Boost

Laney

tonal match
$140.95via Reverb

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Laney TI-Boost is voiced for a clean amp's front end — Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal gives it exactly that

Alternativessee all similar tone character →

Benson Amps BA-Pre

Benson Amps

88% similarity
$249via Reverb

Shared character: extended use, significant investment, compressor

MXR M264 FET Driver

MXR

68% similarity
$125via Reverb

Shared character: touch, transparent, response

Electronic Audio Experiments Model feT V3.8

Electronic Audio Experiments

68% similarity

Shared character: treble, gain, bass

Xotic BB Preamp V1.5

Xotic

62% similarity
$180via Reverb

Shared character: treble, boost, gain

Fortin Amplification Kali Pre-Amp

Fortin Amplification

61% similarity
$357.59via Reverb

Shared character: pick attack, gain, response

Victory V4 The Duchess

Victory

59% similarity

Shared character: response, stage

Crowther Hot Cake

Crowther

58% similarity
$209.21via Reverb

Shared character: boost, transparent, response

67Audio Harry Balz

67audio

58% similarity
$104.11via Reverb

Shared character: volume, treble, boost

Mile End Effects PreAmp 150

Mile End Effects

58% similarity
$149via Reverb

Shared character: boost, transparent

Smokin' Amp Co. FX10 BiFet Preamp

Smokin Amp Co

58% similarity

Shared character: transparent, gain, stage

Benson Amps Idol Preamp

Benson Amps

57% similarity
$249via Reverb

Shared character: boost

Electronic Audio Experiments Model FeT

Electronic Audio Experiments

57% similarity

Shared character: pick attack

See all alternatives to the Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal?+

The closest matches in character are the Benson Amps BA-Pre, the MXR M264 FET Driver, the Electronic Audio Experiments Model feT V3.8.

What pairs well with the Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: JHS Tidewater Tremolo, MXR Micro Amp, Citadel Bus Driver Compressor — Keep JHS Tidewater Tremolo after Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal in the signal chain, clear of Benson Amps Chimera Preamp Pedal's own gain stage.

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