The Benson Amps Tap Tempo is a Benson Amps delay pedal, currently around $279. Close alternatives include the MXR Analog Delay and the JHS 3 Series Glitch Delay. It pairs well with the Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head and the Fender Prosonic.
Benson Amps Tap Tempo
Benson Amps · pedal
The Benson Amps Tap Tempo Delay is a boutique delay pedal from Benson Amps, a hand-built amplifier and effects company based in Portland, Oregon. It covers a 30 to 1250ms delay range with tap tempo synchronisation powered by the open-source Bontempo calibration technology, which eliminates the pitch-warping commonly associated with adjusting delay time while notes are ringing. An LFO section with three selectable waveforms — sine, square, and random — adds modulation to the repeats, ranging from subtle chorus-style movement to unpredictable, crumbling decay. Repeats degrade with an analog-style bloom and flutter character.
What stands out
“The Benson Delay is praised in boutique delay circles for its combination of tap-tempo accuracy and the organic, analog-style repeat degradation most players seek from high-end delay pedals”
— from the community notes
“The LFO sine wave adds a gentle chorus-like shimmer; the square wave produces rhythmic, stuttering modulation; the random mode generates unpredictable, lo-fi textures well suited to ambient and post-rock territory”
— from the reviews
“Some users have reported elevated noise levels when placed before high-gain preamp stages, which limits its position in certain signal chains”
— from the community notes
“The main reported weakness is noise sensitivity when paired with high-gain signals — the pedal performs most cleanly in signal chains where it follows a clean or lightly-gained preamp stage”
— from the reviews
“An LFO section with three selectable waveforms — sine, square, and random — adds modulation to the repeats, ranging from subtle chorus-style movement to unpredictable, crumbling decay”
— from the listing
- delay
- chorus
- stage
- noise
- modulation
- decay
- bloom
- ambient
Good for
- Live
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Benson Amps Tap Tempo is commonly used in
- Ambient
- Experimental
- Post-Rock
- Shoegaze
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Lo Fi
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Electronic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Benson Amps Tap Tempo
Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head
Revv
23% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head's smooth balances out the bright tone
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Fender Prosonic
amplifier
23% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)
Fender Prosonic leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Orange Little Bass Thing
Orange
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Orange Little Bass Thing leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Port City Pearl Head
Port City
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Where this leans bright, Port City Pearl Head answers back warm
Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W
Hiwatt
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Hiwatt Park P18LH 'Little 45' Handwired18W leans warm right where the bright tone needs it
Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp
Orange
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Run Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm
Orange Terror Bass
Orange
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Orange Terror Bass's warm balances out the bright tone
Ampeg Rocket Watts
Ampeg
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Ampeg Rocket Watts's warm balances out the bright tone
Pedals that stack with the Benson Amps Tap Tempo
ZVEX Fuzz Factory
Zvex
18% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
ZVEX Fuzz Factory leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Behringer Chorus Symphony
Behringer
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Behringer Chorus Symphony after Benson Amps Tap Tempo in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Benson Amps Tap Tempo
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Maestro Mariner Tremolo
Maestro
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Benson Amps Tap Tempo's modulated voice out front: Maestro Mariner Tremolo goes after Benson Amps Tap Tempo in the signal chain so its harmonically rich voice doesn't muddy it
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Catalinbread SFT
Catalinbread
18% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → warm)
Where this leans bright, Catalinbread SFT answers back warm
Comes earlier in the signal chain
SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive
Solidgoldfx
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Run SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo
Dunlop
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Where this leans bright, Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo answers back warm
Dunlop MXR M78 Custom Modified OD, also known as the Bad Ass Modified OD
Dunlop
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Where this leans bright, Dunlop MXR M78 Custom Modified OD, also known as the Bad Ass Modified OD answers back warm
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Strymon Iridium's warm balances out the bright tone
Cheaper alternatives
GFI System Specular Tempus
Gfi System
52% similarityShared character: signal chain, delay, ambient
Boss DD-8 Digital Delay
Boss
52% similarityShared character: repeats, digital, delay
Benson Amps Delay
Benson Amps
52% similarityShared character: chorus, signal chain, digital
MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
MXR
51% similarityShared character: repeats, users, digital
Catalinbread Bicycle
Catalinbread
50% similarityShared character: delay, ambient
Alexander Pedals Rewind Programmable Echo
Alexander Pedals
49% similarityShared character: digital, delay, ambient
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
MXR Analog Delay
MXR
63% similarityShared character: repeats, noise, chorus
JHS 3 Series Glitch Delay
JHS Pedals
55% similarityShared character: delay, ambient, modulation
Death By Audio Echo Dream II
Death By Audio
55% similarityShared character: repeats, noise, signal chain
Alexander Pedals Superball Kinetic Modulator
Alexander Pedals
53% similarityShared character: repeats, delay, noise
Malekko Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Delay
Electro-Harmonix
53% similarityShared character: repeats, chorus, delay
Keeley Nocturne
Keeley
52% similarityShared character: delay, ambient, modulation
See all alternatives to the Benson Amps Tap Tempo (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Benson Amps Tap Tempo?+
The closest matches in character are the MXR Analog Delay, the JHS 3 Series Glitch Delay, the Death By Audio Echo Dream II. Budget picks: GFI System Specular Tempus, Boss DD-8 Digital Delay, Benson Amps Delay. Boutique upgrades: Walrus Audio Meraki, Strymon TimeLine.
What pairs well with the Benson Amps Tap Tempo?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head, Fender Prosonic, Orange Little Bass Thing — Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head's smooth balances out the bright tone.
How much does the Benson Amps Tap Tempo cost?+
Around $279 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).