Review Demo - Benson Amps Monarch

Read the review: http://bit.ly/BensonMonarch They say the best things in life are simple. And according to some, that’s especially true of guitar amps. In fact … Oh, screw it—the snappy intro can wait. Because no matter how many snappy adjectives I pile on, they won’t snap like this explosive little 1x12 combo. It sparkles like pixie dust. It thumps like a sock full of sand to the solar plexus. Builder Chris Benson’s Monarch is one of the most tactile, responsive, and just plain exciting combos I’ve ever had the pleasure of punishing. Okay, now we can get back to that “simple things” business. There really is something to it. The less circuitry your signal runs through, the less compromised it is, and the louder and brighter that tone is conveyed from string to speaker. Monarch, with its ultra-minimal design, takes this notion to extremes. Let’s look at what Monarch doesn’t have: There are no bass/mid/treble/presence controls, just a single treble-cutting tone knob. There’s no negative-feedback loop. (Most amp circuits employ one for stability, but some boutique models forgo it for greater immediacy of tone and response.) There’s no tube rectifier—it’s solid-state. (A great choice, in this case.) There’s no circuit board—the components are immaculately point-to-point wired on terminal strip. And there are surprisingly few of said components—a peek inside the tough, stainless steel chassis reveals much empty space. The result: tactile, high impact tones with crackling highs, studly lows, and extraordinary presence. Monarch transmits nuances of pick, finger, and string like few amps I’ve heard. When you modify your attack or finesse your guitar’s controls, you damn well hear it. One-word tone summary: immediacy. Two-word summary: remarkable immediacy. Three-word: Wow, that’s immediate! To contine reading the review, visit: http://bit.ly/BensonMonarch