NAMM 2020: Chase Bliss Audio’s motorized slider-equipped Preamp MKII is surely the most innovative pedal to launch this year

NAMM 2020: One of the pedal highlights of of last year’s show was Chase Bliss Audio’s first showing of the Preamp MKII, a gorgeous, super-versatile overdrive that had actual motorized sliders. For 2020, the company’s collaboration with Benson Amps has finally reached fruition, with a full production run expected to launch in May.

The Preamp MKII boasts a fully fledged preamp, combined with fuzz, parametric mids control and fully integrated presets (which move the sliders - honestly, it’s like magic).

There’s variable diode clipping control, open/gated fuzz, a trio of mid resonance settings that can be positioned before or after the preamp, and 30 presets.

Naturally, this level of innovation comes at a price: $749, to be precise. But it’s also uncharted territory for the pedal market, and for that, we salute Joel Korte and Chris Benson.

You can head over to Chase Bliss Audio’s website and watch its informative documentary for more info.