Benson Amps Tall Bird Plus Tube Driven Spring Reverb & Optical Tremolo, Aged Tweed/Oxblood Grille

Benson’s Tall Bird Plus is the company’s flagship all-tube spring reverb and optical tremolo unit—an entirely original design aimed at capturing the timeless sounds of the 1960s with modern improvements in functionality and noise performance.

While it pays homage to the classic tones players know and love, the Tall Bird Plus goes several steps further, offering enhanced control, flexibility, and refined sonic character.

Key Features:

• Independent Wet and Dry Controls – Benson designed these controls to offer greater tonal flexibility. The Dry knob can push an amp into overdrive or be turned off entirely for 100% wet signal. Centered typically yields unity gain.

• Room Control – Acts as a high-pass filter in the reverb circuit. Turning it down delivers classic drip and splash, while turning it up creates expansive, hall-like textures.

• Three-Pole Adjustable Oscillator – Enables a wide range of tremolo speeds, from extremely slow pulses to rapid chops.

• Switchable Tremolo Modes – Choose between traditional optical tremolo or lush harmonic tremolo with the flip of a switch.

• True Bypass Tremolo – Fully removes the tremolo circuit from the signal path to avoid the volume loss associated with vintage optical designs.

• Tube-Driven Output Buffer – Designed to drive long cable runs without tone loss.

• Dual LED Footswitch – Includes a TRS cable for seamless effect on/off control.

• Hi-Fi Grounding Scheme – Borrowed from high-end stereo equipment, this approach prevents ground loop noise while maintaining a direct chassis ground.

• Reverb Trails Bypass – When bypassed, the reverb tank’s send is disconnected, allowing the effect to decay naturally rather than cutting off abruptly.

Additional Insight:

Benson noticed that while the Tall Bird Plus maintains a technically flat frequency response, it often enhances treble clarity—similar to a high-end buffer. To give players control over this tonal characteristic, Benson added a rear-panel switch. The Hi-Fi mode provides a transparent, full-range signal ideal for instruments like pedal steel, while the Smoothmode offers a more familiar, vintage-voiced experience preferred by most users.

The Tall Bird Plus is Benson’s answer to vintage tone with modern capability—crafted for musicians who demand warmth, clarity, and complete control from their reverb and tremolo