Benson Jeez puts germanium boost, drive and fuzz in one pedal

Benson’s Jeez is a germanium dirt pedal intended to cover boost, overdrive and fuzz rather than a single fixed level of saturation. Its maker lists it at $279, although the official store showed it out of stock when checked on 14 November.

Three controls, a wide brief

The compact cream enclosure has Volume, Tone and Gain controls, one footswitch and a colour-changing indicator. That straightforward control layout matters more than a long menu of modes: the attraction is one pedal intended to move between cleaner boost and heavier dirt.

Benson traces the idea to a 2023 challenge to improve on its Germanium Fuzz. That is the design’s backstory, not a claim that Jeez was released in 2023.

A warm-up worth knowing about

Benson says the pedal takes approximately 30 seconds to warm up. Its indicator starts white before changing colours. The company also describes the design as buffer-friendly, a practical consideration when placing a fuzz within a larger pedalboard.

Those are manufacturer claims, not the results of a GuitarGangsters listening test. We have not independently assessed the pedal’s noise performance, sustain or response with different amplifiers.

Check power before plugging in

The power requirement is unambiguous: use a 9V DC centre-negative supply, not a higher-voltage adapter. Benson also provides space for a battery.

For players considering Jeez, the useful questions are how its different gain settings work with their own rig and when stock returns. The published specification alone cannot answer the first; the store’s current listing does not promise the second.

Source: Benson’s official Jeez specification and store listing.