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There’s a new 100w amp from milkman. This one is similar to the original 100 but the preamp was designed by Benson amps based on their chimera amp. Both amps use a 12ax7 in the preamp which makes for great tone in a portable package. The original 100 is my main gigging amp when I don’t want to lug the vibrolux.
just got the benson amp today so I will share more thoughts later.
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11-05-2025 10:14 PM
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I had the 50W "The Amp". I liked the tone of it (after I swapped out the stock high gain 12AX7 for a 12AY7). But the taper of the master volume pot was extreme and made it hard to deal with. I also wished I could get a 100W version with tremolo (like the 50W had). A combo like that would have been perfect!
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Interesting to hear how this works out for you. I wonder how fundamentally gritty it is and if you can get good jazz cleans out of it. I suppose 50w is ample for your needs?
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I've got the "classic" Benson Preamp pedal and it's my favorite pedal of all time. Especially to get that smokey Grant Green tone, I've never found anything better
So this has got my interest
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Which one is that? The one just labelled “preamp”?
Originally Posted by Jx30510
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Darn, it’s almost $1,300 overhere….. Pricey! Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
There’s a new 100w amp from milkman. This one is similar to the original 100 but the preamp was designed by Benson amps based on their chimera amp. Both amps use a 12ax7 in the preamp which makes for great tone in a portable package. The original 100 is my main gigging amp when I don’t want to lug the vibrolux.
just got the benson amp today so I will share more thoughts later.
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50w or 100w? Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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They are both 100w.
I took it to rehearsal last night thinking I would plug it into the cab of the fender tone master twin at the space, but unfortunately the speakers on that amp are hardwired to the chassis so I didn’t get to play it with the band. But I played it at home.
Oversimplification but basically sounds like a tweed version of the amp. This one has a bit more compression and warmth and more midrange. Less headroom but you can still get a good jazz tone at volume.
Great for Grant green or Kenny Burrell type of sound. (But all that comes from your playing style IMO)
Only downside is the eq is passive so it’s not that adjustable. If you need to scoop mids it’s not an option. I wish it had a bit more treble on tap. I haven’t tried it in various rooms so can’t tell how much of a problem that is yet.
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I’ll add I also am a huge fan of the benson preamp, especially the germanium version. Wonderful pedal, lives on my pedalboard (when I use pedals).
both benson preamp pedals are based on the preamp of their chimera amp (which I’ve never played) but instead of tubes they used jfet and germanium transistors. I had been hoping for a while for someone to make an amp that with this exact idea: my pedalboard into a power amp. The preamp in this amp is the same but with a tube, so I am pretty happy.
ill share more again after actually getting to play it with the band.
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Originally Posted by Little Jay
Which one is that? The one just labelled “preamp”?
Yes it's this one.
I really recommend it without hesitation. It just brings to life any guitar.
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It seem like there is a vague similarity between the two but I can't quite put my finger on it. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
There’s a new 100w amp from milkman. This one is similar to the original 100 but the preamp was designed by Benson amps based on their chimera amp. Both amps use a 12ax7 in the preamp which makes for great tone in a portable package. The original 100 is my main gigging amp when I don’t want to lug the vibrolux.
just got the benson amp today so I will share more thoughts later.
Seriously, though- when I see this it's like looking on Amazon for something and seeing 43 brands that are all identical, clearly ordered from China with different names printed on them. What is the deal here? Are these amps the same and just marketed under different brands?
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They are both built in the US by Milkman. Milkman did a partnership with Benson where they manufactured a Benson-designed preamp and looks like part of the deal is that Benson got to put their logo on the amp.
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and the reverb is still by Keely electronics. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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Lots of good cool new stuff on the market! After giving guitarists the run-around and being in denial for the last 4 years, UAD have decided that including MIDI in their digital pedals now qualifies as a cool thing! They get to sell us the same pedals all over again except NOW WITH MIDI. I am sure sales dropped off sufficiently that UAD needed something NEW and EXCITING.
Anyway, Thorpy Pedals released THE J tweed-flavoured pedal, a colloboration between Adrian of Thorpy and Jesse Hoff of Lazy J.
I am intrigued by The Benson Milkman. I don't need another 100W Class D amp as I have the 100W Black Milkman The Amp already. I wonder if running the Thorpy The J into the Black Milkman achieves a tone pretty similar to The Benson Milkman. Perhaps running the Benson Preamp pedal or Germanium Preamp pedal achieves much the same thing.
Looking forward to your thoughts on the Benson Milkman, Psycho Omph.
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Yeah, eager to hear from you, too, @Omph! Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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I’m confused. Did you use both of these at the gig? Ie, is the Benson on the right a pre-amp that connects to the Milkman amp on the left? Or did you just plug into the Milkman amp and the other Benson is another amp that you are reviewing later? Which one gives you the Grant Green jazz sound? It would be super convenient to only use one of those for a solo jazz gig. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
There’s a new 100w amp from milkman. This one is similar to the original 100 but the preamp was designed by Benson amps based on their chimera amp. Both amps use a 12ax7 in the preamp which makes for great tone in a portable package. The original 100 is my main gigging amp when I don’t want to lug the vibrolux.
just got the benson amp today so I will share more thoughts later.
Thanks
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The one on the left is the Milkman “The Amp” 100w amplifier. The one on the right is the Benson “The Amp” 100w amplifier. Very confusing naming.
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OK, so we only need to bring one pedal, for simplicity’s sake. I’d love your take on A:B -ing both of these, for the single point of view of getting a clean-dark-clear warm jazz sound we all love. Which is better? I watched some yT reviews and mostly they cranked the gain, most of the time. Uggh. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
I’d love to upgrade my one stop shop setup, which currently requires two “pedals” into a small older Buscarino cab. The “pedals” are the UAFX Dream ‘65, but it also requires a Seymour Duncan Power Stage pedal.
It would be great to replace these two pedals with just one pedal amp that could could go into the small Buscarino Cab.
So, I guess the comparison would be UAFX Dream ‘65 vs. the Milkman the Amp vs. the Benson the Amp. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these, strictly from the point of view of a clean jazz sound. You always get really good tones, Thanks
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My friend has the UAFX and I hate it.
I have yet to play the benson with a band, so I can only provide a full review after that. Fingers crossed for next week, my day job has been in the way lately.
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Since I’m now interested in this topic, I posted and inquired online. Here is a review of the Milkman the Amp 100–I said I was strictly looking for a classic jazz sound (Johnny Smith, Joe Pass, Jimmy Raney), nothing else:
”I have a The Amp 100 and purchased it for the very same reasons you’re thinking about (right down to the players you mention). It’s probably the second favourite amp I have. These include currently, an early Walter Woods, Polytone Brute, Evans JE250, ZT Club, AER 40s, Schertlers, Acoustic Images and various tube amps over the years- all sorts of years and models of Fenders, Ampegs, Mesas, an old Gibson, another Evans, a Vox, a Marshall, others I can’t remember… The only amp I currently have that does a better job of getting “the sound” is a Comins/Alessandro Jazz Amp and the only amp I’ve ever had that beat that was an Alessandro Greyhound which, like an idiot, I foolishly sold because I didn’t use it much and had the Comins. I’ve played the Milkman through a variety of speakers and currently have a couple of Raezer’s Edge speakers and an old Altec 15” in a nice no name cabinet that, although I’ve never owned a Standel, sure sounds to me like one. I primarily play archtops however I do play some C6 pedal steel and a number of semi solid and solid body guitars- I play them and the steel as clean and big and warm as I can get them to sound and the Milkman is fantastic! I was lucky to find the model I have used and, also, locally which was a happy accident both living on an island in Canada and because it’s the right model for me. I thought about buying a stereo model for the two Raezer’s Edge speakers but it has no reverb, the 50 watt model might be good but I don’t really need tremolo and need more clean headroom, the new Benson might be good but I don’t need or particularly like cabinet simulation or any additional boost capability it might have. Lastly, just for anyone reading who hasn’t used one- it’s a real amp, not a pedal per se- it’s just little and great!”
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I am seeing more and more of the Henriksen combos being used for this capacity. I love my bud 6 for most any gig! Originally Posted by Navdeep_Singh
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Last night I used the amp playing with a 12 piece funk group. I played it through a pine cabinet with a 12” tone tubby purple haze speaker. Guitar was my les paul.
Tonight I’ll take it to play with a jazz quintet so will have more to share on that front soon.
So far here are my thoughts now that I’ve played it in a real scenario.
The feel and response is absolutely better than any solid state amp I’ve played before. The benson preamp design with the 12ax7 has a sponginess and warmth/complexity that I have not encountered in other solid state amps. I guess that’s because this is hybrid.
For funk I was able to get a great comping tone without the crazy volume spikes I would get from playing something like a Henriksen.
I used the boost foot switch to kick on the lead tone which was very, very good. This thing can rock and the overdrive is phenomenal.
The reverb is very good. Not too muddy and easy to adjust. There’s very little if any modulation on it which I like. Sounds like a fender in unit spring tank.
The downside: the passive EQ could be more adjustable. Honestly I wish I could have gotten more treble at time and scoop the mids a bit. For playing jazz this won’t be a problem but worth calling out that the EQ really is the only weakness here. I could certainly plug it into different speakers and get my ideal tone but that’s not something you can do on the fly at a venue. I think what you want with this amp is a pretty bright speaker so that you can bring the treble down to adjust to the room. Again not likely an issue for jazz for most people, where a bit of treble roll off is welcome.
More thoughts later. Tonight I guess I’ll take my 50s es 175 with a p90 so that I can comment on getting that “smoky” van gelder sound.
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I got the Milkman Amp 100 to combine with Toob 10S which sounded great with a lot of versatility. Also, total weight: 12 lbs !
Last edited by medblues; 11-20-2025 at 09:55 AM.
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Seconded Originally Posted by Jx30510
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Took it last night to rehearse with a jazz group. It pulled through very nicely and definitely capable of KB / GG sounds. I had plenty of headroom to keep it clean while playing chords at volume while still be able to get a bit of grit as desired.
Same remarks on the EQ as before. I read some Reddit threads and sounds like this is common feedback btw. So yeah it’s a darker amp. Next time I play it with this group I’ll bring a brighter voiced speaker and/or maybe my raezers edge closed back cab.
I’ll repeat I think the “feel”, which comes from having the right amount of compression and the ability to get some harmonic saturation is better than any solid state amp I’ve played.
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