Is the $749 Chase Bliss Audio Automatone Preamp MKII the new gold standard in drive pedals?

Back at NAMM 2019 we got very excited after seeing and hearing the prototype of the Chase Bliss Automatone Preamp MKII – a collaboration with Christopher Benson of Benson Amps. Then we waited, and waited… now it's finally out and YouTuber Paul Davids is putting one through its paces.

He's a wonderfully tasteful player (1.81 million subscribers agree) so it's in good hands here and he also asks its designers some pressing questions about how hard-wearing it is, and the good reason of why it's taken so long in development.

(Image credit: Chase Bliss Audio)

As Davids admits, he's not getting paid for this demo and is just "super excited" about it. So are we because with the automation on the EQ sliders, tone shaping and preset options available, it's shaping up to be something special. 

And yes, it's expensive. It's $749 and it's backordered too but listen to it! 

For more info head over to chaseblissaudio.com and subscribe to Paul Davids excellent YouTube channel here

In the meantime, here's some more video of it in action…



Rob Laing
Reviews Editor, GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars

Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.