From the very beginning of their production in 1965 out of the Marshall factory, there’s a group of amps that have been and are still some of the most coveted on the planet: the Plexis. Countless amp and pedal builders have tried time and time again to capture that sound once more, most being fairly successful, but never truly getting it “just right.” Well, the wait may just be over, as we examine the Plexi-Drive from Wampler Pedals.
The Gain is the shining star of this pedal. There’s a gigantic tonal range within this knob, aiming to re-create blues tones, cranked rock and roll and everything in between. The subtleties of this control when turned down are really nice, just beefing up your guitar’s tone a bit to give it an extra splash of tonal color. As you start to turn it slowly to the right, the drive sounds gets more and more intense, but still keeps the character of your tone in tact beautifully. Cranked up, the Plexi-Drive will make (almost) any amp sound like the Marshall stack you’ve wanted since you were 12, with gorgeous clarity and sustain for days. The Tone knob allows you to further dial in the exact sound you’re looking for, and there’s a Bass Boost switch, too, to add in the low-end frequencies you’d get if you had a thumpy 4×12 cabinet connected to your original Marshall Plexi. This switch is yet another addition to the tonal possibilities this pedal is able to produce with ease.
The goal of this pedal was to re-create that specific Marshall Plexi tone, but without having to refinance your house to buy one of those amps. After playing this pedal, I’d say that Brian and the folks at Wampler have come up with a pretty spot-on rendition of that coveted amplifier, at a small fraction of the price. Everyone always talks about finding that “Marshall-In-A-Box” pedal – look no further than the Plexi-Drive, my friends. Well done, Wampler!
Specs:
• Hand-built in the U.S.A.
• High grade film capacitors and resistors picked for their superior sound and response
• Completely true bypass
• Power draw: 4mA
• Battery connection and 9v power jack (barrel plug like Boss)
• JFET circuitry mimics tube gain, response, and sound of an old Plexi style amp
• 3 Knobs: tone, volume, and gain
• Bass boost switch to add 4×12” thump
• 2.5” x 4.5” x 1.5″ in size (63.5mm x 114.3mm 38.1mm) – height excludes knobs and switches
Submitted by Mike B, Website
