Wampler Pedals Plexi-Drive British Overdrive

Brian Wampler has commanded quite a reputation in recent years for his overdrive effects pedals. The result of tireless prototyping, tweaking, and more tweaking, Wampler pedals are setting new standards for excellence in an area where excellence had been lacking for many years. The struggle has been to produce pedals that faithfully reproduced or enhance tube amp tones without sounding like what they are... a solid state clipping circuit.

Not the least of these struggles has been that to faithfully reproduce the infamous Marshall roar in a small, stompable package. Enter the Plexi-Drive.



UTILIZATION

The Plexi-Drive is built into a heavy-duty creme-colored Hammond enclosure, and is set up basically like any other overdrive pedal. It has Volume, Tone, and Drive controls. However, it does have one extra that is the switchable Bass Boost.

The footswitch itself is a heavy duty Carling 3PDT switch that facilitates true bypass switching as well as switching power to the LED indicator.

SOUND QUALITY

With all the controls set at noon, it's obvious right out of the box that this is no ordinary assembly-line overdrive. Even through something so uncharacteristic as a Twin Reverb, the Plexi-Drive bleeds woody, mid-heavy Marshall tones.

And therein lies a caveat. This is not a pedal for those looking for transparency. It is designed to produce a sound, and it does that.. in many cases all over whatever setup you're using. So let me be clear that this pedal is not a catch-all overdrive. It's designed to produce a specific sound, and that's what it does.

The Plexi-Drive is powerful overdrive, and judicious use of the volume control is encouraged, lest you encounter a scary volume jump when engaging the pedal. There is plenty of gain on tap, and you can actually push it nearly into distortion territory. The tone control is not overly bright, but sufficiently evokes the bright qualities of a stock Marshall circuit with the preamp bright cap. The bass boost is like adding a resonance switch to a Marshall amp, throwing slabs of clean lowend punch under your tone.

OVERALL OPINION

Getting to know the Plex-Drive was a real pleasure. It's dynamic, loud, smooth, shimmery, and versatile all at once. It's just a powerhouse of a pedal, and that , coupled with it's durable design make it well worth the $200 price tag. They can go on Craigslist and Ebay for somewhat less, but purchasing straight from Wampler will give you the lastest revision and tweaks to the circuit.

So if you're a Marshall head looking for a Marshally pedal, check it out. I think you'll be as surprised as I was.

OD

UTILIZATION

Front amp.
9v.

SOUND QUALITY

Purchased for a light crunch on my EVH III.
Back to the store the next day!
I also tried it on my modified Marshall and even finding ...
The sound is not so bad, it may please or displease but then what made me part with this is that the sound is so compressed that when we made a big half with six strings attacking slightly the right hand, the sound crashes and comes back in a horrible way. basically it's something like that; BouIngggGGGG ... all in two distinct phases. We hear the note that pump with the volume down to return at once to normal volume.
Failure to my pedal? Admit it ... but I highly doubt it. (I should have thought to record the sound, well no, this kind of noise)

They tried to mimic the behavior of an old Marshall but honestly we are far.
Beware of videos on the net ...

OVERALL OPINION

Kept less than 24 hours, I tried on my head EVH other pedals, MXR, Boss, Zvex, Marshall and Fulltone OCD.
I left with the Fulltone, it has a steep grain but quickly corrected with EQ and compressor.

If you want a sound a little sharp and / or nervous, go your way.

This pedal for me not worth more than 30 €.

The plexidrive is a typical overdrive Marshall Plexi (JTM 45 - Marshall 18 W), 1 win, 1 tone, 1 volume and a switch to reinforce the bass and change the curve of mediums, DC input, 1 in, 1 out.

UTILIZATION

I'm a big fan of his "clean but not too much," I was looking for an overdrive that could nearly see clean overdrive well as this delivers a 45 and I could not find my happiness nowhere, now it's done! It meets impressive way!

SOUND QUALITY

A crunch that respects what you play, good old Plexi sound that allows you both, that's what brings and delivers the plexidrive

OVERALL OPINION

We can say that a good pedal overdrive is one that could be engaged all the time with it I could! And comparison with other overdrive is final, it is before! (OCD? Monte too quickly gain more packed into the dynamic, TS9? ... More acid Texan I would! OD2 lol .....)
Use with LP, Strat, Tele, type 335, SG remains faithful to the instrument, very dynamic, it is required in one or two copies on your pedalboard!

overdrive "light" analog handmade to states. three gain knobs volume tone, and a little bass boost switch. It is simple and very effective. Note that the case is solid and quite heavy, the switch looks really costaud.Alimentation by 9V battery or ... This pedal is supposed to give the sound a JTM45/plexi thrived, so a loaded medium overdrive and many fat .

UTILIZATION

Configuration simple and classic for this type of pedal, just the little switch bass handy as the desired sound, it also allows you to have two different grains, or compensate when using with multiple instruments. For the sound, it's not complicated. One branch, and whatever position it sounds ... it's just awesome. manual ... uh ... I think I did not even out of the box ... The knobs are very effective, and very fine adjustments ....

SOUND QUALITY

The sound is simply hyper realistic, especially if you plug this pedal into an amp all-tube, and we play with a good guitar ... Personally, I play on two Gibson Les Paul traditionnal mounted seymour duncan APH2 slash, and SG reissue 61 mounted in classic 57, the gibson's happening in my pedalboard which consists among other overdrives following: Xotic AC Booster, Wampler Plexi-Drive and Blackstar HT Dual (used only on channel 1 crunch) and MXR a boost, and this little world is connected to either a Marshall Class5 head for home and rehearsal and concert head marshall vintage modern 2466 and marshall jcm 800 a baffle in celestion G12-65 from 1980 (the HP bring a more real in terms of its small grain .. the lower midrange so pleasing to the ear ...). I use my head mode with low detail settings and 15H to 12H body (therefore already an overdrive light) . My settings on this pedal are 14h gain, tone and volume to 12H to 11H. So when I use it with my Les Paul, the sound is sharp enough with a moderate gain, highly reactive with the right hand and the power that I give if my attack is sweet, I have a sound almost clear on the other hand if I attack frankly, I get a nice dynamic saturation.
With Sg 61 reissue, it's not complicated: it is the sound ANGUS YOUNG. I am the guitarist in tribute AC / DC: BLOODY ROSIE, and when I run any lead or riff small school, it is the perfect grain, I am surprised every time I play titles like "shot down in flames, if you want blood, back in black, highway to hell etc ..." In terms of grain in my three overdrive pedals, it is "softer" even if it pulls hard, then I Xotic AC Booster which the grain is a bit fatter and thicker grades are more wampler loose with and for big sound I keep HT dual grain and much more modern.
In short, if you are looking for the AC / DC and you already have a marshall tube and SG but you lack that little thing .... stop looking ... you've found THE pedal with ... Les paul is the sound of Led Zep jimi page very 70's and with a sharp edge which pierces tremendously mix in a group without playing louder than everyone ...

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for two months, and I play it every day with my two gibson ... I take my foot every time I send an agreement, it's just magical. you really feel like an old vintage marshall head pushed forward almost .... except that the volume is perfectly reasonable .. well ok it is more fun when pushing the volume a bit and the we feel this vibration in our guts magic grain!! I had some kind TS 9 Pedal Boss BD2 and other big muff pedals describe as the "standard" but this is something else .. nothing comparable, not its price .. it's still the double of pedal factory made in china ..... but the quality is to go .. and I'd rather have half the pedals, but have this quality ... With the experience I remake this choice without hesitation ...