Can A Cheap Chines Pedal And Amp Sound Like A Real Plexi?

[jross68052]

 

[Geeze]

In short - kinda. At lower volumes you can get away with being in the sound ball park. Loud or at band volume no. The lack of the chewy harmonic KERRANG! of the plexi is very apparent to me. Another big ingredient is the Greenbacks being pushed.

I spent waaaaay more time than I will admit trying to get non Marshall circuits to sound like Marshall's and bought a whole raft of dirt/drive/boost pedals to aid the failed mission. I now own Marshalls and two drive / boost pedals.

What matters is if you are satisfied with the tone. Only the guitar tone nerds in the audience will notice the 'tone' nuances if you are faithful to the song.

Russ

 

[jross68052]

Thanks for the excellent response. I do agree about the volumes. I have quite a few real marshall heads and love to crank em up and record em. But lately at home I am not able to do that. So recording with pedals and emulated out seems to be a decent way to go. The sounds of a real heavily driven power amp tube section and some real speakers moving real air is the true origin of the art form. And two inch analog tape too.

 

[Geeze]

You will probably laugh [or groan] the smallest amp I run in my townhouse is 50 watt [JTM / JMP or JCM something] all at conversational volume. I run a Rat in front more gain and an Empress Heavy to simulate 'high volume' compression low toned mayhem. It works for me.

Russ

 

[jross68052]

You will probably laugh [or groan] the smallest amp I run in my townhouse is 50 watt [JTM / JMP or JCM something] all at conversational volume. I run a Rat in front more gain and an Empress Heavy to simulate 'high volume' compression low toned mayhem. It works for me.

Russ

If Run my JMP, JVM, DSL, or TSL in my house, my wife will throw me and my gear to the curb

 

[BanditPanda]

If Run my JMP, JVM, DSL, or TSL in my house, my wife will throw me and my gear to the curb

As long as you don't let her know the value of the gear you'll be ok ! lol

 

[jross68052]

Yeah good idea. I get the gear. she gets the house! Fair trade

 

[Sir Don]

The answer to your question is clearly 'no'.

Guitarists the world over have been trying to emulate the 'Plexi sound' for years with, in my opinion, limited success. Using a cheap pedal and amp, as in this example, just reinforces my answer.

Others may differ in their opinions.

 

[solarburn]

No. I have a 68' Plexi. I also have a Plexitone, DLS MK3 and Marvel Drive.

The pedals along with my DSL40C do vintage Marshall. But they do not do Plexi enuff for a Plexi orgasm.

Emulation at best. I have the real thing. Nothing like it when the power section comes in. Its spiritual. If you are allowed to play that loud. I am.

 

[Sir Don]

What Solarburn just said above. It's almost as ridiculous as this:



The only saving grace is that he doesn't answer his own question. I'll answer it for him.

No.

 

[solarburn]

What Solarburn just said above. It's almost as ridiculous as this:



The only saving grace is that he doesn't answer his own question. I'll answer it for him.

No.

LOL.

 

[Sir Don]

Double post.

 

[mtm105]

 

[zachman]

Depends on who's ears you rely on, and how close "close enough" is, to them. The problem is, Some people can convince themselves of anything, while others just have broken ears or some such phenomenon.

Now that the PC stuff is done, the answer is-- No.

 

[ampmadscientist]

Can A Cheap Chines Pedal And Amp Sound Like A Real Plexi?

no, but you can pretend like everybody else does...

 

[Kutt]

The human ear and human brain are quite perceptive and discerning. Those of us with good enough hearing will probably always hear, and more importantly, feel a difference. The lines blur between the two. Pedals, modelers, etc... can get the sound close, but feel is another matter entirely. You cannot replicate it.

 

[ampmadscientist]

The Plexi is a clean preamp, overdriving the output tubes. This is the "benchmark" sound by which all others are judged.
Also, louder than who knows what(?)

I admit that not everybody is going to be able to crank a Plexi into full power. Of course not. It's just too loud.

But overdriving the clean preamp with a distortion pedal is not the same sound.

 

[LPMarshall hack]

The real question is:

Can a real plexi sound like a cheap Chinese pedal?

 

[zachman]

The real question is:

Can a real plexi sound like a cheap Chinese pedal?

Yes, Absolutely. I have personally witnessed players, whose apparent talent is dialing the WORST tone possible from ANY given amp, including but not limited to 'Real' Plexi amps. Like a savant, minus the talent/special ability, leaving just the less than competent parts of the equation with the decision making power. AMAZING!

 

[Derek S]

Yes, Absolutely. I have personally witnessed players, whose apparent talent is dialing the WORST tone possible from ANY given amp, including but not limited to 'Real' Plexi amps. Like a savant, minus the talent/special ability, leaving just the less than competent parts of the equation with the decision making power. AMAZING!

Yes! Experienced this too, and one step further than the amp/pedal setup, a pretty sweet rack rig as well. This guy was loaded and had some drool worthy gear (and was a solid player too) but man o man, I don't think he ever took the time to learn how to use all that stuff and it sounded horrible! And hiding in all of it was a beautiful stock JCM800. It was a two guitar band so one day for fun we traded setups and I unhooked everything he had (pedals, rack units) and threw his ratty old GE-7 pedal in front of that jcm800 and that was it...and it sounded incred!! He and the singer were like "hmmm, I think he's got something there" lmao....ya think?!

I'm sure that was a rare case though, can't recall experiencing that again as most dudes that have THE gear DO tend to squeeze the most out of their investment by putting the time in to get the tones working for them.