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Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

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  • James Rock
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    No. The pedals that are better suited to work with a variety of tone stacks tend to have active EQs. The PlexiTone Lo-gain has the typical passive tone control, nothing more and it is simply not enough.
    THIS! Some pedals may have a drive flavour of a certain amp but stuff like the Wampler with their (Plexidrive DLX and PinnacleDLX) 3 band Eqs that go fairly extreme, allow you to tailor the sound to your Rig.

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  • gregory
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    That's the thing, if you run this pedal into a Fender with scooped mids, this little gold box isn't going to put them back. It can't do anything about a Fender's large cathode bypass and coupling caps either. The tone knob is all you have to work with.

    Buying a second pedal to make up for its inadequacies isn't my idea of a good solution (silk purses and sows' ears come to mind).

    So maybe this pedal will be good for stacking, or some will really like the dirt it brings to Fender cleans (tone is subjective after all). But as a low-gain Plexi "foundation" that requires a Marshall style amp to achieve it, IOW, an amp that can already get that tone without a pedal, this thing makes zero sense.
    Last edited by gregory; 09-12-2017, 10:58 PM.

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  • Vasshu the humanoid typhoon
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    Gods....
    It is the same as the other small yellow box, just with a lower value pot on the drive.....and it is much drier and thinner than the org one.
    Only a few small values sets them apart, but these Made in China boxes are a mix of SMD and normal oldschool parts, so without special tools it is no fun modding back to the original specs!

    Anyways.....it is a simple machine....made for those who likes a fat big foundation sound, not for plingy no mids sounds(well some like that, we are all different, then there are plenty of other good offers out there).
    If you have a loopswitcher, you can always patch it up with an additional eq(easy and does not require any internal mods...yay).
    I used to do that when playing over other kinds of amps(in one of my endless test setups).

    It was made by a guy who likes simple stuff, not someone who likes a gazzilion options, it is no secret either.
    But if you guys wants something more flexible and all that sh!t....nag them at CM
    Whinge, b!tch and moan about that you cannot live without active eq and more internal parts

    I did not say any of this, I do not work there anymore, don't even get much out of it as it is, the business of pedals is not something that gives you much for your troubles!
    So this was brought to you....2003 seems a long time ago now(the first prototypes where made back then) and 2004 was the first production year of the old PT....
    Now there is a horde of pedals to choose from out there....it all adds to bliss or confusion
    Last edited by Vasshu the humanoid typhoon; 10-01-2017, 02:50 AM.

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  • gregory
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    Originally posted by GilmourD View Post
    But isn't any pedal at the mercy of your tonestack? Isn't that the nature of the beast?
    No. The pedals that are better suited to work with a variety of tone stacks tend to have active EQs. The PlexiTone Lo-gain has the typical passive tone control, nothing more and it is simply not enough.

    Originally posted by GilmourD View Post
    I mean, the JTM45 tone stack varied a lot. The filtering changed a few times independently of the tone stack. They used Radio Spares transformers at first but used Drakes later on. The B+ on the tubes changed a couple times. For all we know this pedal was aiming for a JTM45/100, which is a whole different beast from the JTM45 but still much less gainy than the 1959, and even that model had variations. Hendrix had a few of them and changed the tone stack in some of them and didn't touch others because they were already the way he wanted.
    Compared to the fundamental differences between a Plexi and SF/BF Fender that lie at the very core of their designs, that is all window dressing. All the speculation in the world about what Carl Martin intended doesn't change that, though I'm pretty sure the designer has gone on record saying the PlexiTone isn't tailored for use with typical SF/BF style amps.

    Originally posted by GilmourD View Post
    However, your post seems to state factually that it isn't a good pedal while the reality is that your opinion is that it doesn't do what you desire.
    If you want PlexiIAB in front of a SF/BF Fender you won't get it with this pedal.

    Originally posted by GilmourD View Post
    So... Who knows?
    I do. If you had one you'd know too.
    Last edited by gregory; 09-10-2017, 10:15 PM.

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  • GilmourD
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    Originally posted by gregory View Post
    A core type pedal, that's what I expected it to be. It definitely isn't. Why? It is completely at the mercy of the tonestack of your preamp. If your intention is to transform your amp into a Marshall, buy one at your own risk.

    As far as JTM45 goes, no, it doesn't have the mids and it doesn't squish. It is tighter and faster like a 1959. If you want JTM45 go for a JHS Charlie Brown.

    I can see how this pedal could be useful in front of an OD or a compressor. If BM cleans or '60s Marshall cleans are your thing, then this pedal could be used to give you some dirt in front of that.
    But isn't any pedal at the mercy of your tonestack? Isn't that the nature of the beast?

    IIRC, Wampler specifically says that his AIAB pedals are voiced towards the Fender spectrum, particularly the BF/SF Bassman, but he could mod pedals depending on what you have. I use my Pinnacle Deluxe with a Bugera 1960 Infinium (basically an MIC 1959RR, which is a modified late '70s JMP head) set pretty clean and I still get the brown goodness the Pinnacle was meant to put forth.

    That's not to discount that it doesn't do what you want it to do. However, your post seems to state factually that it isn't a good pedal while the reality is that your opinion is that it doesn't do what you desire.

    There's so much variation in production of old Marshalls that there's no telling what sound Carl Martin may have been aiming for with this pedal. I mean, the JTM45 tone stack varied a lot. The filtering changed a few times independently of the tone stack. They used Radio Spares transformers at first but used Drakes later on. The B+ on the tubes changed a couple times. For all we know this pedal was aiming for a JTM45/100, which is a whole different beast from the JTM45 but still much less gainy than the 1959, and even that model had variations. Hendrix had a few of them and changed the tone stack in some of them and didn't touch others because they were already the way he wanted.

    So... Who knows? LOL

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  • gregory
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    A core type pedal, that's what I expected it to be. It definitely isn't. Why? It is completely at the mercy of the tonestack of your preamp. If your intention is to transform your amp into a Marshall, buy one at your own risk.

    As far as JTM45 goes, no, it doesn't have the mids and it doesn't squish. It is faster and somewhat tighter like a 1959. If you want JTM45 go for a JHS Charlie Brown.

    I can see how this pedal could be useful in front of an OD or a compressor(?). If BM cleans or '60s Marshall cleans are your thing, then this pedal could be used to give you some coadjuvant dirt in front of that.
    Last edited by gregory; 09-11-2017, 04:03 PM.

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  • GilmourD
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    I believe it's meant to be a core-tone type pedal. Give you a basic tone that you can add to with dirt pedals. I've seen plenty of guys with MIAB pedals do that. They don't have a Marshall but want that tone so they get a MIAB pedal, leave it on all the time, and put dirt pedals in front of it.

    I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that this version of the pedal is meant to be more JTM45ish, which is going to be a good deal cleaner with more headroom than the 1987 and 1959 that followed it. I bet it would be great for getting Clapton Bluesbreaker type tones and give you more flexibility with pedal platforms.

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  • gregory
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    Originally posted by TwilightOdyssey View Post
    it is a bummer when you are expecting A and get B
    Indeed, especially when you rely on "expert" opinions from people who clearly don't know what they're talking about.

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  • TwilightOdyssey
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    Definitely sounds like this pedal is meant to add harmonic content and perhaps be stacked if you want more gain. I have one low gain OD and it sounds great when stacked. On its own it adds a bit of girth and harmonics. When you stack overdrives you do get a more complex character, but it is a bummer when you are expecting A and get B!

    For cleaner tones, a low gain drive can sound great when stacked with a compressor as well.
    Last edited by TwilightOdyssey; 09-10-2017, 05:41 AM.

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  • gregory
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    It looks like a great JTM45 in a box from what I can tell. The demos defintely sound more like a Marshall with F-style clean than what I could get with the PlexiTone Lo-gain.

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  • allbutromeo
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    Originally posted by gregory View Post
    I had the Pinnacle Deluxe for a few days. It had too much gain for what I wanted at the time so I took it back. I've since gotten a BE-OD which is more or less the same thing. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on another Pinnacle Deluxe just to see how different it is from the BE-OD. I'm also curious about the new additions in the V2 model.

    The Plexi Drive is definitely more my speed. While I like the extra tone sculpting options in the deluxe version and believe it will work over scooped Fender cleans better than the PlexiTone, I would rather it not have the built-in OD function. I'm more interested in the D&M Drive for that kind of thing.
    Have you looked at the JHS Charlie Brown V4?

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  • PFDarkside
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    Sweetwater and Wampler website.

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  • mantis
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    15% off from where?

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  • PFDarkside
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    FYI, Wamplers are 15% off through Labor Day.

    As a fanboy of Wampler and Keeley (and an owner of the D&M, Plexidrive Deluxe and Pinnacle V1), I can say that a few things...
    -The Boost on the Plexidrive Deluxe and Pinnacle Deluxe is tuned very well for each pedal.
    -The D&M drive side is much harder than the drive in the Plexidrive Deluxe, and doesn't sag at all. The tones are pretty different to me.
    -D&M is great as a distortion and boost pedal for a hot amp, the Plexidrive Deluxe and Pinnacle Deluxe are really good to change the tonality of a clean amp.

    Leave a comment:


  • gregory
    replied
    Re: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-gain: What's the Point?

    I had the Pinnacle Deluxe for a few days. It had too much gain for what I wanted at the time so I took it back. I've since gotten a BE-OD which is more or less the same thing. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on another Pinnacle Deluxe just to see how different it is from the BE-OD. I'm also curious about the new additions in the V2 model.

    The Plexi Drive is definitely more my speed. While I like the extra tone sculpting options in the deluxe version and believe it will work over scooped Fender cleans better than the PlexiTone, I would rather it not have the built-in OD function. I'm more interested in the D&M Drive for that kind of thing.
    Last edited by gregory; 09-03-2017, 08:39 AM.

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