Boosting a Plexi

[ebagjones]

Looking to pick the brains of the friendly and helpful SD forum crew. I have a Plexi Bass amp and a Victory Sheriff 44 head. Both have that wonderful Plexi DNA of course but I’d like to be able to get to 80’s/90’s levels of Marshall gain without modding the amps. I’m looking for an overdrive that will push it to higher levels of gain/sustain while changing the essential character of the amp as little as possible.
Right now I’m using a J Rockett Animal OD with the gain at 25% and the volume cranked. It sounds decent but a bit raspy still. Also the pedal doesn’t have a lot of output with unity volume at about 2:30, so I’m not getting as much push as I probably could out of it.

 

[LLL]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

I built my plexi - '68 50W with the .68uF on V2.

Use what the dudes of old used to boost. With the amp cooking (but not dimed):

- EQ (MXR 6 Band has guitar-centric bands and +/- 18dB boost)
- Dist/OD with the dist/OD off/low and the level cranked (BOSS DS-1, MXR Dist+, etc)
- Rangmaster clone

etc

or clean boost

Keep in mind the more you push it, the thicker the amp will get - may want to pick the EQ or Rangemaster clone for the hi-pass feature
(thus keeping the amp's lo-end tight).

 

[Mincer]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

I'd add a gain stage pedal, like the Palladium.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Keeley Katana with the volume knob in the "out" position.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[ebagjones]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

I'd add a gain stage pedal, like the Palladium.

That looks pretty cool - I like how it has EQ because it’s easy to add too much of the wrong frequencies when boosting. Are they pretty easy to use? Can you start with the knobs at noon and tweak from there? Also I assume it doesn’t overly color your tone, right?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

That looks pretty cool - I like how it has EQ because it’s easy to add too much of the wrong frequencies when boosting. Are they pretty easy to use? Can you start with the knobs at noon and tweak from there? Also I assume it doesn’t overly color your tone, right?

Well, it is essentially adding another channel to your amp. So you can just treat it as another channel with its own EQ. It can color your tone as much or as little as you want.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

the palladium is a great preamp with lots of tonal control but i dont know how it does boosting an already overdriven amp. if you run your marshall clean, it would be good as a high gain channel. if you want to boost the cranked up marshall then a treble booster or eq or more transparent overdrive like the forza or maybe even the killing floor boost might be cool

 

[Demanic]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

the palladium is a great preamp but i dont know how it does boosting an already overdriven amp. if you run your marshall clean, it would be good as a high gain channel. if you want to boost the cranked up marshall then a treble booster or eq or more transparent overdrive like the forza or maybe even the killing floor boost might be cool

Like I said, Katana.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Friedman buxom boost

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Keeley Katana, a modded Blues Driver, EHX Soul Food, Etc...

Basically any clean boost should push the natural charter of of the amplifier without adding any additional color to the signal....

 

[Mincer]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Other option is a flat overdrive like the Forza might be a good choice, too. It doesn't have the missing bass and boosted mids of a TS-based pedal...it boosts everything equally, but you have that 3 band EQ to select the right band to boost.

 

[Big Mike Blues]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Archer or klon type with the gain turned down.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

I tried a JHS Morning Glory in front of my Marshall and it was an absolutely glorious overdrive sound.

I chose the Archer Ikon however, because I do a ton of arpeggios and notey stuff -which the Ikon really made really present and brilliant.

But had I ONLY been looking for giant chords and power moves -I would have chose the Morning Glory.

 

[Big Mike Blues]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

You know, I also love the Greer Lightspeed in this instance.
It 'clears' out some of the mud while adding the gain and volume. Changes the tone slightly depending on how you set the EQ, but it really articulates the midrange smear that can happen.

 

[Cynical]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Depending on exactly what you want from the resulting tone, try either a Boss SD-1 (aggressive bite, trebly), Ibanez TS-9 (smoother, compressed, tight response), or Moser M2G (fat, aggressive).

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

I use an Analogman Beano Boost with a JTM 45 type amp. The low end on the amp has been tightened up, so it drifts a bit toward an early bass spec plexi.

The Beano is based on a Rangemaster, but can be treble booster, mid boost, or low end boost.

 

[Securb]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Archer or klon type with the gain turned down.

That is exactly what I was going to suggest here is a great one under $20 super quiet and built like a tank.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32915710806.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dA1hocH

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

I mean, it's already been said multiple times, but you can't go wrong with tried and methods such as a Treble boost, Tube Screamer, or a Klon pedal (I use mine as a clean boost).

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

I actually really liked the Bogner XTC Blue [small] pedal running into the front of my Germino Club 40. TS808, OCD, and Sunset were also great into that head. I liked my Bogner Harlow into the plexi channel of my Friedman Smallbox. So many great ODs out there these days for accomplishing what you seek. When I was a young player in the 80s... we mostly just had our trusty TS9s for such duties.

 

[67Mopar]

Re: Boosting a Plexi

Zendrive 2
Crowther Double Hot Cake
Ceritatone Centura w/Philips ECG109 germanium diodes.