Wampler Plexi-Drive User Manual
TM
Plexi-Drive. British Overdrive
One of the classic Wampler Pedals, the Plexi-Drive was born when Brian,
early on, really wanted that classic JTM45® Plexi® tone, but didn't have the
amp.
They say necessity is the mother of invention, but this time, tone envy
played a big part too, because another guitarist in his band at the time
had the amp. Thus began one of Brian's focused, intense quests to design
a pedal that takes the sound, the feel, the responsiveness of a special amp
and replicate that magic, by whatever means necessary, in pedal form.
After a lot of design adjustments and plenty of time spent over the
breadboard getting it just right, the Plexi-Drive was born, and to this day
it remains one of his personal favorites among the many fantastic pedals
he's designed, a constant companion on his own pedal boards.
TM
Combining carefully-honed simplicity of function with enough versatility
to make it useful for a range of dierent guitar and amp setups, the
Plexi-Drive has become a favorite of many guitarists. Some use it to give
their totally dierent amp that classic sound; others use it to allow them
to use their JTM45® at lower volume levels without sacricing tone.
How you use it is up to you, but you have in your possession a ne piece
of design and workmanship, responsive and powerful, truly a premier
"Marshall®-in-a-Box" pedal..
To get the most out of your new pedal, you'll want to become very familiar with the controls. The Plexi-Drive has a
straightforward control scheme, and doesn't take a great deal of time to understand, but there are some subtleties to
how it works its magic that should be explained. It features a three-knob control layout, the classic Volume, Tone, Gain
setup, but to add an extra layer of versatility it also has a Bass Boost toggle switch that can give you more low end
when engaged, especially helpful with single-coil pickups and amps that don't bring the thunder on their own.
The Tone knob and the Bass Boost toggle provide a degree of interactivity that goes beyond your average three-knob
overdrive, and the pedal uses carefully designed JFET transistor circuitry to give authentic, tube-like response and
tone, possible with a 9V pedal. As with all Wampler Pedals products, the Plexi-Drive includes a high-quality truebypass switch which takes it completely out of the signal path when bypassed. Experiment and enjoy!
Bypass Switch – A true-bypass footswitch ensures solid, mechanical removal of the circuit when it isn't wanted,
meaning you don't lose any tone when the pedal is o.
Volume – This control adjusts the output level of the PlexiDrive. There's plenty of volume on tap, so whether you want
to go farther than your input level or just make sure it can do unity volume (the same level of signal going out as you
feed it, when active), you're covered. The output volume, Gain and Tone controls all have an impact on the total
volume, so you're probably better o waiting to adjust the Volume until you've dialed in the other controls.
Re-adjustment might be necessary if you get it to the desired level and still need to tweak the sound.
Tone – This is a straightforward but powerful control, familiar to
anyone who has ever used an overdrive pedal before but refreshing in
that it oers a useful range of sounds, not limited "sweet spots" like
many three-knob overdrives. Counterclockwise reduces the high
frequencies and emphasizes the lows, while clockwise brings in a
great deal of highs. It is strongly interactive with the Bass Boost Toggle,
so pay attention to their adjustment!
Bass Boost Toggle Switch – This switch oers an added level of
control over the low frequencies of the pedal by allowing you to kick
in a nice low end "thunk!" Great for fattening up single coils, making
small cabinets sound big, or getting the most from the higher Tone
knob settings, learning the interplay between this switch and the Tone
knob is extremely important to getting the most out of your PlexiDrive!
Gain – On the one hand, this adjusts the crunch of the pedal (while
also raising the volume – remember the interaction there!); on the
other hand, it can be used to go for more or less of a Plexi-voiced
crunch tone. At higher settings (noon and above), it's denitely got a
classic crunch tone that is unmistakable in its inspiration, responsive
as can be and perfectly tuned to bring the best tone to your ngertips.
At lower settings, it can morph into a much more generalist overdrive,
with the voicing of the pedal still inuencing – but not determining –
your overall tone. This makes it what we in the pedal business call a
little bit of a "chameleon," capable of working with nearly any piece of
gear and adding some extra responsiveness and drive to the sound,
with extra tone shaping to boot.
Advanced tip: owners of British amps will love the ability to get their
crunch tone at lower volumes thanks to the pedal's exible voice! It
may be a "MIAB," but it will play nicely with any British amp too,
without any concerns of overpowering the sound or getting too much
emphasis on those special frequencies.
Plexi-Drive
Gain at 2 o'clock, Tone at 1-2 o'clock, Bass Boost Toggle OFF
Suggested Settings (volume to suit)
How to Drive a Plexi
Gain at 10 o'clock, Tone at 3 o'clock, Bass Boost Toggle ON
Fat Single Coils can Roar!
Gain at 3 o'clock, Tone at 2 o'clock, Bass Boost Toggle
ON
Power Requirements
The pedal can be powered by a 9V battery. The battery terminal is located inside the pedal. If
using a power supply, power needed for the pedal is 9V DC, regulated, center pin negative, as
supplied by most standard Boss™/Ibanez™/Etc. supplies. The pedal can be safely powered with a
multi-supply, like the Visual Sound 1SPOT™. The pedal was designed explicitly around the usage
of a 9V DC power source, and is intended to sound its best at 9V. To avoid damage to the pedal,
do not exceed 18V DC, do not use center pin positive adapters, and do not use AC power. Using
an incorrect power adapter can lead to damage and will void the warranty on the pedal. This
pedal draws 4mA.
Please note: If you are using a battery, it will drain when the input cord is plugged in.
Return and Warranty Policy
For direct sales, there is a 7-day “no questions asked” period where you may return the pedal for any reason, provided that it is in its original condition. Please retain
all packaging within this period in case you decide to return it! We only require that you pay shipping back. The 7 days start when you receive the pedal. This does
not apply to dealer or retailer sales – see their individual return policies for specic information.
All Wampler Pedals, Inc. pedals carry a 5-year, fully transferable warranty that covers defects due to parts and labor. The warranty begins at the point of purchase.
Please remember to register your pedal as soon as possible after purchase at the following web page to ensure quicker service if you should ever need to make a
warranty claim: www.wamplerpedals.com/warranty_registration
For warranty repairs or questions, please feel free to contact us at www.wamplerpedals.com/contact_us.html
Humbucker-friendly
Gain at 2 o'clock, Tone at 3-4 o'clock (nearly maxed!), Bass
Boost Toggle OFF
Any trademarks attributed that are not owned by Wampler Pedals, Inc. are for
demonstrative purposes only, and are property of their respective owners
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