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Who makes the best Plexi


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Posted
Originally posted by sah5150

I vote Mojave! I bet you're all surprised...


Steve



Another vote for Mojave here :thu:

Brad

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Posted

Sounds like "voodoo" I just listened to the clips of the V-Plex... Sounds like a Super Lead expertly recorded. Yes it does sound great... But it's a little too mean...

 

It was one mic that went directly into the mic-pre and then out to the computer. It's a pretty simple and straight forward signal chain. No pedals of any kind were used and was any outboard gear (EQ's, etc.).

 

Yes it does sound great... But it's a little too mean...

 

A little too mean compared to? There were no pedals used what so ever and no mods to the preamp. What you are hearing is a guitar plugged straight into the amp, nothing else is in the signal chain. The V-Plex is a clone of a very early 68 plexi (including the transformers).

 

Believe it or not, that actually sounds more like a vintage Marshall Super Lead than the V-Plex clip. Those Thunder Tweak clips could be recorded better, but that's pretty much what a Super Lead sounds like.

 

One important thing to keep in mind is that the 1967 and 1968 amps sound and feel different from the later 69-76 amps. We've worked on a great number of older plexis (real plexis) and the older/real plexis varied a good deal. We've also worked on countless 70's Marshalls and they sound and feel quite different than the 67-68 plexis. We also have a 1966 plexi in the shop right now being re-furb'ed and brought back to spec.

 

The V-Plex sounds like a heavily-modded Super Lead. At least in the clips on the Voodoo amps site. I have no idea in person.

 

The V-Plex amp is not modified in any way what so ever from the 1968 model we cloned it from.

 

I'm sure it is... But in those clips it sounds like a tweaked/hotrodded Plexi. I can't say in person. The clip sounds great by the way.

 

It's not modified in any way. If you had a V-Plex in front of you and copied the circuit to a "T" you would never get your amp to sound like the V-Plex, not unless you had the exact same transformer set. When I first got into this I felt much the same way you do about amps but trust me when I say there is more to an amp's tone than just caps ands resistors. I'm not being egotistical, sarcastic, etc. but rather just being honest with you.

 

The other option is the Metro amp which aren't someone's take. They're as identical as identical can be. The problem is, some people want their plexi's "Idealized"

 

Marshall used several different transformers (power and output) as well as chokes. With that in mind it's impossible to not to have someone's take on it because it depends on which older plexi they cloned their model from.

 

 

For what it's worth

Trace

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Posted

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Ray18
that secret flaw is probably just a 50cent coupling cap or something


so much snake oil floating around
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


+ XXXXXXXXXXX

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Posted

Originally posted by Voodoo Amps

Sounds like "voodoo" I just listened to the clips of the V-Plex... Sounds like a Super Lead expertly recorded. Yes it does sound great... But it's a little too mean...


It was one mic that went directly into the mic-pre and then out to the computer. It's a pretty simple and straight forward signal chain. No pedals of any kind were used and was any outboard gear (EQ's, etc.).


Yes it does sound great... But it's a little too mean...


A little too mean compared to? There were no pedals used what so ever and no mods to the preamp. What you are hearing is a guitar plugged straight into the amp, nothing else is in the signal chain. The V-Plex is a clone of a very early 68 plexi (including the transformers).


Believe it or not, that actually sounds more like a vintage Marshall Super Lead than the V-Plex clip. Those Thunder Tweak clips could be recorded better, but that's pretty much what a Super Lead sounds like.


One important thing to keep in mind is that the 1967 and 1968 amps sound and feel different from the later 69-76 amps. We've worked on a great number of older plexis (real plexis) and the older/real plexis varied a good deal. We've also worked on countless 70's Marshalls and they sound and feel quite different than the 67-68 plexis. We also have a 1966 plexi in the shop right now being re-furb'ed and brought back to spec.


The V-Plex sounds like a heavily-modded Super Lead. At least in the clips on the Voodoo amps site. I have no idea in person.


The V-Plex amp is not modified in any way what so ever from the 1968 model we cloned it from.


I'm sure it is... But in those clips it sounds like a tweaked/hotrodded Plexi. I can't say in person. The clip sounds great by the way.


It's no modified in any way. If you had a V-Plex in front of you and copied the circuit to a "T" you would never get your amp to sound like the V-Plex, not unless you had the exact same transformer set. When I first got into this I felt much the same way you do about amps but trust me when I say there is more to an amp's tone than just caps ands resistors. I'm not being egotistical, sarcastic, etc. but rather just being honest with you.


The other option is the Metro amp which aren't someone's take. They're as identical as identical can be. The problem is, some people want their plexi's "Idealized"


Marshall used several different transformers (power and output) as well as chokes. With that in mind it's impossible to
not
to have someone's take on it because it depends on which older plexi they cloned their model from.



For what it's worth

Trace

 

 

Thanks for the info Trace!

 

What I heard in that one clip sounded a bit more modern to me. Now that could possibly be the MD421. What I heard through my headphones was a huge tight low-end and rolled highs. I didn't hear the sizzle in the highs that are normally associated with these amps.

 

Again... I'm going by the clip. I never heard the amp in person and it's a killer-sounding clip so I wasn't trying to offend anyone. It just didn't sound an unmodded Marshall to me. Of course, in person, it might be entirely different.

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Posted

I can't beleive no one mentioned the Aikens.....????
I'd also look into a Voodoo, Roccaforte, and Suhr OD 100/50 with a Plexi transformer....
Steve

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Posted
Originally posted by BerkleeBill

A *true* Plexi was those Marshall amps (circa 1967-69) that feaured plexiglass faceplates. Marshall switched over to metal faceplates in the 1970s, although they maintained production of the 4-input Super Leads up through the introduction of the Master Volume amps in 1976.


The transformers and mil-spec "parts du jour" define the build and sound quality of the early Marshalls. Since parts were obtained, quite literally, adhoc from parts bins on an "as needed" basis...there in lies the mystery inheret to the "Plexi" amps ... some sound killer, while others are real dogs. It was a crap shoot, because there wasn't any real consistency across those amps as far as parts/values went. Esp. true with the transformers used.


That's what makes the V-Plex such a great sounding amp. Voodoo happened to have an all-original 1968 come into the shop for service. It happened to be one of those "good" sounding amps. So good, that Voodoo paid the owner retarded money to purchase it from him. They then reverse engineered it to design an amp replica of it. Upon doing so, they actually found a "flaw" in the amp -- that turns out was a key "ingredient" to the key to it's great tone.
:idea:
This "flaw" was specifically engineered into the new amps -- making the V-Plex one of the
true
1968 Plexi clones out on the amp market today. Other companies may come close with part values and what not, but they don't hold the secret to the tone that Voodoo has.


Quite a few companies have done the reverse engineering thing with early Plexis and got excellent results. Voodoo is one of the latest to pull that off quite well, from what I hear. But, some of the first were Blockhead, Cage and Top Hat, but then Aiken, Germino and even Marshall(!) followed. But, since they're all copying different original Marshalls, they all sound slightly different, but no less aurthentic. The ones I've played all sound better than the original Plexis I grew up with! And, most come with features that allow configuring the circuits for several of their best original years...even into the 70's metal panel era.

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Posted
Originally posted by messenger

It was Chubtone with the comparison clip.



If you liked my comparison clip of the early Marshall Super Leads, you may be interested in my opinion of the best sounding "Plexi"


Plexiking.jpg

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Posted
Originally posted by The Sultan

I wish my Scorpion would hurry up and get built/shipped.
:(



I wish you would have bought it from me, an authorized Mojave dealer with amps in stock, READY to ship. You would have had your amp a long time ago, and instead of posts with :( in them, we'd be seeing tons of posts with :eek::thu::D:cool: in them.

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Posted
Originally posted by Chubtone



I wish you would have bought it from me, an authorized Mojave dealer with amps in stock, READY to ship. You would have had your amp a long time ago, and instead of posts with
:(
in them, we'd be seeing tons of posts with
:eek::thu::D:cool:
in them.

yeah well, it's a little late for that.:)

Did you have a Christmas sale?:( :( :(

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Posted
Originally posted by anti-flag193



man I love that sound. (and playing too;) ). I need me a plexi bad.



Thanks man!

:thu:

If you get one... I'd highly recommend GB's. Either the Heritage or Classics. I have the Classics since the Heritages are $170 a speaker. I haven't tried G12H30's yet. They're supposed to be great with Plexi-style amps as well. I've tried CL80's and Eminence Private Jacks and they just don't sound right with this amp.

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Posted

Originally posted by sah5150



Man that sounds good...


Steve

 

 

Thanks Steve. It sounds different than your Mojave clips though.

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Posted
Originally posted by Chubtone



If you liked my comparison clip of the early Marshall Super Leads, you may be interested in my opinion of the best sounding "Plexi"



Plexiking.jpg



Hmmm..... Interesting. I thought your comparison clips were outstanding. They were the ones that really got my gas going. Do you have any clips of the Peacemaker? I'd really like to hear how well it cleans up with the guitar volume knob aswell.

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