Researching all things Plexi: suggestions wanted

[Travis]

Open to any and all suggestions on something for that distinct Plexi sound and feel. Amps, pedals, etc: anything goes. 

Amp-wise, the closest I have to anything Marshall-like is a Friedman JJ Jr. The BE channel is a great modded Marshall sound but more compressed and less rude than a true Plexi style amp. Not sure how closely I could dial it in to mimic that classic sound.   

If I go the Plexi amp route, I’d probably sell/trade the Friedman. Not that I want to, but getting rid of it is not my first choice. Getting anything over 20 watts and I would 100% have to grab an attenuator as well. I’ve got a Swart Night Light that works fantastically well with my lower wattage amps but wouldn’t be appropriate for anything 50 watts or more  

I was looking at pedals like the Friedman IR-J which I could plug into the effects return of the JJ Jr and essentially have a JEL-20. 

Other pedals like the Universal Audio Lion, Lovepedal, Wampler, Carl Martin, etc… have all piqued my interest. 

I’ve even considered checking out the Synergy modules. 

Let me know if there are any pieces of gear I should really check out. I’m all about researching stuff and the journey is half the fun. Thanks in advance!

[Disturber]

Seriously, get a Marshall 50w JMP model 1987 metal front reissue. Or even better a 70's JMP 4 holer. There are no other ways to get the right plexi tone.
You can come close. But no cigarr.

Master volume is for babies. Digital amps are for wannabies.

[Stike]

Damn loud for 15 watts. I like the presence/resonance controls and the FX loop that the PS-2A adds to the equation.

I also have a Lion and an IR-J and they also sound damn good.

[Travis]

18 minutes ago, Stike said:

Damn loud for 15 watts. I like the presence/resonance controls and the FX loop that the PS-2A adds to the equation.

I also have a Lion and an IR-J and they also sound damn good.

Since they all sound damn good, how would you say the Lion and the IR-J compare to the Suhr in feel and response?

[RobB]

2 hours ago, Stike said:

Dang, I bet that sounds glorious. 

[Stike]

2 hours ago, Travis said:

Since they all sound damn good, how would you say the Lion and the IR-J compare to the Suhr in feel and response?

I'm probably not the best person to ask. I haven't bothered to set them up together and do an ABC comparison. I have band practice usually once a week, sometimes once every two weeks and those dudes are not going to put up with me going a Guitar Player Magazine gear shootout at practice. 😄 I will say that one of the guys is a jaded old soundman and has been really impressed with the Lion. The IR-J is the most versatile out of the group though.

[stonge]

to understand plexi, one must plexi (said in yoda voice).

while not a plexi, i am still haunted by a JTM-45 reissue blasting through a 1960AV (the tall one) cabinet. 

[BoogieMKIIA]

9 hours ago, Disturber said:

Seriously, get a Marshall 50w JMP model 1987 metal front reissue. Or even better a 70's JMP 4 holer. There are no other ways to get the right plexi tone.
You can come close. But no cigarr.

Master volume is for babies. Digital amps are for wannabies.

Got this back in the day, no other amp or thing like it. The attenuator loses a lot of tone when very low but not when at a gig or practice with drums level. A lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of great clean tones below noon. 

[beezerboy]

build it.  Hoffman    https://el34world.com/Hoffman/files/Hoffman_Plexi_6V6-V2.pdf

[tweed]

Canadian builder Morris has a Plexi model. 

https://youtu.be/mwlYkNtkBq4?si=0IwQ9wBYmOBPAGaD

[tbonesullivan]

The IR-J might be the way to go. It has a built in booster, and the "plex" lower gain channel has the variable bright setting, which is really helpful at lower gain levels.

Though if you want THAT plexi sound, almost full out is the way you are usually gonna go, in which case the bright cap is pretty much bypassed anyway.

Now, having a post phase inverter master volume is always a nice thing to have. Very few amps have such a thing, as they are almost always pre phase inverter, so you miss out on overdriving that tube. Having a built in variac along with a secondary bias circuit for the reduced voltage is also nice. Being internally jumpered? also nice.

That, is the Friedman PLEX. 
 

 

[RobB]

19 minutes ago, tbonesullivan said:

The IR-J might be the way to go. It has a built in booster, and the "plex" lower gain channel has the variable bright setting, which is really helpful at lower gain levels.

Though if you want THAT plexi sound, almost full out is the way you are usually gonna go, in which case the bright cap is pretty much bypassed anyway.

Now, having a post phase inverter master volume is always a nice thing to have. Very few amps have such a thing, as they are almost always pre phase inverter, so you miss out on overdriving that tube. Having a built in variac along with a secondary bias circuit for the reduced voltage is also nice. Being internally jumpered? also nice.

That, is the Friedman PLEX. 
 

 

The post-est wit da most-est. The king of PlexClones. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better amp. 

Edited August 6, 2025 by RobB

[HamerHokie]

See my recent post on this topic here: 

 

[Travis]

1 hour ago, tbonesullivan said:

The IR-J might be the way to go. It has a built in booster, and the "plex" lower gain channel has the variable bright setting, which is really helpful at lower gain levels.

Though if you want THAT plexi sound, almost full out is the way you are usually gonna go, in which case the bright cap is pretty much bypassed anyway.

Now, having a post phase inverter master volume is always a nice thing to have. Very few amps have such a thing, as they are almost always pre phase inverter, so you miss out on overdriving that tube. Having a built in variac along with a secondary bias circuit for the reduced voltage is also nice. Being internally jumpered? also nice.

That, is the Friedman PLEX. 
 

 

I have definitely looked at that amp multiple times. Watched the video several times as well. Might be time to watch it again…

[Biz Prof]

On 8/3/2025 at 2:48 PM, Disturber said:

Seriously, get a Marshall 50w JMP model 1987 metal front reissue. Or even better a 70's JMP 4 holer. There are no other ways to get the right plexi tone.
You can come close. But no cigarr.

Master volume is for babies. Digital amps are for wannabies.

This x 1 million. You won't regret it.

[tbonesullivan]

12 hours ago, Travis said:

I have definitely looked at that amp multiple times. Watched the video several times as well. Might be time to watch it again…

Do you use mostly humbuckers, or also single coils, especially in the bridge position? The Plex has both volumes for both channels, and I believe it really helps to tune in a strat for that classic Marshall sound.

For me, My choice was to go with the JEL-50, which has that "Plexi" style clean channel, but also the Hot-Rodded JCM 800 style lead channel. It also has an Effects loop, which the plex does not. It's pretty much a pure modern version of a Plexi, modeled after Dave Friedman's favorite plexi. Things like an effects loop could get in the way of TONE, according to plexi purists, which is why it was left off.

[Travis]

2 hours ago, tbonesullivan said:

Do you use mostly humbuckers, or also single coils, especially in the bridge position? The Plex has both volumes for both channels, and I believe it really helps to tune in a strat for that classic Marshall sound.

For me, My choice was to go with the JEL-50, which has that "Plexi" style clean channel, but also the Hot-Rodded JCM 800 style lead channel. It also has an Effects loop, which the plex does not. It's pretty much a pure modern version of a Plexi, modeled after Dave Friedman's favorite plexi. Things like an effects loop could get in the way of TONE, according to plexi purists, which is why it was left off.

I use mostly humbuckers, occasionally p90’s and every so often a true single coil in the bridge. 

With the Friedmans it seems like most of his amps are some variation of the modded Marshall with his vintage Plexi being the starting point. Some amps are higher gain, more compressed, etc, but they all seem to share that same basic starting point. 

I’ve looked at the Plex, the JEL, and the Smallbox and at this point I don’t know if my ears are good enough to hear the difference between those 3. And since so many Plexi amps were a bit different due to variations in components over the years, I’m not necessarily looking for a specific Plexi sound. 

plus, when you figure how many of those great Plexi tones we love from our guitar heroes were modded or otherwise affected by studio recording techniques and effects, might I even be better served by sticking with my JJ Jr or a BE/Dirty Shirley variant when I would just throw an OD in front of a Plexi anyway…

[RobB]

1 hour ago, Travis said:

plus, when you figure how many of those great Plexi tones we love from our guitar heroes were modded or otherwise affected by studio recording techniques and effects, might I even be better served by sticking with my JJ Jr or a BE/Dirty Shirley variant when I would just throw an OD in front of a Plexi anyway…

A good treble booster or a BK Butler Tube Driver in front of a cranked Plexi is a powerful tone. I think the idea behind most modern plexi designs is to crank the output section and use guitar volume for post/cut without pedals.

I prefer a Beano Boost or HBE Germania thru JCM800s. A TS9 and Hermida Dover Drive get honorable mentions. 

Edited August 6, 2025 by RobB

[Dave Scepter]

1 hour ago, Travis said:

 Those great Plexi tones we love from our guitar heroes were modded or otherwise affected by studio recording techniques and effects, might I even be better served by sticking with my JJ Jr or a BE/Dirty Shirley variant when I would just throw an OD in front of a Plexi anyway…

This 100%👍

[BillW]

Try out a SV-20 Head?

seriously? I mean just sayin? I heard they're near spot on and can reduce to 5 watts or 1 watt even...

[Jakeboy]

Ok…you prolly know what I am gonna say..,here are two KILLER options:

1. TopHat Mini Junior High Gain (HG) combo in 20 watts..,a 1968 JMP preamp married to a 20 watt 6v6 output section. Does tweed Bassman-JTM-JMP-JCM with some preamp tweaks. A perfect plexi for me. Order one and wait for Brian to build it…or..,

2. Retro Rockitt 50 watt JMP Plexi head in black and tan, I’ll meet you in St Louis to deliver, we’ll have a couple Old Fashioneds and you can pay the true owner (HFC mystery) if you like it.,,which you most certainly will.

Both are fucking rocking plexi options.

 

Oh, and @RobB is so very correct, a treble booster into a plexi is a wonderful thing.

Edited August 7, 2025 by Jakeboy

[LucSulla]

8 hours ago, Travis said:

I use mostly humbuckers, occasionally p90’s and every so often a true single coil in the bridge. 

With the Friedmans it seems like most of his amps are some variation of the modded Marshall with his vintage Plexi being the starting point. Some amps are higher gain, more compressed, etc, but they all seem to share that same basic starting point. 

I’ve looked at the Plex, the JEL, and the Smallbox and at this point I don’t know if my ears are good enough to hear the difference between those 3. And since so many Plexi amps were a bit different due to variations in components over the years, I’m not necessarily looking for a specific Plexi sound. 

plus, when you figure how many of those great Plexi tones we love from our guitar heroes were modded or otherwise affected by studio recording techniques and effects, might I even be better served by sticking with my JJ Jr or a BE/Dirty Shirley variant when I would just throw an OD in front of a Plexi anyway…

The Plex has none of the dark smooth, thing that other Friedmans have. I've owned a JEL-20, BE-50 Deluxe, and a Small Box, and the Plex is definitely a rawer, far more open circuit than even teh JEL and SB. Dave was dedicated enough on building this thing to sound like a proper old Plexi that it doesn't have a loop. You can screw around with bright cap settings, the variac, and it has a MV of a sort, but if you set the bright caps as you would have found on a Plexi and run it in 50 watt mode with the MV all the way up, it does the thing. It also does things that you hear on Plexis but not on Friedmans, like the kind of weird overtone thing at high volume that sounds almost like a fuzz. I find the MV to be pretty useless tbh, despite people raving about it. It's pretty much the same situation as the Marshall Vintage Modern, though I don't know if it's in the same place in the circuit. Basically it doesn't do much until it does too much, so I just run it through a Power Station.  

I don't know that it does it any better than Suhr, Germino, or the others in that vein, but I'd say it does it as well. 

The Bogner Helios ain't bad either, but if you really want to run it as a Plexi, you need to set it to 70s and run into the low input for the most part. But with an proper MV and an FX loop, it isn't really the same experience. It's too easy to bail yourself out if you get tired of it showing your chops up, haha. 

[Travis]

15 hours ago, BillW said:

Try out a SV-20 Head?

seriously? I mean just sayin? I heard they're near spot on and can reduce to 5 watts or 1 watt even...

That has definitely been a consideration. 

[LucSulla]

23 minutes ago, Travis said:

That has definitely been a consideration. 

I really liked that amp a lot. 

[JES1680]

I chased the plexi thing for years. Had a 72 metal pannel 50 watt that was great but ultimately too much for what I do these days. Metroplex was really really good, but again 100 watts even with  a great master it was still a half stack. Did the Bogner stuff, Friedman, Top Hat, etc... most of the boutique M style amps. 

What I've found recently that just does it for me?? Marshal SV20 with a Fryette Power station. It's plexi to me warts and all as it can be very bright depending how you set the vol, controls and how loud after about 7 or so the bright cap is out, but this is an easy fix to lift the bright cap or so I'm told. I run it with the matching 1x12 cab and it's perfect for home use. YMMV. 

For a bit more balance or warmth try the ST20 I have one of those as well and it's very very good. 

 

Edited August 7, 2025 by JES1680