I'm looking for suggestions for pedals that can give me a classic Marshall overdrive sound into a clean amp.
Now I'm not a pedal person, and always prefer amp drive. However, playing in a covers band with a Dual Rectifier means that there are certain songs where I just have to admit defeat and use a pedal instead, because the tone of my amp is practically at the opposite end of the spectrum to the intended tone.
So the idea is to add a fourth "Marshall" channel to the 3 existing channels of clean, hard rock and 90's heavy metal tones I currently have set up, by running the pedal into the clean channel, which is set to a fat clean.
The tone I'm after is a classic overdrive, think along the lines of Free, Cream and Led Zep, so more Plexi than JCM800.
I know the Xotic SL Drive is the obvious choice, but are there any other (preferably cheaper) alternatives that are just as good? I'm not looking to spend more than around £80 for something used.
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eventually I went for the burnley as I wanted a pedal that could do the plexi loose low end and it does that well with the fat switch on, but it can get more classic with it on tight. the dude is extremely amp like and fun, and despite its goal of sounding like a dumble does a decent plexi.
The sl drive is good. Th box of rock is great too, the distortron sounds very much like a bor but with a bit more gain and maybe a hair less authentic sounding. I didn't like the wampler pedals one bit.
There was a big plexiglass shootout on the pedal show the other week. Might be worth a look
If that's not practical in combination with the other sounds you want, try a Marshall Guv'nor Plus. It's easily one of the best Marshall-in-a-box pedals out there at any price and it costs peanuts.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I did take a long hard look at swapping my Dual Rec for the Roadster, with 4 channels it could have been perfect for my needs. However, taking into account the extra weight and cost, I didn't think it was justified, when a pedal could give me what I needed.
Just to clarify, I only need a pedal that gives me the very specific lowish gain Plexi sound, with enough gain to handle Led Zeppelin at most. Any higher gain I'd use my normal ch2 sound instead.
I'll check out the Guv'nor though as it has come up more than once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyOlQTrNcdE
For example I have the Guv'nor I've had since I was a teenager in the 80's - just found it again and it's (to my ears) spot on where I hear MIAB, which is basically Jubilee/JCM 800.
If you want a bit more choice, the Thorpy Gunshot - sounds like the Guvnor but also has more depth and changes to the tone.
MI Audio Crunch Box - JCM 800 again
Wampler Pinnacle - hot rodded Plexi/JCM 800.
Zvex Box of Rock - JTM 45
etc.
To be fair, the JTM45/Plexi sound is *much* harder to get out of a pedal than the 2203/Jubilee/900/DSL type of sound. So much of the original sound relies on sheer volume and pushing the speakers hard, and you'll never get that from a pedal.
Also to be fair it's not the only 'sounds like an amp' pedal I've ever heard of which doesn't, unless it's already going through a similar amp in the first place...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein