When I asked a colleague here at Andertons “what is the Plexi sound?”, he said “Van Halen I” — which brought up an interesting point. I think of the Plexi sound as Hendrix through his Fuzz Face or Clapton on the “Beano” album with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. So, what is the Plexi and is there a definitive Plexi sound?
Watch our latest video on what our favourite amplifiers are that are inspired by the classic JTM sound – Click Here to find out!
What is a Plexi?
The Plexi gets its name from the early Marshall amps that used a plexiglass front panel during the ‘60s, before this was replaced by brushed metal in 1969. So really, when we talk about the Plexi, we mean early Marshall amps.
The Birth of Marshall
Jim Marshall was a drummer and London music store owner. The store built a reputation amongst guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Ritchie Blackmore, all looking to get their hands on rare Fender amps from across the pond.
In the early ’60s, Fender amps were expensive to import, so in 1962 Marshall decided to start building his own amplifiers to replicate the Fender Tweed Bassman. However, due to the availability of components, he ended up making something that sounded quite different – The JTM45! This was the first Marshall amp, and one of the most iconic. It used KT66 power valves (or tubes, depending on your persuasion) compared to the 6L6 valves of the Bassman, and higher gain ECC83 preamp valves, that the 12AY7s of its American cousin.
These changes resulted in more amp distortion, which became an increasing trend in the early days of British Rock and Roll. These JTM45s got into the hands of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Paul Kossoff, and created the famous “British Sound”.
Getting Louder
The Plexi sound is synonymous with incredible volume and crunchy overdrive, as guitarists of the ’60s cranked the volume do achieve more distortion. For me, the quintessential Plexi sound is a JMT45 turned up to 10, as heard from Clapton on the “Beano” album.
HIDEAWAY (1966) by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers- featuring Eric Clapton
One of the first great rock guitar tones was the Blues Breakers 'Beano' album featuring a young Eric Clapton playing a Les Paul Standard through a Marshall amp. Even now, many believe this is Eric's greatest guitar work. At the time, 1966, no one could quite believe the fluid guitar licks and the biting tone. This album was the basis for the slogans around London saying 'Clapton is God'.
Eric Clapton told Guitar Player magazine that the 1960 Les Paul Standard he played on Blues Breakers was "the best Les Paul I ever had... just a regular sunburst Les Paul that I bought in one of the shops in London right after I'd seen Freddie King's album cover of Let's Hide Away And Dance Away, where he's playing a gold-top. It had humbuckers and was almost brand new -- original case with that lovely purple velvet lining. Just magnificent. I never really found one as good as that. I do miss that one." According to Clapton lore, his sacred 1960 was purchased in Lew Davis' guitar shop on Charing Cross Road in London in 1965.
According to the most widely accepted story, Eric Clapton wanted an amp that would fit in the boot of his car, so he asked Jim Marshall (whose store in London he frequented) to make him a combo amp powerful enough to use on stage. According to Robb Lawrence's The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy, Jim Marshall initially gave Clapton a Model 1961 with 4x10" speakers, which was soon replaced with a 2x12" Model 1962. Clapton used the combo amplifier with his 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard, allegedly in combination with a Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, which resulted in the creation of a texture of sound that would become regarded as iconic in the realm of blues oriented rock. (Update: I was reading an interview with Joe Bonamassa who said he doubted the Rangemaster was used as he was able to recreate the Beano sound using a '59 Les Paul plugged into the treble jack of a real '66 Marshall Bluesbreaker type combo without one. He tried a couple of Rangemasters but didn't think they were part of the sound, although he acknowledged he could be wrong. Unless Clapton says something, we will probably never know with certainty).
Hideaway is a Freddy King instrumental that while sticking to the basic structure, has Clapton's own stamp. It was a huge inspiration for guitarists at the time and since, and many learned guitar copying licks off this album. (Just look at the many guitarists who have put their own versions on You Tube!).
Sadly there is no film footage of this vintage Clapton, so I have put together a 'Ken Burns' type slide video using every Blues Breaker era image I could find.
Comments are invited but please no 'my guitarist is better than your guitarist'!
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2009-11-04T22:38:00Z
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During the 1960s, Marshall switched to louder KT88 power valves as his amplifiers got more powerful. Whilst at about 45 watts, the JTM45 was loud, in 1967 he introduced the 50 Watt and 100 Watt Superlead. It’s these 100W Superleads that gave The Who and Jimi Hendrix their sound.
By this point Marshall was using EL34 power valves – these are the ones most commonly associated with Marshall amps. They could produce more volume and gave the amps a stronger mid-range character.
Shop Classic Plexi Style Amps
Hot-Rodded Plexis
As rock music got heavier in the ’70s, guitarists started modifying (commonly known as hot-rodding) their Plexis for more gain – and this is a large part of the reason why the “Plexi sound” means different things to different people. This brings us back to Eddie Van Halen and his hot-rodded Marshall on Van Halen I.
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2015-03-04T15:25:38Z
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This progression eventually paved the way for the high-gain modern Marshall amps like the JCM800, but the lineage is all routed to those plexiglass front panel amps that Jim Marshall was making in the back of his music store in North West London in the early 1960s. Whether you’re a fan of the classic ‘60s Plexi sound, or the juiced up ‘70s hot-rodded Plexi sound, the aura around the Plexi has etched Marshall into Rock ‘n’ Roll legend.
Shop Hot-Rodded Plexi Style Amps
Can Rob spot the Marshall amp - Avec le blindfold?
At Andertons we love a good old Chappers blindfold challenge - can Rob spot a Marshall 2555 Jubilee ( https://goo.gl/oMHsyC ) from a selection of similar amps? Check out the amps below, all available from Andertons!
Marshall 2555 Jubilee Head: https://goo.gl/oMHsyC
Friedman Runt 50w: https://goo.gl/QUKzik
Boss Katana 100: https://goo.gl/Cxnwna
EVH 5150 III 50w EL34: https://goo.gl/ezPr63
Egnater Tweaker 40w: https://goo.gl/aQr2b9
Victory Sheriff 44: https://goo.gl/Qe8DSi
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2018-09-06T09:30:00Z
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Plexi Sound in a Box!
But what if you’re not playing at giant sold out arenas, and you have no use for a 100-watt Plexi? Well you’re in luck. In recent years, pedal builders have looked to capture that distinctive tone in a compact stompbox format, so you can take that sound with you anywhere, at any volume.
From Tone City to Strymon, there’s a Plexi pedal for you. For classic low-to-mid gain Plexi sounds, try the JHS Charlie Brown. Or if you’re looking for the higher gain, hot-rodded Plexi sound, or for a more versatile Plexi pedal, check out the Tone City Golden Plexi, the Universal Audio UAFX Lion 68 Super Lead Amp Simulator Pedal or the Wampler Plexi Mini.
Hear the sounds of the Tone City Golden Plexi 2, or the NUX Plexi Crunch for yourself!
Shop Plexi Style Pedals
The Ultimate Plexi Pedal Blindfold Challenge - 7 Contenders - £40 to £280 Shootout!
Seven Plexi inspired overdrive pedals, one Pete Honoré can he tell the most expensive from the most affordable? Looking at an array of pedals starting from £40 to just under £300, Do all Plexi-style pedals sounds the same when set at 12 o'clock? | https://tinyurl.com/y5tf6fns
» Strymon Riverside Multistage Drive Pedal | https://tinyurl.com/y648ymwr
» Xotic SL Drive Pedal | https://tinyurl.com/y3oha7dq
» Electro Harmonix OD Glove | https://tinyurl.com/y3q5832l
» Tone City Golden Plexi | https://tinyurl.com/y2qkd6mb
» JHS Pedals Charlie Brown Overdrive | https://tinyurl.com/y29cslxs
» Wampler Plexi Drive Mini Pedal | https://tinyurl.com/yxll67b2
» Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Drive Pedal | https://tinyurl.com/y2j392zf
» The GigRig QuarterMaster QMX-8 Pedal Switcher | https://tinyurl.com/y3sszhw6
🎥 Looking to watch something else? Check out our previous episode!
» https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9LSJ06xaaI
↪️ Episode Guide ↩️
» 0:00 Cheap Vs Expensive Plexi Pedal Challenge
» 1:23 Let's See The Pedals
» 2:43 Pedal #1
» 5:17 Pedal #2
» 7:02 Pedal #3
» 9:47 Pedal #4
» 12:47 Pedal #5
» 16:32 Pedal #6
» 18:30 Pedal #7
» 21:39 Was Pete Right?
» 32:50 Let's Run Through Those Again
» 35:20 Final Thoughts
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PT36M59S
2021-01-27T15:00:06Z
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