The NUX Plexi Crunch is a distortion pedal from NUX, part of the company's Reissue Series. NUX describes it as offering "high gain distortion tone with the character of the famous hot-roded British valve amps from the golden age of Rock"1. The circuit is analog, with three gain stages, and uses FETs to simulate the characteristic distortion of tube amplifiers1.
The controls
The pedal carries four knobs. Two of them are gain controls: a Master and a Preamp, joined by Tone and Presence controls2. The Tone section is active circuitry rather than a passive cut-only control, which NUX says allows both cut and boost1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Master | One of the two gain controls2 |
| Preamp | The second gain control, set alongside the Master2 |
| Tone | Active TONE circuitry1 |
| Presence | Presence control2 |
Paolo De Gregorio of Delicious Audio, writing in July 2024, noted the pedal's layout and its looks: "it looks a lot like the well-regarded Marvel Drive by Ramble FX"2. Delicious Audio added the Plexi Crunch to its guide to Plexi-style distortion pedals that same month2.
Power
The Plexi Crunch runs on 9 volt DC or a 9V battery, and draws less than 20 mA of current1. The low draw means it will sit comfortably on a pedalboard power supply alongside other pedals.
The maker's specification lists both 9V DC and 9V battery operation, so the pedal can run without a power supply when a battery is fitted1.
Size and connections
The pedal measures 121 mm long and weighs 230g1. Its input impedance is 1M Ohms and its output impedance is 10K Ohms1. Switching is true-bypass hardware switching, so the pedal is out of the signal path when off1.
NUX publishes a user manual for the Plexi Crunch in English, Italian, Japanese and Russian1.
Where it sits in NUX's range
The Plexi Crunch is one of several distortion pedals NUX makes. Others in the company's line include the NUX Fireman, the NUX Brownie, the NUX Metal Core Deluxe and the NUX DS-3 Classic Distortion. Players comparing Plexi-style drives may also want to look at the NUX NDS-5 Fireman Distortion, which Delicious Audio has covered separately1.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
NUX
Martin Frydas
Questions
Is the NUX Plexi Crunch true bypass?
Yes. NUX specifies true-bypass hardware switching for the Plexi Crunch, meaning the pedal uses a hardware switch to take itself out of the signal path when it is off, rather than buffering the signal while bypassed1.
Does the NUX Plexi Crunch take a battery?
Yes. The pedal runs on 9 volt DC power or a 9V battery, according to NUX's product page. Its current draw is listed as under 20 mA, which is light enough for most pedalboard power supplies1.
Is the NUX Plexi Crunch analog?
Yes. NUX describes the circuit as analog with three gain stages, using FETs to simulate the characteristic distortion of tube amplifiers1.
What is the NUX Plexi Crunch input impedance?
NUX lists the input impedance at 1M Ohms, with an output impedance of 10K Ohms1.
How big is the NUX Plexi Crunch?
The pedal measures 121 mm long and weighs 230g, per NUX's product page1.
Sources (2)
- Plexi Crunch, NUX Audio, 2026-04-14
- NUX Plexi Crunch, Delicious Audio, 2024-07-03
