The PedalPalFX PAL 959 Plexi Emulator Overdrive is a Plexi-style amp-in-a-box overdrive pedal emulating the sound of Marshall amps, built by the Venezuelan maker PedalPalFX PAL. Amp-in-a-box pedals aim to reproduce the drive character of a specific amplifier circuit, so the pedal is meant to be plugged straight into a clean or nearly clean amp and deliver the crunched tone of a pushed Plexi without the amplifier itself.1
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, covering the pedal in May 2018, called it "a solid new entry in a crowded field" of Plexi-style pedals, a category he described as "amps-in-a-box emulating the sound of Marshall amps".1
The circuit and what it does
The PAL 959 is an overdrive in the Plexi tradition: according to Delicious Audio, it "uses the same circuit schematic that you will find in the most famous British Amps from the 60's". Rather than tubes, the pedal gets its gain from "especially selected transistors instead of vacuum tubes", which is what allows the amp-style circuit to fit in a stompbox enclosure.1
For a player, that places the PAL 959 alongside other Marshall-style overdrives in the broader family of overdrive pedals, where the goal is amp-like breakup from a pedal rather than the tighter, more compressed character typical of many distortion pedals.
Handmade construction and limited availability
PedalPalFX builds the PAL 959 in small numbers. Delicious Audio describes it as "This 100% handmade pedal (one by one)", and notes that "Each pedal is carefully setup by hand for maximum performance and tested by the founders of PedalPalFx".1
The maker does not run a large production line for this pedal. As of the May 2018 coverage, "it is not a massive production pedal and there will be only a few per month available on the market", so units appear on the market in small monthly quantities rather than continuously.1
PedalPalFX has also released the PAL 800 Gold Overdrive V3.
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Questions
Does the PedalPalFX PAL 959 use tubes?
No. The PAL 959 is a solid state pedal that uses especially selected transistors instead of vacuum tubes to get its Plexi-style overdrive tones. It is designed to emulate the sound of Marshall amps in a stompbox format, so no tube swapping or tube maintenance is involved.
What amp is the PAL 959 Plexi Emulator modeled on?
The PAL 959 is a Plexi-style amp-in-a-box overdrive emulating the sound of Marshall amps. According to Delicious Audio, it uses the same circuit schematic found in the most famous British amps from the 1960s, which is the design approach behind the Plexi name.
Is the PAL 959 still in production?
When Delicious Audio covered the pedal in May 2018, it was described as a limited production item rather than a mass-produced pedal, with only a few units per month available on the market. Availability appears to have been limited from the start.
Is the PAL 959 handmade?
Yes. Delicious Audio describes it as a 100% handmade pedal, built one by one. Each pedal is carefully set up by hand for maximum performance and tested by the founders of PedalPalFX before it ships.
Sources (1)
- PedalPalFX PAL 959 Plexi Emulator Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2018-05-09
