The PedalPalFx PAL959 PLEXI Emulator is a handmade overdrive pedal from Venezuelan builder PedalPalFx, built to put the behavior of a Marshall 1959 Super Lead front panel at a player's feet. PedalPalFx says it "uses the same circuit schematic that you will find in the most famous British Amps from the 60's," and that the pedal is meant to give "the tone of an era at your feet"12. The original PAL959 is discontinued, replaced by the PAL959-V2 PLEXI Emulator2.
The pedal is a "Plexi Emulator" overdrive, a name its maker gives both the original PAL959 and the PAL959-V212. Instead of vacuum tubes, it uses especially selected transistors, set up by hand for maximum performance12.
What it does and how it works
The PAL959 is a Marshall-in-a-box style pedal: rather than a generic overdrive circuit, it follows the schematic PedalPalFx identifies with the most famous British amps of the 1960s, and the maker describes the V2 successor as giving "the true experience that you could get of the Marshall 1959 Super Lead front panel control"2. In practice that means the pedal aims to reproduce how a plexi-panel Super Lead responds as its controls are turned up, in stompbox form.
The circuit is transistor-based. PedalPalFx says the pedal works "using especially selected transistors instead of vacuum tubes," so there is no tube inside the enclosure and no tube maintenance or warm-up involved1.
Power and connections
The PAL959 runs on 9VDC with a current draw of 7.5mA1. Two power options are supported:
- Adapter: a regulated 9VDC supply with a 2.1mm coax plug, negative center polarity. The adapter is not included with the pedal1.
- Battery: a 9V battery of the 006P type, also not included1.
The 7.5mA draw is low enough that the pedal is not demanding on a pedalboard power supply. Input impedance is 1M ohm, the same as a typical amplifier input, which preserves the high end of passive pickups1.
The successor PAL959-V2 draws more current, 11.5mA at 9VDC, and uses the same regulated 9VDC, 2.1mm negative-center adapter requirement2.
Bypass and switching
Both the original PAL959 and the V2 use True Hardwire Bypass, so when the pedal is off the signal passes through without the circuit in the path12.
Handmade production and how many exist
PedalPalFx describes the PAL959 as "100% handmade pedal (one by one)," with each unit carefully set up by hand for maximum performance and tested by the founders of PedalPalFx before leaving the shop1. It was never a mass-production item: the maker stated that only a few units per month would be available on the market, a point Delicious Audio repeated when it covered the pedal in 201813.
The total run is fixed at 143 handmade units1. Since the pedal is now discontinued, that number will not grow, and finding one means looking at the secondhand market.
Enclosure size and weight
The enclosure measures 119mm deep by 103mm wide by 54mm high, and the pedal weighs 325 g (11.5 oz) without a battery1. That is a standard mid-sized stompbox, larger than mini pedals but not a full double-footprint unit. The V2 keeps the same dimensions while moving to SMT (surface-mount technology) components in Design Version 2.1, and weighs slightly more at 370 g (13.0 oz)2.
The PAL959 and the PAL959-V2
The V2 is a variant of the original PAL959, which PedalPalFx refers to as the previous version2. The main differences the maker's pages give:
| PAL959 | PAL959-V2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Discontinued1 | Limited production, a few per month2 |
| Current draw | 7.5mA1 | 11.5mA2 |
| Weight | 325 g / 11.5 oz without battery1 | 370 g / 13.0 oz2 |
| Construction | Handmade, one by one1 | SMT components, Design Version 2.1, made and set up one by one2 |
| Inputs | 1M ohm input impedance1 | Input I: 1M ohm; Input II: 135K ohm2 |
| Size | 119mm x 103mm x 54mm1 | 119mm x 103mm x 54mm2 |
The V2 also adds a second input with 135K ohm impedance, which lowers the input loading compared with the 1M ohm Input I2.
Where it sits in the PedalPalFx range
PedalPalFx builds a family of Marshall-style pedals. Alongside the PAL959 and its V2, the range includes the PAL800 JCM Emulator, the PAL800-V4 Gold, the PAL987 PLEXI CARRERA, the PAL034 NIGHT Overdrive and The Breaker Overdrive. The PAL959 is the builder's take on the plexi-panel Super Lead specifically, where the PAL800 line addresses the JCM era.
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Questions
Is the PedalPalFx PAL959 Plexi Emulator still in production?
No. PedalPalFx lists the original PAL959 PLEXI Emulator as discontinued. It was built in a small handmade run of 143 units total, with only a few per month reaching the market while it was in production. A successor, the PAL959-V2 PLEXI Emulator, followed it.
Is the PAL959 true bypass?
Yes. PedalPalFx specifies True Hardwire Bypass for the PAL959 PLEXI Emulator, so the pedal's circuit is taken out of the signal path completely when it is switched off.
Does the PAL959 use tubes?
No. The pedal uses especially selected transistors instead of vacuum tubes to recreate the circuit schematic PedalPalFx says is found in the most famous British amps of the 1960s, including the Marshall 1959 Super Lead front panel behavior.
Can the PAL959 run on a battery?
Yes. The PAL959 accepts a 9V battery of the 006P type, which is not included with the pedal. It can also be powered by a regulated 9VDC adapter with a 2.1mm coax plug, negative center, also not included.
How many PAL959 pedals were made?
PedalPalFx states a total of 143 handmade units of the original PAL959 PLEXI Emulator were built. Each pedal was made one by one, set up by hand for maximum performance, and tested by the founders of PedalPalFx.
What size is the PAL959 enclosure?
The enclosure measures 119mm deep by 103mm wide by 54mm high, and the pedal weighs 325 g (11.5 oz) without a battery. That is a mid-sized stompbox footprint, comparable to other handmade overdrives rather than compact mini pedals.
Sources (3)
- PedalPalFx, PedalPalFx
- PedalPalFx, PedalPalFx
- PedalPalFX PAL 959 Plexi Emulator Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2018-05-09
