The TC Electronic Plethora X5 TonePrint Pedalboard is a multi-effects unit that loads five TonePrint pedals of your choice onto a single board, each with its own pressure-sensitive MASH footswitch. It carries TC Electronic's TonePrint effect pedal algorithms in one pedalboard-friendly unit, and it can sit alongside a set of drive pedals rather than replace them12.
Five TonePrint pedals on one board
The core idea is simple: the X5 lets you combine up to five TonePrint pedals of your choice and arrange them in any order you need on each board3. Guitar World described the board as spanning five separate effects sections, each with its own pressure-sensitive MASH footswitch1. For a player, that means five independent pedals, switchable and expressive, without five separate enclosures on the floor.
Storage is deep. Up to 127 separate pedalboards can be created, each with five pedals1, and each pedal in the board has 75 TonePrint slots available for quick recall of your favorite settings3.
Guitar World reported the board would land later in 2020 for around $3991; gearnews.com likewise reported it as due out later that year2. MusicRadar's 2026 listing puts the price at $4994.
Controls and editing
Each pedal on the board features just a single knob. Instead, the majority of editing is done via a Bluetooth connection to TC's TonePrint app1, so the panel stays clean and the deeper parameters live on your phone.
The five MASH footswitches are the other half of the control story. Each MASH footswitch lets you control your effects in real time by simply mashing down on the footswitch, and TC Electronic describes the result as expression "in a degree that was hitherto unknown"3.
Around the board itself:
- Stereo inputs and outputs1
- An EXP input to hook up your favorite expression pedal for controlling any effect you like, or adding a volume pedal anywhere in the board's signal chain3
Where it came from
gearnews.com covered the launch of the Plethora X5 at the end of February 2020, noting that the new pedal includes all of TC's TonePrint effect pedal algorithms to date2.
Guitar World's Michael Astley-Brown suggested the board's pedalboard-friendly size and ability to serve as an addition to a complement of drive pedals could see it slot into existing rigs rather than replace them1.
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Questions
How many pedals can the TC Electronic Plethora X5 run at once?
The Plethora X5 lets you combine up to five TonePrint pedals of your choice and arrange them in any order you need on each board. Each of the five effects sections has its own pressure-sensitive MASH footswitch, so you can switch and control each pedal independently while the board runs.
How many pedalboards can the Plethora X5 save?
Up to 127 separate pedalboards can be created, each with five pedals, according to Guitar World. On top of that, each pedal in the board has 75 TonePrint slots available for quick recall of your favorite settings, per TC Electronic's product page.
Does the Plethora X5 have stereo inputs and outputs?
Yes. Guitar World lists stereo inputs and outputs among the board's features, and TC Electronic's product page adds an EXP input for hooking up an expression pedal to control any effect or add a volume pedal anywhere in the board's signal chain.
What is a MASH footswitch?
A MASH footswitch is a pressure-sensitive switch. Each MASH footswitch lets you control your effects in real time by simply mashing down on the footswitch, as TC Electronic puts it, giving a degree of expression control that the maker describes as previously unknown in a unit like this.
How do you edit TonePrints on the Plethora X5?
Each pedal on the board features just a single knob. Instead of deep panel editing, the majority of editing is done via a Bluetooth connection to TC's TonePrint app, according to Guitar World's report on the board.
How much does the Plethora X5 cost?
MusicRadar lists the Plethora X5 at $499 (with a UK price of £399) as of 2026. At launch in 2020, Guitar World reported it would land for around $399, so the price has risen since release.
Sources (4)
- TC Electronic's Plethora X5 TonePrint Pedalboard might just be the multi-effects pedal you've been waiting for, Guitar World, 2020-02-20
- TC Electronic Plethora X5 multi-FX board: Preorders open on Thomann, gearnews.com, 2020-02-28
- PLETHORA X5, TC Electronic
- Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 review, MusicRadar, 2026-09-22
