The Wampler Plextortion is a distortion pedal designed by Brian Wampler, originally built to emulate a JCM800 head with Celestion Greenback speakers1. MusicRadar described its character as a very "brown" sounding distortion, more like the tight drive derived from preamp tube distortion than a rougher, fuzzier gain1. It sits in the British-voiced corner of the distortion pedal world, alongside Wampler's other Marshall-inspired designs such as the Plexi-Drive Deluxe.
What it does
The pedal takes a clean or lightly driven amp and pushes it into the territory of a cranked JCM800: compressed, mid-focused drive that responds like preamp tube distortion. MusicRadar's review, which included input from Brian Wampler, framed it as a rocking distortion in that classic British vein1.
Plextortion and Super Plextortion
Wampler also makes a bigger sibling, the Super Plextortion. Premier Guitar called it "a beefed-up variation of Wampler's popular Plextortion pedal," with three internal gain stages altered for a more modern array of tones, more transparency and bite, and a tighter low end2. Its voicing is darker than most vintage Super Lead heads, suited to high-gain work in the vein of George Lynch and '80s and early '90s modded-Marshall tones2.
The original Plextortion remains in Wampler's lineup. Premier Guitar noted that it is still offered because it has more of a vintage vibe with a heavier midrange emphasis than the Super2. In short:
- Plextortion: vintage-leaning JCM800 voicing, heavier midrange emphasis2
- Super Plextortion: more modern voicing, more transparency and bite, tighter low end2
Premier Guitar's reviewer summed up the Super Plextortion as one for players "looking for a versatile distortion to cover a wide range of hot-rodded British tones," while steering away players after an American voicing in the Mesa/Boogie style2. For a more modern high-gain Wampler option, the Dracarys covers heavier ground.
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Questions
What was the Wampler Plextortion designed to sound like?
Brian Wampler designed the Plextortion to emulate a JCM800 head running Celestion Greenback speakers. MusicRadar described the result as a very 'brown' sounding distortion, more like the tight drive derived from preamp tube distortion than a harsher, fuzzier type of gain.
How is the Plextortion different from the Super Plextortion?
Premier Guitar describes the Super Plextortion as a beefed-up variation of the Plextortion with three internal gain stages altered for a more modern array of tones, more transparency and bite, and a tighter low end. The original Plextortion is still offered by Wampler and has more of a vintage vibe with a heavier midrange emphasis.
Sources (2)
- Wampler Ecstasy and Plextortion Pedals, MusicRadar, 2010-02-18
- Wampler Super Plextortion & Pinnacle Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2010-04-02
