STOAKES GEAR TALK – CARL MARTIN PLEXI RANGER PEDAL
Everybody loves that ‘plexi’ tone, classic rock has been built around that unmistakeable sound. The trouble is, that sound comes with a price tag, even for a reissue plexi amp, you wouldn’t get any change out of £1000. There are alternatives of course, for recording, there are some great amp sim software plugins, I did a guitar amp sim shootout a few weeks ago. But, what if you don’t like technology? I’ve worked with so many musicians who want a proper amp behind them, they want the cabinet, they want to feel the air move as they play the classic rock covers down the pub every Friday night.
So, what are the options? Well, certainly in todays market, a plexi pedal would do the trick and I’ve been trying out Carl Martin’s PlexiRanger for the last few weeks. Yes, there are literally tons of plexi pedals out there but not many come with a treble boost a la Rangemaster built in and that’s what sets this Carl Martin apart from the competition and makes it truly special.
The build quality is great, it’s a real solid block and you won’t be worried about breaking it or being too heavy footed. The push knobs have quite a bit of resistance too, meaning that you have to really step on them to turn it on and off, which I like. Especially if you’re on stage, you don’t just get the visible cue of the light coming on and off, you can feel it click into place. Weighing in at 400g, this is a stocky little man, but that weight just reinforces the overall build quality. Boasting a 6.3 mm input and output jack, plus the option to add a remote, the pedal is powered by a 9V DC plug (Not Included) and features independent plexi and boost footswitches, plus a low cut switch.
So how does this thing perform, well firstly of course, I dialled everything up to eleven and nearly blew the roof off! This thing certainly has some power. I thought I would plug into a little cheap practice amp, the Marshall MG15 and see what kind of tones I could get out of it and actually how close to the plexi sound I could get.
I started just engaging the Plexi side of the pedal. I had the Gain all the way down, the level set to about 10 o’clock and the tone at 9o’clock. This sounded great, think a slightly pushed amp, just going over the top as its about to break up. I really loved the clarity of the tone at this point and the low cut makes a huge difference. There are two low cut options, 1 and 2. AT this low gain level, I don’t think ‘1’ makes a huge difference, but select low cut 2 and all the boomy low end is gone. It sounds so silky and smooth.
When you turn the gain up to 12 o clock, the tone still at 9, and the level still at about 10 you start to enter ‘AC/DC territory’. Even with the gain set to 12 o clock, it still packs a punch and its still ‘A Long Way To the Top’, Ok, I’m sorry… I had to. The Low cut is more noticeable now, with #1 selected you get a really nice sound, full of expressive mids, especially now that some of the bass frequencies have been cut. Turn the gain all the way up and you can actually feel the air the move behind you! Its brilliant.
You can actually create that wonderful high gain sound that as a hard rock and metal fan you have been chasing since you first played Priest or AC/DC in your bedroom. It’s sharp, it’s tight and its loud. I absolutely love it. The sweet spot for the tone is around 1 o clock with the gain at about 3 and the level at 11. That is just magnificent.
Now for the piece de la resistance. Engage the treble boost side of the pedal and that just sprinkles an already amazing pedal with a little bit of magic sauce. My God, it is so close to the real thing. I had the boost at around 11 o clock, frequency at 10 and the range I set at about 2. It sounded glorious. Turn the boost all the way up and you’re in danger of it sounding a little shrill, but then you just dial in a little more bass on the amp to counteract it, but the absolute sweet spot, that Angus at Donnington rocking out with his Plexi is with just a bit of extra treble.
All in all, this Carl Martin is amazing. I’ve always been a fan of that plexi sound and with this pedal, you don’t have to break the bank to achieve it. It’s punchy and crisp and I have had so much fun playing with it. Perhaps, for some the lack of battery might be a problem, maybe you’re a busker and want to play through a battery amp on the street, but aside from that, it’s great. It delivers that tone in bucket loads and I for one am seriously impressed!
R.R.P: £139.90
