Xotic SL for the win! Thanks for reminding me why I have them on 3 separate boards. BB Preamp was also impressive. One of my favorite pedals of the many I own is a Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor
Great video Rhett! I have a Revival Drive that I keep circling back to. It's not so much that I'm trying to get "that sound" but "my sound". There are a ton of pedals out there that I use to get "that sound" and they are incredible, but I have a sound in my head and it usually ends up being the Rockett Pedals Majestic or the Revival Drive with the Pettyjohn Chime as a supplement. It's a bit of a rabbit hole for sure.
Every time I buy another overdrive pedal I realize that I could have obtained a similar tone with the (too many) pedals I already own. To my ears (which are admittedly beat up), when the bass and the drums kick in the nuances get lost in the mix. Most people I play to are listening to my music, not my pedals. Thank you, Rick and Rhett, for another authoritative video that helps us make up our own minds.
I don't think a super clean high headroom amp like the Hiwatt is gonna make a shit pedal sound great... It doesn't compress the sound and is not as forgiving as a cheap amp... Expensive doesn't make every part of the gear sound great..
I’d be more curious about these pedals serving as a DI; maybe I’m wrong, but that would be the “in a box” test. Yeah, you’d have to do some IR thing to emulate a cabinet (or not?), but this demo is sort of an “amp in a box” into an amp.
@@eduardocandeiasfaust Except that Hiwatt is not set super clean at all. Listen to the amp itself at 7:16. loads of midrange and a good deal of dirt before they even add the pedals with their midrange and dirt.
@@johnfrenette Exactly. A better comparison would be to run the pedal into the effects return of an EL34 amp similar to a Marshall only utilizing the power tubes into the same speaker cab.
SL Drive is certainly my favorite , a lot will depend on your guitar and pickups but honestly with an EQ pedal you can pretty much get as close to the Marshsll amp tone as desired. Fun video, good one
I like my drive tones to be a tube amp at the edge of breakup, then pushed over the edge with a low gain Bluesbreaker Style OD (Pantheon, KOT, POT.....), using it more as a boost. Your volume knob can still clean up your sound, and I actually don't mind a little bit of the bass reduction that the BB Style OD does.
I find the SL drive is helped by running it 18v. Really opens up and feels even more amp-like. I also find that it tames a little of the hair, and makes it feel more plexi.
@@Superjet113 no, it doesn't hurt it. It's built to handle up to 18v. Xotic actually sells a voltage doubler to take a 9v power supply and output it at 18v. If you have a power supply that puts out 18v, you can run it that way just fine. Fair warning, it still sounds more like a hot-rodded 70's-80's super lead than a vintage plexi. I was never happy trying to get Hendrix, Clapton, or Page tones.
I’d heard that ‘BB’ was named after Bluesbreaker. I have to say that amp sounds killer. I felt the same, all sound in the Marshall ballpark but none really nailed it 100%. Based on this I’d probably go for the BB or Xotic. Great vid. Thanks.
I think you're right, cause i remember a video by Xotic effect back in the day with Ross Bolton (RIP, great guy, guitar player, teacher) and he ask, what is " BB " the answer was " Blues Breaker "
Love my SL Drive; it's tons more versatile than a two-knob mini pedal has any right to be. Some of that's due to the internal dip switches, which can take you from early plexi to modded brown sound with stops in between. The Origin has even more range, but for the price, it had danged well better. I would love to have seen some examples from Wampler, Mad Professor and Catalinbread; you could easily do an hour's worth of plexi-style pedals.
Another fantastic boutique Plexi in a box is the 'Cmatmods Brownie' . Nails that EVH 1st Album Brown Sound Plexi and cleans up nice too. As a side note, Chad Mathews ( cmatmods) has lost his business/ house in a flood .Lost all his stock, $15000 of NOS parts, schematics everything.He said he'll have to re design everything from the ground up... Let's hope he can restart..
What a great time to be a guitarist with all the cool pedals out there. It can be a distraction but with good videos, like this, it can help. Nice video, Rhett.
That was fun. I'm partial to the BB. Been my main drive pedal for a few years, pretty much always on. Turn down the guitar volume and she cleans up nice, push her with a TS and she's sublime for leads. Good stuff, Rhett.
The SL is good enough. A real Plexi without a powersoak is not useful anywhere, besides that the tubes will wear out much quicker when going hard. I use the SL on the clean channel of my fireball. The pedal adds the bottom end contrary to a boss sd 1.
I really like low gain plexi sounds. Love my Dirty Little Secret mk3 for that. And my Lumpy’s tone shop SLPre 👌🏻 dig the videos guys, keep this stuff coming
I use a DLS Mk3 too. It keeps the low end in both modes, but it’s nearly always on for me. It stacks well with nearly anything. I originally bought it because when I tried it at the shop it made my solid state Fender Stage 100 sound like a Marshall. I’ve since used it with various tube amps to do the same thing.
Me too. And this is where I'd say most Marshall in a box pedals fail, even the ones specifically claiming to be *Plexi* in a box pedals. It seems it's pretty easy to mimic the high gain Marshall tone, because a ton of pedals do that well. The low gain, Hendrix type of tone is a different matter altogether. Even Marshall fails on that note with their solid state amps. The high gain tones sound Marshall-sh, but their cleanish tones just sound like any generic solid state clean amp.
To my ear, the Origin Effects pedal got closest to the gut-punch transient of the Marshall by itself. The other pedals could get some of the drive EQ characteristics but were missing the compression bite.
SL drive is for super lead. That is default mode of the pedal. Dip switches in the back give you super bass, super lead plus 6 db, Blackmore, 1959, and others. If you take the time to tweak the switches for your setup it pays off.
Stopped playing guitar almost 10 years ago (nearly...). Instead I am buying one Marshall in a Box pedal after the others (GAS) and spend my time dialing in great plexi tones. Kind of fun too 😏🎉😂 And thanks Rhett and Rick - great video. As always 👍🏼🍻
Nowadays, the pedals, the good ones usually with a pushed FET design sound like 95% as good as a real high-voltage tube device. Hard to pick a favorite in this video they all sounded great real tube-ey the real amp sounded the best but if a cranked Plexi sound isn't your favorite high gain sound but you just want to sprinkle some in here and there, a good pedal is fine for recording and all that. most people can't hear the difference in the context of a mix.
When I read "Amp in a Box" I thought you would have talked about an AMT or Two Notes "Le ..." series pre-amps with built-in IR. I liked the video, but it was certainly not what I expected.
I built a Z'Vex Distortron with an additional pot to bias and that was the best decision I could have made. I put a DIY SoloDallas Storm in front of it with the bias turned down low and I can get AC/DC. Without the Storm I can get Rush "Limelight" tone. Turn the bias higher and I can get JCM 800 sounds. I'm a home player so getting a JTM 45 or a JCM 800 are simply out of the question both volume-wise and price-wise. For a fraction of the price, I can get close enough to the tone to satisfy my inner rock god and not piss off my gf or the neighbors with a full stack blaring. Plus, building pedals is fun. Pedals in box satisfy the GAS at reasonable prices - and even less if you build them yourself. I highly recommend them.
PedalPalFx 959 and Gold/800 are the exact 1959SLP and JCM800 amp circuits in a pedal that uses FETs instead of tubes. Not affiliated in any way, just a fan of good work. If you run the PedalPalFX pedals into your effects loop return, you have a Marshall In A Box. Run them into the front end of a Marshall, and you have a Marshall boosting a Marshall for even higher gain than the 1959 and 800 have. I've tried almost everything (including about 30 MIAB pedals that I own currently, that includes the Xotic SL, the BB, the Revival Drive, and the Jeeter that you guys compared) and my PedalPalFx pedals are the closest I've found to the real 1959SLP's and JCM800's amps that I've played and owned.
Love that Firebird! I think no matter what the outcome of your comparison, the original amplifiers are always going to be better than the simulators....
What I love about your videos Rick & Rhett. You guys show the truth of things without any botheration for whether it sounds good or bad. Helps dispel a lot of myths that forums have propagated
A year later: i'm now in need of a Marshall-esque pedal to run into a '68 Deluxe Reverb. Now that i re-watch this, i wonder how this is practically applicable. They're running into the same cab as the marshall, which is pretty intrinsic toward getting that marshall sound. But, isn't the purpose of a MIAB pedal, typically, to transform a non-Marshall amp, not just a different type of amp head+marshall cab? Anyway, i'm wondering if anyone who might see this has advice on which pedal i should try into the DRRI with its 1x12 Celestion G12-70.... These all sound pretty good, but i currently have a 5150 pedal and a Friedman Smallbox pedal, and neither are doing this kind of tone. I gotta believe that cab is a major factor.
I remember hearing a while ago, not sure where, that the BB stands for big British which makes more sense as it doesn’t really sound like any other bluesbreaker pedal.
That Helium is wicked! None really captured the Plexi-ness on my speakers, but Jetter sounded so sensitive and squawky, loved that! lol, wrote the above before I heard Rhett's conclusion...
Great comparison. I have two BB Preamps (Andy Timmons). I have tried them over and over through my Mesa Lonestar, a Landry LS 50 G3, and my Friedman Small Box 50. Mine are much smoother and have less gain by comparison. I like the BB more for a bluesy neck pick up tone or to boost an overdriven amp. Sounds much more like a Marshall here. -- *Edit* -- You inspired me to go and try the BB again through the Plexi channel on my Small Box dialed in for an edge of break up base tone. I was able to get closer to the tone in this video but not quite as aggressive sounding. Thanks again for the video!
I bought in to the whole "you need to jumper the channels on a plexi for it to sound good, man" for years, only to realise that the lead channel only with volume set to about 7 is the way to achieve all those classic rock tones. For the distorted sounds that second channel just makes it sound too muddy IMO. Jumpering is a great tool for clean sounds or when playing at lower volumes though.
The Marshall and mini humbuckers are a great combination. To my ears, the Jetter and Reckless Driver sounded great. I bet those two mixed together would sound nice in a mix. Still, an amp with some brilliance and harmonics would be needed with those two pickups to get really close to the Marshall. I love Hiwatts but I didn't like it in this scenario. A Fender VibroKing mixed with the two pedals I mentioned would probably be a good approximation. Loved the sounds in this one. Always appreciate the effort involved in putting these videos together!
Fun comparison with a lot of great sounds. Nothing sounds like a Marshall to my ears though I'd say I wouldn't have my Marshall set that dark most of the time. A hair more gain and more treble...a bit more presence. That said the BB was a flame thrower with a ton more gain on tap (a good thing when you need it). The most disappointing was the Reckless Driver. Sounded like a bad pairing with the Hiwatt in that it was nasal and anemic yet also flat. Some pedals just like or dislike certain amps. Either way this was a great watch and done by two guys I have a ton of respect for.
I would recommand maxing the EQ of the Hiwatt for the "flat" setting, as these type of EQs or everything but flat when everything is at noon - weird thing, I know ! Here, the setting is quite mid scooped in fact, and it makes pedals sound "more like amps" than what they what they truly are when the EQ is flat. Just my 2c here ;) Also if anyone is interested, the BB Preamp is basically a Tube Screamer with a Baxandall Tone Stack.
Now, this was interesting: I actually prefered the sound of some of the pedals over the "real thing". Especially in terms of 'bite' and 'clarity' the Exotic BB and the Helium really did an amazing job. I also really like that "honky" (Rhett himself) midrange of the Revival Drive. Kinda beefs the sound up in a very specific way. But when it comes to dynamics, I can't think of any pedal that could match a real Plexi head.
hard to pick between the SL and the BB - both sounded awesome. Gotta agree with Rhett though - there's no OD like an Amp's OD. Especially when you put a boost or light gain OD pedal in front of the amp's pre-amp to give it a bit of a nudge. As usual, great vid and love seeing Rhett and Rick together!
The SL Drive has some dip switches inside that change the tone. I really wanted to see a comparison of the Wampler Plexi-Drive/Mini as well as the Angry Charlie from JHS
That’s funny, I’ve had all those pedals. My favorite and the one I still have (two!) is the SL Drive. The Angry Charlie is great but the gain goes way up and it’s a little hard to control at lower gain settings. The Wampler does more of a pure JTM45 thing but was my least favorite of the three.
Yup the Marshall was the favorite to my ears but all the pedals were great. One of my bucket list dreams is to actually record at Rick's studio. He's the king. Thanks Rhett
If you want an overdrive modelled after an amp that doesn't roll off the low end, try a tc electronic MojoMojo. It's modelled after a Vox AC100, and has a switch to roll off the low end or not.
Speaking of Jetter pedals, i sold a BB Preamp i had in order to obtain a Jetter GSG (the Gain Stage Green), which was richer in the mid's than the BB (which is why i suppose Xotic released a later version of the BB with a small Mid knob in the center). The Green, along with the Gain Stage Black, are my favorite Jetter pedals for Marshall. The Black in particular has an absolutely beautiful "open" sound very reminiscent of the Plexi's. If you ever have a chance to try either one of these, you'll be very pleased. Jetter's "Gain Stage" series are the first pedals he made, and IMO are the best by far. rgds.
As Andy Timmons says (he say something like this not a quote) I prefer pedals not 'case they are the same that amp. I prefer pedals because they are different.
I have a cheap Joyo British and I can get amazing Marshall tone out of it. It's my go to pedal for the amp in a box. I'm putting it through a solid state Fender.
Another difference I could perceive coming - more or less from any of the pedals - is plenty of compression , whereas the Marshall breaths better. It is also very evident the boost that some pedals provide to the mid-upper range (or the cut to the bottom range)
I like “amp in a box” units like the Orange Stamp, which include preamp tubes. It really enhances the solid state clean tones you get and also adds preamp tube gain, which always wins in my book as opposed to drive pedals. Their Achilles Heel is the cab sim out, which generally stinks. I’m still trying to find a good, dedicated cab sim/IR pedal to use in conjunction with my Stamp.
Great demo! I love my Xotic Effects BB Preamp pedal. The EQ knobs are very dynamic and I can get a versatile array of gain tones from it. It's my go-to pedal and is my main low-gain to hi-gain pedal and everything in between. But I heard in another youtube video that the BB stands for Blues Breaker which is based on the Marshall Blues Breaker pedal.
I have a boss overdrive/distortion pedal that a guy used through a clean channel on his Marshall amp when his distortion channel shit the bed. It was more than adequate.
The Plexi sounded the best. I recently got a Marshall SV20 and I am blown away by how much complexity to the tone there is. As you said, the best pedal tones come from playing them through an amp. All my pedals sound amazing through the SV20.
@@gratao25 I got mine on Reverb here on Australia in mint condition at a great price. They are VERY loud, but have a great effects loop that takes a volume pedal nicely, effectively giving a nice PPIMV.
I tried the SC20 version and was blown away by it. I was really surprised that I could get a plexi tone out of it by backing off the pre-amp gain. Great amps.
Rhett, I agree. The amp sounds the best. The pedals are trying to emulate the sound with completely different hardware. But I have to say, I'd be happy with any of those tones. I really appreciate the comparison. I don't have a lot of pedals and have no room for an iso-booth. So it's interesting to hear the difference. I do have a Stomp and a few other pedals and being a hobbiest, that's plenty. Thanks for the great video!
I think the BB is the winner here. Maybe it wasn’t the most accurate, but man that thing had some bite and attitude! Also it didn’t ruin the experience or anything, but it’s a shame there was some dust or something on the lens for a lot of this. But great vid man!
=== COMPARISON ===
12:00 Marshall 1959X
12:10 Xotic BB Preamp
12:30 DLS Reckless Driver
12:47 Xotic SL Drive
13:03 Origin Revival Drive
13:18 Jetter Helium
Rick turns into a bobblehead when he likes what he's hearing, lol.
True. But I won’t lie, I do it too, lol.
I'll buy ba Beato Bobblehead... Lol
Man Rick has a FRESH fade in this.
Must be fun playing with all of " Uncle Rick's" cool stuff!
Love a Beato & Shull collab !
So Agreed
It’s Obiwan n Luke
Beato, Shull, Nash and Young
The SL Drive is my go to. It has dip switches inside to emulate different circuits too.
Xotic SL for the win! Thanks for reminding me why I have them on 3 separate boards. BB Preamp was also impressive. One of my favorite pedals of the many I own is a Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor
Great video Rhett! I have a Revival Drive that I keep circling back to. It's not so much that I'm trying to get "that sound" but "my sound". There are a ton of pedals out there that I use to get "that sound" and they are incredible, but I have a sound in my head and it usually ends up being the Rockett Pedals Majestic or the Revival Drive with the Pettyjohn Chime as a supplement. It's a bit of a rabbit hole for sure.
Hey rhett,
I am very happy that you doing that kind of Vids. This ones are helping a lot.
Keep doing this.
Greetings from Germany😁
That firebird never ceases to amaze me. The tones are wonderful every single time you break it out
Every time I buy another overdrive pedal I realize that I could have obtained a similar tone with the (too many) pedals I already own. To my ears (which are admittedly beat up), when the bass and the drums kick in the nuances get lost in the mix. Most people I play to are listening to my music, not my pedals. Thank you, Rick and Rhett, for another authoritative video that helps us make up our own minds.
BB preamp is a boss. Even after all these years!
I agree, I thought it sounded best of all the pedals.
Agreed. I run one into the front of a Friedman smallbox 50 and it sounds killer.
"I wonder if these pedals sound good" Rhett: "Better play them through a custom Hiwatt".
I don't think a super clean high headroom amp like the Hiwatt is gonna make a shit pedal sound great... It doesn't compress the sound and is not as forgiving as a cheap amp...
Expensive doesn't make every part of the gear sound great..
I’d be more curious about these pedals serving as a DI; maybe I’m wrong, but that would be the “in a box” test. Yeah, you’d have to do some IR thing to emulate a cabinet (or not?), but this demo is sort of an “amp in a box” into an amp.
@@eduardocandeiasfaust Except that Hiwatt is not set super clean at all. Listen to the amp itself at 7:16. loads of midrange and a good deal of dirt before they even add the pedals with their midrange and dirt.
@@johnfrenette Exactly. A better comparison would be to run the pedal into the effects return of an EL34 amp similar to a Marshall only utilizing the power tubes into the same speaker cab.
It would be interesting to hear them plugged into the fx return.
You know it's going to be a great video when it's a Rhett and Rick collab
Nah
@@NorthSeaWisdom Are you the one dislike by any chance?
SL Drive is certainly my favorite , a lot will depend on your guitar and pickups but honestly with an EQ pedal you can pretty much get as close to the Marshsll amp tone as desired. Fun video, good one
Man, I love the sound of that BB with the clean amp. I could be deaf but I prefer it over the plexi.
The SL sounds amazing too.
I agree
BB > plexi
Yeah, that BB sounded better
The BB is higher gain. Personally I prefer the Marshall but it’s all very subjective.
@@Otis-Isom I agree that both have very useable tones, but I'd prefer the Marshall.
You’re assessment was spot on. The amp had a richness the pedals emulated but didn’t quite recreate.
I honestly liked the SL Drive better than the actual Marshall. 🤷♂️🤘
If with better you mean more compressed and tight yes
I just got a red sl drive. It has blown me away. An aside. Dude, you’re not playing whole lotta love correctly! 😂
I like my drive tones to be a tube amp at the edge of breakup, then pushed over the edge with a low gain Bluesbreaker Style OD (Pantheon, KOT, POT.....), using it more as a boost. Your volume knob can still clean up your sound, and I actually don't mind a little bit of the bass reduction that the BB Style OD does.
I find the SL drive is helped by running it 18v. Really opens up and feels even more amp-like. I also find that it tames a little of the hair, and makes it feel more plexi.
It doesn't hurt it running at that voltage? TY
@@Superjet113 no, it doesn't hurt it. It's built to handle up to 18v. Xotic actually sells a voltage doubler to take a 9v power supply and output it at 18v. If you have a power supply that puts out 18v, you can run it that way just fine. Fair warning, it still sounds more like a hot-rodded 70's-80's super lead than a vintage plexi. I was never happy trying to get Hendrix, Clapton, or Page tones.
@@mike-rink Wow, thank you so much! I do have 18 volt power supplies.
3k vs 200$, I’ll take my chances...
This video is giving me a smile that is appreciated you guys. Thanks 👍🏻
I’d heard that ‘BB’ was named after Bluesbreaker. I have to say that amp sounds killer. I felt the same, all sound in the Marshall ballpark but none really nailed it 100%. Based on this I’d probably go for the BB or Xotic. Great vid. Thanks.
BB is by Xotic as well...
@@strappingyoungmike ahh yes. I meant BB and SL by Xotic.
BB is for Big British
I think you're right, cause i remember a video by Xotic effect back in the day with Ross Bolton (RIP, great guy, guitar player, teacher) and he ask, what is " BB " the answer was " Blues Breaker "
@@JulienMENARD no. BB is for big british.
Love my SL Drive; it's tons more versatile than a two-knob mini pedal has any right to be. Some of that's due to the internal dip switches, which can take you from early plexi to modded brown sound with stops in between. The Origin has even more range, but for the price, it had danged well better. I would love to have seen some examples from Wampler, Mad Professor and Catalinbread; you could easily do an hour's worth of plexi-style pedals.
Man that Firebird Sounds badass!
For me the Xotic Bb sounded the best, wasn’t the closest sound.
Just a great pedal.
Yes, the firebird was the real Star here!
Front end one BB into another BB... both low gain. Yikes it sounds good.
The star of the video is that firebird... wow!!! What a beautiful example.
Another fantastic boutique Plexi in a box is the 'Cmatmods Brownie' . Nails that EVH 1st Album Brown Sound Plexi and cleans up nice too.
As a side note, Chad Mathews ( cmatmods) has lost his business/ house in a flood .Lost all his stock, $15000 of NOS parts, schematics everything.He said he'll have to re design everything from the ground up... Let's hope he can restart..
Love the video. Would have assumed the Friedman BE-100 would have been in the mix.
That BB Preamp sounds great, I have passed them by for years, maybe I need to take a look at them.
What a great time to be a guitarist with all the cool pedals out there. It can be a distraction but with good videos, like this, it can help. Nice video, Rhett.
That was fun. I'm partial to the BB. Been my main drive pedal for a few years, pretty much always on. Turn down the guitar volume and she cleans up nice, push her with a TS and she's sublime for leads.
Good stuff, Rhett.
The SL sounds crazy good
Agree!
Paired with a great high headroom clean amp, absolutely. My Friedman BE-OD Deluxe sounds amazing when paired with my Morgan SW50.
Be-od is first class
Better than small box? That one could have been better. Pedal not the amp.
“More gain than the Plexi had” is exactly what made me want the SL after you played it!!!
👍
The SL is good enough. A real Plexi without a powersoak is not useful anywhere, besides that the tubes will wear out much quicker when going hard. I use the SL on the clean channel of my fireball. The pedal adds the bottom end contrary to a boss sd 1.
Thank you both for sharing this video, I’ve owned the Xotic BB for years (love it) and also just purchased the Friedman BE-OD also a great pedal!
I’m partial to the SL Drive. I have two of them! Don’t ask me why, I have no idea. All the pedals sounded great.
That Helium did sound pretty darn amazing!
SL drive was my pick. Love the simple layout.
I really like low gain plexi sounds. Love my Dirty Little Secret mk3 for that. And my Lumpy’s tone shop SLPre 👌🏻 dig the videos guys, keep this stuff coming
I use a DLS Mk3 too.
It keeps the low end in both modes, but it’s nearly always on for me.
It stacks well with nearly anything.
I originally bought it because when I tried it at the shop it made my solid state Fender Stage 100 sound like a Marshall. I’ve since used it with various tube amps to do the same thing.
Me too. And this is where I'd say most Marshall in a box pedals fail, even the ones specifically claiming to be *Plexi* in a box pedals. It seems it's pretty easy to mimic the high gain Marshall tone, because a ton of pedals do that well. The low gain, Hendrix type of tone is a different matter altogether. Even Marshall fails on that note with their solid state amps. The high gain tones sound Marshall-sh, but their cleanish tones just sound like any generic solid state clean amp.
@@darwinsaye spot on.
To my ear, the Origin Effects pedal got closest to the gut-punch transient of the Marshall by itself. The other pedals could get some of the drive EQ characteristics but were missing the compression bite.
SL drive is for super lead. That is default mode of the pedal. Dip switches in the back give you super bass, super lead plus 6 db, Blackmore, 1959, and others. If you take the time to tweak the switches for your setup it pays off.
Thanks for info!
9v vs 18v makes a huge difference too, my current settings are the Super Bass on 18v. (Burstbuckers/Hand built DR)
Stopped playing guitar almost 10 years ago (nearly...). Instead I am buying one Marshall in a Box pedal after the others (GAS) and spend my time dialing in great plexi tones. Kind of fun too 😏🎉😂
And thanks Rhett and Rick - great video. As always 👍🏼🍻
I loved the xotic pedals and the revival drive. More so than the amp even. I just love nice pedals into a great clean channel.
Man the BB pedal and SL sounds kick ass!! Ok I'm going shopping later this weekend. Thanks you guys always knowledgeable!
🤟😎🤙
Nowadays, the pedals, the good ones usually with a pushed FET design sound like 95% as good as a real high-voltage tube device. Hard to pick a favorite in this video they all sounded great real tube-ey the real amp sounded the best but if a cranked Plexi sound isn't your favorite high gain sound but you just want to sprinkle some in here and there, a good pedal is fine for recording and all that. most people can't hear the difference in the context of a mix.
Awesome video guys, thank you. That firebird is sick!
The BB sounded the best to me. Great tone out of that.
It is a killer pedal for the price.
Firebird in to a Marshall is a hard to beat combo, and extremely versatile.
Les paul->es335->firebird->sg->explorer
When I read "Amp in a Box" I thought you would have talked about an AMT or Two Notes "Le ..." series pre-amps with built-in IR.
I liked the video, but it was certainly not what I expected.
I built a Z'Vex Distortron with an additional pot to bias and that was the best decision I could have made. I put a DIY SoloDallas Storm in front of it with the bias turned down low and I can get AC/DC. Without the Storm I can get Rush "Limelight" tone. Turn the bias higher and I can get JCM 800 sounds. I'm a home player so getting a JTM 45 or a JCM 800 are simply out of the question both volume-wise and price-wise. For a fraction of the price, I can get close enough to the tone to satisfy my inner rock god and not piss off my gf or the neighbors with a full stack blaring. Plus, building pedals is fun. Pedals in box satisfy the GAS at reasonable prices - and even less if you build them yourself. I highly recommend them.
The Exotic BB took first prize for me. Maybe more of an 800 sound, but sounded the most Marshall to my ears. Jetter second.
Run the xotic SL at 18v and move around some of the dip switches inside. Fantastic pedal.
PedalPalFx 959 and Gold/800 are the exact 1959SLP and JCM800 amp circuits in a pedal that uses FETs instead of tubes. Not affiliated in any way, just a fan of good work.
If you run the PedalPalFX pedals into your effects loop return, you have a Marshall In A Box. Run them into the front end of a Marshall, and you have a Marshall boosting a Marshall for even higher gain than the 1959 and 800 have.
I've tried almost everything (including about 30 MIAB pedals that I own currently, that includes the Xotic SL, the BB, the Revival Drive, and the Jeeter that you guys compared) and my PedalPalFx pedals are the closest I've found to the real 1959SLP's and JCM800's amps that I've played and owned.
Love that Firebird! I think no matter what the outcome of your comparison, the original amplifiers are always going to be better than the simulators....
They are doing this comparison for recording purposes so, of course the head sounds better. But you are absolutely right, that 'Bird is awesome!
What I love about your videos Rick & Rhett. You guys show the truth of things without any botheration for whether it sounds good or bad.
Helps dispel a lot of myths that forums have propagated
I agree with you about the final conclusion.
The most famous amp in a box is the Rockman X100 featured on the album Hysteria by Def Leppard and the Top Gun theme song among other '80s songs.
A year later: i'm now in need of a Marshall-esque pedal to run into a '68 Deluxe Reverb. Now that i re-watch this, i wonder how this is practically applicable. They're running into the same cab as the marshall, which is pretty intrinsic toward getting that marshall sound. But, isn't the purpose of a MIAB pedal, typically, to transform a non-Marshall amp, not just a different type of amp head+marshall cab? Anyway, i'm wondering if anyone who might see this has advice on which pedal i should try into the DRRI with its 1x12 Celestion G12-70.... These all sound pretty good, but i currently have a 5150 pedal and a Friedman Smallbox pedal, and neither are doing this kind of tone. I gotta believe that cab is a major factor.
I like when you two team up for a video collaboration....always entertaining
Just bought a Friedman Smallbox pedal yesterday. ;) READY TO ROCK! I heard that Xotic BB stands for BluesBreaker.
I remember hearing a while ago, not sure where, that the BB stands for big British which makes more sense as it doesn’t really sound like any other bluesbreaker pedal.
That Helium is wicked! None really captured the Plexi-ness on my speakers, but Jetter sounded so sensitive and squawky, loved that!
lol, wrote the above before I heard Rhett's conclusion...
There are dip switches inside that SL Drive for more Marshall type opions
Switches between Super Bass and Super Lead amps. The switch totally changes the feel of the pedal.
Suggestion, have a ABY box with both running...although, they all sounded great and would be near indistinguishable in a blind test.
8:07 that section of riffs was killer! Was that spontaneous or is that from a song? I got to hear more of that!
A thousand apologies, I didn't see that you had already addressed the subject. Great work.
Love how Rick lives with the notes Rhet plays and nods in agreement :) Wonderful tones.
Great comparison. I have two BB Preamps (Andy Timmons). I have tried them over and over through my Mesa Lonestar, a Landry LS 50 G3, and my Friedman Small Box 50. Mine are much smoother and have less gain by comparison. I like the BB more for a bluesy neck pick up tone or to boost an overdriven amp. Sounds much more like a Marshall here. -- *Edit* -- You inspired me to go and try the BB again through the Plexi channel on my Small Box dialed in for an edge of break up base tone. I was able to get closer to the tone in this video but not quite as aggressive sounding. Thanks again for the video!
I bought in to the whole "you need to jumper the channels on a plexi for it to sound good, man" for years, only to realise that the lead channel only with volume set to about 7 is the way to achieve all those classic rock tones. For the distorted sounds that second channel just makes it sound too muddy IMO. Jumpering is a great tool for clean sounds or when playing at lower volumes though.
Was just rewatching your HX Stomp Vs Plexi video when this showed up, love this amp
Hey Rhett... the star of the video for me was the Firebird !!!! Such a killer sounding guitar !!!
The Marshall and mini humbuckers are a great combination. To my ears, the Jetter and Reckless Driver sounded great. I bet those two mixed together would sound nice in a mix. Still, an amp with some brilliance and harmonics would be needed with those two pickups to get really close to the Marshall. I love Hiwatts but I didn't like it in this scenario. A Fender VibroKing mixed with the two pedals I mentioned would probably be a good approximation. Loved the sounds in this one. Always appreciate the effort involved in putting these videos together!
Fun comparison with a lot of great sounds. Nothing sounds like a Marshall to my ears though I'd say I wouldn't have my Marshall set that dark most of the time. A hair more gain and more treble...a bit more presence. That said the BB was a flame thrower with a ton more gain on tap (a good thing when you need it). The most disappointing was the Reckless Driver. Sounded like a bad pairing with the Hiwatt in that it was nasal and anemic yet also flat. Some pedals just like or dislike certain amps. Either way this was a great watch and done by two guys I have a ton of respect for.
That SL Drive sounds killer!
Is that Rick breathing at 9:11 ? Great video(as always!! ❤️), but listening on monitors at night made me look behind for a sec haha.
I would recommand maxing the EQ of the Hiwatt for the "flat" setting, as these type of EQs or everything but flat when everything is at noon - weird thing, I know !
Here, the setting is quite mid scooped in fact, and it makes pedals sound "more like amps" than what they what they truly are when the EQ is flat. Just my 2c here ;)
Also if anyone is interested, the BB Preamp is basically a Tube Screamer with a Baxandall Tone Stack.
You got the best guitar channel in the world!
Now, this was interesting: I actually prefered the sound of some of the pedals over the "real thing". Especially in terms of 'bite' and 'clarity' the Exotic BB and the Helium really did an amazing job. I also really like that "honky" (Rhett himself) midrange of the Revival Drive. Kinda beefs the sound up in a very specific way.
But when it comes to dynamics, I can't think of any pedal that could match a real Plexi head.
The last one sounds terrific! Beautiful clean and uncompressed vintage distortion.
Love what you do, thanks so much for sharing.
I was literally looking for this video yesterday. This is the answer to my prayers. What are the odds
Different sounds, but both very usable for sure! Love your guys videos together
hard to pick between the SL and the BB - both sounded awesome. Gotta agree with Rhett though - there's no OD like an Amp's OD. Especially when you put a boost or light gain OD pedal in front of the amp's pre-amp to give it a bit of a nudge. As usual, great vid and love seeing Rhett and Rick together!
Rick watches Rhett like a proud teacher watching his student come to fruition.
The SL Drive has some dip switches inside that change the tone. I really wanted to see a comparison of the Wampler Plexi-Drive/Mini as well as the Angry Charlie from JHS
That’s funny, I’ve had all those pedals. My favorite and the one I still have (two!) is the SL Drive. The Angry Charlie is great but the gain goes way up and it’s a little hard to control at lower gain settings. The Wampler does more of a pure JTM45 thing but was my least favorite of the three.
@@vautrain sl drive the best!
The SL drive could have looked more plexi and less plastic. Those huge knobs make me think fake jewelry. How would anyone guess what it is?
Yup the Marshall was the favorite to my ears but all the pedals were great. One of my bucket list dreams is to actually record at Rick's studio. He's the king. Thanks Rhett
If you want an overdrive modelled after an amp that doesn't roll off the low end, try a tc electronic MojoMojo. It's modelled after a Vox AC100, and has a switch to roll off the low end or not.
3:45 They plugged the wrong side of the BB into the amp??
wtf
Man , I'm watching this at 6 am and I gotta go to work in a bit lol , can't wait to come back home and jam cause that plexi tone got me pumped.
The Tech21 OMG Richie Kotzen pedal would be a good one too, I have it and he designed for this very purpose.
Speaking of Jetter pedals, i sold a BB Preamp i had in order to obtain a Jetter GSG (the Gain Stage Green), which was richer in the mid's than the BB (which is why i suppose Xotic released a later version of the BB with a small Mid knob in the center). The Green, along with the Gain Stage Black, are my favorite Jetter pedals for Marshall. The Black in particular has an absolutely beautiful "open" sound very reminiscent of the Plexi's. If you ever have a chance to try either one of these, you'll be very pleased. Jetter's "Gain Stage" series are the first pedals he made, and IMO are the best by far. rgds.
As Andy Timmons says (he say something like this not a quote) I prefer pedals not 'case they are the same that amp. I prefer pedals because they are different.
I have a cheap Joyo British and I can get amazing Marshall tone out of it. It's my go to pedal for the amp in a box. I'm putting it through a solid state Fender.
Holy Moly... that SL Drive! What a beast!
Another difference I could perceive coming - more or less from any of the pedals - is plenty of compression , whereas the Marshall breaths better. It is also very evident the boost that some pedals provide to the mid-upper range (or the cut to the bottom range)
I like “amp in a box” units like the Orange Stamp, which include preamp tubes. It really enhances the solid state clean tones you get and also adds preamp tube gain, which always wins in my book as opposed to drive pedals. Their Achilles Heel is the cab sim out, which generally stinks. I’m still trying to find a good, dedicated cab sim/IR pedal to use in conjunction with my Stamp.
Great demo! I love my Xotic Effects BB Preamp pedal. The EQ knobs are very dynamic and I can get a versatile array of gain tones from it. It's my go-to pedal and is my main low-gain to hi-gain pedal and everything in between. But I heard in another youtube video that the BB stands for Blues Breaker which is based on the Marshall Blues Breaker pedal.
I have a boss overdrive/distortion pedal that a guy used through a clean channel on his Marshall amp when his distortion channel shit the bed. It was more than adequate.
The Plexi sounded the best. I recently got a Marshall SV20 and I am blown away by how much complexity to the tone there is. As you said, the best pedal tones come from playing them through an amp. All my pedals sound amazing through the SV20.
Wish I could geat a SV20 as well! But in Brazil it costs a fortune. I think you can find a jcm800 for the same price down here
@@gratao25 I got mine on Reverb here on Australia in mint condition at a great price. They are VERY loud, but have a great effects loop that takes a volume pedal nicely, effectively giving a nice PPIMV.
I tried the SC20 version and was blown away by it. I was really surprised that I could get a plexi tone out of it by backing off the pre-amp gain. Great amps.
Rhett, I agree. The amp sounds the best. The pedals are trying to emulate the sound with completely different hardware. But I have to say, I'd be happy with any of those tones.
I really appreciate the comparison. I don't have a lot of pedals and have no room for an iso-booth. So it's interesting to hear the difference. I do have a Stomp and a few other pedals and being a hobbiest, that's plenty.
Thanks for the great video!
I think the BB is the winner here. Maybe it wasn’t the most accurate, but man that thing had some bite and attitude!
Also it didn’t ruin the experience or anything, but it’s a shame there was some dust or something on the lens for a lot of this. But great vid man!