Plexi vs Metroplex

[Mike P]

Thanks for the information which is absolutely helpful. Out of curiosity, why are you also ordering the Plexi module?

I'm a TV composer, so I need many different guitar amps in order to accurately cover a multitude of genres. I'm currently working on a Brit Rock album and all of my current modules are too modern sounding, so a Plexi with various fuzz pedals should allow me to dial in accurate and killer tones.

I'm told that the Plexi will be available by mid-week, so I'll head down to the shop when it's ready and will report back. I'm also hoping to grab a Bogner Ecstasy this week as well but it depends on availability.

 

[ecantwell]

I still haven't had a chance to record the Metro for the purpose of an example clip but the Blue Channel is definitely much cleaner with an NOS GE 5751 in V1 and while it doesn't make the Red channel any cleaner, it has "cleaned" up and tightened up the Red Channel considerably.

I placed an order for a new Plexi module yesterday but they're backordered, so it'll be a few weeks before I'm able to do direct-comparison clips but will do so as soon as time permits.

Would you say that it is different enough that having a metroplex with a 5751 and a metroplex with the original 12ax7 would sound like 4 different channels? I love the metroplex module, and if I could get some real cleans and a different sounding gain/overdrive channel I'd be tempted to buy another one.

 

[Mike P]

Would you say that it is different enough that having a metroplex with a 5751 and a metroplex with the original 12ax7 would sound like 4 different channels? I love the metroplex module, and if I could get some real cleans and a different sounding gain/overdrive channel I'd be tempted to buy another one.

Oh, most definitely not.

It cleaned up the Blue Channel by around 15%-20%, which was enough to get it just outside that AC/DC territory but the Red Channel didn’t change really at all, other than cleaning up the bottom end.

 

[Mike P]

I picked up the Plexi and Bogner Ecstasty at noon today and while I haven't dug into the Bogner yet, I have to say that the Plexi sounds amazing! It's a bit "thicker" and "looser" than the Metro but it certainly has they classic Plexi tone.

By turning off one of the Volume Controls on a selected channel, the Plexi can get that "chimey" JTM45 tone, even when using a Les Paul with Classic 57+ humbuckers, which is perfect and exactly what I needed. Engaging both Volume Controls can provide all kinds of tones, from mid-gain to even high gain tones, all of which are awesome.

I'm really blown away by Dave's design for this module. I mean, really blown away.

 

[mightytheo]

Wow, that plexi looks like a really versatile module. Especially the bass/lead blending might be just what i was searching for. Would you consider the plexi to be the most vintage sounding module?

 

[Mike P]

Wow, that plexi looks like a really versatile module. Especially the bass/lead blending might be just what i was searching for. Would you consider the plexi to be the most vintage sounding module?

I don't think I'd use the word "vintage" because that it has so many different meanings to people. But I will say that it's easily capable of providing JTM45 and 60's Plexi tones. When both Volume knobs are cranked, it has quite a bit more gain than the Metroplex, which IMO, has more gain than any stock JMP or Plexi I've ever heard or played through.

The Plexi is a very, very versatile module, especially if you like to have one channel set as a "cleaner" JTM45 and the other channel set anywhere from Mid-Gain to High Gain while retaining that legendary Marshall tone.

 

[btownninja]

I ended up getting a plexi over the metro. To my ears, the plexi sounded more like my Marshall SV20H only without all the low volume fizz. I mostly wanted mid gain too. I think for very low gain stuff, the metro is probably a better module. Both do have a considerable amount of gain compared to any plexi style amp I've tried.

 

[Mike P]

I'll have clips posted by the weekend. It's been really interesting recording the Blue & Red channels side by side for each module for the past hour or so.

I've recorded both the Blue and Red channels for each module and every time I've played back a track, I'll think "Yeah, THIS is the tone!". Then I'll compare that mix to the mix with the Blue or Red channel from the other module and think "No, THIS is the tone!".

The bottom line is that they both sound really awesome but they're also very different. If you like to tinker, the Plexi offers so many different options because combining the Normal and Bright Channel can really bring change to the overall tone, while the MetroPlex sounds awesome just by plugging in.