Wampler shakes up the mini-pedal market with the feature-rich Plexi-Drive Mini and Belle Overdrive
New offerings span low-gain punch to Marshall-esque thrills
Wampler is staking its claim as king of the compact overdrive with two new mini pedals – a downsized version of its popular Plexi-Drive, and the all-new Belle Overdrive.
The Plexi-Drive Mini harnesses the original’s Marshall Plexi and JTM45-esque tones, but adds a fresh Mid Boost circuit.
Pedal guru Brian Wampler claims the new boost tweaks several gain stages at once for considerable tonal flexibility, bolstered by the returning Bass Boost toggle, Tone, Gain and Volume controls.
The Belle Overdrive, meanwhile, is a low gain-focused pedal that’s based on “a firm favorite in Nashville”… We’re taking a wild guess that’s referring to old session favorite, the Nobels ODR-1.
Anyhoo, Wampler’s take promises an increased gain range, and less of a “hi-fi” quality.
It features a Color control – which boosts or cuts the high and low-end, without affecting the mid frequencies – and adds a Bass control, as well as the typical Level and Gain.
A side-mounted push-switch also adjusts the amount of compression and tweaks the circuit’s clipping structure, promising extra punch.
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Both pedals can be run on 9-18V power supplies, are built in the USA and sell for $149.97. The Belle Overdrive, however, is only available from Sweetwater in the USA and Thomann in Europe.
For more info on both of these petit pedals, head over to Wampler Pedals.
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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
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