PedalPalFX's PAL987 Plexi Carrera and PAL800-V4 Gold Marshall style Overdrives have never been better or more accessible than in their current Compact Enclosure formats
I’ve had Luis Pena’s PedalPalFX on the radar for quite a number of years now and have featured his pedals on the site a few times. I’ve always been amazed that he can run a boutique pedal business so well from the heart of Venezuela with all the problems still happening in that country - same goes for my friends in Ukraine.
The intention was always to get in a couple of PedalPalFX pedals at some stage - and I guess now’s the perfect time - especially as they are more readily available courtesy of the PedalPalFX Reverb.com Store. In an ideal situation I would have got both the pictured pedals in at the same time - while I had various other budgetary obligations this month - which meant it just wasn’t feasible - so while I will be covering both here - I only have one of these in the reference collections so far - the PAL800-V4 Gold - I will probably pick up its sibling early next year - possibly Luis can give me a helping hand for that - I paid full price for mine or maybe there was a $10 off offer - while there is currently (as of writing) a -$20 Black Friday / Cyber Monday discount in place - but I feel that the $200 pricetag is actually very reasonable anyway - great looking gold facia plate pedals - each with 3-way tonal / gain structure variations via top-right toggle switch - along with smart internal ’Master Tone’ trimmer.
It was pretty much a 50/50 decision as to which of the two pedals I would go for first - since I’ve been reviewing a number of High Gain pedals recently - with a view to doing an updated Full Metal Racket rundown - while there are some spanners in the works on that project currently - but in any case the decision was for the PAL800 variant.
My first introduction to these pedals I think was courtesy of Philip McKnight’s Know Your Gear show - as he was a staunch advocate for the brand for a long while. And PedalPalFX have rightly garnered a stellar reputation over the years for their superior Discrete Transistor Circuit Marshall-in-a-box pedals. I of course prefer the compact enclosure formats - so I was delighted when these got shrunk down from their former 1590BB size.
Operation could not be simpler - there is plenty of range on each of those 6 dials and my PAL800 is incredibly easy to dial in. I’ve of course watched most of the demos now too - and I always find it interesting as to what gets picked out as the ’best sounding’ mode or settings. Seems like a lot like the slightly more searing #07 and a lot more searing #34 Mod Modes - the first mentioned adds more gain and a little more attack, while the second Slash Mod adds quite a lot of top-end brightness to the pedal too. Note that there is a further internal ’Master Tone’ trim-pot - a sort of Low Pass Filter - which counter clockwise cuts Brightness, and clockwise boosts brightness. The pedal is default set up at around 2 o’c which is typically optimal - ideal operational range is usually 11 o’c to 3 o’c. As if you cut it too much - then the brighter #07 and #34 Mods no longer work, and if you max out the trim-pot you will get fizz and additional noise on the top end - which is kind of authentic to the source amp to a degree too - so some will like that - while for most the default setup works just fine! I felt no need to adjust that trimmer.
I actually prefer the JCMII mode for whatever reason - which is mostly likened to a more Rhythm Guitar style mode - where the extra Sear and Sizzle of the 2 Mods (#07 & #34) makes them more suitable for lead and solo work. I find that you do need to tweak the EQ for each of the Mode settings - otherwise the #34 Mod in particular can become a little overly sharp and wiry - the point really is that there’s loads of versatility here - and all should be able to find an optimal and ultimate tuning for their rig - for each of the 3 Modes.
Here follow the individual pedal details :
PAL987 PLEXI CARRERA Overdrive (1987X Plexi) - $200
Controls - T.S. Tone Structure : Standard / Tight / Tight with Extra Low End Response, Master Volume, Active Presence, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Internal 'Master Tone' trim-pot.
Obviously I haven't had hands on this variety yet, but judging from my experience of the PAL800 Gold V4 and from the demos I've heard - I know I'm going to like this too. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that this is going into the reference collection - likely early next year, may just get in before Christmas - while I have a lot of existing obligations in the next few weeks, and I normally park pedal acquisitions in December!
Just a really versatile Extended Range classic Marshall Plexi style box - with intuitive and useful controls - immaculately built - yes with surface mount components - but utilising very smartly selected discrete Transistors to recreate the source amp topology. I have plenty of great Marshall boxes in the collection already - but this is surely one of the finest, and deserving a space in my reference collection.
PAL800-V4 GOLD Overdrive (JCM800) - $200
Controls - Mode : #34 Slash Mod (More Sizzle + Brightness) / JCMII (Rhythm!) / #007 More Gain Mod + Attack, Master Volume, Active Presence, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Internal 'Master Tone' trim-pot.
For whatever reasons - and dialling pedals in is always a personal experience and largely specific to your guitar, amp and general rig. While there are a lot of you that really love the #34 Mod and favour that above all others! While I find I prefer the JCMII and #07 Mod Modes - I just get the most satisfactory sounds for my preferences there.
I do find that I need to tweak the settings for each mode - as I tend to die the Presence and Treble relatively high for my favoured JCMII mode - while the #07 and #34 Mods add quite a bit more brightness on top - and kind of change the EQ accentuation - so I find myself tweaking all 4 EQ knobs - including the Active Presence control.
There's lots of sweet spots on those dials - but the one I'm currently kind of stuck to in JCMII Mode - has Volume, Presence, and Treble @ Max, Gain @ noon, Bass @ 10 o'c, and Middle @ 9 o'c - for a proper vintage rock voicing!
The PAL800 is a fantastic MIAB - I have several equally as good, and some even more expansive. But that's not really the point - it's well worth a spot on any board. I guess the only quibble is in the side-mounted jacks - but a number of my favourite MIAB's have that - so it's never a big thing for me.
The form factor and price point are pretty much spot on for such a high quality pedal - I can't see how anyone would not love to own one of these.
Note that there is also a limited Silverhenge edition doing the rounds - based on the earliest PAL800 circuit and more tuned towards the modern side of things - I feel I need to get the two Gold classics first - and then I will pick up the Silverhnege when it next swings aound! (Limited Run Release!). In fact the SILVERHENGE has MDR (Modern), #07 Mod, and JCM Modes in place of the PAL800's #34 / JCMII / #07.
12 Degrees of Saturation 2023 Compact Edition
