Fans of guitarists with superb tones routinely spot Lovepedal boxes on pedalboards in almost every music genre.

From their early days emulating the tones of Billy Gibbons and Jimi Hendrix, Lovepedal has expanded its range; the original Purple Plexi debuted in 2008, and the current version is the secret sauce for fans of Marshall JTM45s or JCM800s.

Real-estate friendly, the new PP sounds thicker, warmer, and has improved taper in the Drive control along with better decay for complex tones and feel. Its Tone knob acts as both presence and midrange control, the Drive knob has a user-friendly sweep, and a guitar’s Volume control working in concert with the Purple Plexi is the key to cleaner sounds and greater range for clipping; it’ll impersonate light breakup or take you to the outskirts of hi-gain saturation with smokin’ overtones and midrange attack that’s very amp-like.

It’s also highly sensitive to pick attack and responds to single-coils and humbuckers with a standing ovation – especially when Drive is pushed enough to tap into its Plexi ancestry. Wired true-bypass, the pedal is powered by a 9-volt adapter.

From vintage to modern high-gain, Lovepedal’s Purple Plexi does well emulating a roaring Marshall head in a petite purple package.

This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2022 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.