Wampler
ROUND-UP
WAMPLER PEDALS
WAMPLER
PLEXI-DRIVE £189
Plex-able overdrive
FOR those who don’t know already,
Plexi is shorthand for a mid-to-late 60s
Marshall sound that was derived from
the Plexiglass panels found on some
models of the era. And it’s this classic
sound that Wampler’s Plexi-Drive is
designed to deliver. Basically, this is an
overdrive pedal with a British flavour
and two modes of operation. Flicking
on the Bass Boost switch adds a nice
touch of 4x12 thump to proceedings, but
both modes let you pile on that familiar
Marshall-y crunch. After an overdrive
that can give your amp some classic
British rock tone? Then look no further…
WAMPLER
EGO COMPRESSOR £199
Blue crush
LIKE many guitar compressors, the Ego is
based on the classic MXR Dyna Comp/
Ross Compressor. As a practical tool for
keeping levels dynamically consistent,
adding sustain or giving clean notes an
extra snap for country or funk picking, the
Ego Compressor can do it all with ease –
and with the blend and tone knobs, you
can balance your compressed and dry
sound and add a touch of sparkle. A
compressor might not be the first pedal
that comes to mind when you’re looking
to expand your ’board, but if you’ve gotta
have one, there are few that give you as
much versatility as the Ego.
WAMPLER £189£199
ROUNDUP
These boutique stompboxes from the USA ain’t cheap, but killer tones
and a huge array of features give you plenty of Wamp for your wonga
Words: Trevor Curwen Photography: Joby Sessions
HAND-BUILT
in the USA, you’ll find Wampler pedals on
professional pedalboards the world over –
Guthrie Govan and modern fusion master
Tom Quayle are two of the Brits who use ’em,
while over the pond, the brand has made
waves in Nashville with the likes of Keith
Urban, Brad Paisley and Brent Mason.
Designer Brian Wampler initially focused on
the amp-in-a-box genre, and has pedals that
recreate classic and boutique amps from both
sides of the pond, but the full range has
expanded to over 20 pedals with various
overdrives, distortions and fuzzes, plus a
compressor, buffer, chorus/vibrato, two
delays and a reverb. One thing that strikes us
about these solidly put-together and classy-
looking pedals is their versatility – a lot of
thought has gone into these stompers, giving
you a load of extra switches and knobs that
allow a wider range of tonal options than
much of their competition. So, let’s check
out Wamp’s going on…
104 FEBRUARY 2014
TGR250.gear_pedals.indd 104 12/23/13 11:36 AM