How to make lower gain Plexi pre set sound full?

Plexi's get thinner as you lower the 'Gain' parameter by design. Try running the 'Gain' higher, and lower the 'Input Trim' parameter to reduce gain without affecting the tone.

And as already mentioned, turn off the 'Bright Switch' when using single-coils, and compensate with 'Treble' and/or 'Presence' as needed. Also play around with the 'Output EQ' in the Amp block to add or subtract post EQ as needed.
Yo dude, you've likely been on the forum as long as me! Is there another amp that has all the Plexi characteristics without getting thin?
My real Friedman JEL 20w plexi side is the benchmark -listen below. I think the tips you gave are the best. You can eq a thin amp sound all day long and....
cheers, Don

 
If you're using the Jumped version, turn down the Treble channel a bit and turn up the normal channel. The normal channel does not have a bright cap and will add some fatness. Input Trim will also let you lower the gain without affecting the brightness.
 
I very commonly turn down the bright cap, on many models, especially if I have gain low.

You probably know this, but the bright cap essentially bypasses (ie turns up) the Gain control at high frequencies, so it has a huge effect when gain is down, less when it's cranked. Many Marshalls have giant bright caps too, so big that their effect reaches down into the upper midrange.

You can accept that and work with it, or back down the cap, your choice.
 
Yo dude, you've likely been on the forum as long as me! Is there another amp that has all the Plexi characteristics without getting thin?
My real Friedman JEL 20w plexi side is the benchmark -listen below. I think the tips you gave are the best. You can eq a thin amp sound all day long and....
cheers, Don


Friedmans in the Axe sound very similar to that.
 
Friedmans in the Axe sound very similar to that.
While the new voicing they dialed in is better and more open, I have not found anything close. Which Friedman amp specifically do you shoot for??

FAS needs a Plexi option in the Friedman amps. For instance the smalbox model should have 2 channels. Ch 1 being the plexi and that would hopefully get close to the sound of my JEL ch1
 
I very commonly turn down the bright cap, on many models, especially if I have gain low.

You probably know this, but the bright cap essentially bypasses (ie turns up) the Gain control at high frequencies, so it has a huge effect when gain is down, less when it's cranked. Many Marshalls have giant bright caps too, so big that their effect reaches down into the upper midrange.

You can accept that and work with it, or back down the cap, your choice.

One of the mods in my 1987style plexi build is a pot in series with the bright cap. So I’m able to make the cap work at most gain settings. That’s a wish somewhere on the list. The bright cap in the models is not useful to me since I’m not turning the gain up high enough to make it sound good.
 
One of the mods in my 1987style plexi build is a pot in series with the bright cap. So I’m able to make the cap work at most gain settings. That’s a wish somewhere on the list. The bright cap in the models is not useful to me since I’m not turning the gain up high enough to make it sound good.
Even with the cap lowered?
 
While the new voicing they dialed in is better and more open, I have not found anything close. Which Friedman amp specifically do you shoot for??

FAS needs a Plexi option in the Friedman amps. For instance the smalbox model should have 2 channels. Ch 1 being the plexi and that would hopefully get close to the sound of my JEL ch1

Can you not change the tone stack to 'Plexi' or one of the zillion other tweaks that are possible, to achieve this? The tools are in the box :)
 
Yo dude, you've likely been on the forum as long as me! Is there another amp that has all the Plexi characteristics without getting thin?
My real Friedman JEL 20w plexi side is the benchmark -listen below. I think the tips you gave are the best. You can eq a thin amp sound all day long and....
cheers, Don


I feel like you may be comparing your Friedman 'cab in the room' experience with a mic'd/FRFR experience.

There are many modded Plexi variants to try out in the Fractal world, and/or applying some of the tweaks mentioned in this thread to the 'Plexi' models. But none will really recreate the on stage 'cab in the room' thing.
 
I feel like you may be comparing your Friedman 'cab in the room' experience with a mic'd/FRFR experience.

There are many modded Plexi variants to try out in the Fractal world, and/or applying some of the tweaks mentioned in this thread to the 'Plexi' models. But none will really recreate the on stage 'cab in the room' thing.
The context is live use and what is coming out of the pa and my in ears whether I'm using a real rig or the Fractal -not bedroom playing.
 
I was just having a moment of thin-Marshall models myself yesterday, and ended up landing on the Cameron 1B (I think) for a plexi-level gain but-thicker sound. Gains were cranked if I remember right, but it cleaned up well and seemed to have both clarity (which I didn't get from many of the other non-Marshall models) and body to the notes (which I wasn't getting from the jumped plexis and other hotter Marshall models).
 
@cragginshred - I auditioned your preset this morning and I agree it sounds thin, especially when rolling back the guitar volume. How does the Lincoln Brewster patch and IR I sent you a few weeks ago compare?

If you switch your cab block to that Lincoln Brewster IR, try adding the PEQ block with these settings in place of your GEQ block. If you keep the LT TV Mix 7 IR (great sounding IR btw), you will need to further adjust the curve.

When I applied these changed, I was getting a thicker tone without sacrificing clarity in the mids and highs.

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While the new voicing they dialed in is better and more open, I have not found anything close. Which Friedman amp specifically do you shoot for??

FAS needs a Plexi option in the Friedman amps. For instance the smalbox model should have 2 channels. Ch 1 being the plexi and that would hopefully get close to the sound of my JEL ch1
Have you tried to change the Tonestack to Plexi in a Friedman?
 
@cragginshred - I auditioned your preset this morning and I agree it sounds thin, especially when rolling back the guitar volume. How does the Lincoln Brewster patch and IR I sent you a few weeks ago compare?

If you switch your cab block to that Lincoln Brewster IR, try adding the PEQ block with these settings in place of your GEQ block. If you keep the LT TV Mix 7 IR (great sounding IR btw), you will need to further adjust the curve.

When I applied these changed, I was getting a thicker tone without sacrificing clarity in the mids and highs.

View attachment 130605
I can hear the Lincoln aspects but I need more gain and more string clarity. The IR was ok, but nothin amazing. Dialed in dyna cabs with 2 ribbon mics and the clarity was so much better.

I will try your peq for sure, thanks!
 
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Have you tried to change the Tonestack to Plexi in a Friedman?
Which Friedman has that option, and is it supposed to be the plexi ch in the smallbox? where is that tonestack feature. Sorry I'm at work so a screen shot or other is helpful, thanks!
 
Do you have a power amp and 412 on stage with you when playing with Axe-Fx?
If I was going that route I would take a real head and board which I will still do at most gigs
The goal here is to dial in a pre set that sounds killer in the FOH and my in ears. The majority of the audience only hears what comes out of the PA anyways
 
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