Bogner La Grange Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal with Independent Boost

Product Information

An upgrade to the previous Barefoot version of this full-on Plexi pedal, featuring an extra Presence knob that tames some of the hard mid-range. It’s designed to deliver an organic distortion reminiscent of the early to mid-70s UK voiced amplifiers, cranked up to 10. with the tubes worn down just a little, and maybe a little “browning” of the sound with a Variac. The Presence knob helps dial in the perfect amount of highs for any amp situation. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Green Day’s legendary album “Dookie,” recreating the sound of Billie Joe Armstrong’s 100w Plexi amp used in that record, and his two favorite settings, achievable through the “Scoop” button: one scooped with a ton of gain and the other with a well-defined midrange. I will unlikely end up with all of those - but you never know - will most likely lead off with the HotCake, Smallbox and ODI in any case for early next year - as soon as I’ve decided which opamps are my preferred configuration for the ODI! A very dynamic FET-based Plexi-style overdrive that can be used also as a clean boost at lower drive settings. It features a flexible three-band EQ section with a toggle switch to set the center frequency of the Mids knob (from low-mid to high-mid).

A stompbox rendition of channel 1 of the company’s Small Box, a compact Plexi-style amp. More nuanced and classic sounding than the popular Friedman BE Overdrive, the Smallbox features six controls, just like its big brother amp: Level, Gain and four EQ knobs: Bass, Mid, Treble and Presence. A toggle switch on the side panel changes the effect’s gain structure, delivering an extra push for a more in-your-face, high-gain Plexi tone. A full but natural-sounding high gain pedal with smooth high end and tight low end. Delivers hunky drive at lower gain settings and singing lead tones. An LED light turns: green when the preamp is on, red when the Plexi-style drive is on, and yellow when they are both on. This NAMM starring delight is obviously to a large degree a novelty sort of pedal, but now one entirely without merits.There are 4 switches on-board the La Grange, including Gain, Variac, Presence and Structure. The Gain switch offers 3 positions including High, Medium and Low, and the Variac switch adds dynamic compression to the sound and enhanced harmonics. The Presence switch has two options, including high for a bright, clear tone and low for a more mellowed and well-rounded sound. Finally, the Structure switch has 3 positions which are indicated with 3 dots. The smaller dot yields a tight structure, the open circle offers a looser sound and the solid dot provides an 'in-between' structure. Features Variac On/Off switch: adds a “dropped voltage” dynamic compression to the feel and sound for that illusive Brown sound Next, we have the Volume, Tone, and (all the way to the right) Gain knobs, which all work as you would expect. But in between the Tone and Gain, the La Grange features a unique Channel Blend knob, which is where we begin to see the true versatility of the pedal. Essentially, this knob works as a mix control that simulates the two channels of a 4 input 67-69 Plexi; turn all the way to the left for the brighter, boosted "T" channel, all the way to the right for the more subdued "B" channel, or any combination in between. Better yet, leave it a 50/50 for an equal mix of both, not unlike using a jumper cable on a real Plexi (a common technique used to link both channels). A Plexi-style preamp-style overdrive that emulates both the preamp and the tube power amp stage of the venerable Marshall series, offering the classic sonic character on the entire gain spectrum, from piano-like cleans, bright overdrive, and sizzling lead tones, always delivering the Plexi’s signature sparkly midrange. Interesting how there were a number of Plexi + RangeMaster / Boost style pedals this year - not just the two here (PlexiRanger and The Engine), but also the Nabla Custom 1987 V2 - and I will probably do a roundup early next year and include the Bogner La Grange too!

A flexible plexi overdrive/distortion pedal with a full three-band + presence EQ section and two gain modes, Green mode is percussive and dynamic with plenty of body to punch through even the most demanding mixes. Red is more saturated and compressed for liquid leads and full chugging palm-muted rhythms. The LPD Eighty7 Deluxe version offers two channels of it, adding internal bright switches per channel. The Bogner La Grange is equipped with 5 control knobs, allowing players to shape their ideal sound. There is a Boost control, which lets players adjust the volume level of the independent Boost function, as well as a footswitch for engaging the boost for added volume. The Volume knob enhances the pedal's overall projection, whilst the Tone control adjusts the colouration of the effect and the Gain increases the overall intensity of the effect. The Channel Blend knob alters the mix of the two different channels, which simulate those of a 67-69 plexi amplifier. Fine Tune Your Sound With 4 Switches The drive's charter and level of gain are set by the viscosity and opacity of liquids placed in its lidded bowl-like chamber. The pedal itself has only the single Volume control and footswitch - all other tonal characteristics are derived from the liquid/s employed.The first thing you’ll probably notice about this pedal is the really cool Marshall knobs and red indicator light stolen from a Marshall. This pedal is a great mid-range option that can produce tones reminiscent of the sound of early AC/DC records. A Marshall-style drive with a few more EQ controls than usual, with a 3-way EQ section where the Mids knob doesn’t boost but only cuts, a Presence knob, and two toggle switches to boost the highs or cut the lows. The bass switch delivers Plexi tones in the lower position and JTM45-style ones in the top setting. An internal DIP allows for extra frequency tweaking to fine-tune the pedal to any amp.

Through a dazzling number of (hand-wired!) controls, this preamp pedal puts at your toe tips the tone of 5 of the most popular Marshall amps: JTM45, JMC800, 1959 SLP, 1987 X, and JVM. Two gain and 4 EQ knobs are integrated by switches offering 4 tone and 4 gain options, delivering hundreds of sonic possibilities. The “Plexi sound” was so influential that it became the signature sound for Marshall, inspiring a lot of the company’s post-1965 production – here’s a video with a rather comprehensive overview of many different models belonging to the Plexi category. An independent boost function, with a level control, can be activated via it's own foot-switch to be either used as a stand alone boost, or together with the La Grange's main circuitry. Essentially two independent pedals, with the boost being in series after the La Grange! The Asabi is identical to the El Guapo - bar for the addition of the modularity - so if you buy it by default - it's essentially the same pedal with a series of JCM800 voicings on the left-footswitch, and a series of Plexi voicings on the right - in fact 4 of each. This is the second derivative of this format after the initial RevivalTrem pedal - which was the first Origin Effect to combine drive/preamp and modulation in the same unit. This time around the pedal is dedicated towards replicating the Magnatone Amp's output with that lovely Vintage Vibrato modulation.If you are on the market for the Plexi sound, but in the more portable stompbox format, you need to thank the Carl Martin Plexitone, a 1994 device that started the Plexi-in-a-Box trend. Since then, dozens of similar pedals have been released in this niche. A Plexi-style pedal with a slightly hotter bit of grit – that’s what Bogner likes to do. The variac switch might appeal to Van Halen fans as it lets you recreate the effect of starving a Plexi of some power to make it scream at lower volumes. The channel blend allows you to mix in two different decades of Plexi amps together and can give you access to an incredibly diverse world of sounds.