PGS Smackdown : Marshall Plexi Vs. Rothwell Hellbender

[jem7772]

rothwell had some bite but like an ugly chick it had no body !!!

[rockfreak611]

could tell instantly which one was which. the hellbender is more muddy sounding and while it has more mids, it sounds akin to rolling off the tone knob on a les paul. almost fuzzy sounding compared to the brilliance of the marshall.

[yutuubfreak]

WOW! I liked A more. I'm very surprised its not the marshall!

[Fkepler2]

if you turn the tone knob on the rothwell all the way up its sounds just like the plexi. I kid you not.

[gnr87]

you are going to hell for pluggin a pedal to the plexi !!!

[MeaQuidemCancer]

I think the Marshall sounds more defined and brighter. The pedal has a more plastic-y sound to it, I think.

[nochix96isnuts]

@MeaQuidemCancer Correct!

[xEnZoProDucTioNz]

what a bender!

[inertia691]

i think the plexi would have sounded better than the hellbender if they turned the mids on it up a bit

[Lloydthefreeruner]

Turn up the Marshall just a little bit and I'm pretty sure it will sound just like a Marshall. In your mind and all. Just sayin.

[nairblink]

i would have preferred seeing the pedal on a more affordable amp like a twin reverb or the deluxe reverb you always use, the marshall plus a 4x12 marshall cab or this Vox cab would come up less expensive then the combo itself, just saying

[evhfrankie]

No guitar pick?

[ubit397]

A decent sounding pedal, but no comparrison to the real thing. I can't believe you guys don't have any Wampler pedal demos. The Wampler Plexi Drive and Plextortion pedals send this Rothwell home crying to it's mama. Still... no pedal is a suitable substitute for an actual Marshal.

[dalstar925]

@ubit397 they only demo pedals they sell...they don't sell wampler pedals (wish they did) so they're not trying to promote a product they don't sell...thats bad for business! :)

[ubit397]

@dalstar925 I understand how business works. I suppose a better phrasing would have been "I can't believe you guys don't SELL Wampler pedals". ;)

[martyfriedman666]

the pedal sounds good and is similar sounding but it just doesn't beat the marshal at all!

[drmdistortnz]

Marshall sounds open and sweet. Rothwell, nasal, compressed and flat.

[VintageCharlie]

Honestly, even if the reissue Marshalls are not the greatest, the pedal doesn't come even close to the same sound to my ears. It does sound good on its own right, but just way too compressed and a bit muffled compared to what a plexi type Marshall sounds. Maybe it's due to the settings in this particular case - dunno... Thanks for the vid!

[himynameisjohan]

andy in your mind, everything sounds better

[giorgiocesaroni]

In my opinion, you should do a smackdown between the hellbender and a vintage marshall (the new ones are a little to bity). However, I still prefer the marshall :)

[bruceleerules747]

I have a question does that pedal give it that great sound with any amp on the clean channel... or just the fender. Thanks again.

[GameLevelEditor]

I can relate to a pedal and amp sounding more like a marshall than a marshall itself. i've had several marshalls super lead, early master volume a jcm800 and an anniversary. They all sounded much different and tempermental to enviroment and such. The super lead I had was modded with an omega drive and cascaded and its gain was similar to the hellbender only it was much louder so it sounded like a beast.

[kingstumble]

The Rothwell wins hands down.Fuller and fatter with a throaty quality.

In comparison the Marshall sounds thin and fizzy.

A real surprise....

[woodisgood2u]

...still trying to get that Marshall sound.

want a Marshall sound? Buy a Marshall.

[fffffcccckkkk]

@woodisgood2u Why? If you want a great clean channel, avoid Marshall and go with a Fender or Vox and get one of the many, many Marshall voiced pedals? I have a KOB 7 knob in a Music Man 212 and I have no complaints. Marshall sound at a fraction of their overpriced...uh... prices. haha

[majick59]

@fffffcccckkkk riiiight... because Fender and Vox aren't overpriced?? Btw, Marshalls do have great cleans. JTM-45 and Plexis sound phenomenal when run clean. Tone is totally subjective, but that's just my 2 cents.

[InFuriatedShadows]

wuts he song at 1:57 sounds familiar....

[jlhyz2]

@InFuriatedShadows Funk 49 by James Gang

[JIMMYJIBLETS]

Sounds like the hellbender is a bit choked compared to the wide open sound of the plexi. you guys should test the Hellbender through an AC30. that should be about as close as you could possibly get to the marshall sound without an actual marshall.

[kittykiller897]

The Marshall sounds so sexy.

[danakerman]

I was stunned by the results of the blind A/B test. I could have sworn "A" was the Plexi. My only question now is what were the tone settings on the Marshall??

[mlric]

please, how can i perform the 3:05-3:10 riff? i know its a E, but which its to fast to me recognize all notes. nice bluesy riff.

[deafpeax]

The Rothwell Hellbender Overdrive Does do well in the midrange, but I really miss the lows that the Marshall has when you switch to the Hellbender Overdrive . . . also you should lower the volume of the Hellbender Overdrive into the Fender twin to match up with the Marshall's volume . . .

[malcatron]

You may prefer the Marshall to the Fender+Hellbender, but you have to also consider can the Marshall sound like a clean Fender? Because if, like me, you play in a covers band and need to cover a lot of different sounds, having a one trick pony amp is no good. But having a good clean base sound and the ability to get pretty darn close to a Marshall (and at reasonable volumes) with a pedal is a winner.

[Eddiemotor]

Can you get the same sound as the Rothwell Hellbender have on that Fender but on a Marshall 2550 Silver Jubilee?? Tell me is it possible?? Cause i love the way it sounds :) Great sound!

[sixstrinngmunky]

I prefer the Marshall, its has a clearer sound in my opinon.

[Eddiemotor]

What amp that is ''better' is in the ear of the beholder, some prefer the A-amp, some the B-one, there really is no ''right'' or ''wrong'' amp, save for what it is for yourself :)

Personaly i would prefer the Plexi, but the other one sounds great as well, i don't know if the Fender amp is cheaper but the Marshall.. just feels right , for me ofcourse :)

What does the Fender amp + the Rothwell Hellbender Overdrive cost?

Great amps :D

[GeekG]

real marshall sounded less muddy and more clear than the rothwell.. much better to me.

[mandobanjoguitar]

@GeekG

I agree the Marshall sounded cleaner and alot better.

[acledfloyd]

That was amazing, I think you summed it up well saying it sounds more like a marshall than the marshall.

[frankie28web]

I don't get it. I like the pedal more than the amp!!! A sounds better to me than B, although I have a Plexi myself and love it. I think I'll have to get that damn Rothwell, too...

[LiLhusLLa094]

@frankie28web they also do a review on the 1987x and they show what it actually sounds like it doesnt sound as fat and beautiful in this video i have one i would know

[necrosis90]

a is the plexi, b is the rothwell

[FingerLickinGravy67]

oof, theyre close but the 2 diferent amps could be the difference, but the marshall sounds more marshall then the pedal n fender

[redbird963]

hellblender or jetter gain stage purple?

[speedRickspeed]

what's the song on 2:12 ?

[wwit63]

@speedRickspeed the James Gang , song is called Funk 49

[cooldragon111]

Pedals use solid state technology so obviously they wouldn't be able to achieve the pure greatness of a cranked tube amp. Some come really close, but in the end I'll always choose a tube amp.

[caloydaman]

Rothwell sounds (surprisingly) more classic Marshall. That Plexi made me think of Vintage Modern.

[iggvf]

ofcourse the marshall wins! the marshall plexi is epic!

[hendrixkixas]

B has to be the amp. It's not as clunky and has less compression.

[theShowStopper321]

Fender will have overtones of the 6L6 tube sound with the overdrive running thru it, so it will have characteristics of the Fender sound. EL34s and 6L6s have some differences.

[gtrslgr]

Marshall!  The Helbender sounds honky.

[allenc5150]

The Marshall has a lot more natural compression and therefore sounds bigger. I wonder if cranking the gain on the Hellbender a little would get it closer.

[Zztop128]

2:52

Indeed!

[JONNYmcLAUGHLIN]

marshall !!! cant beat them , specially alongside a gibson les paul :P

[tehorix789]

The Rothwell Hellbender sounds hotter than the Marshall. I prefer the Marshall's drier, beefier, "barking" tone.

[ruffles272]

A is pedal b is amp

[gtrgyro420]

maybe if you'd use a marshall cab,that 50w would have sounded like it supposed to.

[majick59]

I wonder what the Hellbender sounds like through the Marshall!

[acdc126]

here that marshall sound very fuzzy, maybe the hellbender will be too much for the marshall and would give a result too fuzzy to sound good. I'm curious id like to try that.

[louisalive]

The rothwell sounds better because it's through a Fender twin, simple as :)

[TequeDiogo]

Obviously a 150$ pedal can't sound like a top marshall.

This is just to prove that it sounds SIMILIAR and it does a great job.

Can this be used as a main marshall overdrive for gigs? Recording?

Anyone with experience in guitar playing and some "ears" has experienced this pedal?

Regards

[declan215]

Heartbreaker by led zepelin

[actamt123]

No good man.

[xntrickk]

"A" just sounds too weak and thin

[AussieBoyX]

To me, it sounded very thick and basey.

[bopplayer]

Andy you'd be a good voice over guy for the history channel or sci-fi channel.

[BreakItDown5150]

Andy y dont you use a pick??

[BiscuitsJoe]

It must just be the way he learned. He's obviously a kick ass guitar player. He uses a pick sometimes too.

[Jackpiazza]

plexi of course

[rafinhacitro]

It's a 1987x Plexi or 1959 Plexi?

[planetcaravan93]

looks like a JTM 45

[planetcaravan93]

never mind he said 50 watts that would be a 1987x

[bfv102290]

MARSHALL!!!

[topicrass]

i think if you lower the bass on the Fender an someMids you can get themm to have a better TONE

...

The Rothwell is very good pedal but the Fender had to many BASS!!

[TheForgottenFlesh]

I prefer the amp.

Much more meat to it.

[barchetta3]

I agree the pedal is too midrangy.

The Marshall's midrange is a bit lower, giving it more of a growl than a honk...I prefer the amp!

[epicguitar57]

I'm getting that pedal for sure. its all around better because the amp costs $2600 and the pedal cost $200. You decide

[lilnetty2]

A sounds better

[Hestjaevel111]

the hellbender is too honky, too much midrange

I don't really like Marshall, this amp actually sounded pretty nice.

The pedal was crap compared to the amp, I think

[andrewguitar67]

This may seem weird, but i love your voice lol.

[taylorwest08]

yea.. very weird... isnt andrew a guys name..

[hyperboogie]

The Rothwell sounds great indeed.

[kay7sniper]

i kinda like the thick roundness of the rothwell. its just my cup of tea

[racingdaphne]

Damn, that's pretty impressive from a pedal!

[reverendjetstream]

marshall wins!

[FaithDead]

i just love that marshall tone, and i don't think they sound similar at all. I like both tones, but they're different to me

[marcelcruzeiro]

Although I tend to prefer a real tube amp, I have to admit that I just love the pedal's fat midrange.

[brownbigb]

of course the rothwell sounded better, it was plugged into a fender amp. marshalls suck.

[LPFan3118]

The only one thing that sux is your comment:))

The marshall has the natural tone you can get from a cranked up tube Marshall head!

No other option.

[guitarrhythymfool]

Sorry dude. Marshall doesn't suck. Its just not your preference

[louisalive]

@brownbigb debbie downer...

Nothing beats that cranked marshall tone, not even my bassman...

[TequeDiogo]

i will buy purple plexi from lovepedal or this rothwell hellbender, but i don't know which one ROCKS more :P

i know it's just a matter of taste... every1's has a diferent TASTE about music, but i would like some professional opinions...

thank you

[TequeDiogo]

rothwell hellbender VS lovepedal purple plexi!?

go go go smack it down :P

which one would win you guys opinion?

[mysocalledchaos]

When he played on the Les Paul, i liked the hell bender better, but when he played on the Tele, i liked the Marshall better.

[alreadywoundpie]

WOW I was not expecting that...

[Ilovemyfender2]

Hellbender has a boxier sound, more midrange.

[vegasgrits]

Wow, cool idea. Gotta admit the Rothwell sounds like a pedal to me. The plexi sounds more open and less congested.

[spawnofwheezedog]

I like the Rothwell better. More vocal, a bit more "airy".

[RaptimusPrime]

personally I prefer the marshal. it just sounds better to me. gotta love that vintage brit sound.

[andrewlikesguitar]

sonically, i prefer the rothwell. i guess my wallet would prefer it, too. love the pedal.

[Chamomileable]

you gotta love Andy's picking style!

[Winterfreshmac]

wats the name of the first song he was playing????

[cahum95]

Heartbreaker-Zeppelin

[katarzis27]

Something here is weird...

a crancked 50 watt amp on a pair of 15 watt speakers?

[ProGuitarShopDemos]

Good eye! The Vox blues are extremely under rated at 15 watts each. I used to run my original Plexi in a 2x12 combo format with Vox blues. They can easily handle 50 watts.

[racerx3065]

@katarzis27 thats not even the obvious weird thing. a classic marshall plexi against a pedal? really?

[tony93666]

you should try out the Character series pedals from Tech 21 - their 'Marshall in a box' is wicked cool

[meateaterer]

nice demo andy

i prefer the marsall it has more balls more low end or presence or something

the tele through the twin sounds great on its own too

[AirGuitarSolo]

All that gear and not guitar pick budget XD

[goldenaxeband]

I like this smackdown. The rothwell won by technical k.o.

[Goestothemayor]

you do realize this was you 500th video PGS? Not to mention you just hit 1000 comments on your page.

[Zebarbas]

It's true the Rothwell does sound more plexi like.

But i've heard that the reissue doesen't sond anything like the original plexi so it could be because of that. Either way the pedal rocks.

[guns1rose]

Rothwell sounds nasaly compared to the marshall

[jofussdad]

I like contender b

[TheGoldenWater]

Andy you can sell anything with the voice of your's

[ollemannen5]

That sounded pretty similar, but the marshall sound more fuller and beefy

[delayfordays]

I like the Rothwell better. Smooth with lots of mid range. I bet it would cut much better in a live situation. Don't get me wrong, Marshall amps rock. The Rothwell just sounds better imo. I think Im getting one.

[diegoxis007]

OCD vs something??

[mattpowers2]

Ok now that you've opened this up, I'm going to have to insist that you do the same thing with BB preamp, Lovepedal Purple Plexi, etc. and their respective Marshall models.

[LesPaulCryBaby]

Rothwell sounds much more compressed, I prefer the Marshall.

[RAWvision]

I love james gang!!!

[aquilarosso]

How about the Rothwell into the Marshall? lol

BTW, my new 1959RR blew it's PT the day I picked it up, sob, sob. The local Marshall dealer lent me a 1987x to get by on, it is absolutely awesome. I don't want to give it back.

[lsdman14]

marshall wins by a longshot. Especially when you pulled out your tele and played funk 49. Marshall doesnt sound as muffled or cheap. And it had more of a clean presence sound to it

[erixoff]

I also still prefer the "real" Marshall.

[Ilovemyfender2]

Marshall wins too

[Ilovemyfender2]

lol at 0:11

[SymphonicCacophony]

I think, the rothwell, has more grit :P -- it's subjective as to how much of a modern touch you wanna have. Though, holy shit -- a pedal turning a fender to a brit-machine, dang!

[gorillazfan1000]

plexi wins.

[lollo1991]

Wow, andy is playing without pick?

[duafa]

i dont think he almost ever does. something ive noticed too.

[ProGuitarShopDemos]

The Tele is played with a pick.

[whydoesitmatter1994]

Rothwell wins

[Notlaugh]

the lespaul is awesome...

[MarkBrim]

marshall in my mind. haha.

[JimijaymesGuitarist]

The pedal sounds more like well recorded plexi then the actual thing (I'm assuming the its a reissue) maybe different speakers then what the Rothwell imitates.

+1 To wampler pedals love their stuff Brian if you see this give PGS that call!

[Torrello13]

Does it respond like a tube amp when you roll off the volume?

[Torrello13]

A noticeable difference but an incredible sound for the price. I may have found the tone I've been chasing.

[jpmnlop]

Marshall all the way for sure...

[Zeonoid]

plexi marshall sounds better sorry man

[bakinblack]

A anyday..less mud...more growl. i just got a maxon OD808 and ive never been a pedal fan but this pedal sounds really nice with a duel rectifier 3ch head

[fullmetalfunk]

The Rothwell sounds damn good but I can hear a distinct difference between it and the Plexi and to me the Plexi sounds better. More open. But that's just me though. Pus you're getting quite a sound there for a fration of the cost of a Plexi head.

[Vercingetorix]

I have to agree with Andy on this one. The Hellbender does it for me.

Now get that Fender to sound like a Mesa Rectifier :)

[supersucker72]

nice

[saito1818]

Is the Plexi vintage or a reissue?

[rogofam]

How about comparing the Hell Bender with the new Mad Professor Sweet Honey pedal? The Sweet Honey sounds close to a plexi also.

[deathofamartyr2]

hey andy have you played the Fender Nashville Tele? because I'm trading a guy my Ibanez RG for one.

[darrenw5094]

How does the Carl Martin Plexitone compare??

[darrenw5094]

Any one try the Carl Martin Plexitone ????

[popomczowzow]

you guys need to do more of these types of videos.

They sounded pretty similar I liked them both. The Rothwell had more low end and is not quite as clear or bright. I liked the Marshall more, but they're very similar.

Either way, I don't have enough money for either of those things.

PGS- you should do this with Wampler's "Plextortion" and his triple rectofier distortion too

[ProGuitarShopDemos]

Wampler should give us a call if he wants us to demo his pedals.

: )

[popomczowzow]

Maybe he'll see your comment and give you a call haha

[rogofam]

Do you think the Hellbender or the Sweet Honey sounds more like a plexi. It's hard to tell from your videos. Maybe the Hellbender sounds tighter, maybe better for chording, a little less farty? I don't know, what do you think? Although your Sweet Honey vid replicates a great Van Halen plexi sound.

[Markn951]

The Rothwell is much meatier and warmer n thicker...hmmm, I LIKE IT!

[partynmyjeans]

eh neither one are really for me. good sound, but not my bit

[veers0r]

I got it right but imo they both sound pretty good :)

[bungmasterteddybear]

tight. how much is that thing?

[Itsooz]

I prefer the Marshall's clarity

[SnoiltheRipper]

I agree,Even though I hate marshalls.

The rothwell sounds to mucky to be like a marshall

[strybel]

"Rothwell sounds more Marshall than the Marshall".....Mmmmm....i think Jim would disagree and could be very upset

[redstripe41j]

It's obviously not a completely level playing feild though because if there were no volume drop when you switched to the Marshall Plexi it would sound way better but the fat volume that the pedal has over the marshall throughout the video leads you to believe the hellbender sounds better.

[theactor19]

Lets hear a 100W Marshall Superlead with a strat!!!! I know others would be dying to hear it too!

[soultrip]

Damn... Great way to make me buy a Rothwell... The sound is fantastic... It almost makes the Marshall sound bad...

[brianm1994]

the man behind the voice

[PYROSF]

What? he has been shown playing before.

[brianm1994]

i know im just saying

[thegreatpumpkin1313]

Sorry but the Marshall wins hands down. Not a bad sounding pedal if you can't have a Marshall though.

[bigleemac]

wow i got them completely wrong! I thought the marshall had a more american style gain! lol!

[cosmogang]

My brother plays with his fingers just like Andy. Weirdos!

[bloozboy5]

Yikes. Hate to admit it but I picked the Hellbender. Love that raw, nasal tone. The Plexi sounds a little muddy in comparison to these ears.

[jakethequake91]

I have to agree with andy! The rothwell was more like a marshall than a marshall! lol