Bogner La Grange Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal with Independent Boost

Product Information

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. 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. 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.

A popular and highly regarded emulation of a JCM amp, from a builder that’s grown a stellar reputation for manufacturing great-sounding Marshall-style amps (the pedal is said to be a compact version of the Friedman BE100 amp). In some ways my favourite favourite Blues Breaker voicing is to be found on the Wampler Pantheon, while that can't really compete with the extended user experience the Golden Boy provides. This NAMM starring delight is obviously to a large degree a novelty sort of pedal, but now one entirely without merits. This overdrive pedal utilizes a multistage distortion circuit that helps it feel and sound like a real tube amp. It is handmade in England and has true bypass for extra signal clarity in your rig. If you take a look at the La Grange and compare the front panel to the other Bogner pedals you will notice a lot of similarities but inside there are plenty of differences. On the top you have all of the controls you would normally find on an amplifier with Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass and Gain as well as a separate Boost Volume control. By designing the pedal like an amplifier premp it lets you get a lot closer to the sound of the real amp.

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I prefer the sound of this to the RevivalTrem edition as this has slightly richer and more lively dynamics to my ear. I’m not sure I’ve properly communicated before how much of a fan of Reinhold Bogner’s pedals I am - another essential part really of the Boutique Amps Distribution Family. I have acquired 6 or these to date - the Burnley Bubinga Distortion, Ecstasy Blue Mini Overdrive, Ecstasy Red Distortion, Harlow Bubinga Boost & Bloom, Oxford Bubinga Fuzz and Wessex Bubinga Overdrive. While the La Grange is down for a definite acquisition on the wishlist, and the Lyndhurst Bubinga Compressor is a maybe / nice-to-have. If you are considering the Ecstasy versions then the Blue variety is great in both original and Mini editions, while the Red Mini is somehow less good sounding and you really need the original variety of that in the same way that I have them. This things cleans up really well with the guitar volume knob and there's a huge about of volume and gain on tap with the Boost circuit engaged, which I found great for solos and actually gives that early Angus lead sound. 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 La Grange pedal is powered by a standard 9V battery or 9VDC regulated power supply. Reinhold’s advanced circuitry internally elevates the voltage to a substantially higher level. The higher voltage provides a greater dynamic range which closely resembles the feel of a real amplifier; therefore running the pedal above 9VDC will not improve dynamics and even can damage the circuit, therefore only use a regulated 9VDC power supply!It offers an excellent playing experience as the Classic mode gets you girthy full low end and does a good job of making your 1×12 speaker feel like a 4×12. The Lead mode footswitch adds a lot of gain but keeps it sounding like a nice old vintage tube amp. It has a 12AX7 tube inside of it to give you the “real deal” kind of distortion. This pedal sounds really rich and beefy with a lot of range for you to play with in the mids department. The tonal shaping options can be a bit excessive at first but with this remarkable unit you can really go from boomy to scooped mid distortion and anything in between. 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. The JCM800 side benefits from 4-Band EQ including Presence, while the Plexi side is controlled by more conventional Volume, Tone and Drive mini-knobs.

Further "research" into solving said problems revealed the pedal wasn't truly bypassed. I had guitarfeak fix the issue (footswitch changed).A lower price evolution of the MXR Dookie,” it’s based on Greenday’s Billy Joe Armstrong’s two custom Marshall 100w Plexi Super Lead amps. A center toggle switch offers mid punch, mid-scoop and a flat option. This deluxe version of one of the most popular compact Plexi pedals adds an external voice toggle to select between Super Lead and Super Bass modes, a Presence knob, a Routable Boost circuit with a separate volume knob and footswitch, a low-end cutting Tightness knob, and a 10db Line Out to plug in directly into your recording devices or PA.

Reinhold designed the La Grange pedal with an op-amp input, followed by five discrete Class A gain stages and incorporated Germanium diode clipping. This approach minimizes the input noise floor while retaining touch sensitivity and clarity throughout the entire gain range. 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. As a test: set the gain switch to the center position and then hook a croc clip to the S leg of the first BS170 (or the respective end of the 5K1), clip a 1K or 100R to the other end of the croc wire and touch the enclosure/ground. See if it is still squealing.Based off a Marshall Bluesbreaker, this mini pedal offers lower gain Marshall drive in a tidy enclosure. caption id="attachment_5883" align="alignleft" width="950"] The beauty of the La Grange comes from its masterful tonal response and versatile set of powerful controls.[/caption]