The Legendary British 100-Watt Plexi Sound, Reborn for the Direct Era
Whether it’s the soaring blues-rock riffs of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, or the iconic "brown sound" fireworks of Eddie Van Halen, the late-1960s Marshall 100-watt plexiglass-panel amplifiers defined the aggressive voice of rock guitar. These massive stacks required staggering volume to hit their sweet spot—making them nearly impossible to run wide open on modern stages or in recording studios. The Universal Audio UAFX Lion '68 Super Lead Amp solves this forever.
Built on Universal Audio's ultra-powerful dual-processor engine, Lion '68 accurately replicates the entire component interaction of a real tube chassis: from the complex behavior of EL34 power tubes and preamps sagging under load, to the specific impedance interactions of the output transformers. Running direct into a stage PA, studio monitors, or an audio interface, Lion '68 responds to your guitar's volume knob and your picking attack with the exact same tactile, dynamic feedback as a roaring tube stack.
Product Description
Three Iconic British Amp Circuits on Tap:
Lion '68 provides three distinct 100-watt amplifier voicings, easily switchable via the front-panel toggle:
Super Lead: The definitive classic rock platform. Bright, cutting, and aggressively mid-forward, it captures the raw, searing crunch and feedback response of a pristine 1968 Marshall Super Lead head pushed into natural power-amp saturation. Perfect for classic rock anthems and biting leads.
Super Bass: Modeled after the legendary 100-watt bass head favored by guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Malcolm Young. This circuit features a rounder, darker voice with a thicker low-mid response and immense clean headroom. It behaves beautifully when paired with fuzz pedals or used as a rich, pedal-friendly foundational platform.
Brown (Variac'd Super Lead): A spot-on recreation of the ultimate late-'70s high-gain mod. It emulates dropping the input voltage of a Super Lead using a Variac transformer while adding a customized dummy load box. The result is the legendary "brown sound": spongey tube sag, smoother highs, extended power-amp saturation, and a highly fluid touch sensitivity.
Dual-Input Jumping and World-Class Preamp Boosts:
Just like real vintage Plexi heads, Lion '68 lets you virtually "jump" the inputs using the physical Volume 1 (Bright) and Volume 2 (Normal) knobs. By blending these two distinct parallel preamp gain stages, you can craft the perfect tonal balance—adding crisp high-end definition from Channel 1 or rich, thick foundational body from Channel 2.
To push the tubes even further into overdrive, the pedal features a dedicated Boost knob. This isn’t a generic digital gain slider; it introduces an exact emulation of two coveted analog boost circuits:
A pristine, clean linear power boost.
The legendary, character-rich solid-state preamp section of a 1970s Maestro Echoplex EP-III tape echo unit, known for adding a sweet compression and thickening up guitar lines.
Pro Stereo Cabinet Selection and Deep App Customization:
The right speaker cabinet is critical to carving out authentic Plexi textures. Lion '68 includes three impeccably miked, vintage-accurate cabinets built directly into the hardware switch:
GB25: A classic late-'60s 4x12 enclosure loaded with vintage Celestion 25-watt "Greenbacks," delivering woody midrange punch and early speaker breakup.
JB GB: A boutique 4x12 setup loaded with custom high-power Greenbacks, optimized for an aggressive, modern classic rock edge.
BROWN: A vintage 4x12 cab loaded with rare JBL D-120F speakers, offering sparkling top-end detail, immense headroom, and massive cinematic punch.
Connecting the pedal via Bluetooth to the UAFX Control app unlocks three additional bonus cabinets (such as a 1x12 EV12 combo, a 2x12 Vox cab, and a 4x12 Marshall with V30s), lets you fine-tune the built-in studio-grade Noise Gate, reassign the dual footswitches for preset/live swapping, and customize deep routing configurations.
Key Features
POWERFUL DUAL-ENGINE DSP: Delivers the most electronically accurate component-level emulation of vintage British tube amps ever engineered into a pedal.
THREE GOLD-STANDARD AMPLIFIERS: Features dedicated models for the 1968 Super Lead (Searing Rock), Super Bass (Thick Headroom), and Brown/Variac'd (High-Gain Sag) circuits.
VIRTUAL INPUT CHANNEL JUMPING: Blend the independent Bright (Vol 1) and Normal (Vol 2) volume controls to shape your perfect balance of bite and body.
AUTHENTIC ANALOG PREAMP BOOSTS: Built-in boost engine accurately emulates the tone-thickening solid-state preamp of a vintage EP-III tape echo machine.
3 STUDIO-MIKED CABINETS + 3 BONUS: Get immediate access to world-class 4x12 setups with selectable vintage Greenback and JBL speakers.
UAFX CONTROL MOBILE APP: Pair via Bluetooth for deep preset management, global pedal adjustments, noise gate control, and bonus cabinet downloads.
TRUE STEREO & FLEXIBLE BYPASS: Features discrete dual-channel audio pathways with a premium buffered bypass architecture for seamless board integration.
CUSTOMIZABLE FOOTSWITCH MODES: Easily switch between independent Live editing mode and your favorite saved digital Preset instantly on stage.
Technical Specifications
Feature
Specification
Pedal Type
Premium Dual-Engine British Amplifier & Guitar Cabinet Emulator
Emulation Target Models
Late-1960s Marshall 100-Watt Super Lead & Super Bass Tube Stacks
Circuit Variations
Super Lead, Super Bass, Brown Sound (Variac Voltage Starved)
