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Celebrating Ten Years of the LPD Sixty8

Celebrating Ten Years of the LPD Sixty8

 

This year we’re celebrating ten years of the LPD Pedals Sixty8 Drive, and from all of us at FX Pedal Planet, we would like to offer our congratulations to Lawrence on reaching this milestone.

Over the past decade, the LPD Pedals Sixty8 has become a trusted choice for players who want authentic late ’60s British amp character in a practical, pedalboard friendly format. Inspired by the 1968 Marshall Super Lead 12000 series, it was designed to deliver the feel, response and harmonic detail of a classic Plexi without the volume, weight or complexity of a full stack.

The LPD Pedals Sixty8 is fully analogue and built around a carefully considered signal path using germanium diodes, MOSFET clipping stages and JRC4558D op amps. The result is rich, amp like tone with natural sustain, tight pick attack and smooth note decay. It responds beautifully to your guitar’s volume control, allowing you to move from edge of breakup to full bodied overdrive with ease.

Its control layout is straightforward but highly effective. The Drive control not only increases gain but also subtly shapes the low end, keeping your tone punchy and balanced as you turn up. The Bass control sits before the clipping stage, letting you restore or shape low frequencies to suit your guitar and amplifier. Treble adds presence and clarity without harshness. Together, these controls interact in a way that mirrors the channel blending approach of a classic Plexi.

Practical features such as relay based true bypass, last state memory, soft touch switching and top mounted jacks make it easy to integrate into a working rig. Housed in a rugged cast aluminium enclosure finished in Oxford White, the LPD Pedals Sixty8 is designed to handle regular gigging and touring with confidence.

To mark ten years of the LPD Pedals Sixty8, we asked Lawrence to reflect on its origins and evolution.

Ten years ago, the Sixty8 Drive started as a simple concept that proved difficult to execute. What was the original sound or feeling you were chasing, and what made bringing it to life such a challenge?

The original idea behind the original 2016 Sixty8 Drive was to bring a product to touring pros who needed a solution for getting Marshall Plexi sounds out of back line Fender amps. A large portion of back line amps in the early 2010's were Fender Hot Rod Deluxes, so I used that as the tonal platform. The hardest thing to design was a 9 volt circuit that captured the harmonic overtone character and feel of a Marshall Plexi when combined with the amp character of a Hot Rod Deluxe. I understand that sounds vague, but I mean the whole circuit. Things are empirical and changing one thing here also changes 2 things over there.

Looking back now, what design choice or breakthrough during the development of the Sixty8 are you still most proud of—and why?

I think the breakthrough I am most proud of with the Sixty8 Drive was being able to design the feel. It sags and sustains like the real amp, handles the guitar volume pot roll off in the same dynamic way, the notes punch through without being harsh and the harmonics growl. It's really a fun pedal to play through.

Over the past decade, how has player feedback influenced the way you think about the Sixty8 and your approach to pedal design at LPD Pedals overall?

Player feedback is responsible for the original Sixty8 Drive being separated into the Sixty8 and Sixty8 Deluxe, as well as the new Bass circuit that is in the current versions. Players wanted a better price point (Sixty8), something more performance friendly and versatile (Sixty8 Deluxe) and something bedroom playing friendly (new bass circuit). I have always listened to the LPD Pedals community and give every idea thorough consideration.

The Sixty8 has developed a reputation for being more than just a “drive pedal.” How do you personally describe what makes it special or different in a crowded effects landscape?

As with all LPD pedals, I make the way the circuit performs and the tone feels paramount. The circuit has to allow as much of the player, guitar and pickup character as possible to shine through. They should always enhance what they are given in musical ways and be reactive to the amp they are plugged into. In this way, they become part of the instrument being played rather than just an effect. It's also nice to have iconic sound and feel without having to break the bank or your back lol

As we celebrate the 10-year anniversary, what does the Sixty8 represent to you today—as a builder, a musician, and a creative—and does it still inspire what’s coming next?

The Sixty8 represents a culmination of all the discoveries from the past decade (and beyond), both musical, acoustic and electronic. It's evolved and refined into something I find truly inspiring to play and versatile to use. I am constantly experimenting and refining circuits to more closely match my ideal tone and feel for a given amp. I am always finding inspiration to push further into the finer details. To try and capture more of the essence of the thing. It has to be inspiring to me as a player, not just a designer or engineer. I play everything I build and if I don't enjoy it, it doesn't get released.

Ten years on, the LPD Pedals Sixty8 remains a dependable analogue drive that brings classic British amp character into a compact, pedalboard friendly format. It offers convincing 1980s inspired tones, strong dynamics and solid build quality, without unnecessary complication.

Once again, congratulations to Lawrence on ten years of the LPD Pedals Sixty8 from everyone at FX Pedal Planet. If you appreciate what LPD Pedals do, be sure to follow, like and share their social media pages to stay up to date with future developments. For more information on the LPD Pedals range of products available at FX Pedal Planet Online Store, please click, more.

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