The Keeley El Rey Dorado goes after the sound of a vintage Marshall Plexi stack, JTM-era, pushed into overdrive.
There’s a wide range of tone within “Plexi” depending on which combination of amp, tubes and cab you’re looking at. This one is built around a clear reference point, the JTM 45/100, rather than trying to cover every variation.
Key Features
- Two gain modes via the Power Toggle switch, giving genuinely different amp characters rather than just more or less gain
- Low Power mode: louder, more low-end girth, fewer harmonics, an old-school crunch tone
- High Power mode: more compression, more harmonic content, tighter and more defined — closer to a lead tone
- Simple three-knob layout: Volume, Gain, Tone
One Amp, Two Characters
What makes this pedal more than a generic drive is the Power Toggle.
It’s not simply a boost switch as flipping it changes the compression and harmonic content of the circuit, mimicking the difference between running a Plexi at different power settings.
Low Power mode keeps things loud and raw, with fewer harmonics and more low-end girth – old-school.
High Power mode brings in more compression and harmonic richness with a tighter, more defined top end. this is the mode you’d want on lead lines that need to cut without losing definition.
Beyond that switch, the control set stays deliberately simple: Volume, Gain, and Tone. There’s no hidden menu of secondary functions, it’s a pedal built to pick up and use!
Controls
- Volume: sets the output level
- Gain: sets the amount of drive
- Tone: shapes the overall voicing
- Power Toggle: switches between Low Power (louder, more girth, old-school crunch) and High Power (more compression, more harmonics, tighter lead tone)
Power
Runs on a standard 9V DC centre-negative supply. Exact current draw is not stated , but it’s small as it can also be run of off a 9V battery
Who Is This For
If you’re after that specific vintage British amp character rather than a general-purpose overdrive, the Power Toggle gives you two genuinely useful voicings rather than a single one-trick sound, without a complicated control set to work through.
Watch The Keeley El Rey Dorado In Action
FAQs
It’s a Marshall Plexi-style overdrive, with two gain modes that mimic different amp power settings rather than just offering more or less drive.
Low Power mode is louder with more low-end girth and fewer harmonics and High Power mode has more compression and harmonics for lead lines.
A standard 9V DC centre-negative supply, or a 9V battery, which isn’t included.
True bypass.
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