TC Electronic Plethora X1 TonePrint Loader

JUDGING BY THE abundance of effects that the TC Electronic Plethora X1 TonePrint Loader makes available to guitarists, it is obvious that TC knows what it means to have a plethora. Just the same, if having too much of a good thing brings you joy, then TC Electronic's Plethora will bring much delight with its many desirable and stellar-sounding effects - each offering a wealth of options.

- Chris Gill

The Plethora X1 is basically a single-effect version of TC's previous powerful and versatile Plethora X3 and X5 multi-effects units. The X1 provides the equivalent of 15 different TonePrint pedals that can be accessed one at a time, consisting of compression, delay, gate, modulation, pitch shift and reverb (but no overdrive/distortion) effects, each complete with a full range of adjustable parameters. Three assignable parameter knobs allow adjustments on the fly — just like using a standard pedal — and users can download artist TonePrints or program their own TonePrints in greater detail using free desktop or mobile TonePrint Editor apps.

Usability & Build Quality

The Plethora X1 is housed in the same compact-size pedal enclosure as other TonePrint pedals like the Flashback 2 and Hall of Fame 2 and features the same four-knob control configuration. It's sturdy and roadworthy, with a high-quality no-click footswitch, and bulletproof side-mounted stereo 1/4-inch input and output jacks. The rear panel houses a 9-volt/250mA minimum power input jack, recessed Connect switch for linking the pedal with a mobile device via Bluetooth and a USB C jack for downloading firmware updates or connecting the pedal to a desktop computer for editing functions.