Friedman BE-100

theminijimmy

theminijimmy

Member
I just got a Friedman BE-100. I know this is going to sound crazy. I have a Axe FX II and the BE-100 sounds amazing from that and I was hoping buying the real thing would floor me. It seems like to bottom end just falls apart. The amp sounds awesome for regular rock tones and clean tones. I just like tighter gain amps. Does anyone have one and did you feel the same or fine a fix to make it better?

Thanks
 
I'm an Axe-FX II owner but loved the Friedman when I heard it in person. A few thoughts:

- Are you using a Friedman cab?
- Are you playing at a decent volume?
- Did you adjust all the controls to expected settings or what sounds great to your ears?

I loved that amp when I heard it. Not saying I don't dig my Axe-FX II as well. :)
 
Hmm, well are you turning it up loud? It's a 100w amp man so your best sound probably aren't going to be at home levels. It has a lot of midrange and it's kind of a smoother Marshall. The JJ to me is even better. It's not as smooth as the BE100 to my ears, a bit more raw or something. They have a new Butterslax model that the dude from Mastodon plays, so maybe you can trade your BE for one of those. Like all amps, you should give it a few weeks at least.

Honestly, even though I've heard people getting great metal sounds with Friedman amps, Friedman wouldn't be my first choice if the brootz was primarily what I played. If that's your case then you need to look at a Diezel Hagen or Mesa Roadster or something like that. Try an Engl Invader II. You'll be able to get the most brutal tones and the most beautiful tones all in one box.
 
You'd probably benefit from the depth mod that Dave offers.

I run an MXR 10 band in the loop to add a bit of low end on my JJ. Even with a Maxon OD808 in front just a small bump in the low end with the EQ is perfect for me.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. Dave said he's a few months out on the mods but I will send it to him to try some. Yeah I need to air this bad boy out before I gig with it. :) Could have bigger issues.
 
I've never owned a BE but I do own a JJ. Maybe that's a better amp for your needs. I play a ton of metal, and the amp, especially on the JBE channel, is just perfection.
 
I had to turn the bottom end down on my be 100.Cab used was diezel front load 4x12 w/ 30's..just glorious and brutal all rolled up into one!
 
As you said, the amp sounds amazing for rock tones. If your trying to do the "Brutz", you may have the wrong amp.
Like others have mentioned, make sure you try a couple of different cabs, cause it sounds best through a mix of V30's and greenbacks.
Also, I believe the BE100 has a fixed resonance circuit built into the negative feedback loop( just a resistor and cap ), so there is a small amount of resonance happening already in the amp. I know of a couple of people that thought it was a bit much and have reduced / removed the resistor to lower the effect. You could try messing with that.
 
The BE-100 has tons of low end, but I dial it out, it's too boomy for me (I have the bass knob literally on 0). I run an overdrive (not for gain) to tighten things up a hair, killer hard rock tone, but not the brootz like others have said.
 
So I cranked it up to ohh 2 and found my tone. Just got the amp so I am figuring things out. I did not know the exf loop was like a master volume also, That helped.
 
For me I turn the base down and treble up and that tightens it up a bit. That being said it is more of a less aggressive plexi than a metal amp. The hbe will get you close though. I prefer the presence up to make it more aggressive. That being said when I first plugged in it was not what I was expecting. It needs to be turned up to sound good and open.
 
If it was used check tubes, those BE-100's are very tight amps and they need to be turned up at least a little. Dave's MV is excellent but the amp needs to move some air too...
 
Like others have said, the amp needs to be loud for it to sound how it was intended. It sounds good at every level, but is glorious above 3 on the MV.
 
Yikes. I have my bass between 8 and 9 o'clock. BE is a super tight amp. I'm always cranking it though
 
I cranked it up to 3 and it shook my house. That's the sound I was looking for. I am going to invest in a Torpedo to run it at lower volumes with the tone I like. Thanks for the input and advice
 
Totally agree with the MV comments. The JJ is great at any volume, but when I can get it to at least 9 o'clock, it really starts to sound even if that's even possible.
 
You might want to check out the owners manual. It suggests running the channel volumes at noon if you're using the FXL MV. But yeah if you're trying to play more extreme forms of metal the BE might not be for you.
 
I had a depth knob added to my 2016-spec BE. Works fantastic at lower volumes. Adds plenty of bottom.
 
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