BE50 Deluxe: Review & Owners Chime in/Settings

Junk Yard Dog

Well-known member
Here's my initial review...

What I do & Play
Life long guitar player. Far from great, but I'm good enough and have played in original and cover bands since I was 16 and done some recording: I'm 41. I'm a hard rock guy. Went through my 80s, Classic Rock, Cock Rock, SRV blues, Metal ala Pantera/Metallica, and I love the Deftones. My first real amp was a JCM2000 DSL. That was modded by Trace at Voodoo. Then Budda SD30, then ampless for a bit, then the EVH 5153, then a BFG Modded Egnater Seminar head, Splawn Pro Stock, I have another BFG Egnater 2016 Seminar Head on the Way, and now the BE50 Deluxe. I've played Mesas, 800s, Plexi's, the JJ, BE100, SLO100, and a few others. I don't have the ears that a lot of you guys have, but I know what I like and don't gel with.

I still have the Splawn Pro Stock, BFG 2013 Eggie Seminar Head, and now the BE50. The Splawn will be up for sale this week. The BFG may be right behind it; waiting for Brian to finish my other one. I love both those amps and I'm not loaded or anything, so I've got to make room and replenish savings.

I'm currently playing in a hard rock cover band doing all female pop and rock songs, but really rocked up, though not metal: best cover band ever because the girls are coming to all the shows and we're not scaring them away. Hot ones too. Never thought I'd play Katy Perry or Taylor Swift on stage, but I'm actually loving it. Again, boobs all over the place. I'm in Dallas. We play cougar joints.

BE50 Deluxe
I got it on Wednesday night. I live in a small apartment and have had the cops called 3 times in 1.5 years, so I definitely can't play these amps loud, like they need to be. I've only scratched the surface, but today I was able to open it up with two cabs: Bogner OS 2x12 with Hellatones H30/V30 mixed and my Stagecraft with Creamback H75/M65 mixed. So apartment volumes are pretty doable. Between the Sat, Pentode/Triode, great Master Volume, and FX Loop volume, good tones are available to enjoy so you don't have to screw the fat neighbor so she'll stop calling the cops.

The amp slays. As most everyone is saying. Is it worth the price tag: that's subjective and I'll give you my opinion toward the end.

Buxom Betty Clean Channel
I never play clean. Hence my current amps are all single channel. My guitars (Schecter USA and MIK PTs) are solid and have treble bleeds that work great, so I can get cleans that work for me rolling down the volume and I ALWAYS like a little hair on my cleans and use touch and volume to get different textures and dynamics. ...Well, that ain't gonna happen with the Buxom Betty Clean. It's the best clean I've ever played on a modded Marshall amp...but that ain't really sayin' much. Regardless, it's fucking glorious. I'm probably going to appreciate having a clean channel. But I'm not used to switching from a crystal clean to a hard rock channel, so I'm not sure how much I'll be using it. I think as others have said, I've to to have a gain switch on the Clean so I can add a little bit of hair or maybe it can go to Plexi tones, but aaah, yeah, the BE channel can do what my crappy ears think of as Plexi, so there ya go. Clean can get pretty loud. It's can do everything SUPER: thick, middy, no middy, trebly, BASSY. I haven't figured out to what to set it at yet. The EQ is very responsive, but it's not artificial: I don't know how else to articulate it. The Bright switch is very helpful to different tones and I would guess using different pickups and guitars. I'll keep playing with it and find what settings I like best.

BE Channel
If you've played it, you know what it does. This is where I'm having to adjust. My BFG is 4 gain stages and I'm not sure what my Splawn is, but both definitely have more gain and more compression. The BE is just RAW A F. I can hear so many nuances of my guitars in this channel. That's a good sign of just a high quality amp, I think. It roars, man. But less compressed and saturated than other amps I've had and it's just awesome. Again, I'm not used to it, so this will be an adjustment. It cleans up really, really well. I've run the Gain 1 knob on 10 and it stays together. I've put the gain at noon and used my TC Spark Booster (not the mini) and it takes the boost really, really well. So much that I've actually dialed back the Volume on the Spark Boost and it still does what it needs to do. I was at GC last year and played a BE100 and I didn't walk away feeling like i needed it over my other amps. Again, it was just different. I don't think I spent enough time with it and I was just used to more gain and compression, I think.

HBE Channel
Wow. It just takes off where the BE left off. For some reason, I think I hear the mids maybe SLIGHTLY scooping compared to the BE channel, but I could be wrong. Again: this channel roars. When I was playing both channels back to back through the Stagecraft and Bogner cab, I didn't hear a big difference in the tone, which is great. It just adds gain and both channels seem to be equally as powerful as the other. Here's my dilemma: my Splawn and BFG Eggie have on board solo boosts and OD boosts. The HBE can be used as a solo boost, but I don't think I wanna do that. I could get all my rock and hard rock and metal tones just on the BE channel using my Spark Boost, BUT, I may also wanna free up the HBE to be a different kind of early to more modern hard rock, so that would be me at using a boost pedal in the FX Loop. Thus, I'd have 1. the BE (Low to mid gain rock)
2. BE with Spark Boost pedal (early to modern hard rock, almost metal, AIC maybe?)
3. HBE (AIC, Tool?)
4. HBE with Spark Boost (almost too much maybe)
5. Solo boost: and then a small EQ or some other small boost pedal like the spark boost mini in the loop just to boost volume. BOOM!

EQ Knobs
So usable and great variation. Treble, Mid, Bass work well and give you what you want out of them. Nothing is extreme, but they are very usable. Thump, Response, Presence: does what they say they do. I have a Response knob on my BFG Eggie and this is something EVERY amps should have. It adds a "growl' do it and it's great when using different cabs and speakers. Again, every amp should have the Response/Negative Feedback control.

Voice
I like it in the middle the most. It's the middy-est and adds hair to the gain, to my ears. To the right, drops gain the most, IIRC. To the left is slghtly less gain than the middle position, but I cannot tell that much. Overall, was hoping for a little more variety with this switch so you other owners with more experience, chime in on this.

Fat
I'm not sure I care for it, but maybe I'm not sure exactly what it's supposed to do. It makes it FAT, and I think I've read that it's to help with single coils: forgive me, I'm a Friedman newb. HOWEVER, I think if you mess with the EQ, it can add a 'deepness' to the sound, and you may wanna back off the Bass and/or Thump. I think I'm hearing that it could make it deeper at lower volumes.

Gain Structure
I like it down the most: it adds the most perceived gain. Middle is the least gain. Up is a little more gain. Other owners can chime in and say what else it does to the tone. I didn't play around with it enough to see how it acts with the overall tone vs. more or less gain and 'edge' or 'cripsness' to the sound.

Sat
Two positions: up is just normal and down is more saturation and it lowers volume. I need to play around with it more and see if I even need the Sat switch as I'm using my Spark Boost for more gain and saturation.

FX Loop
I haven't put anything in the loop yet, but I have used the loop return as a Master volume and it works really well. When I engaged the loop switch, I didn't feel I was losing too much tone, even when the loop return was all the way down/at5:00. I play to now run my pedals in the loop. I have the Friedman 1525 Plat pedalboard with Power Supply and Buffer Bay.

Pentode/Triode
This is pretty cool. I really does reduce the volume significantly. I'm not sure how much it really effects the tone. I would probably run it 'off'/up, but I need to play around with it more. Other owners can chime in.

Overall
At the apartment when I first got it, I was not sure what to think at first. Again, I was used to more gain from the Splawn and BFG Eggie on the dials. Then I got up this morning and played it louder at my apartment and I literally said outloud, "Shit. I think this thing is going to be fucking stellar. Holy fuck." Then I played it out my friends house with the volumes at about 9:00 and yup, there it was. My buddy's jaw hit the fucking floor. I didn't have my pedals, so I didn't boost it. It definitely seemed tighter at the higher volumes at the house. It sounded great through both cabs. We tried to dial in some AC/DC tones and they were pretty damn convincing; he's been playing Fargen Ole 800 amps, and he now wants the BE50 Deluxe. The amp gives eargasms and my nuts were tingling. This is not an uber metal amp, of course. Can it do metal: absolutely, but what kind of metal are we talking here. No Dimebag tones with adding more shit to it, but Metallica can be done easily. And that's what I like. Also, Tool and AIC can be done extremely well in a cover band. You'll have to fidget with knobs and maybe add a little boost for some types of metal, but this is a Marshall amp, so what are you expecting. If you want Mesa or Diezel, get those amps. MY ONLY KNOCK SO FAR: Again, I don't feel it's as tight as my BFG and Splawn, so I'm still playing around with that. I would love suggestions on how to get a little more tightness out of the amp, but I'm still learning how it all works. Plus, the cabs I play are partial open back, so that's part of it as well. Even the Bogner OS 2x12: it was pretty tight, but that cab is NOT a Mesa Recto 2x12 and that's one of the tightest cabs I've ever played.

HOWEVER: it's more straight up MARSHALL than either of those amps, and I really love both of those amps. The BE50 is more versatile and I don't they they skimped. I wish the Voice did a little more as well as the Gain Structure, and maybe even Fat. With Voice I'd love to be able to get something like AFD, AIC Facelift tones, but how they hell would that be possible? Once can dream. My BFG has an AFD switch and it's fucking badass!!

Is It Worth the Coin
This is subjective, of course. I'm trying to save for a house this year, so $3500 is a LOT of money for a fucking guitar amplifier: we all know this. However, I've decided I'm not going to send the amp back for a full return. I have a gig in two weeks: that will be the REAL test. Regardless, I'm going to keep spending time with it. I'm sure it's only going to get better. YMMV, but I think this amp is work the coin, here's why: First and foremost, it's a Friedman. Quality parts, construction, and engineering behind it. The resale value will hold if need be. If you like Marshalls and want a stupid awesome clean, this is the amp. It's got so many good options, even though I'm still learning how to use it. I'm coming from really high gain amps that are tight and though this is different, I can hear that is worth what I paid over my other amps.

Vs. Splawn Pro Stock
Look, the Splawn's gonne be up for sale ONLY because I can't keep all my amps now. The Splawn is a bad ass amp. They are extremely awesome amps for the money! I don't need 100 watts anymore, and I will say this: the Splawn gets amazing tones using the Loop Volume. I wanna give the edge to the Splawn for lower volume playing using the FX Loop volume. The Pro Stock doesn't have a clean channel and it cleans up really well, but the BE50 cleans up just as well, AND it has an amazing clean channel, so I feel like I really gained there. The Splawn can do really convincing Slash and Cantrell tones, as well as Tool, and those three bands are my benchmark. The Splawn EQ is just as response, but the BE50 has more varity with the Response and all the switches. The Splawn is tighter--to me--for sure, and I really like that. I have the B+ on the Splawn, and I think it's the cats pajamas. At first I wasn't sure it was 'better than my Splawn considering the cost over the SPlawn, but after cranking it up to some good volumes today, I can say that IMO, it is worth the money over the Splawn. Better is going to be subjective depending on you needs. I would NEVER turn anyone away from Splawn. Scott and his amps are worth every fucking penny. Never played a Quickrod, though, so I can't compare the cleans.

If you want a tight, roaring, great at low volume, 100 watt, all the gain you could need, hot-rodded, Black Crowes to GNR to AIC to Tool, Marshall-inspired amp that cleans up well and has onboard solo and OD boost with an awesome loop and don't wanna break the bank, get a SPLAWN.

Sadly, I'm going to have to sell my BFG Eggie amp as well. It's been in rotation with my Splawn for the last 4 years. I LOVE this amp, too, but when I made the decision to purchase the BE50, I knew two of my amps would have to go.

Jaysus that took for fucking ever.

I'd love to have other BE50 owners add their comments based on mind and perhaps I'd like to get a thread on just BE50 Deluxe settings for certain types of tones, i.e. how are you getting AIC or GNR or AC/DC tones, etc.

Cheers, ladies and gents.
 
Hi, Glad you like the amp and thanks for the write up.. just to clarify the voice switch is just a high frequency cut.. no change in gain at all. Really just cuts topend, makes it smoother sounding. The center is the brightest. Thanks
 
RACKSYSTEMS":abm5ruyl said:
Hi, Glad you like the amp and thanks for the write up.. just to clarify the voice switch is just a high frequency cut.. no change in gain at all. Really just cuts topend, makes it smoother sounding. The center is the brightest. Thanks

Ah, ok, thank you for clarifying! I'm not as technical with these things and how to describe them.

I love the amp!!
 
Update: played it today at band jam. I’ll say it again: worth every penny I spent. It’s just different than anything I’ve played. My bandmates noticed and all complimented the tone.

The tightness I was looking for was there; it just needed a little volume.

I played it without the loop volume, without turning on triode, and without turning on Sat. The tightness I looked for was there. Voice in the middle position and Gain Structute down. I thought I was gonna need the Sat switch on, but I didn’t. That should tell you something and my tone was pretty heavy.

I mainly stayed on BE with Gain at about 2:00 and just boosted it with the TC Spark when we played heavier stuff.

I I’ll have to go back and check but I think I lowered the Thump and turned up the Bass and that seemed to tighten it up: prior to that, I was like the Splawn, but I was very, very happy with how tight I got it. Some Other amps are tighter, but this one gets tight.

This amp lives up the hype and I was very skeptical. It’s just an amazing machine.

Overall, the BE50 Deluxe just fucking roars. Not like a lion, but like a T-Rex. And it does do at really manageable volumes.
 
Glad you love it! I love mine beyond any amp I have owned in the past. Just a beautiful sounding amp all around. The features on it are great and I like the lighter weight and 50 watts along with the ability to adjust my lead and rhthm volumes. Fantastic amp for gigging and recording. I’m running mine through the new UA Ox for running FOH and recording.
 
I played it again at band practice and just love it. It's aggressive enough without even the Sat switch being on and at times I wasn't using a boost on the BE channel either. Perfect hard rock sound on just the BE channel without boost or Sat.

Since I can't open up the amp in my apartment, I am limited to really hearing and feeling the amp right now to just once a week band jams.

If people think of Friedman's as 'polished' or compressed, this is not that amp. It's pretty pissed off.
 
Great write up man! I recently bought a new BE-100 and it is insanely awesome. I agonized over the 50 and 100 and was worried I’d regret my decision but I love the ampnto pieces. Any chance of clips? Not a ton out there on the 50.
 
Nice write up man!! Seriously, I enjoyed reading your post and all of the detail. It was a good read and thank God you used paragraphs and spaces. :)

I have been a Friedman fanboi from the beginning way before all of these amps that are out now were even produced. I had Dave mod one of my Marshalls back around 2011 or so and got to talk to him on the phone. Met him last year and was great to see him in person.

The BE-50 Deluxe is my first dream amp since my Cameron amp phase years ago. Yes it is not an inexpensive amp but JVM heads were or are running nearly $3000. There are tons of guitars out there that are way more than that amp. It is an investment and a tone machine. Enjoy it man! If I were still gigging I would definitely have one of those. :)
 
romanianreaper":39ajt4ee said:
Nice write up man!! Seriously, I enjoyed reading your post and all of the detail. It was a good read and thank God you used paragraphs and spaces. :)

I have been a Friedman fanboi from the beginning way before all of these amps that are out now were even produced. I had Dave mod one of my Marshalls back around 2011 or so and got to talk to him on the phone. Met him last year and was great to see him in person.

The BE-50 Deluxe is my first dream amp since my Cameron amp phase years ago. Yes it is not an inexpensive amp but JVM heads were or are running nearly $3000. There are tons of guitars out there that are way more than that amp. It is an investment and a tone machine. Enjoy it man! If I were still gigging I would definitely have one of those. :)

Thanks, dude. I have to write all the time for work! ...Not inexpensive, and if I wasn't gigging, I'd prolly go for something else on my budget, but it's just so damn awesome. I hear why these amps are costing what they do, though some will disagree. It brings a huge smile to my face!

JerEvil":39ajt4ee said:
Great write up man! I recently bought a new BE-100 and it is insanely awesome. I agonized over the 50 and 100 and was worried I’d regret my decision but I love the ampnto pieces. Any chance of clips? Not a ton out there on the 50.
JerEvil said:
Sensei! You are the Clip Master! There is none higher. ...Best I could do would be an iphone, and I can't really crank the thing in my apartment (hence, I need a house!). But it still excels at lower volumes. So many great options and the Masters on these things are as good as you read about. ...I have a gig this weekend, so I'll see if I can get some videos from that.

Cheers!
 
Who has the BE50 or BE100 and uses the Sat switch? Do you notice a difference in tone, like less mids or less raw? Or, does it just get more saturated and compressed, but stays as raw vs. when it's off?
 
Junk Yard Dog":3b5bqfws said:
romanianreaper":3b5bqfws said:
Nice write up man!! Seriously, I enjoyed reading your post and all of the detail. It was a good read and thank God you used paragraphs and spaces. :)

I have been a Friedman fanboi from the beginning way before all of these amps that are out now were even produced. I had Dave mod one of my Marshalls back around 2011 or so and got to talk to him on the phone. Met him last year and was great to see him in person.

The BE-50 Deluxe is my first dream amp since my Cameron amp phase years ago. Yes it is not an inexpensive amp but JVM heads were or are running nearly $3000. There are tons of guitars out there that are way more than that amp. It is an investment and a tone machine. Enjoy it man! If I were still gigging I would definitely have one of those. :)

Thanks, dude. I have to write all the time for work! ...Not inexpensive, and if I wasn't gigging, I'd prolly go for something else on my budget, but it's just so damn awesome. I hear why these amps are costing what they do, though some will disagree. It brings a huge smile to my face!

JerEvil":3b5bqfws said:
Great write up man! I recently bought a new BE-100 and it is insanely awesome. I agonized over the 50 and 100 and was worried I’d regret my decision but I love the ampnto pieces. Any chance of clips? Not a ton out there on the 50.
JerEvil":3b5bqfws said:
Sensei! You are the Clip Master! There is none higher. ...Best I could do would be an iphone, and I can't really crank the thing in my apartment (hence, I need a house!). But it still excels at lower volumes. So many great options and the Masters on these things are as good as you read about. ...I have a gig this weekend, so I'll see if I can get some videos from that.

Cheers!
Lol! I don’t know about all that but I appreciate the kind words! Would love to hear it in band context.
 
Junk Yard Dog":2l5qnw8n said:
Who has the BE50 or BE100 and uses the Sat switch? Do you notice a difference in tone, like less mids or less raw? Or, does it just get more saturated and compressed, but stays as raw vs. when it's off?

I have a BE-100, but the SAT does the same on both amps. I don't personally like it. Wait.. no.. I don't personally USE it. I feel no need to use it. Your descriptions of the amp are accurate to my own perceptions of the BE-100, so i think you'll prefer it off.

I live on the HBE channel and mainly use it as a single channel amp. I know the HBE was "re-voiced" on the BE-50, but on mine, i feel it's a BE channel with more gain available. It's dynamic enough to where i can have loads of gain and it doesn't sound or feel like it's compressed to hell. I can adjust my playing enough to make it sound like i want it too gain-wise. it's hard to describe. Basically, i can use the HBE for just about any occasion and adjust with pick attack and guitar volume if i need cleaner. It's an extremely versatile channel IMO. I love the BE channel too and often rock on that when playing alone or something, but HBE, unboosted, is where i feel most comfortable. It still cleans up very well, but i always prefer a little grit in my clean tones.
 
I had my pedalboard (Friedman Plat Package 15x25) redone to put my TC spark, Vapor Trail Delay, and HOF in the loop.

Man: No perceived tonal loss whatsoever and we had the Masters on 3 and the Return on 3/4 or 3:00. I brought the amp to the amp shop down the street and they guys (all former GC reps who started their own thing) came into the room and were impressed with the BE50 ...and no my playing. Anywho, they all know Friedman amps well, and just complimented away. They've played and heard all the big amps, so while they weren't freaking out, they knew what the amp could do and were really impressed with the new features.

Anyway, we ran the FX loop both ways:
1) Return at 3:00 and Master to taste
2) Return at noon to control volume and the Masters at 5 or 12:00.

Clear winner: We all liked as Dave suggests: 1) Return at 3:00 and Master to taste. It just was a bit more raw and organic, though I'm sure number 2) could be EQ'd to get really close, but 1) is the way to go.

Again, we cut the loop switch on and off and we could not hear a single difference or drop out of any of the tone.

Also, the BE channel on its own is pretty crushing. I don't see how people say it's too polished or polite and I'm coming from a Splawn, which is huge in it's own right, but the BE channel alone is perfect for hard rock and even metal if you wanna boost it. I have yet to really play the HBE.

Also, with my TC Spark in the loop as a SOLO boost, I have more variety, so I will compare the BE and HBE to see which one I like more, but so far, the BE channel has me really happy for rock, hard rock, and metal with a boost.

I'm using the Buxom Boost in front of the amp to boost the BE channel. Not sure how I like it. It's a great pedal, but I wish it had a Level knob. I need to play with it more.

That's all for now. I have a gig this Saturday...
 
Update. I just spent 6 hours with the BE50 in a friends garage and I'm tried AF but wanted to post a quick review of some things I learned and tried.

Amp Noise
The amp is more quiet than I initially thought. One of my guitars 'howls' a little more than my others, so that one is getting shielded this week. It's a really quiet amp for all the gain and power it has. See below for how I tamed the amp even more under Tubes.

Tubes
I went back and forth for what seemed an eternity with different tubes. Ruby 12AX7 AC5 HG+ / Ruby 12AX7 AC5 HG+ 678 (Diezel Selected - low noise) / RFT 12AX7 / TAD 7025WA. Here's where I landed:

V1: HBE: Ruby 12AX7 AC5 HG+ 678. This helped for HBE in terms of lower hiss and feedback from my guitar that 'howled'.
V2: BE: RFT for now, but the regular AC5 HG+ and HG+ 678 both worked well here too.
V3: TAD 7025WA. I feel this really helped lesson the guitar howl I was having under higher gain. I feel like the ARS 7025 that came with the amp had a bit more gain and cut, but I got a little more control with the TAD.

The amp just sounded great with all the tubes I tried in the various positions. I did not mess with V4.

Pre and Power amp EQ
Holy Shit. I ran ALL possible combinations which is why I was in there for 6 hours. I turned everything down to 0 and turned up on knob at a time from Thump, Response, Presence, Treb, Mid, Bass. What an amazing experience for me. The amp has so much range with these controls. It was a revelation. One of the biggest things I noticed was that the Thump, Response, Presence, help act as master volumes, to my ears. All three just bring in MORE of things. I ran the amp with those at 2 and the preamp EQ at 6. The more I turned up the power amp EQ, the louder and more in your face things got. I will not be able to articulate well my findings, but if you have this amp or get one, try this method out. With the power amp EQs at 2, I could turn up the Masters and get the goods, but then I did the reverse: lowered the Masters and turned up the power amp EQs to 6 or 7 and it was just massive. The EQs for both pre and power amp (as I"m calling it) were VERY interactive. Not like any other amp I've played.

Tone
I gotta admit that it took me a while to find different settings for rock, hard rock, and metal, but they are all there. Not a bad tone really...Unless you went berserk somewhere. This amp does the RAW thing very well, but in a controlled manner. It can easily get out of control if you seek it.

Punch
I played around a lot with the Bass, Response, and Thump switches. Depending on your speakers, cabinet, etc., you can get ample punch. The flexibilty is there based on guitar, pickups, speakers, cab, etc.

Gain
It's got plenty. You may not notice it as much if you're playing lower volume, like when I was playing in my small apartment, but when I got the Masters to 2, the gain I needed was there and it took my boosts very well. TC Spark Boost and VFE Dragon Dynamic. ...The VFE is a very cool pedal, but the TC does what I need it to on the BE channel if I want it a little tighter with that TS vibe.

SAT
Some like it, some don't. I like it way more now that I know how to use it. It may "soften" the sound somewhat and add some saturation and a little compression, but you can TOTALLY EQ the 'softness' out and get what you want out of what the SAT switch is supposed to do. It will still roar and have some of that rawness to it.

BE vs. HBE
Both are great. I tend to like BE a little better as it is hard rippin rock on it's on, but then add a boost and it's molten Friedman/Marshall metal. AND, you don't have to have the gain on BE much past 5 to get that tone. That was a big surprise to me, but what made the difference here was having the Masters on 2 or above. It seems to bring in the power tube distortion more at that point. BE gain on 8 is plenty for hard rock and some early metal. HBE adds a touch more gain, seemed to also add more bass, and was more liquidy. I really like HBE. I had HBE on 5 to 7 on the gain knob and it was great. Was playing early Lynch Mob, and that's one of my favorite tones. I did engage the Spark Boost and it tightened it up a bit, but I had to be careful as the 'howl' from my guitar started to come in. HBE does not need more gain, per se, but maybe something to tighten it up if you're going for more modern, super tight metal.

Tightness
The amp gets tighter as volume increases. I was playing it at apartment levels and it didn't feel as tight as my Splawn or BFG, but once the volume was at 2 or above and you play with the Power and Pre EQs, it gets tight enough for me. It's still not going to be as tight as some other modern metal amps, imo, but it really is tight and I am more satisfied with this aspect of it.

Speakers
I have a Stagecraft Diagonal with a Creamback M65 on the upper and Creamback H75. I feel like these speakers are still breaking in. I was liking the tone, but it can get gritty and bright pretty easily with this setup, but again, these speakers still need some breakin to my ears. ...I then put a Scumback J75 on the Bottom. WOW... It made me realize the CBH75 is a flamethrower with a HUGE bass sound. I really liked the J75 as it is definitely smoother than the H75 but not as much bass; the H75 has more bass than the J75. ...The J75 allowed me to turn up the Power and Pre EQ even more: I felt I had a little more control over the EQs in general. The Celestions just have the grit, grainy, thing going on that can be somewhat hard to dial out depending your overall setup and the Scumbacks allow a bit more control. Just my experience and opinion. I love both the Celestions and the Scumback.

Overall
The amp flat our rocks. It was worth the coin to me. Just a great work of art and piece of machinery.

I hope this is useful. There were several moments I could not believe my ears. ...I need to protect my hearing now.

Cheers.
 
johnpace2":n8mj44hs said:
I couldn’t take it anymore.... I’m on the list. ??

LOL!!! I'd send the bill to Junk Yard Dog and write "Bad Influence" on the check somewhere. :)

I have owned a Friedman mod and played a BE-100 in a store about a year ago. Although it is not a real amp, I also have the Friedman emulations in my Axe-Fx II and only say that because they give me an idea of what the tones are like, switches, etc.

The one thing I noticed when I played the Friedman compared to some of my tube amps in the past was the amount of usuable gain around the dial and that goes for the other controls as well. With other amps, when the gain went up too much you got noise, flub, etc. and was too much. With the Friedman, I liked the gain up at 3 o'clock and wasn't too much. Like I said, the EQ controls are the same way. You don't get harsh or flubby which is awesome.
 
100%

The entire range of gain is very tasty. In fact, it almost becomes a burden, because you want every number on the dial immediately accessible!

romanianreaper":2qn6n9vh said:
johnpace2":2qn6n9vh said:
I couldn’t take it anymore.... I’m on the list. ??
The one thing I noticed when I played the Friedman compared to some of my tube amps in the past was the amount of usuable gain around the dial and that goes for the other controls as well. With other amps, when the gain went up too much you got noise, flub, etc. and was too much. With the Friedman, I liked the gain up at 3 o'clock and wasn't too much. Like I said, the EQ controls are the same way. You don't get harsh or flubby which is awesome.
 
Rdodson":2o41jw8p said:
100%

The entire range of gain is very tasty. In fact, it almost becomes a burden, because you want every number on the dial immediately accessible!

romanianreaper":2o41jw8p said:
johnpace2":2o41jw8p said:
I couldn’t take it anymore.... I’m on the list. ??
The one thing I noticed when I played the Friedman compared to some of my tube amps in the past was the amount of usuable gain around the dial and that goes for the other controls as well. With other amps, when the gain went up too much you got noise, flub, etc. and was too much. With the Friedman, I liked the gain up at 3 o'clock and wasn't too much. Like I said, the EQ controls are the same way. You don't get harsh or flubby which is awesome.

Yup. Super usable gain on the BE50. The BE50 just has a really big tone that I feel can compete with a 100watt amp. I know the the difference between 2 and 4 power tubes, and transformers play a role too. But I the BE50 has a 'big sound' that is a great mix of raw and refined, but I lean toward this latest iteration of Friedman to be a more controllable raw or in your face sound.
 
Junk Yard Dog":3cipm2yu said:
Rdodson":3cipm2yu said:
100%

The entire range of gain is very tasty. In fact, it almost becomes a burden, because you want every number on the dial immediately accessible!

romanianreaper":3cipm2yu said:
johnpace2":3cipm2yu said:
I couldn’t take it anymore.... I’m on the list. ??
The one thing I noticed when I played the Friedman compared to some of my tube amps in the past was the amount of usuable gain around the dial and that goes for the other controls as well. With other amps, when the gain went up too much you got noise, flub, etc. and was too much. With the Friedman, I liked the gain up at 3 o'clock and wasn't too much. Like I said, the EQ controls are the same way. You don't get harsh or flubby which is awesome.

Yup. Super usable gain on the BE50. The BE50 just has a really big tone that I feel can compete with a 100watt amp. I know the the difference between 2 and 4 power tubes, and transformers play a role too. But I the BE50 has a 'big sound' that is a great mix of raw and refined, but I lean toward this latest iteration of Friedman to be a more controllable raw or in your face sound.

I used to have a Splawn 50-watt Competition and loved that thing!! I know alot of guitarists use 100-watt tube amps but there are some great sounding 50-watters out there.
 
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