Runt 20 or Runt 50? Anyone played both?

Hey all,


I have been eyeing Friedman amps for a while, but I have not been able to justify the cost until now. I am looking at the Runt 20 and Runt 50, and debating whether I should save myself $500 and buy the 20 watt version, or if I should pony up for the 50. I don;t think anyone has these locally in Oregon, so I'm relying on Youtube videos right now. My questions are for those who have played both versions:

1. I know a 20 watt amp won't generally have the same bass thump as a 50 watter, but does the Runt 20 give that "bigger amp" thump and bass response? I have played some 15 and 20 watt amps that got you 90% there, so I know it can be done.

2. How different are the clean channels between the two amps? I like the idea of having the Bass/Treble controls on the 50, but if the clean on the 20 can be controlled well with the bright switches, I could make it work. I'm not a big clean player, but the "blackface" clean channel is a big draw for me.

3. How much gain would you say this amp has - more than a Marshall Jubilee? My main amps now are Orange Rockerverb MKIII (100), and a Marshall 2550 (50 watt Jube). I'm generally running my gain at 1-3 o'clock on both of these.


Thanks in advance! Any help would be appreciated.

Owned both. Biggest diff lies in clean channel.
50=Loud, Clean BF-like, poor taper goes from zero to loud
20=more vox like character, less control given single knob, can get breakup

OD was very similar with 50 having touch more girth.

Remember playing the 20 thru 212 w V30s and it ripped!
Didn't feel like was playing small lunch box type amp.

Pretty much agree with the above. I A/B'd both and bought the 50. The 20 seemed like it wasn't quite as 'aggressive' sounding as the 50 but the voicing was identical. I didn't play on the cleans much but rather spent 95% of the time on the gain channels.

They're both great. I agree with most of how jguitarslim characterized them. I liked the 20w a little better from clean to crunch and the 50 for higher gain. I don't think the 20 lacks low end, but when you crank it up, it's not going to have the same kind of punch. If you're using a 4x12, then I'm sure it'll have adequate thump for most clubs. The volume taper I can also agree with, but you can coax it to get what you're looking for. The 50 seems to handle pedals better. However, I don't own one. I've played them many times at Guitar Center. Check out the Pink Taco though because that's one badass amp, maybe even the most badass EL84 amp I've ever played. Plenty of low end.