Little Sister or DS Mini, JJ Jr, & PT20 V1 or V2 Preference?

M

MistaGuitah

Well-known member
What is your preference among these and specifically why do you prefer one over the other? By the way, I'm not sure why the PT20 is currently in v2. I would think it would be v3 since the first one didn't have a toggle switch, the 2nd one did, and then the v2 came along. However, I perceive some differences between the original and v1. I would say in all honesty that I have a slight preference for the original Pink Tacot. The PT20 with switch to me sounds just a little more refined, smooth, or something and feels like a bit stiffer attack. Somehow I perceive the original to be slightly more organic. Obviously v2 is just a different animal, and in my opinion, the gain sounds sort of a different flavor than the others and it's amazing. Then there's the DS mini with a similar story. Personally, I think the original DS Mini is slightly more organic in tone and feel. However, once you open up the volume a bit more on Little Sister, it really starts to sing. Lastly, the JJ Jr is just a really, really awesome little amp with a lot of versatility.

Do you have a specific preference between versions? What specifically do you like about whichever ones?
 
Me being an 80s metal guy.. I'd pick the Little Sister having not tried any of them. Just by what I've heard and read online. If it is Big Hairy Guitars favorite, that is good enough for me. I think he has done a video of most of them.
 
MistaGuitah said:
What is your preference among these and specifically why do you prefer one over the other? By the way, I'm not sure why the PT20 is currently in v2. I would think it would be v3 since the first one didn't have a toggle switch, the 2nd one did, and then the v2 came along. However, I perceive some differences between the original and v1. I would say in all honesty that I have a slight preference for the original Pink Tacot. The PT20 with switch to me sounds just a little more refined, smooth, or something and feels like a bit stiffer attack. Somehow I perceive the original to be slightly more organic. Obviously v2 is just a different animal, and in my opinion, the gain sounds sort of a different flavor than the others and it's amazing. Then there's the DS mini with a similar story. Personally, I think the original DS Mini is slightly more organic in tone and feel. However, once you open up the volume a bit more on Little Sister, it really starts to sing. Lastly, the JJ Jr is just a really, really awesome little amp with a lot of versatility.

Do you have a specific preference between versions? What specifically do you like about whichever ones?
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PT20 V2 is totally revoiced. It's more traditional Marshall, with the higher mids, more aggressive, and not dark in the slightest. More gain too, and super tight. I had one, sold it, regretted it, and bought another. It's not your typical, polite Friedman.
 
napalmdeath said:
PT20 V2 is totally revoiced. It's more traditional Marshall, with the higher mids, more aggressive, and not dark in the slightest. More gain too, and super tight. I had one, sold it, regretted it, and bought another. It's not your typical, polite Friedman.
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That's a pretty good description and it reflects my own impression. I don't know anything about it other than playing it a while but I thought it may have been based on the BE-50. Is it or did Friedman just do something new?
 
Love the JJ JR! With a concentric volume mod in place and an updated foot switch, it can be a nice small and great soundingi three channel switching amp. I have one for sale if interested that is about a month old and custom modified by Dave himself.

No reason for selling other than I am have 2 guitars coming that I have wanted for an awfully long time so moving gear to pay for those.
 
Had all 3 for a short while.
rvRLApZ.jpg


MDS - On it's own it didn't have enough gain for me. Very bassy too.
JJ Jr. - Too compressed.
PT V1 with a SAT switch - winner, winner, chicken dinner.

I like somewhere between a Petrucci and Holdsworth tone and the PT did the best job by far imo.
 
PBGas said:
Love the JJ JR! With a concentric volume mod in place and an updated foot switch, it can be a nice small and great soundingi three channel switching amp. I have one for sale if interested that is about a month old and custom modified by Dave himself.

No reason for selling other than I am have 2 guitars coming that I have wanted for an awfully long time so moving gear to pay for those.
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Well, I just got a Little Sister and am on the fence about it at the moment. I love the tone and relative flexibility compared to the DS mini but really miss the grind and separate clean channel of the JJ Jr. However, the truth is I tried the Twin Sister before I got the Little Sister so that kind of soured the experience. The LS is just as good, but I perceive the big bottle head is a bit fuller and keeps the low end thump but with the benefit of the bright (tight) switch to keep it in check.
If I could afford it, I would right the wrong I made by selling my JJ100, but chances are I'll end up with a JJ Jr again for economic reasons.

What is the concentric mod you're talking about? I can't think of anything I would want to mod on the JJ Jr except maybe a 6CA7 or EL34 version with a little more power.
DemNuts said:
Had all 3 for a short while.
rvRLApZ.jpg


MDS - On it's own it didn't have enough gain for me. Very bassy too.
JJ Jr. - Too compressed.
PT V1 with a SAT switch - winner, winner, chicken dinner.

I like somewhere between a Petrucci and Holdsworth tone and the PT did the best job by far imo.
Click to expand...
The Little Sister has a much improved low end. For practice and noodling, it helps but you can definitely hear the difference playing with a drummer, recording, and with various pedals.

The PT20 V2 is outstanding and definitely has a lot to offer, but I still think Friedman should continue the PT20 v1 because it's kind of in that Small Box vein to my ears. Well, maybe everyone won't agree with that assessment but it has that vertain feel also, and the range of classic to heavy plexi sounds it can produce on a single channel - with EL84s - is amazing.

The JJ Jr doesn't sound too compressed to me, but maybe because I prefer it in BE mode most of the time. Also, I had the fortune of having a JJ Jr right on top of a JJ100, BE-100, and next to several other amps. The JJ100 has pretty darned good nuance and dynamics in BE mode, and it seems less compressed than many high-gain amps in JB mode, but it also is sits so well for live band and recording. With the JJ, I don't have to make any effort to cut through or get it at just the right mix.
 
MistaGuitah said:
The Little Sister has a much improved low end.
Click to expand...

Cool. I was really surprised with the boominess out of the box with the DSM compared to the other two.
Dave walked me through changing a cap value in the tone stack which made a night and day difference using a single 12" in a small room.
 
PBGas said:
Love the JJ JR! With a concentric volume mod in place and an updated foot switch, it can be a nice small and great soundingi three channel switching amp. I have one for sale if interested that is about a month old and custom modified by Dave himself.

No reason for selling other than I am have 2 guitars coming that I have wanted for an awfully long time so moving gear to pay for those.
Click to expand...
I might be interested in that JJ jr!
 
I have a JJ Jr. and the PT 20 V2. Although the JJ Jr. sounds great, the PT 20 V2 is more versatile in my opinion. Better for hard rock I think. The JJ Jr. Is darker sounding for sure. I did like the emulated cab out and not needing to have a cab plugged in.
 
romanianreaper said:
I have a JJ Jr. and the PT 20 V2. Although the JJ Jr. sounds great, the PT 20 V2 is more versatile in my opinion. Better for hard rock I think. The JJ Jr. Is darker sounding for sure. I did like the emulated cab out and not needing to have a cab plugged in.
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Man, I just picked up another PT-20 V2, and it can get plain brutal. I'm using an MXR 10-band in the loop, boosting highest gain setting, Sat OFF. I cranked the hell out of it last night, and it's a plain nasty sounding amp. I realized what the SC20H lacked, and that was the superior FX loop of the Friedman. I loved the Marshall too, but the more I weighed the 2, the PT was back in, and the Marshall was sold. Zero regrets.
 
MistaGuitah said:
What is your preference among these and specifically why do you prefer one over the other? By the way, I'm not sure why the PT20 is currently in v2. I would think it would be v3 since the first one didn't have a toggle switch, the 2nd one did, and then the v2 came along. However, I perceive some differences between the original and v1. I would say in all honesty that I have a slight preference for the original Pink Tacot. The PT20 with switch to me sounds just a little more refined, smooth, or something and feels like a bit stiffer attack. Somehow I perceive the original to be slightly more organic. Obviously v2 is just a different animal, and in my opinion, the gain sounds sort of a different flavor than the others and it's amazing. Then there's the DS mini with a similar story. Personally, I think the original DS Mini is slightly more organic in tone and feel. However, once you open up the volume a bit more on Little Sister, it really starts to sing. Lastly, the JJ Jr is just a really, really awesome little amp with a lot of versatility.

Do you have a specific preference between versions? What specifically do you like about whichever ones?
Click to expand...
I love my jj jr. It takes pedals very good!!!
 
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