Another New Friedman Jose Demo...

[MattQc]

What does the JOSE can do that a 2203 with a Hotmod cant do? You surely get more versality but in the essence of the tone, is there a huge difference in the end?

 

[Bossman415]

What does the JOSE can do that a 2203 with a Hotmod cant do? You surely get more versality but in the essence of the tone, is there a huge difference in the end?

2 Completely different animals. The Jose has diode clipping, a better FX loop, and is a modded Plexi with options galore. The JCM 800 with a hotmod isn't as flexible. Not saying it isn't capable of great tones, just not the capabilities of the Jose. Is one better than the other?

That's all subjective. Personally, I felt the Jose didn't have enough top end bite. It was too buttery/warm. Never played a real OG Jose, so no clue how it would compare. All in all, the Jose is a great amp and well thought out. Just wished it had that extra topend bite.

 

[ChurchHill]

Appreciate the chime in from someone with experience. Did it leave you wanting considering the hype? If the amp was 2k, I’m in. Approaching 4k, it’s in the grail amp category unless you’re looking at you know who’s. Brad era or not.

No, not at all. It's actually better than I expected and I had pretty high expectations. Having said that, it's not for everyone. It's a one-channel one-trick amp, but it's a hella good trick. I'd highly recommend playing one before buying it, if at all possible, but it did not let me down.

 

[ChurchHill]

What does the JOSE can do that a 2203 with a Hotmod cant do? You surely get more versality but in the essence of the tone, is there a huge difference in the end?

The Jose is based on a Super Lead, not a Master Volume. 2203 doesn't sound like 1959, but they're both Marshalls. If the 2203 is close enough to a Plexi for you, that's cool, they are similar, but to me, two different sounds.

I've never tried the Hotmod, so I can't really say how close it comes.

 

[angelspade]

What does the JOSE can do that a 2203 with a Hotmod cant do? You surely get more versality but in the essence of the tone, is there a huge difference in the end?

Huge difference? Maybe not...significant difference in tone and feel? Absolutely.

 

[ChurchHill]

https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/freidman-jose-with-lambertones-grinder-low-op-pup.340424/

@cragginshred

Thought the vid in the above thread might be relevant here, too

 

[Solarflares]

From what I’ve seen and heard, a 1959 HW 100W with a Mr.Scary mod - was really great.
The Jose not so much, but a very close second.
Front panel convenience with the Jose though, so great for those that want versatility.

 

[Bossman415]

From what I’ve seen and heard, a 1959 HW 100W with a Mr.Scary mod - was really great.
The Jose not so much, but a very close second.
Front panel convenience with the Jose though, so great for those that want versatility.

Interesting... I have a Blankenship VariPlex and tried a Mr. Scary mod into it. Honestly, I didn't feel like the mod did much for that amp. It injects the extra gain stage later in the preamp, whereas the Jose puts it right up front. They'redefinitely two different flavors, though.

IMHO... The Mr. Scary is much more geared towards a JCM800 or JMP style amp.

Like I mentioned before, the Friedman Jose was a killer amp. It just didn't have quite the amount of gain I was looking for at the time. I wanted something with a little more gain and a more modern voice, so I ended up picking up a GroundZero Hellion V2 and a Lee Jackson M1000.

Both of those scratched that itch. The Lee Jackson definitely leans more toward the hair metal side of things, but it has more gain than the Jose. Once again it is a different flavor compared to the Friedman Jose. Not saying one is better than the other.

Long short of it all... I'd absolutely revisit the Jose down the road if I could find one at a more reasonable price. Dave built a fantastic amp, and it's very well thought out from an end-user standpoint.

 

[Solarflares]

Interesting... I have a Blankenship VariPlex and dropped my Mr. Scary mod into it when I first bought it. I did not feel the mod did much for the amp. It injects the gain stage later down the gain stage order, whereas the Jose is right upfront. I can say they were two different sounding flavors for sure.

Like I mentioned before, the Friedman Jose was a killer amp. It didn't have the gain I was looking for at the moment. I wanted something with more gain and modern sounding, so the GroundZero Hellion v2 scratched that itch. I'd definitely revisit the Jose down the road at a more reasonable price

I’m still happy driving my Sheriff 44 with a Koko Boost, and post compressing/eq-ing the signal after a Palmer load-box. The 60’s Mullard valves are wholly necessary for me. Nice, stable platform, and not too expensive. Perfect gain.

My Seymour Duncan Convertible 100W is different. It has some Mullards and a Sylvania rectifier.
No Koko needed, and a respectable signal without additional post-Palmer shenanigans. Extra gain up to 11 if wanted.

Where the Jose falls is anyone’s guess. But $4000 is a bit rich. Especially with useless PSVane valves.

 

[BABMusic]

Like I mentioned before, the Friedman Jose was a killer amp. It just didn't have quite the amount of gain I was looking for at the time. I wanted something with a little more gain and a more modern voice, so I ended up picking up a GroundZero Hellion V2 and a Lee Jackson M1000.

I understand this. The amp does have enough gain for most of my playing needs, but it would be nice if it just had a little more. It's roughly the equivalent of using an HBE channel with the gain on 8 with no SAT engaged. If Dave made the Jose have the gain go to 11, it would be much more appealing to lots of players who want just a little more gain. Kind of frustrating that Dave made the most gorgeous sounding Marshall tone in an amp that doesn't have the same level of gain as his BE series. The tradeoff is between a very good tone (BE) with high gain, or a perfect tone (Jose) with medium gain.

 

[angelspade]

I understand this. The amp does have enough gain for most of my playing needs, but it would be nice if it just had a little more. It's roughly the equivalent of using an HBE channel with the gain on 8 with no SAT engaged. If Dave made the Jose have the gain go to 11, it would be much more appealing to lots of players who want just a little more gain. Kind of frustrating that Dave made the most gorgeous sounding Marshall tone in an amp that doesn't have the same level of gain as his BE series. The tradeoff is between a very good tone (BE) with high gain, or a perfect tone (Jose) with medium gain.

This was one of my fears about pulling the trigger on the Friedman Jose...In many of the demos, the voicing, character and tone was nearly perfect (for that style), but the gain was almost always DIMED in the demos...never a great sign in my eyes. I'm wondering if Dave could perform a mod that adds a bit of gain and saturation?

 

[BABMusic]

This was one of my fears about pulling the trigger on the Friedman Jose...In many of the demos, the voicing, character and tone was nearly perfect (for that style), but the gain was almost alway DIMED in the demos...never a great sign in my eyes. I'm wondering if Dave could perform a mod that adds a bit of gain and saturation?

I'm sure he could, but would he? I do know he refused someone who wanted a thump control on the Jose (you don't need it with this amp), but never heard if he's added more gain to this model. It can't hurt to reach out to him and ask -- perhaps he could just make it like his BE series and that would be plenty of gain.

 

[angelspade]

I'm sure he could, but would he? I do know he refused someone who wanted a thump control on the Jose (you don't need it with this amp), but never heard if he's added more gain to this model. It can't hurt to reach out to him and ask -- perhaps he could just make it like his BE series and that would be plenty of gain.

Just a guess...But I think he would be ok with a request around adding a tasteful bump in gain and saturation. It seems like if he did, you'd have your "perfect" amp as you seem to prefer the voicing and response of the Jose over that of the BE...You just need a bit of a push.

 

[BABMusic]

Just a guess...But I think he would be ok with a request around adding a tasteful bump in gain and saturation. It seems like if he did, you'd have your "perfect" amp as you seem to prefer the voicing and response of the Jose over that of the BE...You just need a bit of a push.

He did actually add just a pinch more gain to my BE50, although I didn't exactly ask him to (It's a long embarrassing story). I bet he was annoyed, but he did do it. Although I do understand his view that most players use too much gain, but I always prefer my amps to have just a little bit too much gain (not 5150 amounts). I think it's a pretty reasonable request to ask for more gain on a Jose, but he might say no if he wants to keep it more pure to how Jose did things. Asking for more gain on a BE50, is totally unnecessary as I've later learned.

Maybe this weekend, I'll try to make a short video comparing the BE50 and the Jose. It won't sound all that great though.

 

[LP Freak]

He did actually add just a pinch more gain to my BE50, although I didn't exactly ask him to (It's a long embarrassing story). I bet he was annoyed, but he did do it. Although I do understand his view that most players use too much gain, but I always prefer my amps to have just a little bit too much gain (not 5150 amounts). I think it's a pretty reasonable request to ask for more gain on a Jose, but he might say no if he wants to keep it more pure to how Jose did things. Asking for more gain on a BE50, is totally unnecessary as I've later learned.

Maybe this weekend, I'll try to make a short video comparing the BE50 and the Jose. It won't sound all that great though.

Do it

 

[Frehley12]

I don't see myself moving my 50w JEL for a Jose.

 

[angelspade]

He did actually add just a pinch more gain to my BE50, although I didn't exactly ask him to (It's a long embarrassing story). I bet he was annoyed, but he did do it. Although I do understand his view that most players use too much gain, but I always prefer my amps to have just a little bit too much gain (not 5150 amounts). I think it's a pretty reasonable request to ask for more gain on a Jose, but he might say no if he wants to keep it more pure to how Jose did things. Asking for more gain on a BE50, is totally unnecessary as I've later learned.

Maybe this weekend, I'll try to make a short video comparing the BE50 and the Jose. It won't sound all that great though.

I would love to see that comparison...Also, you may not want anyone but Dave altering your Friedman but our friend at Ground Zero could likely juice the gain a bit without altering the voicing too much as well...But I bet Dave would play ball on a bit more gain / saturation.

I get what you mean about the 5150 levels of gain (I do love all the 5150s), that's not at all what you are going for here. That said, while I run the gain on my JVM at 11 o'clock to noon...I still like having the ability to go higher...I just like knowing it's there if I want it. I don't want an amp where I have to max the gain out and still feel like its not quite "there".

 

[lester]

Blankenship... he's a bum.
Another Friedman amp demo no more already, no more...

 

[MattQc]

oh i feel dumb, never realized a plexi was 'so far' from a 2203 circuit.