Friedman BE100 - Versions? Is "H" the latest?

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Rango

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Got to play one and the "BE" channel is the TONE IN MY HEAD so I will be getting one. Just trying to be more informed as I go forward. :thumbsup:

So looking at BE100's - I've seen ones with two inputs on the front, one input, a single knob clean channel, a low shift switch, Bright switch...along with C45, SAT and Fat. Effects loop, no loop... Different PCB's, DC "heaters"... ;)

Is saw one with an "H" after after the BE-100...I'd guess that's a version designation ? :)

So is the "H" the latest? Anybody know what the changes were for this version? I wish there was a version history... I get it, it's a hand made amp and Dave makes changes as they go... Just trying to understand the trade offs. ;)

I tried several searches for a "history" of the Brown Eye on the net but surprisingly that doesn't turn up much information on Guitar Amplifiers! :lol: :LOL:

( first post, somebody pointed me here when I was asking questions about the BE on another forum... ;) )
 
Rango":2m6d1vvw said:
Got to play one and the "BE" channel is the TONE IN MY HEAD so I will be getting one. Just trying to be more informed as I go forward. :thumbsup:

So looking at BE100's - I've seen ones with two inputs on the front, one input, a single knob clean channel, a low shift switch, Bright switch...along with C45, SAT and Fat. Effects loop, no loop... Different PCB's, DC "heaters"... ;)

Is saw one with an "H" after after the BE-100...I'd guess that's a version designation ? :)

So is the "H" the latest? Anybody know what the changes were for this version? I wish there was a version history... I get it, it's a hand made amp and Dave makes changes as they go... Just trying to understand the trade offs. ;)

I tried several searches for a "history" of the Brown Eye on the net but surprisingly that doesn't turn up much information on Guitar Amplifiers! :lol: :LOL:

( first post, somebody pointed me here when I was asking questions about the BE on another forum... ;) )
Click to expand...

Mine is brand new from Sweetwater just 4 weeks ago and it's serial starts with BE-100H-XXXXXXXX

Not sure of that is just designating it as a head though.
 
H is for head. Original head had 2 inputs, BE and HBE with a simple clean channel, not footswitchable between the BE and HBE. Thenext one had 1 input with a 3 way large toggle switchable HBE,BE and simple clean. Next version had that but a full clean and last and latest had a new board with DC heaters. The new is the quietest amp. All sound good. The circuit has had some refinements over the years also, Amps can always be updated at a cost, depends on what needs to be done.
 
Whatever version i got, it sounds phenomenal.

Seriously Rango, you can't go wrong with any version of this amp.
 
Ahhh "Head" okay. ;) It's almost like the Fulltone OCD... no versions just running changes. :)

I want the full clean, sounds like any one with that should be fine. :rock:

Thanks for the replies! :D

Oh and in my digging I did find this from last year:
viewtopic.php?f=57&t=162820
 
When did the DC heaters make it to production? I have a BE100 that I bought from Sweetwater about a year ago. Wondering if I have that version. Also, is it night and day difference in noise reduction or something that you wouldn't recommend if that was the only work to be done?
 
Per Dave in the post I put the link up for:
" The rev we did was over the summer with a new board in the amp. This allowed better reliability and dc tube heaters for a very very low noise floor. Tone remained the same if not slightly better. "

So from summer of '14 on...

What color is your PCB board?
 
Well it not a nessesary thing. The new amps you could turn everything on 10 and only hear hiss, no hum of any kind. Just really perfected the grounding and added the DC heaters. The amp you own should have it I believe.
 
I have to say that the BE100 I had (had, as in I sold it to get a JJ100, lol) was a stellar amp. It did NOT have the DC heaters (I typed that, but I don't know what they are) but yet it was very quiet. It also had a tube buffered loop as well...and that worked flawlessly.

My point is that good deals can be found on amps that aren't the very latest version, but yet they are still ridiculously good amps. My BE100 had the full clean, one input, everything but the new "heaters" and the SS loop. I cannot imagine it being better than it was and I certainly wouldn't have known there was any new version if I didn't come to Rig Talk as much as I do.
 
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