Friedman Brit-50 Head

[mermer]

I think the JEL amp is a good platform, Dave made it more raw and Marshally pissed off. It's what every guitar player always asks for... a good plexi channel and a gained up JCM800 channel with a loop. For alot of guitars players those two sounds in one amp is very usable and enticing so I can see why Dave would bring it market without calling it a JEL amp.

Around one and a half years ago Dave swapped one of the channels in my Twin Sister with a JEL high gain channel, which is basically a JCM800 with more gain and some switches. It really transformed the amp to something else; the JEL channel is much brighter and open sounding, even though it has got not much gain I think it sounds more aggressive than the BE channel in the Smallbox amp. I also tried the Smallbox but did not get use to it, sounds too safe and polite to my ears considering what it does. Curious how this Brit50 compares to it

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Cra

No bite, no KERRANG, felt it lacked punch and sustain. Most Friedmans are ‘smoother’ takes on Marshalls but his BE and Twin Sister are fantastic amps in their own right. At the time I had a 1987x here and it absolutely ate the Plex for lunch.

Wow, surprised to hear that. I figured that was the one amp that he would have done faithfully but I guess he couldn't resist with his mids and compression. I def. stay away from Friedman stuff for that reason. I hate those mids. I describe them as "soft" and hollow.

 

[2dor]

Cra


Wow, surprised to hear that. I figured that was the one amp that he would have done faithfully but I guess he couldn't resist with his mids and compression. I def. stay away from Friedman stuff for that reason. I hate those mids. I describe them as "soft" and hollow.

I had a PLEX for about 2 weeks over the winter holidays & my experience with it was pretty different: has a lot of bite / kerrang, can get very aggressive and the PPIMV was GREAT!

 

[_actual time_]

The JEL circuit has a 22 uF bypass cap on one of the gain stages, which gives a big midrange boost, that 80s snarl, different to my ears than a 800. Plus the lower resistor and bypass cap on the cold clipper. I've modded the cold clipper in my 800s; it still sounds like a 800, just gained up, with the sizzle on the top end but not the big midrange snarl.

I wonder if this Brit circuit is gained up but without the JEL midrange cap, so more a gained-up 800 than the JEL. Just a guess.

The JEL clean channel to me was too boomy and loose, especially with the gain up, I couldn't get the shared EQ to balance, and it didn't have enough gain to use as a rhythm channel. I wonder if the other channel on this Brit circuit is the same as the JEL or different somehow.

 

[GuitarBilly]

If you're in Phoenix, you can come try it out.

Thanks man. I am on the other side of the country unfortunately (DC area). But it's very nice of you to offer it.

 

[Jdub]

but it only stays in the stable if it can hang at band practice. YT videos don't really settle that.

Truth. So many times over the years I have a amp or rig that I think is great. Then it disappears in the band setting... My Tria xis/290 rig vanished next to a VHT CLX
XTC 101b had to be too loud to be heard, at the right volume, to match the band, it lacked cut.. But for whatever reason despite the polished softer attack of Daves amps, Both Be DLX and JEL 20. cut just fine. BUT. If your talking hanging with a PLexi type amp. Forget it. Few, if any when push comes to shove. but also its not a competition. Just needs to fit and cut. Marshalls and SLO consistently do that..

 

[Rick Lee]

To be fair, I only took my Runt 50 to band practice once and really didn't give it more than a few songs. At home I gush over this amp. Love it to pieces. But it did not have the cut or clarity with the band that the Soldano has. When I had a Dirty Shirley, I felt like it was took dark at band practice, though, again, sounded great at home. I am curious about the Brit 50, but I cannot see it beating out my SL67 and that is my benchmark now for 50w Plexi-style tone.

 

[DanTravis62]

I like the Plex and the Dirty Shirley Mini/little Sister but I’ve never got on with the bulk of his Master Volume amps. Because they’re emulating a Marshall so much, they draw a direct comparison in my mind and for my hands and there’s something just not right (for me) in the top end and in the grunt/ push factor. That being said I respect Dave a lot. it’s, his ear and mine mustn’t align on what an 800 does.
Still looking forward to his take on Vox. Would like to try a Buxom Betty too.

This is almost my exact opinion on friedman/dave

I respect his knowledge and business acumen 100%, and generally when he does something "different" ampwise, i tend to like it. I.E. the dirty shirley, etc.

But the master volume amps really, really are not my thing. not that they are bad at all, I just find them wanting versus an actual marshall.

 

[romanianreaper]

Thanks man. I am on the other side of the country unfortunately (DC area). But it's very nice of you to offer it.

You poor bastard, I still have PTSD from the traffic when I was stationed there. I do like D.C. in small doses, lol.

 

[GuitarBilly]

You poor bastard, I still have PTSD from the traffic when I was stationed there. I do like D.C. in small doses, lol.

Yeah no kidding. I work from home so I avoid it most days. But yeah, the traffic here is awful.

 

[Equ1nox]

I had a combo that I ordered last year. I have always enjoyed every Ceriatone amp I have owned. I used the JVM51 as a clean dirty amp and it was fine. I did not have issues with the master or the loop. My only disappointment was that the footswitch did not have an LED on it to know what channel you are on and that some of the chassis screws came loose. Other that that is sounded great. I did not have much use for the bright switches etc. I am a simple user. I use a Mesa Fillmore right now while I wait for a cabinet for my Shiva. I need clean sounds and dirty sounds from an amp.

Yeah, I was curious if people preferred LED indicators on the footswitch or on the amp??
Seems like consensus is on the footswitch so can see when switching on-stage?? I think I actually like it on the amp better personally! I can hear the differences from the footpedal, but to each their own.

Yeah, another common theme many people have communicated...they want at least a clean and dirty.

 

[Rick Lee]

Yeah, I don't care about lights on an amp when I'm at a gig. I care about lights/LEDs near my feet. Only hang up there is sometimes the stage or house lights can make you think a pedal is on when it's not. I really had a problem with that at my last gig. I also put a lower value resistor on the LED in my SD-1, so it was a little brighter under stage lights. At home stock LED was no prob, but it was a prob under stage lights.

 

[Alpha Stryke]

I think the "plexi" thing is a bit over-marketed.

 

[Racerxrated]

Truth. So many times over the years I have a amp or rig that I think is great. Then it disappears in the band setting... My Tria xis/290 rig vanished next to a VHT CLX
XTC 101b had to be too loud to be heard, at the right volume, to match the band, it lacked cut.. But for whatever reason despite the polished softer attack of Daves amps, Both Be DLX and JEL 20. cut just fine. BUT. If your talking hanging with a PLexi type amp. Forget it. Few, if any when push comes to shove. but also its not a competition. Just needs to fit and cut. Marshalls and SLO consistently do that..

This is the truth that can only be told in a true band setting. I don't play out much anymore but a few times a year. Last summer, I brought a Snorkler over for rehearsals and dammned if it didn't get swallowed up quick. I was very surprised; it lasted a few more weeks but then I brought my 72 SL and it was no issue. You play them back to back, you don't notice such a huge difference but....

 

[Rick Lee]

Yeah, a '72 SL is gonna hang with any band and spank most other amps.

I ran my Runt 50 a bit last night at home. Still sounds so awesome at home. But that SL67 and SLO100 crush it at band practice. What to do?

 

[romanianreaper]

I think the "plexi" thing is a bit over-marketed.

I think I agree with you a bit on that one. It has almost replaced "Brown Sound" at this point. Don't get me wrong, I love that Plexi sound but with so many touting that they capture it, hard to decide on the real deal.

 

[Racerxrated]

I think I agree with you a bit on that one. It has almost replaced "Brown Sound" at this point. Don't get me wrong, I love that Plexi sound but with so many touting that they capture it, hard to decide on the real deal.

Pick up a reissue HW Marshall 1959. They are not too expensive used. That will give you the best approximation of the real deal without spending 4-10k on a real 68-69. All these 'Plex' amps are just attempts at cloning or 'approximating' the real deal. Instead, get the real deal.
Killer amps.

 

[Alpha Stryke]

As a 60's / 70's chile i can tell you that when the MV amps came out [Marshall and others] everyone dropped their 4 hole Marshalls like a bad habit.

 

[BABMusic]

Dave said yesterday that the Brit is supposed to be more raw than his other 50-watters.

 

[Rick Lee]

I took a 1996 reissued 1959SLP in a trade a while back and it totally slays. I didn't even pull the back panel off when I took it in. Later on I did and saw the trannies were replaced with ClassicTone and the caps were the blue F&Ts. So it had had some work done, but damn if that amp doesn't have the Marshall mojo in spades.