Friedman JJ Inbound

[GregM]

Hi all, new member to RT, I've been on the fence for sometime now as to which Friedman to get, had it down to BE-100 or the JJ. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to play either, just going on clips & reviews. At first I was set on the BE since my style of playing ranges from srv/hendrix type blues to classic rock/metal to eric johnson, moore Etc. Be-100 made sense since I use strats as well as LP's, however, Im really liking the tones I hear from the JJ and Im thinking it will be just as versatile as the BE-100, not into drop D detuned stuff, any thoughts?

Don't forget the JJ has the regular BE mode as well as the JBE mode. Without the JBE switch off it's basically a BE, although I've seen some say it's more aggressive than a standard BE (I haven't played a BE or heard one in person).

 

[hatrick00]

Yea are close, but definitely not the same... If that was the case i would have gone with the BE..

 

[journeyman73]

Hi all, new member to RT, I've been on the fence for sometime now as to which Friedman to get, had it down to BE-100 or the JJ. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to play either, just going on clips & reviews. At first I was set on the BE since my style of playing ranges from srv/hendrix type blues to classic rock/metal to eric johnson, moore Etc. Be-100 made sense since I use strats as well as LP's, however, Im really liking the tones I hear from the JJ and Im thinking it will be just as versatile as the BE-100, not into drop D detuned stuff, any thoughts?

Don't forget the JJ has the regular BE mode as well as the JBE mode. Without the JBE switch off it's basically a BE, although I've seen some say it's more aggressive than a standard BE (I haven't played a BE or heard one in person).

the voicing is quite different between the JJ (in BE mode) and the BE-100.

based on the artists you cited, I would probably use the BE-100 for that. There is an inherent voicing to the JJ that i probably wouldn't use for SRV/hendrix/classic rock - its not just a level of gain thing that differentiates the two amps.

that said, the JJ is absolutely not 'just' for detuned stuff (though, obviously, i imagine it could do well at that - don't play that myself)

edit: i would also add that the feel is pretty different between the two. the JJ is not quite as 'soft' or indirect as the BE100 to me

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

I like the JJ. I've only seen clips ( Andy Wood ) but I think it sounds good. More sinister sounding than the BE or Steve Stevens.
Love that tele too. What's the body made of?

Alder body - big roasted maple neck

 

[hatrick00]

I agree with journeyman

 

[hatrick00]

JJ has more bass and a bit more gain. They are both amazing amps. If you want modern go JJ. If you want more versatility go BE.

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

BE isn't as aggressive - meaner low end grunt from the JJ. I guess Mad & Pissed are the BE and JJ respectively

 

[hatrick00]

The JJ is Def pissed

 

[Mixman]

Would you still like the JJ as much if you didn't have a boost?

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

Yes, I'd crank the gain a little more and add a little treble and presence.
But - I have lots of boosts

 

[hatrick00]

I really can't recommend the amp enough to anyone into high gain amps. Boost or no boost.

 

[the4thlast1]

I had BE100 and now I have the JJ....To my ears the the BE-100 actually had more bass and upper mids where the JJ gets its thickness from low mids , it has a somewhat lean lowend which makes it tighter than the BE100........Do the rest of you guys who have owned or tried both feel the same way ?

I like both amps but prefer the JJ...The BE100 was a bit too soft and round for me, def great for 80s metal but I prefer the more modern metal tones the JJ can achieve.

 

[hatrick00]

I think the JJ has a chunkier low end. I had both amps. JJ is my preference as it it more modern and aggresive, both are great though.

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

I played both amps (JJ and BE) side by side a few weekends ago with the same cab (Friedman SS with V30's), and I'll echo what others have said that the JJ's BE channel is more aggressive. I didn't compare clean channels, b/c I don't use clean channels. I play hard rock ala GNR, AIC, etc. I liked the JBE channel, but couldn't foresee using it much. All I would need for my classic rock to hard rock cover band is the JJ's BE channel. I play a Splawn and BFG Modded Eggie Seminar head, both in the Marshall camp and both aggressive.

If I was to purchase one, it would be the JJ for it's more aggressive tone. I feel both would cut well, but the JJ would cut better in a mix. Just wish they had an onboard solo/lead boost. Ultimately, I cannot afford one, but JJ gets my vote between the two. I think one needs to spend a lot of time with both to fully appreciate the differences. I do not think I spent enough time with the BE100 to fully appreciate what it does and it's versatility, but I'm so used to plug-n-play and the JJ just did it for me, so I spent more time on the JJ.

Still, both are stellar amps.

 

[journeyman73]

i agree with all you guys - i think the JJ has a lot of 'chunk' as someone said above.

its a tough call when deciding between the two because in addition to the tone, feel, and gain structure - they are very different from a functionality standpoint.

even when one is inclined to gravitate more to the inherent tone of the JJ, the adjustability/flexibility of the BE-100 is really hard to forego - the JJ has a certain distinctiveness to its voicing that has the potential to impact how well it could adjust to really different genres compared to the BE-100....dont get me wrong, the JJ can do a lot of convincing things (its no one-trick pony) but comparing to a BE-100 you are basically comparing to a hot-rodded swiss army knife!

 

[learman96]

Man, this is a tough call, I may have to purchase both and keep the one that gives me the most wood! I really like the BE sound on the JJ, however, versatility wise, the Be100 wins with the c45, fat & SAT, keep in mind I will also be using single coil pickups with it. I did see a BE-100 with the JBE mod on ebay, best of both worlds??

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

Agree with the last two posts above. have the JJ's BE channel on the BE100 with all the BE100's other tonal switches and options and that would be the go for me to spend that much coin. ...Oh, and a footswitchable solo boost.

 

[journeyman73]

Agree with the last two posts above. have the JJ's BE channel on the BE100 with all the BE100's other tonal switches and options and that would be the go for me to spend that much coin. ...Oh, and a footswitchable solo boost.

i know people would call me crazy....but just for me and how much gain i use (or don't use) - i would actually get more use from a BE-100 that had its regular BE channel and replaced the HBE with the BE from the JJ...man, that would be tasty for me

 

[journeyman73]

Man, this is a tough call, I may have to purchase both and keep the one that gives me the most wood! I really like the BE sound on the JJ, however, versatility wise, the Be100 wins with the c45, fat & SAT, keep in mind I will also be using single coil pickups with it. I did see a BE-100 with the JBE mod on ebay, best of both worlds??

if you are in a position to do that, i highly recommend - at least you won't be worrying or second-guessing.

i warn you, though, thats basically what I've always done with gear (i.e. try it figure it out and send back what you don't like as much)....with friedmans, its totally burned me to the tune of having 4 of them with an inability to send any back. i basically don't try any of his other models because i know what will happen

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

the shocker to me has been just how good the BE mode is on the JJ - i thought i would stay in JBE land all the time but i actually think i like the JJ's BE better than the BE-100...im starting to think the latter is a little too 'soft' or filtered for me. the JJ has the grind/grit and is a little more immediate to me, which is the natural sounds i think of when thinking about Friedman levels of gain...

only thing is the BE-100 really is awesome for 80's hair metal, in terms of that polish...the gain character of the JJ is actually better for this but its voicing can be a little more....menacing than 80's hair metal lol

That's exactly how i hear them when listening to clips.