I want another Friedman. Which one?

[ur2funky]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

 

[braintheory]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

Good choice! I just got a Butterslax and it's hands down my favorite Friedman! I still haven't tried the 2016 BE, but I've played all the others and the Butterslax was the clear winner for me. Sounds so fat, saturated and feels amazing to play, especially for leads. It's kinda like the JJ or 2015 BE on steroids!

 

[GBR]

Did someone say Friedman fetish?

Damn!

That looks like fun.

 

[thedimwitt]

My SS100 is anything but thin.

I feel like sometimes there's an issue somewhere else the the rig and people blame the amp. My buddy got a new 5150 el34 the other day and initially thought it didn't sound good. He found that the power supply to one of his pedals was loose and after fixed, the amp sounded stellar.

I bought the amp from the guys who builds Friedman's chassis, I played it with Steve from 39 Stripes and we both thought the same thing. Then we plugged into my Bogner 101b, same cables, pedals, cabs and the bogner blew it away.

 

[thedimwitt]

And yes I tried changing out the preamp and power amp tubes.

 

[journeyman73]

well, some feel the 101b is 'bloated' so i could see some thinking friedmans are 'thin' in comparison.

bogner has that girth to it, which is just a different animal compared to friedmans (or marshall style amps that many are based off of).

 

[thedimwitt]

Maybe I had one that had something malfunctioning? All the clips I saw where fantastic.

 

[mxr2000]

My SS100 is anything but thin.

I feel like sometimes there's an issue somewhere else the the rig and people blame the amp. My buddy got a new 5150 el34 the other day and initially thought it didn't sound good. He found that the power supply to one of his pedals was loose and after fixed, the amp sounded stellar.

I bought the amp from the guys who builds Friedman's chassis, I played it with Steve from 39 Stripes and we both thought the same thing. Then we plugged into my Bogner 101b, same cables, pedals, cabs and the bogner blew it away.

by any chance did you change the tubes of your Friedman? if so what tubes did you instal on the SS100?

 

[thedimwitt]

My SS100 is anything but thin.

I feel like sometimes there's an issue somewhere else the the rig and people blame the amp. My buddy got a new 5150 el34 the other day and initially thought it didn't sound good. He found that the power supply to one of his pedals was loose and after fixed, the amp sounded stellar.

I bought the amp from the guys who builds Friedman's chassis, I played it with Steve from 39 Stripes and we both thought the same thing. Then we plugged into my Bogner 101b, same cables, pedals, cabs and the bogner blew it away.

by any chance did you change the tubes of your Friedman? if so what tubes did you instal on the SS100?

Yes I changes the power and preamp tubes thinking that may have been the problem. Don't remember what brand it was a about two years ago. Just below the quote I posted I changed the tubes.

 

[Fox77]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

So... did it arrive yet?

 

[ur2funky]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

So... did it arrive yet?

Yes! I'm on Day 9 of Butterslax. It's dominated my playing since it's arrival. I was a little bummed that my most expensive amp to date showed up with a 1/4" ding on the front top edge. Thanks Chicago Music Exchange. Apparently it was a floor model and the last one they had. Not that they told me that when I bought it. I'm not anal, but I do take care of my gear. I've got gear I've gigged with for years that is in better shape lol. A little Sharpie marker to bring it back to black and it's mostly hidden. Grrrr. I bought this for mostly home use and it's already scarred. With the tiny stages I gig on, I rarely gig 100 watters so this thing is pretty much just for me! I figure life is getting shorter very quickly and I want to enjoy the best of whatever I can from here on out.
Anyway, sorry for the asides. What about the amp?

All 3 channels are very responsive to the guitar's volume knob; a wide range of gain but without altering the apparent loudness that much and not feeling compressed. How Friedman does this soo well I don't know.

I've settled into some settings;
Channel 1 can be dialed from a loud clean to ac/dc grunt to much heavier. I've been using it with the gain on the amp at 11:00 so at 5 on my Strat volume knob it is very clean and at 10 w/ the bridge humbucker it's very ac/dc. Very impressive how well it does this.

Channel 2 is much like the JBE channel on the JJ100, but probably with even more gain (I'll check this today). Once again, cleans up great with the guitar volume. I have this channel's gain set to about 10:00, which allows my guitar when turned down to 3, to be mostly clean and turned up is that great JBE sound. Full, lots of sustain.

Channel 3 adds even more gain and a slightly different sonic character than channel 2. Once again, the volume knob works great. My guitar when turned down to 3, is a very hairy clean and turned up is violinish sustain at TV set volumes. Very addictive!

A boost pedal in front of ch 3 is just total sonic mayhem. No boost needed with this amp though. I get lost on any of the channels enjoying a wide range of gain levels just riding the guitar's volume. Last friday I played it for about 4 hours nonstop. Just tickled. The thought that I had a 6 hour gig later that night made put down the guitar to save what was left of my hands.

It can be brutal heavy sounding, which is very fun! Not so much my style, but it seems to do it very well. The amp has a 'graininess' to it, as heard in the clips, that might lead someone to think that this is a one trick pony / high gain amp with no clean channel. Not true. The amp's incredible responsiveness in all 3 channels begs that this is actually a fine art instrument, a capable, highly expressive tool. And it can really annoy the piss out of the neighbors too! lol

If cleans are your thing, the clean on this isn't maybe quite as good as on the JJ. But this clean channel does a lot of amazing things not found on the JJ either. Very impressive. If you need a loud clean clean, it is there. Or if you prefer 3 channels of mayhem, it's there too!

Another winner from Mr Friedman!

 

[Jon BCN]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

So... did it arrive yet?

Yes! I'm on Day 9 of Butterslax. It's dominated my playing since it's arrival. I was a little bummed that my most expensive amp to date showed up with a 1/4" ding on the front top edge. Thanks Chicago Music Exchange. Apparently it was a floor model and the last one they had. Not that they told me that when I bought it. I'm not anal, but I do take care of my gear. I've got gear I've gigged with for years that is in better shape lol. A little Sharpie marker to bring it back to black and it's mostly hidden. Grrrr. I bought this for mostly home use and it's already scarred. With the tiny stages I gig on, I rarely gig 100 watters so this thing is pretty much just for me! I figure life is getting shorter very quickly and I want to enjoy the best of whatever I can from here on out.
Anyway, sorry for the asides. What about the amp?

All 3 channels are very responsive to the guitar's volume knob; a wide range of gain but without altering the apparent loudness that much and not feeling compressed. How Friedman does this soo well I don't know.

I've settled into some settings;
Channel 1 can be dialed from a loud clean to ac/dc grunt to much heavier. I've been using it with the gain on the amp at 11:00 so at 5 on my Strat volume knob it is very clean and at 10 w/ the bridge humbucker it's very ac/dc. Very impressive how well it does this.

Channel 2 is much like the JBE channel on the JJ100, but probably with even more gain (I'll check this today). Once again, cleans up great with the guitar volume. I have this channel's gain set to about 10:00, which allows my guitar when turned down to 3, to be mostly clean and turned up is that great JBE sound. Full, lots of sustain.

Channel 3 adds even more gain and a slightly different sonic character than channel 2. Once again, the volume knob works great. My guitar when turned down to 3, is a very hairy clean and turned up is violinish sustain at TV set volumes. Very addictive!

A boost pedal in front of ch 3 is just total sonic mayhem. No boost needed with this amp though. I get lost on any of the channels enjoying a wide range of gain levels just riding the guitar's volume. Last friday I played it for about 4 hours nonstop. Just tickled. The thought that I had a 6 hour gig later that night made put down the guitar to save what was left of my hands.

It can be brutal heavy sounding, which is very fun! Not so much my style, but it seems to do it very well. The amp has a 'graininess' to it, as heard in the clips, that might lead someone to think that this is a one trick pony / high gain amp with no clean channel. Not true. The amp's incredible responsiveness in all 3 channels begs that this is actually a fine art instrument, a capable, highly expressive tool. And it can really annoy the piss out of the neighbors too! lol

If cleans are your thing, the clean on this isn't maybe quite as good as on the JJ. But this clean channel does a lot of amazing things not found on the JJ either. Very impressive. If you need a loud clean clean, it is there. Or if you prefer 3 channels of mayhem, it's there too!

Another winner from Mr Friedman!

Can you answer me some questions about the Butterslax?

-The "clean" channel is good as a pedal plataform? Can it take distortions?

-Can it do hard rock like Scorpions or it's voicing it's just for brutal fat stuff?

-Early Metallica is doable, also? What I heard about the second channel seems to be in the ballpark, but I'm not sure. Can it get tight and sharp enough for that?

-Apart from obviously Mastodon stuff, what other famous bands tones do you think you can nail with the amp?

I'm considering the Butterslax, but I want a good clean channel that can be used as a pedal plataform and I want something that can go from hard rock to thrash. Maybe the JJ with the Voxy full clean channel and the BE channel is more suited for my needs than the Butterslax.

 

[ur2funky]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

So... did it arrive yet?

Another winner from Mr Friedman!

Can you answer me some questions about the Butterslax?

-The "clean" channel is good as a pedal plataform? Can it take distortions?

-Can it do hard rock like Scorpions or it's voicing it's just for brutal fat stuff?

-Early Metallica is doable, also? What I heard about the second channel seems to be in the ballpark, but I'm not sure. Can it get tight and sharp enough for that?

-Apart from obviously Mastodon stuff, what other famous bands tones do you think you can nail with the amp?

I'm considering the Butterslax, but I want a good clean channel that can be used as a pedal plataform and I want something that can go from hard rock to thrash. Maybe the JJ with the Voxy full clean channel and the BE channel is more suited for my needs than the Butterslax.

The JJ is a great amp. I just moved the 'Slax to another part of my house, away from my pedal boards, but I will try some pedals through the clean. To me, I like this amp for the reason that I don't need a pedal with it, just plug straight in. All the gain I need. With the JJ I enjoy throwing a boost in front of it to throw it over the top (for low volume playing).
A pedal platform amp for me is that the clean tone is the strong point of the amp, but I'll try it with the 'Slax and the JJ too. Pedals are generally amp specific, i.e. some pedals sound great with one amp and not with another.

As far as bands and their tones, I can't really help you, Sorry. I would guess that Scorpions would be CH 1 gain maxed, which is more the modded Marshall/BE tone. I can tell you that the "THUMP" control is very effective, and can greatly reduce lows and when combined with the bass control, will basically completely remove the low end. Can't get tighter than that. Boost them to drop the bomb.

Here's some guy playing VH thru the 'Slax...

https://youtu.be/OYw1H9lye6w

 

[Fox77]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

So... did it arrive yet?

Yes! I'm on Day 9 of Butterslax. It's dominated my playing since it's arrival. I was a little bummed that my most expensive amp to date showed up with a 1/4" ding on the front top edge. Thanks Chicago Music Exchange. Apparently it was a floor model and the last one they had. Not that they told me that when I bought it. I'm not anal, but I do take care of my gear. I've got gear I've gigged with for years that is in better shape lol. A little Sharpie marker to bring it back to black and it's mostly hidden. Grrrr. I bought this for mostly home use and it's already scarred. With the tiny stages I gig on, I rarely gig 100 watters so this thing is pretty much just for me! I figure life is getting shorter very quickly and I want to enjoy the best of whatever I can from here on out.
Anyway, sorry for the asides. What about the amp?

All 3 channels are very responsive to the guitar's volume knob; a wide range of gain but without altering the apparent loudness that much and not feeling compressed. How Friedman does this soo well I don't know.

I've settled into some settings;
Channel 1 can be dialed from a loud clean to ac/dc grunt to much heavier. I've been using it with the gain on the amp at 11:00 so at 5 on my Strat volume knob it is very clean and at 10 w/ the bridge humbucker it's very ac/dc. Very impressive how well it does this.

Channel 2 is much like the JBE channel on the JJ100, but probably with even more gain (I'll check this today). Once again, cleans up great with the guitar volume. I have this channel's gain set to about 10:00, which allows my guitar when turned down to 3, to be mostly clean and turned up is that great JBE sound. Full, lots of sustain.

Channel 3 adds even more gain and a slightly different sonic character than channel 2. Once again, the volume knob works great. My guitar when turned down to 3, is a very hairy clean and turned up is violinish sustain at TV set volumes. Very addictive!

A boost pedal in front of ch 3 is just total sonic mayhem. No boost needed with this amp though. I get lost on any of the channels enjoying a wide range of gain levels just riding the guitar's volume. Last friday I played it for about 4 hours nonstop. Just tickled. The thought that I had a 6 hour gig later that night made put down the guitar to save what was left of my hands.

It can be brutal heavy sounding, which is very fun! Not so much my style, but it seems to do it very well. The amp has a 'graininess' to it, as heard in the clips, that might lead someone to think that this is a one trick pony / high gain amp with no clean channel. Not true. The amp's incredible responsiveness in all 3 channels begs that this is actually a fine art instrument, a capable, highly expressive tool. And it can really annoy the piss out of the neighbors too! lol

If cleans are your thing, the clean on this isn't maybe quite as good as on the JJ. But this clean channel does a lot of amazing things not found on the JJ either. Very impressive. If you need a loud clean clean, it is there. Or if you prefer 3 channels of mayhem, it's there too!

Another winner from Mr Friedman!

Great review, many thanks!

I think that the Butterslax' channel 2 must have more gain if you can set it at 10:00. If I set the JJ's gain at 10:00, I may hit AC/DC territory or maybe a bit more, but nowhere near high gain. I usually have the gain on max or a bit lower (8-10 on the dial, which is just about enough) and amazingly it stays very clear and usable.

Seems like it could co-exist next to the JJ. I fear for my wallet

 

[Jon BCN]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

So... did it arrive yet?

Another winner from Mr Friedman!

Can you answer me some questions about the Butterslax?

-The "clean" channel is good as a pedal plataform? Can it take distortions?

-Can it do hard rock like Scorpions or it's voicing it's just for brutal fat stuff?

-Early Metallica is doable, also? What I heard about the second channel seems to be in the ballpark, but I'm not sure. Can it get tight and sharp enough for that?

-Apart from obviously Mastodon stuff, what other famous bands tones do you think you can nail with the amp?

I'm considering the Butterslax, but I want a good clean channel that can be used as a pedal plataform and I want something that can go from hard rock to thrash. Maybe the JJ with the Voxy full clean channel and the BE channel is more suited for my needs than the Butterslax.

The JJ is a great amp. I just moved the 'Slax to another part of my house, away from my pedal boards, but I will try some pedals through the clean. To me, I like this amp for the reason that I don't need a pedal with it, just plug straight in. All the gain I need. With the JJ I enjoy throwing a boost in front of it to throw it over the top (for low volume playing).
A pedal platform amp for me is that the clean tone is the strong point of the amp, but I'll try it with the 'Slax and the JJ too. Pedals are generally amp specific, i.e. some pedals sound great with one amp and not with another.

As far as bands and their tones, I can't really help you, Sorry. I would guess that Scorpions would be CH 1 gain maxed, which is more the modded Marshall/BE tone. I can tell you that the "THUMP" control is very effective, and can greatly reduce lows and when combined with the bass control, will basically completely remove the low end. Can't get tighter than that. Boost them to drop the bomb.

Here's some guy playing VH thru the 'Slax...

https://youtu.be/OYw1H9lye6w

Thank you for your input!

I don't really like that video, still have that grain in the gain that to my ears just doesnt feel right for that kind of music. I mean, that grain is awesome for Mastodon and brutal fat stuff, but for other styles I'm not feeling it (based on videos, not real testing).

 

[BrentSP]

I breiefly played a butterslax, I guess I should spend more time with it I dont know.

 

[ur2funky]

This is getting out of control...I've been loving the JJ soo much I just ordered a Butterslax!

So... did it arrive yet?

Channel 2 is much like the JBE channel on the JJ100, but probably with even more gain (I'll check this today). Once again, cleans up great with the guitar volume. I have this channel's gain set to about 10:00, which allows my guitar when turned down to 3, to be mostly clean and turned up is that great JBE sound. Full, lots of sustain.

Great review, many thanks!

I think that the Butterslax' channel 2 must have more gain if you can set it at 10:00. If I set the JJ's gain at 10:00, I may hit AC/DC territory or maybe a bit more, but nowhere near high gain. I usually have the gain on max or a bit lower (8-10 on the dial, which is just about enough) and amazingly it stays very clear and usable.

Seems like it could co-exist next to the JJ. I fear for my wallet

I should clarify when I mention ac/dc level of gain, it's to play ac/dc rhythm parts; classic Marshall crunch, as you need a bit more boost for leads. And there is less gain used on those tracks than most guitarists probably cover them with.

I too run my JJ's JBE gain at near max and may even hit a boost pedal to help it sing at low volumes. The JBE cleans up soo nice with the guitar knob, might as well max the gain! lol.

I would guess that the 'Slax has more gain on ch 2 than the JBE, but without moving it back near my JJ and using matching cabs to really tell, it's just a guess.

And how I'm using the 'Slax, the JBE is the mid-gain channel, with a 'Turbo' level a footswitch away. Like all Friedmans, even the highest gain still has a clarity to it.

Just a warning that I found out the hard way; the Friedman amps are different enough from each other that you will want to keep them all. There's no 'get them both and pick the winner' scenario. You just end up with a pile of Friedmans. Hallelujah!

 

[ur2funky]

Here's some guy playing VH thru the 'Slax...

https://youtu.be/OYw1H9lye6w

Thank you for your input!

I don't really like that video, still have that grain in the gain that to my ears just doesnt feel right for that kind of music. I mean, that grain is awesome for Mastodon and brutal fat stuff, but for other styles I'm not feeling it (based on videos, not real testing).

Yeah, I hear ya'. When I first got the 'Slax I had the treble and presence dialed way back, mids boosted, to help remove that grain. After a day or two I thought I needed more highs, start turning them up...etc...after about a week I'm full-on loving the grain lol. It does grow on you.

I'm a classic rock player. I should mention that ch 1 is hotrodded Marshall, old school sounding when running thru greenbacks like I have it. I imagine it to be like ch 1 on SmallBox but with more gain on tap, but I've only heard the SB, not played it. I put a Barber DD/DC pedal in to ch 1 amp set clean and was disappointed with the pedal. CH 1 does a better Marshall than this normally great pedal. CH 2 & 3 are nothing like a classic Marshall. I don't know what they are lol.

Which pedal would you imagine trying in the 'Slax?

Good luck with your tone quest!

 

[Jon BCN]

Here's some guy playing VH thru the 'Slax...

https://youtu.be/OYw1H9lye6w

Thank you for your input!

I don't really like that video, still have that grain in the gain that to my ears just doesnt feel right for that kind of music. I mean, that grain is awesome for Mastodon and brutal fat stuff, but for other styles I'm not feeling it (based on videos, not real testing).

Yeah, I hear ya'. When I first got the 'Slax I had the treble and presence dialed way back, mids boosted, to help remove that grain. After a day or two I thought I needed more highs, start turning them up...etc...after about a week I'm full-on loving the grain lol. It does grow on you.

I'm a classic rock player. I should mention that ch 1 is hotrodded Marshall, old school sounding when running thru greenbacks like I have it. I imagine it to be like ch 1 on SmallBox but with more gain on tap, but I've only heard the SB, not played it. I put a Barber DD/DC pedal in to ch 1 amp set clean and was disappointed with the pedal. CH 1 does a better Marshall than this normally great pedal. CH 2 & 3 are nothing like a classic Marshall. I don't know what they are lol.

Which pedal would you imagine trying in the 'Slax?

Good luck with your tone quest!

Thanks!

I was thinking to put something like the Mesa Flux Five, Bogner Blue or the VH4 pedal just to have different flavors to mess with.

Seems like someone has read me lateley and made a video of the Butterslax doing thrash, hahaha. It actually sounded quite good and the grain didn't bother me at at all. Sounded awesome even doing the infamous Master Of Puppets riff, which is like the poster of Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ tone. I definitely need to try the amp in person.

I think my ideal Friedman amp would be something like SS clean channel + BE channel + 2nd channel of the Butterslax.