NAD: Friedman Jose

War_in_D

War_in_D

Well-known member
I would like to set expectations right from the get-go... Don't expect any videos/clips from me. Not my forte, and there are plenty of vids out now that represent this amp WAY better than I ever could. That being said:
  • Opening the box... It smells like the inside of a Gibson Les Paul case. It's got that kind of "vanilla-y" thing going on. Not sure if this is a Friedman thing, as this is only my second Friedman (Pink Taco was first) and the first one I've ordered brand new. Nice surprise, and still has the "vanilla" thing going on several days later.
  • I've only got to spend about an hour with it so far, but the wife is leaving for Canada on Friday and I'm on vacation next week so I plan on messing with it more.
  • Initial Impressions?
    • First amp that I've ever played where the switches actually do something that's immediately and tonally noticeable. All of them really affect the tone in their own way, as well as in concert with each other and allow for a wide range of tones out of this amp.
    • Everyone talks about "PPIMV". This has "Pre" master and "Post" master, depending on which switch setting you're on.. Not sure if this "Post" setting would be considered the same thing as the PPIMV, but the "Pre" master tone is where it's at for me.... Right now, at least. I've got to play with it some more and I can't remember off hand where I had the switches set but it sounded pretty good.
    • Also has "New" and "Old" presence controls.. Right now. the "old" is where it's at but I have a feeling there is a lot of tonal options to unlock with this amp.
    • It feels "stiff" to me, for lack of a better word or technical term, it's not "squishy" to me (maybe compressed is the word I'm looking for) But, I haven't been able to really crank it yet and I'm hoping that some volume will help that a bit. I might need to look at getting another Fryette PS-2 (would help with the Fusionbear Sloth I have as well, as that amp really benefits from the PS-2)
    • It's very responsive to what cab/speakers you pair with it. At first, I plugged it into my "go-to" Splawn 4x12 slant cab loaded with Creamback 65's and V30's in an "X" pattern and thought to myself "This is NOT what I envisioned at all". Moved it to a Splawn 4x12 straight cab loaded with Greenback's and all was right with the world. HUGE difference, made me smile. I haven't tried my Cornford 4x12 straight cab with V30's yet, but that's on the agenda.
    • The amp cleans up really well with the volume knob.
    • Planning on throwing some boosts in front of it, just to see what happens. I'm not really a boost out front kinda guy, so there will be a lot of trial and error I'm sure.
    • I haven't tried anything in the loop yet, but amps tend to "feel" better to me with some reverb/delay on them, so that might help to solve some of my perceived "stiffness".
Overall, pretty sweet amp from what little I've got to play with it. I can't speak for why anyone else has gotten rid of theirs so quickly, but I will say that I'm not married to it (yet). I want to give it a fair shake though as six knob "Marshall-based" amps were never really my choice coming up and if I'm being honest, the weakest link in this tonal chain is going to be me. Especially when it comes to dialing one in. I'm planning on going back to the Michael Nielsen - Big Hairy Guitars video and using his settings to play around with this thing. I know some here really don't dig that guy, but It seems to be the best one I've found that shows what settings/switch positions were being used. I figure that's my best shot to replicate what I heard in some of the videos out there.

Is it worth the price of admission? I can't answer that for you, but it appears to be a solid all around amp, from a well known amp builder, officially associated with arguably one of the most revered amp modders in history. It's got the pedigree, and I'm happy I picked it up... But, in all honesty I'm going to need way more time with it before I feel like it's a "forever" amp for me. Time will tell, I guess. Obligatory Pic:

Friedman Jose.jpg
 
"Feels stiff". Very interesting! That alone tells me the feel is very different than the BE50. Chewy or like putty is the way the BE feels under my fingers.
 
BABMusic said:
"Feels stiff". Very interesting! That alone tells me the feel is very different than the BE50. Chewy or like putty is the way the BE feels under my fingers.
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I really wouldn't read too much into my description of things. I don't have a great vocabulary when it comes to describing the feel of amps. I see folks toss around things like "chewy", etc.. but I don't have any idea what that means in a real world scenario. Maybe "stiff" might be the wrong descriptor, but I've played amps that felt easy to play, like the amp was helping. I'm not getting that from this one (yet). I keep saying "yet" because I've also played amps that, when it was added, reverb and/or delay really changed the dynamic of how I played and interacted with the amp. So, I don't want to give the wrong impression. Not to mention that I've only scratched the surface of what I feel this amp can do.

Corey James said:
Grats my friend! Do you have any way to re-amp something?

I could record a DI and we could compare it to my plex :)
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I don't know the first thing about recording. :dunno: :ROFLMAO:
 
If the feel is kinda stiff, I suggest running it as much as possible, and even leaving it on standby for hours if you can. The new Naylor I ordered sounded just like the 1995 version but felt pretty stiff....but, after about 6 months the Naylor 'Sticky' feel finally showed up. The transformers needed some break in it seemed.
 
I would say, my BE50 doesn't sound stiff. I'm not "fighting the amp", but the amp makes you work for it. You have to earn it with the chewiness of the BE. My Mark IV on the other hand, is more immediate. It sort of plays for you and makes playing very comfortable with minimal effort. You do have to play carefully though, as the Mark IV is very unforgiving on sloppiness.
 
Racerxrated said:
even leaving it on standby for hours if you can.
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Perhaps some of the more knowledgeable techs here can correct me, but that sounds like a bad idea. If I recall, that's a good way to kill your tubes. Cathode poisoning or something along those lines due to the cathode being hot but no voltage on the plates. Wouldn't recommend.
 
Never had much luck boosting my "vintage" José-style amp from another manufacturer, at least, it has so much bass cut out at the input as is that it sounds like a squawky telephone when boosted. At least with the SD/TS stuff, maybe something more fullrange will do better.

Also, and again only if this take on the original Josés is in any way similar to the one I have, these aren´t really modern MV amps as such. They still need some squish from the phase inverter to really get going, sort of like the 2203/2204... that could be the stiffness you´re hearing if you haven´t cranked it up real good. These can be lower in volume than a 1987, sure, that´s what the master and the extra preamp gain and the clipping options are all about - but are still loud ass amps at heart.
 
Dave L said:
Never had much luck boosting my "vintage" José-style amp from another manufacturer, at least, it has so much bass cut out at the input as is that it sounds like a squawky telephone when boosted. At least with the SD/TS stuff, maybe something more fullrange will do better.

Also, and again only if this take on the original Josés is in any way similar to the one I have, these aren´t really modern MV amps as such. They still need some squish from the phase inverter to really get going, sort of like the 2203/2204... that could be the stiffness you´re hearing if you haven´t cranked it up real good. These can be lower in volume than a 1987, sure, that´s what the master and the extra preamp gain and the clipping options are all about - but are still loud ass amps at heart.
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That's kind of what I was thinking too, it needs some room to breathe. I'll probably pick up another PS-2 when I can find a deal on one.
 
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