Question about Friedman amps

[Kapo_Polenton]

Which cops Sykes, zakk Wylde and rhoads?

Real Jose mod for Sykes best tone IMO and Marshalls with boosts for the other two's best tones. Or we could try and re-invent the wheel.

Boosted Marshall's are a killer tone indeed Mark Cameron always told me why mod a stock marshall just boost it with a Boss SD-1...It's the tone he always has to better when he mods an amp

Agreed. I find it funny that people want a modded amp to sound like a boosted amp... Randy may have had the one wire mod done to his Marshalls but he still tightened those suckers up with an MXR Disto + (crappy by today's cork sniffing standards ) and an EQ to gain them up and get that razor sharp tone. Zakk Wylde is what, a thick ass chorus and an SD-1 with EMG's into a JCM800 or JMP at good volumes. Sykes is a combination of diode clipping MV added to an 800 and his hands. I added that to my 800 and it gained the crap out of it. It had that tone but I prefer it off. The answer to all these questions is, a Marshall and a couple of pedals on the floor. I would love a Friedman small box but I ain't got that sort of cash and it still sounds like it needs to be slightly boosted to get the gain up for Sykes so I stick with what I have.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

To each his own. I tried the sd-1 on a couple amps and it didn't come close to a sound I like. Maybe when recording, or mixed on a board? It killed the lows and low/mids when I used it. I tried it on the plexi channel of a smallbox, not even close to the built in BEish channel. EQ could be the difference? I guess I've never liked the sound of pedals for a gain sound, or never had the patience to dial one in.
Back on topic, SB does a great ac/dc on the plexi channel with the gain up a bit, can't comment on the other artist you're trying to cop.

How loud did you have the amp? You need to get the MV past half way on the amp and then watchout and feel that SD-1 become part of the amp. Anything at even loud bedroom levels will sound like a pedal on top of preamp gain. The reason the classic formula sounded so good was because they recorded it at "classic" volume ...which is LOUD.

 

[journeyman73]

To each his own. I tried the sd-1 on a couple amps and it didn't come close to a sound I like. Maybe when recording, or mixed on a board? It killed the lows and low/mids when I used it. I tried it on the plexi channel of a smallbox, not even close to the built in BEish channel. EQ could be the difference? I guess I've never liked the sound of pedals for a gain sound, or never had the patience to dial one in.
Back on topic, SB does a great ac/dc on the plexi channel with the gain up a bit, can't comment on the other artist you're trying to cop.

How loud did you have the amp? You need to get the MV past half way on the amp and then watchout and feel that SD-1 become part of the amp. Anything at even loud bedroom levels will sound like a pedal on top of preamp gain. The reason the classic formula sounded so good was because they recorded it at "classic" volume ...which is LOUD.

so, an SD-1 into a cooking amp will not result in a loss of low end?

thats been my issue with a lot of overdrive type boxes (I've tended to try those because distortion boxes have typically changed the inherent sound of my amp too much) - I've lost the bottom that the amp has on its own. though, i haven't tried an SD-1 before...

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

No, it will result in a bit of low end loss but when you open the amp up, it gets thicker and compresses a bit more so an SD-1 tightens up your tone in addition to adding more gain. Most people can get above a drummer with an amp set on 3 going through a 4 x 12 and higher gain amps are tight due to the preamp. Get them pushing 6 or 7 on the MV and they will start to flub out as well.