Whats this new Friedman amp??

[BABMusic]

This will likely be one of the most affordable Friedmans once some of the used ones show up for sale. $1400-1500 for this circuit, could be awesome. As I said in a previous thread, the Jose 100 circuit has a true Marshall midrange tone to it. That's going to be very appealing to a lot of players who didn't quite like the previous amps. I also just heard that the bottom end in this 20 watter is huge. Also, they really marketed this thing -- it's on every damn youtube channel today! lol

 

[Anje]

Yes, very cool little amp, but the $$/££/€€ start to be over the top here in Europe... almost 2100€ from Thomann.

I've had a Runt 20 I used a lot for years for weekly basic easy load in/out band rehearsal duty in a small studio, was very happy with it; until I decided to pull one of the bigger amps again
One of my old simple 4010 Marshall would eat it alive; but both together was actually a very very cool dual amp setup I then used for a portable wet/dry based rig.

 

[joesatch]

Pink Taco 50. They went with Pink Taco was intended to be Pete Thorn but the deal fell thru and he went with suhr

 

[CarlF]

Can this new Friedman get me these style tones?

 

[BABMusic]

I just realized this might actually be stocked at my local GC store. If it is, I'm going to go play it for sure. I will say though, I've never liked an EL84 amp in the past more so than an EL34 cousin. I played a DSL mini a few months back -- decent, but not great. I played a Mark V mini 25 -- not anything really like my Mark IV.

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

I don't at all get the appeal of 20 watt high gain amps. It is weird as shit.

That said, I wish Friedman the best and I know these will sell like hotcakes. So many people are trying to convince themselves that 20 watts = 100

 

[napalmdeath]

I'm curious if he could have used just one EL34...
Owning a EL84 Amp myself and using it through a 4-12, it really doesn't push air like a 34 based Amp does..
(Just my opinion.... Please don't skin me alive).

Yeah, and you need an EQ in the loop for any real thump. Fortunately, his loops are excellent, and easily doable.. I made the PT-20 V2 sound massive. This amp seems to have that grind and aggression. In my opinion, the PT-20 is simplified, cheap used, and would be the way to go. It has those Jose tones, just dumbed down.

 

[mentoneman]

philx 20 and friedvox in the pipeline and heard they both sound great.

back to jose





i think the tones in the sweetwater demo sound better than these but i like this next one for playing a poppier style with the amp, plus guys a racks and tyler kinda chap…

 

[Braciola]

Another 20 watt EL 84 fail. Viet Cong Marshalls even use EL 34's. Why do they insist on EL 84's?

Marshall used EL 34's in their small amps as a marketing ploy.
Those tubes do not righ in those amps........ cold bias and starved of voltage.
Heck, the old vintage Marshall 18 Watters used EL84's and they kick ass.

 

[Anje]

I don't at all get the appeal of 20 watt high gain amps. It is weird as shit.

That said, I wish Friedman the best and I know these will sell like hotcakes. So many people are trying to convince themselves that 20 watts = 100

When I had few of those 20w, the main appeal to be honest was much more about the smaller size & cost, as a compromised alternative to my bigger amps.

 

[cobrahead1030]

First used one I find locally is coming home with me.

 

[PDC]

I must be getting old and jaded. I used to get SO juiced over a new piece of gear with hype and a 'release date.' Well produced demo videos used to always have me reaching for my wallet. If I just close my eyes and listen to the demo videos - this new lil' Jose definitely sound good. Not knocking it at all. But absent the hype - am I hearing anything in the actual guitar sound that most of us couldn't capture with the amps and stomps we already own?

That and the way inflation has permeated the music gear market: knocking on the door of $2 grand for a 20 watt mini amp??? Not saying its 'over priced' but I guess EVERYTHING is 'over-priced' these days. Put that thing on my porch with shipping and tax for under $1,500.00 and I find myself thinking about it when I should be working... nudge that price up to $2k and I'm content to swap pickups and bodies/necks on the partscasters I already own for that 'something new' feeling with my gear.

I like cobrahead's approach here - wait for the first used one to pop up within driving distance.

 

[napalmdeath]

Marshall used EL 34's in their small amps as a marketing ploy.
Those tubes do not righ in those amps........ cold bias and starved of voltage.
Heck, the old vintage Marshall 18 Watters used EL84's and they kick ass.

Yeah, even with the hot tubes Marshall uses, I've never had a Studio series see more than 50% dissipation. Thats why I ditched the 800. It would probably sound better if you could get them to 60%. I hate amps that are cathode biased, although the Friedman 20 watters run hot.

 

[CarlF]

Regardless, I owned a Marshall SV20 and SC20.
BOTH stomped the shit out of the JEL20. I attributed it to those shitty EL84's in the JEL.
Funny, when he came out with the JEL50, it had a switch to defeat the horrid always-on bright cap in the 20.
Turned me off to ANY amp he ever makes. He makes this-year's money-grab, and runs his fat ass over to Shitwater Headquarters for that Sloth to demo it. Suckers.

 

[Deleted member 101920]

I must be getting old and jaded. I used to get SO juiced over a new piece of gear with hype and a 'release date.' Well produced demo videos used to always have me reaching for my wallet. If I just close my eyes and listen to the demo videos - this new lil' Jose definitely sound good. Not knocking it at all. But absent the hype - am I hearing anything in the actual guitar sound that most of us couldn't capture with the amps and stomps we already own?

That and the way inflation has permeated the music gear market: knocking on the door of $2 grand for a 20 watt mini amp??? Not saying its 'over priced' but I guess EVERYTHING is 'over-priced' these days. Put that thing on my porch with shipping and tax for under $1,500.00 and I find myself thinking about it when I should be working... nudge that price up to $2k and I'm content to swap pickups and bodies/necks on the partscasters I already own for that 'something new' feeling with my gear.

I like cobrahead's approach here - wait for the first used one to pop up within driving distance.

Exactly!!!
I always think the same thing to myself when I read or hear about people buying "such and such" amp, to own it for 4 maybe 5 months, then go out and buy another amp that does the same exact thing.
You're not old and Jaded, you have just realized that buying new stuff or the same stuff over and over again won't make you a rock god or give you heavenly tones we all "chase".
It drives me crazy when I read how someone has owned a 5150 3 or 4 times. Or how they keep selling and buying a EVH Stealth head because they miss it when it's gone........ Like.... Keep what you have and be happy.
Companies want us to WANT to buy what they have. So every year they rehash the same old thing they had out last year. Or give us a "mini" version of something we own already to drool over and spend hours on here speculating about it, and second guessing if what we have ALREADY is good enough to maintain our living room Rockstar stature.
They stay in business by making us feel if we don't have this years *Updated* version with -"5% more gain"- or one extra switch that does something hardly noticable we are gonna miss out and regret it... It's just all about making money off people who don't realize what they have is already anything anyone could ever want..
Ohhh.. and one last thing...
Everything sounds the SAME!!...
Every Amplifier made after the year 1995 has some of the DNA in it of either a 5150 or a Dual Rectifier.....
Tons of amp companies have come and gone and they all did one thing, make their amps sound like what people love and have already..
My way of thinking and doing is- Keep what you have and be happy.
If you go out and buy something new because it's the "New awesome model" or "This is bigger and better and meaner"..... Well.... You are probably buying what you have already. Just in a new color or cosmetic look..

Save your money people... The only thing that's going to improve your talent or tones is YOU.
What is it they say? Practice makes Perfect....

 

[CarlF]

I can tell you what takes the excitement out of a new release, regardless of the manufacturer.
It’s all these YouTube assholes, getting it ahead of time and shilling the shit out of it. It takes the excitement and the fun out of everything.

 

[Bloodrock]

5 different volume knobs... Lol.

 

[BABMusic]

It's true that it's not worlds apart from other Friedmans like the BE varitants. But, when I had the Jose 100 in my possession, it was the best sounding circuit for a high gain Plexi voicing that I've ever heard. Getting access to this circuit for $2000 less than the 100 watt, is huge. I would just say, don't underestimate this circuit, that's all. It's beautifully voiced and the midrange was perfect sounding in the 100 watt version. I just hope the 20 watt version does it justice. Also, Michael Nielson told me yesterday that the 20 watt version has more gain than the 100 and a huge bottom end.

I agree that the marketing can be a bit obnoxious, but hey, at least they are not doing what Mesa did with the C+.

 

[anomaly]

I’ll guess it has Marshall vibes, but more polished and polite

...and more produced sounding, like a recording.

 

[Deleted member 101920]

I don't at all get the appeal of 20 watt high gain amps. It is weird as shit.

That said, I wish Friedman the best and I know these will sell like hotcakes. So many people are trying to convince themselves that 20 watts = 100

Wait..... How many EVH speakers is that?? *Doing maths*