BE50 - 100 - Slax - JJ - X - SS - BE100DLX Gain & Feels

I have the BE50 and love it. I just sold my Slax two months ago; loved that, but kept the BE50 as it suited my needs a little better.

I really want to get another 100w amp and have my eye on the BE100 or the SS. The BE50 options spoil me a bit: Thump, Response, 3-way Voice, etc. But there's times I want 100w "oomph" and volume.

I am curious if anyone has compared all the amps in the title and can confirm things like "warmest, most mids, more punch that XYZ, tighter, tightest, more aggressive, most aggressive, difference in gain between BE, HBE between all models, best for thrash, or can do Slash to Thrash" etc.

I'm curious of the 100 DLX has any changes to the gain like the BE50 or if it's the same BE/HBE same as the 2016+ BE100's.

If you've had, played, have, and compared a few or all, fill in your experiences underneath each amp below.

BE50

BE100

Phil X

JJ100

Slax

SS100

BE100 DLX - TBD

Junk Yard Dog":3i1f199b said:

I have the BE50 and love it. I just sold my Slax two months ago; loved that, but kept the BE50 as it suited my needs a little better.

I really want to get another 100w amp and have my eye on the BE100 or the SS. The BE50 options spoil me a bit: Thump, Response, 3-way Voice, etc. But there's times I want 100w "oomph" and volume.

I am curious if anyone has compared all the amps in the title and can confirm things like "warmer, more mids, more punch, tighter, tightest, more aggressive, most aggressive, difference in gain between BE, HBE between all models, best for thrash, or can do Slash to Thrash" etc.

I'm curious of the 100 DLX has any changes to the gain like the BE50 or if it's the same BE/HBE same as the 2016+ BE100's.

If you've had, played, have, and compared a few or all, fill in your experiences underneath each amp below.

BE50

BE100

Phil X

JJ100

Slax

SS100

BE100 DLX - TBD

Click to expand...

The BE100 Deluxe seems like it can get close to the JJ tone with the frequency switch.

I had a BE100 and I always felt it fall a little short for thrash, the Deluxe with the frequency switch can probably solve that.

Really anxious to hear some clips.

^^^ Agree

I'll go out on a limb and say hold out for the BE100dlx. I'm pretty sure based on the feature set, this amp will be very flexible, and cross over into other Freedman amps like the JJ, etc.

Cool. Yeah, I feel the BE50 is pretty aggressive and would LOVE a 100 DLX, but I'm trying to play the long game financially and apply the 80/20 rule here.

If the 2016+ BE100 can get up to AIC (Dirt on up) and Tool type gain and tones (maybe Sat needs to be engaged? or HBE without Sat will get there?), then I'd be happy with a used BE100 as they're used price is more in my budget.

Also, I can have the BE100 modded by Dave for a few tweaks if he's going to have time to do that.

I don't play thrash per say, but my BE50 can do that with ease.

Thanks for the input!

no problem playing thrash thru my 2016 be 100. HBE will get you there and so will the sat switch. either should do the trick.
hell even the be channel with the gain at 8 or higher will make you cream.
the thing is the be 100 has all the gain but its very dynamic works great with the vol knob which i like.
the tone tends to stay in your face as opposed to in the back.

Just got my BE100. It’s a 2017. Gotta say that it’s great. I just sold the Slax and have my BE50 at the band jam room. From memory, yes, the Slax is a little more gain and brutal; from what I’ve read it’s always for the Sat on.

The BE50–from memory as they’re not currently side by side—has slightly more aggressive gain in non-Sat and Sat mode.

But the BE100 can still crush. I haven’t opened it up past 2 yet as I live in an apartment, but I can echo what someone else wrote in another thread, at least for the BE100 (2016+), BE50, and Slax: they are not far from each other in the ability to chugg and crush.

BE50 feels like it has slightly more gain. Plenty to melt faces.

Slax: nuclear.

BE100: I’m happy with its chugg and crushability as is. Though not needed for what I do, it would be cool to give it the DLX treatment in terms of BE50’s slightly more aggressive gain in BE/HBE and add Thump, Response, and the Frequency switch. I feel like the BE100 is tighter than the 50, but that may be due to the two extra power tubes.

More to come...

I had a BE-100 a couple of years back and it was very, very nice but it went poof after about 4 days. I returned it because the shop could not figure it out either after a tube change and new fuse. I ended up waiting a bit as the BE-50 was announced and I got it instead.

Very happy with my BE-50 and no plans to change it up at all. It sounds amazing and has been superb and reliable. I've always been a fan of 50 watt amps and really enjoy this one.

If you are buying right now, It's always nice to get the latest and greatest but you could save quite a bit of $$$ on the used market as well. The Friedman stuff is fabulous!