NAD... Friedman Wildwood Pink Taco.... WOW!!!!

[Ascension]

I have learned that I don't like EL84 amps. IDK if the PT is an EL84 amp, but the power section determines so much of how it sounds and feels.

A 20Watt amp, while it can get crazy loud, doesnt have as much clean headroom and won't punch like a larger amp.

Then I looked up the price of a JCM800 reissue. NFW!!

That said, I would pick a cheap DSL over any 20 Watt mini marshall (even boutique ones) any day of the week.

All EL 84 amps are not equal. I own 3 and my Boogie F 30 cleans are some of the best I have ever heard on anything! Agree most don't have headroom but a few DO!
Both my Booges and my Zinky Velvet would shock you with the tones!

[Ascension]

Re: NAD... Friedman Wildwood Pink Taco.... WOW!!!!

I keep telling people there is just something special about Dave’s amps

Think the same as I'm enamored with a Runt 50 in a local shop here. Benn impressed with every Friedman amp i have played so far.

[dystrust]

I have learned that I don't like EL84 amps. IDK if the PT is an EL84 amp, but the power section determines so much of how it sounds and feels.

A 20Watt amp, while it can get crazy loud, doesnt have as much clean headroom and won't punch like a larger amp.

Then I looked up the price of a JCM800 reissue. NFW!!

That said, I would pick a cheap DSL over any 20 Watt mini marshall (even boutique ones) any day of the week.

None of the 20W 'mini' Marshalls use EL-84s except for the DSL-201 which has been out of production for years. All of the current models use EL-34s at reduced plate voltage. I have both a 2525H Mini Jubilee and an original 2555 from '88, and they sound nearly identical except for volume. The 100W Jubilee is (obviously) a lot louder, and has a bit more bass, but honestly they're hard to tell apart unless you're switching between them in near real-time.

[Red_Label]

All: I have owned 7 handwired Friedman amps (there's a JJ Jr sitting 2 feet from me as I type this). I know very well the difference between big iron and small iron, and I have generally turned my nose up at the 20-watters that I've owned... preferring instead the increased headroom of the EL34s, 6L6s, KT88s, etc. But the Wildwood Taco was different. It sat next to the 2015 BE100 that I had at the time and I preferred the Taco. For those saying that they didn't like the regular Taco... I get it. That was my least favorite of the Friedmans that I've owned. But the Wildwood version just seemed better, and bigger sounding. Think what you wanna think... but until you've tried one (the Wildwood one), you're just guessing. I've owned this stuff (not just read reviews or played them in the music store). I've lived with them. And it's like driving a used car home from the lot... once you have time to really look at things, it's generally not the shiny trinket, holy grail thing that it seems like at the lot. The only reason that I don't own these things is that I rarely hang on to ANYTHING... preferring instead to work my way through other things that are on my radar. But I get a pretty good handle on what I like and the Wildwood Taco was one of them... and one that I wish I had back. I would be very curious to compare it to the JJ Jr that's sitting next to me.