NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

[Red_Label]

Me and a buddy are going-in on a mint used Friedman Pink Taco. The reviews that I've read so far seem to concur that it's #1) LOUD, and #2) a miniature, one channel version of the BE100. No HBE input or clean channel, like on the big boy. But that's fine, as I'm looking for more old school 80s Marshall tones with the ability to roll-off my guitar volume to clean things-up a bit. I also listened to most of the video demos of the PT out there and liked what I heard. I'll give a review when I get the amp later this week or early next week.

 

[DankStar]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

Joint custody? Who gets it on the weekend?

 

[Red_Label]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

Joint custody? Who gets it on the weekend?

He runs the local music shop that I seem to spend half of my life and money at. I see him just about every Saturday to make a payment on my eternal store bill. We'll trade it back and forth every Saturday until one of us decides he wants to sell-out to the other, or we decide to dump it. We've both been curious about Friedman amps for a couple of years now, but we don't get them around here to try out. His boss (the store owner) told him to grab some for the store, but he doesn't think they'll sell here... as most boutique or higher-end amps just sit forever. 95+ percent of amp sales here are sub-$1K... even sub-$500. With most brands, you have to buy a minimum order to get the line. So this is how we'll get a taste of a Friedman. It's very possible that both of us will end-up with a BE100 (which is what we've both been wanting since first seeing the Phil X demo video).

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

The Friedman stuff is cool, but just another Marshall hotrodded up. Granted, Dave's Ears tuned it pretty nice. It probably won't be THAT much better than your Ceriatone stuff. I've got an Egnater Amp class amp that I did some Friedman tweaks to as well as some Bogner-ish tweaks. It's literally like 4 parts that make the difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Red_Label]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

The Friedman stuff is cool, but just another Marshall hotrodded up. Granted, Dave's Ears tuned it pretty nice. It probably won't be THAT much better than your Ceriatone stuff. I've got an Egnater Amp class amp that I did some Friedman tweaks to as well as some Bogner-ish tweaks. It's literally like 4 parts that make the difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting. And you're no doubt correct. Differences will probably be subtle. And hey, I've owned or played through just about everything in boutique hotrod Marshall style amps at this point, and though all had their differences... few were "better" than the others... just DIFFERENT. Plus... I pretty much always sound just like ME no matter what I plug into! Funny how that works...

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

^ exactly. At some point,'you just have to just play lol. I don't mean to sound like Friedmans are not worth it... They certainly are. I've waisted many hours and days of my life tweaking my amps and agonizing over if this part is better yada yada... To just buy it and know it is good is a great feeling lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Red_Label]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

The Friedman Pink Taco showed-up today. Just spent a couple of hours with it... and did a bunch of switching back and forth between the Taco by itself, and my Ceriatone JTM45 with the Carl Martin Plexitone in front.

The Friedman just has this smooth, sweet roar that as good as any I've heard in a Marshall style amp... just SMOOTH. So articulate, dynamic, and responsive. Cleans up well with the guitar's volume knob. String and note definition are awesome. Absolutely LIVES in the mids (and highs if you prefer things with a sparkly presence). But... it does suffer from the same thing that every other low-wattage lunchbox on the planet suffers from... a lack of concussive/girthy/thumpy bottom end, regardless of how tone controls are set. But without question, I real tone machine and the best sounding lunchbox I've ever owned or played (most of them). An awesome tool (no doubt) for recording, practice, or even gigging if you don't need to shake the stage with the rumble that the big iron produces. Can't really imagine the tone getting any better than this for Marshall guys though. SO smooth and creamy.

Having said all of that... in A/B'ing the Taco with my Ceri JTM45 being driven by the Plexitone... I didn't feel like I was left wanting at all when switching over to that rig. And as mentioned already... with the thump that the 2x6L6 Ceri was producing... I ended-up preferring playing through it. I get a very defined, awesome tone with that setup... though it certainly doesn't sound "better" than the Taco. But it sounds no "worse" either. Just different. Both tones were beautiful and had great definition (I HATE mush... I want to hear those individual square waves).

So my review is that it doesn't get any better for Marshall style tones in a lunchbox than the Friedman, but even the mighty Taco isn't going to give you a concussion. If you're not looking to levitate furniture with your amp, and exquisite Marshall roar is your thing... then the Taco is what you're looking for.

Btw... now I'm REALLY chomping at the bit for my incoming Ceriatone Chupacabra. If the JTM45 with the Plexitone stacked-up so well against the Friedman... then I should be VERY happy with the tones coming from the Chup.

 

[DankStar]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

Interesting review. Given midrange is where the party is, the low end issue wouldn't be a big deal to me.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

Interesting review. Given midrange is where the party is, the low end issue wouldn't be a big deal to me.

Yeah, I guess that it just depends on how much thump you're looking for. I'm used to that concussive grunt that 50-120 amps deliver through a good 2X12 or 4X12. I've owned many of the well-known lunchboxes and the lack of that girth was what ended-up having me send them down the road in the end. I don't need the volume of a big amp... I just like the big bottom end and headroom of them. At any rate, this Friedman sounds as good as any I've heard. I do have to plug the H&K Grandmeister though as well. I had one last spring and would like to have another. That amp seemed to have more bottom than other lunchboxes, plus its versatility is just unmatched in ANY other amp that I've ever owned or played (of any size or price).

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: NAD... Incoming Friedman PT...

Well said


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk