2022 Friedman Smallbox 50

I don’t make any effort to hide the fact that FRIEDMAN is one of my favorite boutique amp builders manufacturing today. Along with DR. Z, it is 1 of an equal top two. If you are looking for a modern amp that is going to be repairable for the rest of your life, hold or increase in value, and not end up in a landfill with all the throw-away electronics being built today - then an these are the companies you should look at: CARR, DIVIDED BY 13, DR. Z, FRIEDMAN, MATCHLESS, MILKMAN, MORGAN, SWART, SOLDANO, TWO-ROCK, and VICTORIA.

I usually end up recommending an amp from one of those brands when I get in guys who have cheaper import amps like FENDER (Hot Rod/Blues series), EGNATER, PEAVEY, BLACKSTAR etc. and come in needing repairs that cost $400-$600 - more than their amp is worth. I see this all the time at the 10-15 year old mark of these inexpensive tube amps - they need full restorations, like the kind a vintage hand-wired amp would need after 50 years old but decades sooner. This happens due to the low-quality parts and complicated/weak PCB construction. This is why many amps are cheaper. However they are only cheaper in their upfront cost, they will make up for that with their low re-sale value, expensive repairs, and short lifespan. I urge my customers to save up and invest (if possible) in vintage or boutique amps as they are better financial investments, better sounding, infinitely repairable, and won’t end up in the landfill polluting our groundwater and destroying the earth. Which after I get down from my soapbox, brings us to the repair…

This amp came in with volume dropping in and out and a great deal of buzz and hum. This was a “Demo” version of the amp and as such had a lot of wear on the tubes for a “new” amp. The amp was loaded with new JJ 12AX7S preamp tubes and a matched pair of Electro-Harmonix EL34 power tubes. The Fixed Bias was set to an average %67 Plate Dissipation Class AB Plate Dissipation with a B+ of 456VDC. Really stellar construction quality for a modern build and a killer sound. If you want that Plexi thing going on or a modded JCM800 this is for you.