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ARGH!
bit he got that nice percussive sound that works great for Malcolm Young AC/DC rhythm.
Its a pity he didn’t try it in the lowest gain structure position, flip on the SAT switch, gain at halfway and try it on BE and HBE, then play about with the response. I could see that work well with a strat too with some reverb in the loop. Then play some mellow blues lines. I could see this get into Gary Moore territory easily. I would setup for the maximum gain I needed with the volume full on, then back off the volume for some awesome mellow blues. With my Smallbox, it definitely works well in BE mode with relatively high gain, then back off the guitar volume, very Andy Timmons flavour. I think this amp would just have so much more of that. Similar to what you said about the Plexi channel, just with more brittle top end.
I know what you mean about getting lost in the Plexi channel with a strat, it’s hard to beat. It’s probably just as well l live so far away - I would probably just end up getting it immediately after playing. I still remember playing the original BE in Peach guitars. I couldn’t believe an amp could be so much fun to play. That coupled with the Friedman 2x12 cab was excellent.
Can it give you that almost bass heavy sound you get when you mix volume 1 & 2 and/or jumper channels on a Marshall Plexi? It’s not a core sound for me, but it is addictive.
I haven’t played a JJ100 either, but most folk who have had the range all seem to like the JJ best. It would be good to see this amp compared side by side with the JJ to see how close it could get. In a similar vein, Bea’s demo of the Friedman Jake E Lee really highlighted how aggressive it seemed compared to the BE100DLX. The Jake E Lee one does seem pretty RAW.
@andy1839 the DS pedal in front of the Plexi channel might work too. Bea gets great results in his other videos with the Synergy preamps too.
Hmm, I think I’m doomed! Lol.
- If you think the JJ works for you, the BE 100 DLX can actually replicate the JJ with the power section controls! I believe Dave posted the recommended settings, that would essentially make it respond exactly the same. Found this tip early on, and have used it quite a bit for heavier stuff
- I do use a Kingtone Soloist in the clean plexi channel with my strat. Love the additional options I get with this, but to be fair it's not absolutely necessary. I used the duellist previously with my PT-20 and just fell in love with the "a side" tone. When using my SG or PRS, I tend to just use the amps distortion.
- The amp is extremely flexible, and honestly any thoughts of buying an additional amp to cover more ground has gone out the window (at least for now!)
- I find the low gain tones very pleasing. I've experimented with using the lower gain settings and adding the C45 switch. Really nice results with this setup! I tend to do this when staying in that specific setting for some time. Given it's multi-channel, I prefer to have the higher gain available at the tap of a switch.
- I often crank the plexi channel as well with the strat, it's as addictive as many have claimed!
- I haven't used the original BE, so can't make that comparison unfortunately.
- Am now playing more than ever. The amp is incredibly inspiring, and it's almost impossible to get a bad tone out of it! It is very "hifi" if that makes sense. Sounds very polished (this might be a negative for some).
- There's a great demo of the lower gain sounds from Shawn Tubbs (linked below - sorry, couldn't embed). I think he stays in the medium gain position for most of the video. Definitely worth checking out.
- I don't think you will find it binary. With the gain switch, plexi channel, c45 mod, and the fact it takes pedals so well - you have unlimited possibilities.
Sorry, these thoughts are kind of all over the place - writing as I'm in the middle of a conference call (nice distraction though!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSjg5U6M8iQ
(Anyone willing to take a lot of profiles of theirs for the Kemper, by the way.....? )
To be fair, it was the Kemper the put me on to Friedman in the first place!
Ok, so I have spent too much time listening to Bea’s Friedman demos. Today I listened through my Sonos system for the first time and it was really interesting. Generally there was just a huge amount more bottom end on both the BEDLX and JEL demos - which is to be expected when playing the amp out with a mix. However, the tone I like best and what I associate with a raw hot rod Plexi is Bea playing the JEL amp at 20mins onwards in this video:
https://youtu.be/tyFNCDUHASQ
It’s hard to tell from YT videos, so do the BEDLX owners think they can get a sound close to the JEL sound Bea has at 20mins onward in this video?
Still liking the idea of this amp as my single tube amp.
Ive done a neo rockabilly psychobilly album on the plexi channel of this amp thats how versatile it is and the cantrell sound is in the amp too which was the best friedman i had owned prior to this amp.
I still love mine!
Further impressions to follow, but wow this amp is good for classic metal and hard rock (and it’s up against some pretty stiff competition in my stable). What settings do you guys use for that? At the moment I can’t tell whether I prefer the HBE or the BE + boost - both excellent, the former has this huge girth but still the tight bottom end but the latter sounds nastier and more focused. I’m going highest gain structure, sat on, C45 off, frequency to the left.
As much as I love the SB BE and BE+ channels, I just wish they were slightly nastier and aggressive. The best results I get is with the original Suhr Koko boost on mid boost on the middle switch setting. Gives the amp a lovely snarl that cuts nicely.
Been gassing for a BE100DLX for a while too!
The only thing that puts me off is the huge headshell. I think Dave has the sounds now, be great if he could fit the BE100 DLX into a Twin Sister size headshell, with the two rows of knobs. It’s a tight squeeze but other manufacturers seem to manage it.
Still like the idea of this amp. Can’t have too many Plexi channels