# My thoughts on the Friedman BE100



## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

Unpopular opinion: I'm not totally floored by what the Friedman BE100 has to offer.

I have a 2016 model that I bought new. The entire 3 yrs Ive owned it, I've only jammed it under a dozen times. Also, Ive only played with the master volume at 1. Last night I decided to try the fx loop trick: Turn the loop level way down, and dial up the master on the front to 4. I didnt notice a significant difference.

Ive focused mainly on the BE channel, trying to get it to sound "in your face" with good attack, but not too saturated. My issue is that I have to dime the gain knob to get a chunky sound. At that point it just sounds saturated. Of course I can just leave the gain at 7, and boost it with my Maxon OD808. That pretty much gets me what I want. That pedal makes every amp I've played sound better.

So next, I put it on the HBE channel, and it of course it gets even more saturated. Still not impressed though. Overall, I spend the entire time messing with the settings, and its not very productive.

Ive come to the conclusion that this amp is not really my flavor. Sure, it has tons of available gain, but maybe not my type of gain. It has a smooth, thick, and dark sound. I had this notion that it would be bright like my Marshall JVM. Maybe I was misled by Youtube demos. I'm fully aware that they are totally different amps. I hear the JVM get called "compressed" a lot. I mean, if thats what makes it sound good to me, Im all for it.

I wont deny the BE100 is better than the JVM. The design and build quality alone will tell you that. My main point is that I dont feel the tone justifies what I spent. but thats just my taste. I can definitely see my myself putting it up for sale at some point in the future. Thats if I dont eventually figure out how to make it work for me.


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## cardinal (Dec 27, 2019)

I'm kinda "meh" on all the Friedmans I've played. I'll take a Marshall 2204 and overdrive pedals. Friedmans do have nice features like loops and clean channels and multiple master volumes, though. 

What cab are you using? Something with G12Ms or G12-T75s might get it brighter. The T75s get a lot of hate but I think they work pretty well for some things, like adding cut to a dark amp.


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## sleewell (Dec 27, 2019)

kinda want to try a jj or butterslax but am no where close to being able to spend that on an amp. 


sounds like an eq pedal in the loop might help you. sometimes a properly dialed in eq can let you roll back the gain yet still sound more aggressive.


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## technomancer (Dec 27, 2019)

I think the problem a lot of guys have with expensive amps is they expect the heavens to open up and the angels to sing to them, but it's just another amp. Friedmans sound great and build quality is good, but if that voicing doesn't do it for you then it doesn't matter.

I've personally owned a JJ and 2 different revisions of the BE100 and liked them all, but again it's a modified Marshall with a voicing that either does it for you or it doesn't. I'm currently building myself a modified JJ and SS because I like the tones and want them around but wanted some additional features and didn't want $2500+ tied up in the two amps. Funnily enough the SS that I started a month ago looks a LOT like the v2 version Dave is releasing at NAMM feature-wise.


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## narad (Dec 27, 2019)

technomancer said:


> I think the problem a lot of guys have with expensive amps is they expect the heavens to open up and the angels to sing to them, but it's just another amp. Friedmans sound great and build quality is good, but if that voicing doesn't do it for you then it doesn't matter.
> 
> I've personally owned a JJ and 2 different revisions of the BE100 and liked them all, but again it's a modified Marshall with a voicing that either does it for you or it doesn't. I'm currently building myself a modified JJ and SS because I like the tones and want them around but wanted some additional features and didn't want $2500+ tied up in the two amps. Funnily enough the SS that I started a month ago looks a LOT like the v2 version Dave is releasing at NAMM feature-wise.



Hmm... not to detour too much, but do you know anything else Friedman is going to drop at NAMM? Maybe about time we get a NAMM announcements thread going.


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## sleewell (Dec 27, 2019)

there is new version of the steve stevens sig amp


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## technomancer (Dec 27, 2019)

narad said:


> Hmm... not to detour too much, but do you know anything else Friedman is going to drop at NAMM? Maybe about time we get a NAMM announcements thread going.



Yeah the only thing definite I've seen is the SSv2. I did see somebody talking about an import guitar line to complement the more expensive US stuff, but no idea if that one is true or not.


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## VESmedic (Dec 27, 2019)

The Friedman’s are a very “polite” sounding Marshall style high gain. They are very refined, and it’s almost as if they have a low and high pass built in. I love the way they sound but would never use them enough for what I like. It’s like they designed those amps for people that are afraid of high end. But I would take the aggressive grind and high end of a vintage Marshall any day for my needs. as it’s been said, just because it’s more expensive does not make it better for your needs.


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## Werecow (Dec 27, 2019)

I've never liked any Friedman and i have trouble explaining why. They're dark but at the same time there's something in the top end i hate about them. Whatever it is in the top end sounds like a cheap overdrive pedal to me (i know that sounds ridiculous but it's the best way i can describe it).


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## Cynicanal (Dec 27, 2019)

I've played a couple of Friedmans, and they've never done it for me, either.

Oddly, I liked the Pink Taco more than the Butterslax, which seems strange. The PT sounded good, but was neither fish nor fowl; for '80s trad metal or thrash, I'd rather a 2203 or jumpered Plexi, and while it has a lot more gain available than any Marshall I've ever played, for full-on high gain, my Twin Jet absolutely blew it out of the water. The Butterslax, I just didn't care for at all; maybe I was missing some setting somewhere (I only played it for a few minutes, and wasn't really familiar with what it offered), but it was just kind of weak... like a squishy Recto thing without the low-end "thump" and overall "bigness", or a neutered 5150 II, or a Silver Jubilee with more gain but no attack at all.


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## diagrammatiks (Dec 27, 2019)

I like the PT. For everything else..the slo already exists.


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## MASS DEFECT (Dec 27, 2019)

They are the smoothest sounding modded Marshalls around. I can get some bite with them if I use brighter speakers and pickups, but they are generally darker sounding. The Mesa TC100 I have tested for weeks does sound a bit dark too, but it sure had more bite and aggression. 

Maybe try a BE100 Deluxe? It has a lot of switches to change the voicing.


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## Wolfhorsky (Dec 27, 2019)

Regarding future Friedman amps, Phil X will use something else soon...


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

cardinal said:


> I'm kinda "meh" on all the Friedmans I've played. I'll take a Marshall 2204 and overdrive pedals. Friedmans do have nice features like loops and clean channels and multiple master volumes, though.
> 
> What cab are you using? Something with G12Ms or G12-T75s might get it brighter. The T75s get a lot of hate but I think they work pretty well for some things, like adding cut to a dark amp.


Im using a Mesa Recto 212. Its a 120 watt cab. The extra headroom is probably part of the problem. I also have an EVH 212, but thats only 60 watts. Even at low volume it’s probably unsafe to plug a 100 watt head into.


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

technomancer said:


> I think the problem a lot of guys have with expensive amps is they expect the heavens to open up and the angels to sing to them, but it's just another amp. Friedmans sound great and build quality is good, but if that voicing doesn't do it for you then it doesn't matter.
> 
> I've personally owned a JJ and 2 different revisions of the BE100 and liked them all, but again it's a modified Marshall with a voicing that either does it for you or it doesn't. I'm currently building myself a modified JJ and SS because I like the tones and want them around but wanted some additional features and didn't want $2500+ tied up in the two amps. Funnily enough the SS that I started a month ago looks a LOT like the v2 version Dave is releasing at NAMM feature-wise.


Ya, the high price tag incites a lot of expectations. Its mostly because its hand wired.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 27, 2019)

Protestheriphery said:


> Ya, the high price tag incites a lot of expectations. Its mostly because its hand wired.



I don't think they've been handwired for years now.


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

Edit: deleted duplicate post,oops


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

sleewell said:


> kinda want to try a jj or butterslax but am no where close to being able to spend that on an amp.
> 
> 
> sounds like an eq pedal in the loop might help you. sometimes a properly dialed in eq can let you roll back the gain yet still sound more aggressive.


Throwin a boost pedal seems to liven it up.


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## technomancer (Dec 27, 2019)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I don't think they've been handwired for years now.



You would be wrong. The hybrid boards were all hand wired and the new ones like the BE100DLX are as well. They're also still built in the US which means the workers are making more than 50 cents a day


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

VESmedic said:


> The Friedman’s are a very “polite” sounding Marshall style high gain. They are very refined, and it’s almost as if they have a low and high pass built in. I love the way they sound but would never use them enough for what I like. It’s like they designed those amps for people that are afraid of high end. But I would take the aggressive grind and high end of a vintage Marshall any day for my needs. as it’s been said, just because it’s more expensive does not make it better for your needs.


Polite is a pretty accurate term to describe it. When I A/B th BE100 with the JVM and EVH 50 watt, its pretty obvious. There's way more mid range bark in the latter, especially the EVH.


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

Cynicanal said:


> I've played a couple of Friedmans, and they've never done it for me, either.
> 
> Oddly, I liked the Pink Taco more than the Butterslax, which seems strange. The PT sounded good, but was neither fish nor fowl; for '80s trad metal or thrash, I'd rather a 2203 or jumpered Plexi, and while it has a lot more gain available than any Marshall I've ever played, for full-on high gain, my Twin Jet absolutely blew it out of the water. The Butterslax, I just didn't care for at all; maybe I was missing some setting somewhere (I only played it for a few minutes, and wasn't really familiar with what it offered), but it was just kind of weak... like a squishy Recto thing without the low-end "thump" and overall "bigness", or a neutered 5150 II, or a Silver Jubilee with more gain but no attack at all.


I've always been curious about the JCM 800. At this point, however, Im finished with going down the rabbit hole with amps that need to be cranked to be usable. Maybe if had an attenuator, Id be down.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 27, 2019)

technomancer said:


> You would be wrong. The hybrid boards were all hand wired and the new ones like the BE100DLX are as well. They're also still built in the US which means the workers are making more than 50 cents a day



I probably misread something somewheres then. Coulda swore I read they transitioned away from handwiring years ago.


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## technomancer (Dec 27, 2019)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I probably misread something somewheres then. Coulda swore I read they transitioned away from handwiring years ago.



They transitioned away from turret boards years ago.


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## rexbinary (Dec 27, 2019)

believe the Runt series is not hand wired to save cost.

Nah they are just not point to point.


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

MASS DEFECT said:


> They are the smoothest sounding modded Marshalls around. I can get some bite with them if I use brighter speakers and pickups, but they are generally darker sounding. The Mesa TC100 I have tested for weeks does sound a bit dark too, but it sure had more bite and aggression.
> 
> Maybe try a BE100 Deluxe? It has a lot of switches to change the voicing.


What Im really curious to do is get a Two Notes Torpedo, and see how/if things change that way. At least I'll be able to open up the power section more.


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## technomancer (Dec 27, 2019)

rexbinary said:


> believe the Runt series is not hand wired to save cost.
> 
> Nah they are just not point to point.



No Friedman is point to point, nor are any current production amps that I am aware of. Point to point means no circuit boards / turret boards / etc just the components chained together. Point to point stuff is literally insane


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## StevenC (Dec 27, 2019)

Butterslax is the best Marshall I've ever played, and it was sitting right beside an original 60s plexi.


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## c7spheres (Dec 27, 2019)

Protestheriphery said:


> I've always been curious about the JCM 800. At this point, however, Im finished with going down the rabbit hole with amps that need to be cranked to be usable. Maybe if had an attenuator, Id be down.


 I think the issue fighting you most is probably this. It's hard to get what you want from a powerful amp at low volumes. It's just not what it's for. Sometimes amps sound good also at low volumes, but that's like a bonus and I wouldn't say something to be expected. A reactive load is a good investment and will stay with you for many amps to come. Then you can get everything set where it needs to be and have the volume you want to through studio monitors or headphones.


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## Cynicanal (Dec 27, 2019)

technomancer said:


> No Friedman is point to point, nor are any current production amps that I am aware of.


Carr is point to point. Dunno about anyone else.


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## diagrammatiks (Dec 27, 2019)

technomancer said:


> You would be wrong. The hybrid boards were all hand wired and the new ones like the BE100DLX are as well. They're also still built in the US which means the workers are making more than 50 cents a day



I feel like this matters less then people think. Once you have the directions and you've done it once...it takes very little labor to actually make an amp. 

almost all the more modern boutique amps are all pcb and "handwired" which really just means the boards are populated and soldered by hand. 

almost every fender was handwired by unskilled labor. 

I could do a slo type amp in 4-6 hours if I don't get distracted in the middle.


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## Protestheriphery (Dec 27, 2019)

c7spheres said:


> I think the issue fighting you most is probably this. It's hard to get what you want from a powerful amp at low volumes. It's just not what it's for. Sometimes amps sound good also at low volumes, but that's like a bonus and I wouldn't say something to be expected. A reactive load is a good investment and will stay with you for many amps to come. Then you can get everything set where it needs to be and have the volume you want to through studio monitors or headphones.


I feel that's the next step. It leads to a different topic: Cant record my favorite amps and capture my sound, so I have to rely on software sims. Theoretically, if I get one of those boxes, I can finally achieve that. Especially at any hour.


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## technomancer (Dec 27, 2019)

diagrammatiks said:


> I feel like this matters less then people think. Once you have the directions and you've done it once...it takes very little labor to actually make an amp.
> 
> almost all the more modern boutique amps are all pcb and "handwired" which really just means the boards are populated and soldered by hand.
> 
> ...



You're a lot faster than I am 

I think the big difference is when you compare it to something that is wave soldered with all the pots and sockets on the PC board


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## wakjob (Dec 28, 2019)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I probably misread something somewheres then. Coulda swore I read they transitioned away from handwiring years ago.



You could be thinking of my gen. 1 that I sold to New Religion (Dave). Those amps had the red colored full turret board from Metropolous.

Amazing build quality. Highest quality parts...

Sold the amp, pretty much for all the reasons mentioned already in this thread. Just too refined like a perfect recorded Marshall. By the time I sold it, I was using dirt boxes into the clean channel...what a waste. I liked the Kemper profile I made of the dirt channel more than the real amp itself. Lots more definition.

NOT bashing...Dave is awesome, and builds a HAMMERING amp. It's just if you've grown up playing traditional Marshall amps, you'll end up missing all the imperfections you always complained about in them with a BE100...

Uh-oh..."You don't know whatchya got...til it's gone."


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## sharedEQ (Dec 30, 2019)

So in other words, the brown eye 100 sounds like ass.

What did you expect?


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## wakjob (Dec 31, 2019)

sharedEQ said:


> So in other words, the brown eye 100 sounds like ass.
> 
> What did you expect?



Absolutely not...like I said, it's a HAMMERING amp.
Until you stand in front of one and play, it's hard to convey.

It's hasn't become the studio and backline standard everywhere b/c it resembles "ass". Quite the opposite.

It's just gotta be YOUR flavor of Marshall world.
The snubber caps shave off more highs within the circuit making the gain smoother, and the amp less bright overall. It takes away from that big brash "kerrang" of old Marshall amps...the thing certain at home lower volume players complains about. They end up clipping out the bright cap at the input or mod the amp further. Already taken care of in the Friedman line.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Dec 31, 2019)

I mean I've just tried the Friedman in modelers, but it tends to be my favorite model. I tend to use a heavy as shit low pass filter in my tone anyway so it does most of the work for me. 

It's just got this attack I dig. It's saggy, but the sharp attack counters it as well, so palm mutes feel satisfying and chords feel huge. It's an acquired taste.

If all you want from your tone is treble above the 7-8khz range, then yeah, it's an ass-sounding, overpriced practice amp.


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## USMarine75 (Dec 31, 2019)

Protestheriphery said:


> Unpopular opinion: I'm not totally floored by what the Friedman BE100 has to offer.



Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.


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## KnightBrolaire (Dec 31, 2019)

You might be interested in the JJ or Butterslax then. They're supposedly much more aggressive feeling amps from friedman. Bill from Mastodon gets some absolutely crushing tones out of the Butterslax.


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## GoldDragon (Dec 31, 2019)

Did the BE100 become "the" backline standard? Do tell.


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## Cynicanal (Dec 31, 2019)

wakjob said:


> It's hasn't become the studio and backline standard everywhere b/c it resembles "ass".


You missed the joke.



Spoiler



Brown Eye is slang for "butthole"


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## Elric (Dec 31, 2019)

From the sound of it, you have never played the amp above bedroom volume.... TBH, that is not the optimal operating condition for an amp like that, IMHO. If you are playing at stupid low volumes a boutique 100W head does not seem like an ideal tool, like buying a Ferrari to get groceries. Many amps have good master volumes but there is a certain physics at play with SPLs. IMHO.


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## OverTonez (Jan 2, 2020)

What is the Marshall counterpart of the BE100? Is it a DSL?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 2, 2020)

OverTonez said:


> What is the Marshall counterpart of the BE100? Is it a DSL?


Only thing I can think of is the JVM.


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## OverTonez (Jan 3, 2020)

JVM seems a bit more feature rich than y


HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Only thing I can think of is the JVM.




Maybe, seems like the JVM is more feature rich than the BE-100, but at least the JVM is more in the same price bracket.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 3, 2020)

OverTonez said:


> JVM seems a bit more feature rich than y
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe, seems like the JVM is more feature rich than the BE-100, but at least the JVM is more in the same price bracket.



Tonally I mean.


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## laxu (Jan 3, 2020)

I've only played the BE-50 Deluxe but on that amp I felt no need to venture beyond the BE channel. It sounded great for what it is but it's not what I want from a modded Marshall type amp.


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## Hollowway (Jan 4, 2020)

I think Techno's right about many people expecting these boutique amps to do something beyond just be an amp. I have to admit, I am totally lost in the Jose modified JCM 800 boutique amp arena. People are all talking about Friedmans, Fortins, Splawns, Ceriatone, etc, and referencing SLO, Larry, etc. It's absolutely impossible for anyone to A/B a significant number of these things, so I look to the interwebz to find out what they sound like. But it's really difficult to get a description. I love threads like these because people are discussing what these sound like, and I have a pretty good picture in my mind of it (for this model anyway) from that.


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## USMarine75 (Jan 4, 2020)

SPOT ON ABOVE... YOU’RE NOT GOING TO APPRECIATE ANY MARSHALL AMP AT REGULAR VOLUMES! 

THEY CAN ONLY BE EXPERIENCED WITH A PUSHED 412 AND HEARING LOSS!!!


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## wakjob (Jan 4, 2020)

laxu said:


> I've only played the BE-50 Deluxe but on that amp I felt no need to venture beyond the BE channel. It sounded great for what it is but it's not what I want from a modded Marshall type amp.



Never used the HBE channel or any of the switches on mine when I had it. The BE channel was way more gain than I needed.


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## wakjob (Jan 4, 2020)

USMarine75 said:


> SPOT ON ABOVE... YOU’RE NOT GOING TO APPRECIATE ANY MARSHALL AMP AT REGULAR VOLUMES!
> 
> THEY CAN ONLY BE EXPERIENCED WITH A PUSHED 412 AND HEARING LOSS!!!




....and that's why I'm back to digital modeling...again.

Now, what to do with these two Marshall's I just bought?


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## narad (Jan 4, 2020)

wakjob said:


> Now, what to do with these two Marshall's I just bought?


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## Vletrmx (Jan 4, 2020)

Elric said:


> From the sound of it, you have never played the amp above bedroom volume.... TBH, that is not the optimal operating condition for an amp like that, IMHO. If you are playing at stupid low volumes a boutique 100W head does not seem like an ideal tool, like buying a Ferrari to get groceries. Many amps have good master volumes but there is a certain physics at play with SPLs. IMHO.



Yeah, FX loop trick doesn't really change anything since you're sending the same amount of signal to the power stage. It just gives you finer resolution on the master knob for adjusting output volume. 

You might want to try an attenuator or just cranking it the good old fashioned way.


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## MetalHead40 (Jan 7, 2020)

technomancer said:


> I think the problem a lot of guys have with expensive amps is they expect the heavens to open up and the angels to sing to them, but it's just another amp.



Grab a Wizard MCII and the heavens will open up and angels will sing. That machine is not just another amp.


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## technomancer (Jan 7, 2020)

MetalHead40 said:


> Grab a Wizard MCII and the heavens will open up and angels will sing. That machine is not just another amp.



It's the LEDs he uses in the clipping circuit... there's magic pixie dust in them.


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