Great demo Dave, So good in fact that I bought one. Cleans leap right out when you dig in and when dimed the 1st channel is definitely AC/DC. All the EQ controls and presence settings are very responsive with no nasty extremes. Very difficult not to grin when playing this amp. I always get slightly worried about hype round a product. I can confirm that this is the real deal IMHO and an exceptional amp.
I saw a demo at Guitar Center a couple of years ago with a small box 50 compared to a reissue Marshall silver jubilee. The Friedman smoked the Marshall. When you hear them side by side you'll know. There is NO comparison. Freidman is hands down the best plexi-style amp on the market.
Sheep Dog Well, unfortunately, that's one of the many reasons Marshall isn't the "go-to" amp anymore for high gain playing. Friedman, Soldano, VHT, Peavey, Carvin and Mesa beat them at their own game.
i dont mean to be off topic but does someone know a method to log back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid lost my login password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Kason Otis Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Excellent video Dave! Appreciated you explaining exactly what you guitar was set up for as well (split, humbucker bridge, volume rolled off, etc...). Very helpful to see how the guitar volume knob can control the gain in this amp even while dimed, it can get very very clean. I'm sold.
I still have not heard a single example of a Friedman amp sounding bad. I felt that this video gave a good, concise overview of what tones are possible with a Small Box. I especially liked that guitar was coil tapped and used effectively to display the Fender and Gibson type tones. A Friedman is at the top of my list of Most Wanted Gear.
great demo of the amp... playing a small box 50 when using my AX8 from Fractal... I might buy that amp in the future (have to sell some other gear but....)
Dave, the PRS model coil tap is the best single coil I have heard out of a PRS. The Friedman must have a lot to do with that. I love PRS guitars and own a late 90's CE which I love. However, I am looking at purchasing either single coil (Strat or comparable) but would love to stick with PRS. The sound you are getting out of the guitar you are playing is incredible in the coil tap mode.
IMPORTANT: As nice as Dave’s Master Vol. is, especially with the BE Channel, there needs to be clarification. When, using the plexi channel, if you want the AC/DC sound, dial in the AC/DC settings. That is presence at 1, base at 3, mid at 3, treble at 3, Volume 1 at 6, Gain 1 at 8. you may need to use an attenuator if you want the volume to be bedroom/apartment reasonable. It is critical to get the master volume for the plexi channel, at or past 6, you will immediately notice the power tube distortion. That is a big part of the sound. Anything less than that will sound anemic and weak. if you wanna push it a little bit further for leads, consider either cranking either the gain or the volume up a bit more and rolling back your guitars, volume knob, or add slight amount of clean boost to hit the front end a little bit harder. The results cannot be matched with the master volume, turned down, impossible.
@@lanetacker1496 hey thank, once I realized the runt was a PCB that was out so I got the small box then I got a dirty shirley 😂. I can't decide which one I like better they are both sooooo killer, right now using the DS, wow
You cannot compare pre-amp distortion and power tube distortion, all these 50+ watt ampliers need to be pushed very loud to reach their real potential.
Thx for a great demo!!...does the SB have less bottom end than the BE 100? And does the Smallbox BE channel still sound good with the mids dialled back a bit? thx
Thanks for the demo! I like how you can hear each voice of full chords, not just slammed triads. BTW, try putting the brim down on that great hat you have, you might like it!
What kind of cab are you playing through? What kind of speakers are loaded in it? It would have been nice to see how much affect the presence knob has.
Great demo Dave. Is this a standard smallbox? I’m debating whether to get a smallbox or a PT20 with a clean channel added. Does it sound good at bedroom volumes too? Thanks
Mark Pritchard go with the SB. The SB limited is what I finally ended up with it has way more gain. I had the PT it was so loud. The SB is more controllable re volume. I’m a home guitarist only btw.
Wow!!! Very good video!! I have this white version of Smallbox too!! Gorgeous! Did you use the Greenback with it? It is just 25W... Cant it damage the speaker? So, is it just my impression or the Volumes knobs were all in a very low position?
Guitopia Yeah, great amp, even in low volumes. But I got surprised with your ACDC tone on Plexi channel. I can't get that in this very low Master Volume. The Gain knob for Plexi channel do not give me this amount of gain. Any tips??
Michael Borski btw if u get the SB go with the limited version if u can of course. I’ve had both and love the limited. Much more gain. If not the regular SB is still great. It takes dirt pedals really well so u have that option too. Although, that BE50 has everything you’ll ever need in it.
Guitopia Thanks for the info! I seem to like the sound of the Royer as well. It's very often the mic used when I like recordings... Is there a chance you do a demo of the Dirty Shirley as well? I like your demo (this) very much as you did not try to force "your sound" on the amp but reacted to what the nature of the amp is and got the best out of it. This is very rare and great, most players do demos with their favorite sound. Thanks for the demo!
On their 'private stock' stuff PRS use Paua for the blue shell inlay work. It is a nicely put together guitar. Very select Eastern flame maple! I'd tend to favor a 22 fret for the neck pickup position.
I just uploaded my demo of the Smallbox if anybody is interested in another point of view of this fantastic amplifier- th-cam.com/video/ZtX5JWYMyjQ/w-d-xo.html
This amp would of been great if it had an extra gain stage / switch on the crunch channel similar to the HBE 100 head..it just cant sonically reach what the 100 watt head can..Even the Pink Taco has more gain/ balls than the smallbox 50..i find that strange
There is a huge difference between the Smallpox and BE and its not in the 50 watts or voicing as Dave puts it. the BE is simply more amazing, 3D and the layered harmonics are killer.
Best demo of a Friedman amp yet!!! Great job Weiner...
For you it's Mr. Weiner...
100%
I am going to buy one because of this vid!
I always click on Dave Weiner clips cause I know I'll here great sounds, & great playing! Yer a pro Dave!
Great demo Dave, So good in fact that I bought one. Cleans leap right out when you dig in and when dimed the 1st channel is definitely AC/DC. All the EQ controls and presence settings are very responsive with no nasty extremes. Very difficult not to grin when playing this amp. I always get slightly worried about hype round a product. I can confirm that this is the real deal IMHO and an exceptional amp.
Beg your pardon, you think Smallbox sounds decent at apartment playing volumes?
I saw a demo at Guitar Center a couple of years ago with a small box 50 compared to a reissue Marshall silver jubilee. The Friedman smoked the Marshall. When you hear them side by side you'll know. There is NO comparison. Freidman is hands down the best plexi-style amp on the market.
Yours is the best video on youtube for the smallbox.Hope to get one one day and a PRS like yours what a killer combination!!!
And thank you for playing CHORDS!!!
I know right? whats a demo without hearing an open g chord or two?
Sheep Dog Well, unfortunately, that's one of the many reasons Marshall isn't the "go-to" amp anymore for high gain playing. Friedman, Soldano, VHT, Peavey, Carvin and Mesa beat them at their own game.
i dont mean to be off topic but does someone know a method to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was stupid lost my login password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Theo Judson instablaster =)
@Kason Otis Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Fabulous video, thanks very much, superb playing and simple demo of controls and mega sounds, nice one Dave!
Perfect video, straight to the point and covered everything. Thanks for sharing :)
wow the clean sound is fantastic as well, wish i could afford one it definitely is the one an only amp you would ever need ...
I own a SB and can say this amp really shines through my Top Hat 1x12 with a G12H30. Especially when playing volumes similar to this vid.
Yup, definitely best friedman demo yet I've seen... Awesome playing/ tone Dave! Great job!
Jason Hobbs - TY Jason
Guitopia
Are you using the z wreck cab with the blue and gold? Cheers!
No, Friedman 1x12 with a Greenback mic'd with a 57.
DAVEWEINER sweet! Thanks!
you got it!
Great tone out of that thing. And very nice playing too.
Beautiful guitar!
i finally ordered one after years of wanting one. cant wait! great video!
Damn, that's one beautiful ass guitar sir. Your bindings and the inlays alone are incredible 🤘🏻🤘🏻👍🏻👍🏻
More impressive than the amp, is Dave's playing. wow.
Ray Lee - much appreciated Ray!
He's sick, such expressive hands. It's more him than the amp, even though this amp sounds amazing
This sounds reasonably pleasant
this guy play really well that guitar , trying every sound of that Prs , a serious guy who made the best demo of an amp in YT, chapeau!
This is on my short list right now. Thanks for an excellent demo.
Sounds reasonably pleasant
Excellent video Dave! Appreciated you explaining exactly what you guitar was set up for as well (split, humbucker bridge, volume rolled off, etc...). Very helpful to see how the guitar volume knob can control the gain in this amp even while dimed, it can get very very clean. I'm sold.
I just bought a combo version of this amp. It is a true killer!
Cleanest playing 👌🏻
I still have not heard a single example of a Friedman amp sounding bad. I felt that this video gave a good, concise overview of what tones are possible with a Small Box. I especially liked that guitar was coil tapped and used effectively to display the Fender and Gibson type tones. A Friedman is at the top of my list of Most Wanted Gear.
Plug your sg into one
+zac wightman I can't afford it yet
+Anthony Norton I'm about 3k short myself
zac wightman $3,000 and I would still need a cab.
Man...great video. Great playing! What a guitar player
LOL the title. Wieners getting deep in the small box is he? Fantastic playing and demo as always
Fantastic Demo🤘
Good review. What's impressive is that it's useful with the gain dimed. Most amps turn to fuzz or sludge & are only really useful at lower settings.
Solid hat and great video
great demo of the amp... playing a small box 50 when using my AX8 from Fractal... I might buy that amp in the future (have to sell some other gear but....)
*coughs Coil Splitting
That amp looks super classy by the way.
Oh man I love these amps.... my bank manager doesn't!!
Dave, the PRS model coil tap is the best single coil I have heard out of a PRS. The Friedman must have a lot to do with that. I love PRS guitars and own a late 90's CE which I love. However, I am looking at purchasing either single coil (Strat or comparable) but would love to stick with PRS. The sound you are getting out of the guitar you are playing is incredible in the coil tap mode.
2 Z-Wrecks this guys ballin! What a amp the Z-Wreck is, what are the reasons for 2?
Damn that is sweet!
IMPORTANT: As nice as Dave’s Master Vol. is, especially with the BE Channel, there needs to be clarification. When, using the plexi channel, if you want the AC/DC sound, dial in the AC/DC settings. That is presence at 1, base at 3, mid at 3, treble at 3, Volume 1 at 6, Gain 1 at 8. you may need to use an attenuator if you want the volume to be bedroom/apartment reasonable. It is critical to get the master volume for the plexi channel, at or past 6, you will immediately notice the power tube distortion. That is a big part of the sound. Anything less than that will sound anemic and weak. if you wanna push it a little bit further for leads, consider either cranking either the gain or the volume up a bit more and rolling back your guitars, volume knob, or add slight amount of clean boost to hit the front end a little bit harder. The results cannot be matched with the master volume, turned down, impossible.
Honest question: Smallbox or Be 50?
The Plexi channel on the Small Box is similar to Fargen Lead mode on the Lead/Bass Plexi
Why no demo of the dimed sound on the "plexi" side? Some of us crank our amps and want to know what that sounds like.
he did dummy. pay attention.
Hi 🙂 The combo sounds equal ?
I'm wondering to get one today 😅
thats a fancy gibson!
Well..... Wrong again ;)
I like that hat!
Dave, I'm looking at either the Runt 50 or Small Box 50, which would you recommend for classic rock
Go for the small box
@@lanetacker1496 hey thank, once I realized the runt was a PCB that was out so I got the small box then I got a dirty shirley 😂. I can't decide which one I like better they are both sooooo killer, right now using the DS, wow
Wow!
Do all of the Friedman amps have master volume controls that allow them to be down on 1 and still sound that good?
Absolutely. I have a BE-100, have had a Dirty Shirley and will have a Small Box this week. The masters are incredible.
You cannot compare pre-amp distortion and power tube distortion, all these 50+ watt ampliers need to be pushed very loud to reach their real potential.
Thx for a great demo!!...does the SB have less bottom end than the BE 100? And does the Smallbox BE channel still sound good with the mids dialled back a bit? thx
sure, it's like a slightly more vintsge BE channel
+Friedman Amplification Thx for the quick reply ..Great playing too btw
All eq's at noon, just a little bit of reverb
how are we supposed to hear anything through those compressed prs pickups?
Couldn't agree more. Never been a fan of PRS pickups. No character.
great sounding amp but if you need to change sounds mid song without taking a hand of the guitar what then ?
Trying to decide between this, the runt 20, or pt 20.
Thanks for the demo! I like how you can hear each voice of full chords, not just slammed triads.
BTW, try putting the brim down on that great hat you have, you might like it!
What kind of cab are you playing through? What kind of speakers are loaded in it? It would have been nice to see how much affect the presence knob has.
I’m considering the Friedman Smallbox Combo for home. How do you feel it sounds at lower volumes? Most the reviews I see are the head version.
Great demo Dave. Is this a standard smallbox? I’m debating whether to get a smallbox or a PT20 with a clean channel added.
Does it sound good at bedroom volumes too?
Thanks
Mark Pritchard go with the SB. The SB limited is what I finally ended up with it has way more gain. I had the PT it was so loud. The SB is more controllable re volume. I’m a home guitarist only btw.
Hmmm, why did you play at very low room volume... the sound get different when turned up.
Wow!!! Very good video!! I have this white version of Smallbox too!! Gorgeous!
Did you use the Greenback with it? It is just 25W... Cant it damage the speaker?
So, is it just my impression or the Volumes knobs were all in a very low position?
Del Rei - Yes, just 1 Greenback. Works perfectly. Yes, the amp's volumes were set very low. A testament to how amazing the amp is..
Guitopia Yeah, great amp, even in low volumes. But I got surprised with your ACDC tone on Plexi channel. I can't get that in this very low Master Volume. The Gain knob for Plexi channel do not give me this amount of gain.
Any tips??
Del Rei - I just have the Plexi channel gain dimed, all eq straight up, guitar on bridge pickup.
I can't get that crunch on ch1 and I have it dimed. It's very clean. Are u using an od pedal?
+Jim Ryder - No, straight to the amp.
Great demo! Great amp! Can anyone tell me what that intro song is? Love to download the whole thing.
+Bryan Almaguer I think its his take on Little Wing by Hendrix
+SmokinSigs357 thanks. I'd didn't mean Dave Weiner's playing (which is great) I meant the very beginning of the video with the low end heavy stuff.
Oops. my bad! :)
Sounds great are you still teaching in California or are you back in Pennsylvania
Sold. Damn. Does it come as a combo as well?
yes
Very nice demo. Is the cab closed or open back?
Awesome demo Dave W! Amazing PRS too - BLUE birds - Custom custom! Is the bridge pickup the HFS? Or a custom selection?
How would u guys compare it to Marshall Astoria
Dang bro a PS PRS? That’s money 🤙🏼
sounds great! is the 'dimed' setting compressed in the recording? would love to hear the tone raw
No post eq or compression. You are hearing the amp raw.
Can you get that ACDC tone at living room volumes?
Heph333 yes, the master volume works great. Also, if you put a volume pedal in the effects loop you that will help as well for bed room level playing.
Curious as to how much the tone would change with eq's set at 5 but rolling the volumes up to 5 then dimesville.
BTW.. awesome review thank you. I'm struggling between the SB and BE-50.
Michael Borski it would be very very loud.
Michael Borski btw if u get the SB go with the limited version if u can of course. I’ve had both and love the limited. Much more gain. If not the regular SB is still great. It takes dirt pedals really well so u have that option too. Although, that BE50 has everything you’ll ever need in it.
Sounds amazing! Great demo. What speakers/cab did you use in the demo?
2204as - Thx! I used a Friedman 1x12 with a Greenback mic'd with a Royer 121 into a Brent Averill 1073 into a Universal Audio Apollo16 into Pro Tools.
Guitopia Thanks for the info! I seem to like the sound of the Royer as well. It's very often the mic used when I like recordings...
Is there a chance you do a demo of the Dirty Shirley as well? I like your demo (this) very much as you did not try to force "your sound" on the amp but reacted to what the nature of the amp is and got the best out of it. This is very rare and great, most players do demos with their favorite sound. Thanks for the demo!
2204as - I'd be happy to, just email Friedman and tell them. :)
Dave! What cab are you using here and what speakers are in it? Thanks!
+Shawn Guess - hey Shawn. Friedman 1x12 with a Greenback
+Guitopia great, thanks man
you got it man, hope all's well!
absolutely! crazy busy down here at THEDIGITALHALO. glad to see you're doing well with Guitopia
which input are you using? I see both plugged in.
Ones for the 2 channels ones for the footswitch.
That's one fancy schmancy PRS you got there. Anyone know what the inlay material is?
Fantastic playing, by the way...
On their 'private stock' stuff PRS use Paua for the blue shell inlay work.
It is a nicely put together guitar. Very select Eastern flame maple! I'd tend to favor a 22 fret for the neck pickup position.
true AC/DC sound on 6:15 till 6:30 !
Dime the gain
Master volume on 1?
I just uploaded my demo of the Smallbox if anybody is interested in another point of view of this fantastic amplifier- th-cam.com/video/ZtX5JWYMyjQ/w-d-xo.html
Is the BE channel what’s on the PT-20?
Yes, it is.
Ah, the old "brown eye"
Weight is now a problem for me and combos like these are an issue. I'd almost prefer it that this amp sucked tonally, but its perfect.
Sounds like a tubemeister.
I'll take the Dr.Z back there to 👹
This amp would of been great if it had an extra gain stage / switch on the crunch channel similar to the HBE 100 head..it just cant sonically reach what the 100 watt head can..Even the Pink Taco has more gain/ balls than the smallbox 50..i find that strange
aris l it dies it’s called the smallbox limited. At wildwood guitars. Extra gain. A lot extra.
am I the only one hearing some icepick up in there ?
Charles Fitzgerald
Yes, YOU, are.....
Yes, YOU, are...... :)
Yes.
Just by a marshall dsl100h! same sounds, a lot cheaper ;)
Circuit board amps are for people that love to throw money at problems.
Peter Jonsson not. It’s nothing like it. But keep telling yourself that til u believe it.
It's coil split, not coil tap. Fuck that drives me nuts.
There is a huge difference between the Smallpox and BE and its not in the 50 watts or voicing as Dave puts it. the BE is simply more amazing, 3D and the layered harmonics are killer.
BE is 4 gain stages, this is only 3. Personally, I never found the BE useful above 5 gain so prefer the Small Box.
Hard to tell where all that tone is coming from. The guitar is probably 2x as expensive as the amp...
3:01 Ewww
Is it wrong to be amused that a small box is reviewed by a guy called Weiner?
Gain saturation Sounds mean with humbuckers but not single coil.
LOVE that guitar!
Very nice demo. Is the cab closed or open back?
+zelon1983 - closed. Friedman 1x12