Friedman/Budda Head to Head…

[Travis]

Seeing some of the amp shootout threads pop up recently inspired me to do one of my own, albeit on a smaller scale.

I recently acquired a Friedman JJ Jr with matching vertical 2x12 cab loaded with a pair of V30’s. It’s a 20w hot rodded Marshall type amp with some extra gain added when switching to the Jerry Cantrell mode or “JBE”….  To be honest, I don’t ever see myself using that mode very often at all. The regular old BE channel already has plenty of gain. I never really run it past 11:00. 

For comparison, I put it up against my Budda SD18 with closed back Budda 2x12 cab, loaded with the Budda Phat 12’s (Budda’s take on the V30’s made for them by Eminence). The SD18 is the most comparable amp to the JJ Jr that I have, and in virtually the same configuration. My SD30 is a 1x12 combo and I don’t think my block letter 5150 half stack or Marsh 14w blackface Princeton reverb clone would’ve been appropriate to put up against the Friedman. The SD18 has a capacitor mod that gives it just ever so slight of a nudge into the Marshall territory, but it stays true to the Budda tone and is much closer to my SD30 in character  

So, I plugged in with my strat head partscaster loaded with a single Gravelin Mongoose and volume knob. Played my best Van Helen licks and riffs, and listened intently. 

The Friedman on the BE Chanel with gain at 9:00 and 11:00 is where I had the most fun with that amp. I felt the love tonight, if you know what I mean… 😜  It definitely has that Marshall DNA. It’s a bit brighter, brash and rude, and more in your face. I can imagine it would really cut thru in the mix. If you’ve ever played or listened to any of Friedman’s amps, it’s a BE and that’s all you really need to know. And thru the Friedman cab, it sounded WAY bigger than 20w, for sure punching above its weight class  

The SD18 definitely has more of that Budda mid push, even with the modern mid setting pulled. It had a bigger, rounder, and far I say smoother feel to it. The Budda has plenty of gain on the drive channel as well. Although I find that it does extremely well boosted with a Lovepedal Eternity Burst in front, set with the pedal’s gain at minimum and volume at maximum with the tone at 12:00. And don’t let the 18w fool you  those are “Bober watts” and this amp is LOUD…

All in all, these are two really great amps with totally different characters. If you’re looking to cop the Van Halen/70’s-80’s hot rodded Marshall sound then the JJ Jr definitely nails that. But, if you’re looking for something different and want to shape your own tone, give those old Buddas a chance. I love them enough to have two…. 😂

 

 

Edited August 16, 2024 by Travis

[LucSulla]

Fun fact - Friedman helped design the preamp section and tone stack on the Budda SD. 

[Travis]

1 hour ago, LucSulla said:

Fun fact - Friedman helped design the preamp section and tone stack on the Budda SD. 

That I actually know. I didn’t even think about it while I was writing the post and by the time I remembered, I just didn’t bother to go back and edit the original post to include it. 😂

[LucSulla]

19 minutes ago, Travis said:

That I actually know. I didn’t even think about it while I was writing the post and by the time I remembered, I just didn’t bother to go back and edit the original post to include it. 😂

Well shit, that's my only fun fact. 

[RobB]

That's some quality hardware there, son. I had a San Rafael SD18 combo. I miss it.

I'm trying to find a local dealer that has any of the new Plex50 heads in stock. I guess I could email Dave and see if he's sent any up to local stores.  Dude fixed my Friedman wah fo' FREE and paid for the return shipping. 

I am very happy with the IR-X for home use and recording. It sounds great and it is very easy to get a good tone, quickly. 

Edited August 16, 2024 by RobB

[MTM105]

I traded 2 Friedmans for 2 Buddas this year.

i expected Friedman to be the bee’s knees. I wasn’t that impressed. Runt 50 & Dirty Shirley. It seems that he took the wheel and  tried to reinvent it.

Buddas don’t have bell’s & whistles. It’s straightforward. Basics. That is its beauty.

I’m not trying to slay a dragon. You know how Solid State sounds? You dig it for about 10 mins., then find it annoying. That is how I found Friedman. Except in a valve sense.

is Budda the very, very best? Not sure. Sometimes I find its tone to be very satisfying. But limited. However, that limitation is where its beauty sits. It does one thing (actually two) very well. Like an old reliable Peavey. I play low volumes and I suspect LOUD is where Budda really shines.

i have a 45 Combo I gave to my son. $559 local pickup. Tube kept dropping out. I brought into reputable tech for repair. I was told they see very few Buddas, they are well built.

 

Edited August 18, 2024 by MTM105