I own the JEL20 since a month now. Honeymoon should be over since I played it extensively. Firstly I absolutely love that this Friedman has the kerrang original Marshalls have (which I feel other Friedmans lack a bit). I own and owned many Friedmans to compare - currently a Twin Sister, Pink Taco V2 and the JEL20, but used to own a BE100 and a Smallbox too. The JEL in fact makes me wonder if my 1959SLP and JCM800 are still necessary to keep (just kidding I‘d never sell them and even if it’s for sentimental value 😂). The Plexi Channel is more to my liking than the one on the Smallbox. Different strokes for different folks of course… For now I could easily scratch any of my Marshall itches with these three amps… well maybe not that of a Silver Jubilee… 🤔 Well, just my thoughts on an amp that is just straight genius
@@christopher.k.guitar certainly does. I have a 1959 Marshall and eyeing off a 2203 JCM800. These JEL20s caught my eye as potentially having a bit of both in them in a smaller package. Hard to find locally in Australia for a test.
@@barters8124 only thing is that even if it’s 20 watts it is loud and to get the most out of it - as with our 1959SLP - it wants to breath. My JCM800 also has the magic spot at around 7 on the master to get just a touch of that lovely power tube saturation. So I always run the big boys and the JEL20 through a Fryette Power Station. Then it is pure magic
Now, if Dave can just give us an SS20 V2. That SS channel on the V2 is Dave’s best plexi tone IMHO. Not sure if that can be done with 20watts, but it’s be fun to hear him try it. Great demo, Mike!
Brilliant stuff Michael. Giving the people what we need! Random request: I’d love to see a breakdown / thoughts on your desk setup, with the two api channels, the Lynx interface, the stereo compressor, how you’re using all those on a day to day basis, and how you record that 4x12 in the bedroom. I’m looking to get a 4x12 for my room and would love to hear about your workflow.
I love my Friedman Runt 20, but thinking this could be an upgrade because of the control you have over the 2 channels (not like the Runt clean channel where you only control the bright switch). Plus having plexi gain on the first channel is a huge plus over the Runt. Would be cool to be rocking AC/DC and 70's rock style on Ch 1 and then kick over the CH 2 for the higher gain stuff!
2:51 Pretty sure sat mode is channel 2 only. I have a JEL-20 and just checked it. Channel 2 only. EDIT: no I was wrong. Both channels just like you said plus the manual says too. You need to crank the gain on channel 1 to hear it though. Love this amp. Being playing it all day with a pal. Go get one! Sounds great clean, sounds great for a plexi sound and insane gain on channel 2
This guy always brings the goods. I still think an 800 boosted does everything and anything 80's that a person would need but hey, people like Friedmans. Bonus points for having what looks like a wheaton terrier as well🎉
Hell ya!!! So the SAT switch works on both channels? That is great! Such a great demo, Michael! Much thx! Rob (TM) is sending me one next week. Can't wait!
For a guy in my 50s, I have a very acute upper mid range hearing, and 100 W definitely has more openness and clear brightness in the frequency response. Maybe there's something about a great big power transformer that is just a little juicier... or could be lots of other stuff in that big box, Hell of a lot of similarities though! I'm not even listening through my JBL nearfields, just my iPad speaker. But then we all listen to music on various portable devices so that's still legit.
Sounds killer! I would say that if you dialed in a little more bass on the 20watt it would sound identical to the 100. I would love to own one of these 👍
This is the best sounding demo of this amp I've heard thus far, Are you using a room mic? I'm not really digging the tone as much when you switch to the Fryette power load. Is the difference simply because of the plexi channel or is it the Fryette?
Have a Dave modded 79 JMP w a JEL mod, a Wildwood Smallbox combo, and a BE100 Deluxe and all three dial this same exact tone with the right tweaking. So I'm already double redundant, and yet something tells me I might need this, too 🤔
Excellent playing and review as always Michael, do you think me having the Friedman BE 100 Deluxe will cover most of what this JEL-20 can do? I want to get one, but my concern is the BE Deluxe has this covered for the most part.
I am really hoping Friedman decides to make a standard 20 watt model with 2 channels in the same style of the JEL20 (Plexi/BE). Whether that be a PT, BE20, or Small Box 20.
That would be smallbox 20. Dave has no plans to make one. He can mod a Runt20 to Smallbox20 specs, i talked to him about it before he hinted this JEL was being released. Im sure no need for him to cannibalize sales on the SB50, which is one of his best selling amps.
20w-50w always gonna be warmer for cleans and melody/ solos, not to say either can't do clean or giant chunk rhythms well. For pure Rhythms, go to 100w amps straight from Malcom and Angus, so good enough for me.
@@tonedover that’s exactly what I did. I got the Friedman JEL 20 and I got the two in one synergy rackmount so now can run that and of course my main reason for forgetting it was the Dumbo overdrive special however it has given me the opportunity to add a variety of other amplifiers and tones and truly, I am hoping and have faith that the build quality of this amplifier is good enough that it is going to last me many many many years at 50 years old I hope to not, spend $3000 anytime again soon for just my head and cab. I bought the Fryatt 2 x 12 fat bottom extension cab couldn’t help it. It’s the best 212 I’ve ever heard a Friedman 2 x 12 as well but the bottom one me over great amplifier and great plan with the synergy. I am also using an IRX and a Friedman IRD. Both preps are on my pedal board and certainly going into the effect loop along with the synergy so there is no loss here for options and additional features and certainly different amp modules that can be added, but I think this is a excellent baseline start as far as a head that’s versatile enough to play Eric Clapton all the way to Metallica I could not be happier with the amp and plans for building onto it as you can obviously see are endless, and Dave Friedman has so much to do with the synergy program. It is just nice that everything is so compatible thanks again for an excellent demo 7:35
Ahem - there’s a pachyderm in the room: “The greatest chugga chugga riff…ever” Nice amp, but the big iron is not worried by the bubble car headroom of EL84s
Great vid. But you really need to compare the 100 watt dimed to the 20 watt with the sat switch. You've got a studio, come on man, skip the IRs - do it right! ;0)
The 20 sounds better. I have a separate question that still involves amps. Lol. After all these years I’ve officially accepting that I’m a “pedalboard into an amp” guy. Even for metal and high gain stuff. I mostly play post rock, post metal, and indie stuff. So, I’m curious what you would use. I know most people’s go tos are fender amps but maybe there’s something more exciting? Ha! I’ve been looking at Suhr badger 30watt and 35watt, orange ad30, some kind of hiwatt, and bogner shiva. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Read somewhere Dave said there was a way on the 20 watters to engage the load and disable the cab sim to send a signal direct without a cab so you can use your own IRs. Anybody know if that’s true?
Man that is a sweet sounding amp!! I have a question that I hope you can help me with. I’m a decent player, but totally a dad playing late at night in the home office, so I can’t crank the volume. I currently use the little Yamaha THR10 which sounds very good at bedroom levels. I have been considering getting a kemper and pairing it with studio monitors. The kemper seems cool because you have access to so many tones and the ability to have a very good tone at low volume. However I am intrigued with these types of studio heads (this one and the Marshall jubilee) but I’m assuming it won’t sound very good at low volume. I know you can use an attenuator but still worried you can’t get the tone I want at low volume. So do these heads work pretty well using powered studio monitors? I guess I’m wondering if I’d be better off getting a tube head and small cab (maybe a 1 x 12) and also using monitors if things need to be quieter? Again I’m a home player and love rock tones somewhere between the brown sound and a modded 800 in the vein of slash. Sorry for the long messages, just wondering which road to take for what I’m after and my playing environment. Thanks in advance!!!
@@NickLaytonGuitar really, I’m talking about low bedroom volume that doesn’t wake up the kids ha. I actually use the Friedman Deluxe BE OD pedal and love it. Oh. Can you use studio monitors with these types of heads? I think that’s what he did here. Sorry despite playing a long time I’m not much of a gear head. I just thought using monitors might sound good at low volume. Thanks!!
“Need” is person dependent. There are guys that can work on NS10’s without a sub all day. The ATC have a very nice full bottom and I have worked on them without a sub. They sound great. I do mastering and mix cinematic music with mega subs, so I need to hear what’s going on down there. So I’m using a Subwoofer Pros 18” sub. It’s the best sub I’ve ever used, pair perfectly with the ATC and is a fraction of the price of an ATC sub. They were designed to be used with ATC. Highly recommended. I also tried the smaller version and it was also great.
We all don’t have load boxes and it’s it should go right through the speaker that comes with it, I think it sounds awful through the speaker that comes with it. People thinking about getting one better go to a store and try it out first it’s not what you think!!!!!!!
@@bruzzgravely3470 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I1yvPqK3OpQ.htmlsi=_HgO_0w5LiFQk684 All of the amp demo is straight to cab. Based on your earlier comment it sounds like like something might be wrong with your amp (or tubes), and or you might not be a fan of 1x12 combos. I think the Friedman 1x12 combos sound pretty dang good
Ive owned several of his 20w amps (runt20, jjjr, ww20, ptv2) - the ch1 gain on the JEL amp is the selling point. I like the openness of the Ch2 im hearing here as well. Most of Daves BE related amps have more of a compressed high end compared to what im hearing here. The PTv2 is the only other one that can get this open but is only one channel. This TRULY is the “best of” his 20 watt offerings. Ill be selling my SV20 to fund one of these.
Yes. Zakk is notorious for favoring the JCM800 which JEL also favors…so this amp is based off of that sound. Then Zakk boosts with his OD pedal and adds slight shimmer with his chorus pedals.
Yeah... I feel like maybe the 100 extends a little higher and a little lower in frequency also, but the core tone that sits in the midrange is really really close.
