Selling: Pedals

If these pedals appeal to you, know that I have put them up for sale. This pedal runs on PSU which I don't own any more so I don't see using it in any circumstances.

Know that I take care of my gear & these are in very good condition. Prices are final & I appreciate your contributions to my well-being. The pain of unstable employment & funding medical treatments are real. Thanks for reading.

Friedman: Dirty Shirley ($180)

Biyang EQ: $80

• boxes included
• Self-collect: Yew Tee / CCK mrt station
• No reservations / trades

SLO mini

One of the coolest releases this Summer NAMM - Soldano's SLO mini.

Looking at the rear, it allows for speaker variations & a loop feature means you can get the best out of your modulation type effects.

If you get this, are you getting a Soldano amp per se? My take on this would be leaning towards a NO. This is not how Soldano represent its amp; Soldano amps are tube-laden, this one has absolutely no tubes in it. This is actually a Soldano overdrive / disotrtion actualization in an amp head format. It wouldn't be far fetched to suggest that this could have been represented in a pedal format, it wouldn't make the difference save for the inclusion of a power amp section.

Lest we forget, Friedman & Diezel were there before Soldano. 

Pics: Musicrdar/ GW

Small threat

This is new at Davis GMC - Friedman's Loud Box (List: $299). There's no hiding it's actually a British type overdrive that replicates the actual Smallbox amp voicings. Some would argue that it will never be a direct interpretation of the said amp as it is a pedal, not an amp. That's a valid perspective but equally valid is the acknowledgement that replication here is not about reproduction - the pedal is mimicking the actual amp in its own way, not the amp circuit's preamp + power amp way. In fact, this is the philosophy of all pedals in use; getting the amp tone without being one. 

One of the very few people who managed to capture the Smallbox at its best is Pete Thorn.

I'm including this one here for the perspective of those of us who prefer our tones heavy.

Pic: Friedman Amp

Fried Jerry

This was a recent release. It's a Jr version of the Jerry Cantrell signature head, 20W of thumping goodness. I've played some Friedmans in person before & my take on them is that they sound like polished Marshalls. That's the primary reason I own none in the mean time. Don't get me wrong, they are very good amps, I just don't want a Marshall-esque tone because I have Marshalls with me.

So the highlight here is that this one, in its dirty glory, sounds the most removed from a Marshall but still retains that Marshall bite we love coming from a cranked up unit. I think this one might be up your alley if, like me, you want a Friedman but not one that reminds you of a Marshall. OK so the Marshall associations are not entirely removed but it's a likeable tone all round- I even like the pushed cleans.

Dirty goodness

This is the current talk here- Friedman's Dirty Shirley pedal. For you to like this pedal, you need to have a liking for a Marshall-like voicing with added saturation. Sounds like the brown sound formula but not quite the drive response. The DS does not saturate like a pedal, it climbs up the gain range by manifesting an amp's sensitivity response. It sizzles at maximum gain setting & remains demure at the lower range with touch sensitivity. The PRESENCE knob & TIGHT flick switch add to character. I'm of the opinion that the former might appeal to the black metal community in turning one's signal grizzly without sounding too polished & prog, along the lines of Dark Throne & company. Like a typical Marshall response, the treble end can be excessive even with the knob dialled up to only the half-way mark.

Like its BE-OD counterpart, the power input jack is still attached to the circuit board. This was the main aggravation highlighted by the pedal community when the BE-OD debuted. It's not a functionality issue but a durability issue.  The white knob you see to the left is the pedal's gain trim knob so there's more to it in terms of drive than what the external controls have to offer.

When the BE-OD entered the pedal market in 2016, I walked away with disinterest. It's purely a tonal stand & I saw no point in saying something here. I really didn't like what I heard back then, a boutique level pedal sounding passable with a real potential of being awful. There's this miserable upper midrange honk that threatens to sound mono & killing enthusiasm. The DS pedal on the other hand, brought over its amplifier manifestation so if you've come across the amp & absolutely like what it has to offer, there's much of those character in the pedal. The only thing lacking is some tube warmth so do check your midrange control to prevent a harsh attack for all high gain applications. 

Fried(man) minis

These are the talk of town lately, a rather hot topic, I must say. Friedman releasing a smaller combo version of their Dirty Shelly & Pink Taco models is a forward thinking move. Players have a smaller option addressing their needs, especially bedroom guitar warriors who have nothing to prove by owning big, high wattage amps. However, these little ditties, despite being excellent in their respective turfs, are simply too costly for many of us- USD1,799 ea (SGD2,526 thereabouts). 😞