Another great-sounding amp from Dave Friedman! This amp will take you from low gain classic rock to modern hard rock tones. And yes, you can get a clean tone out of it when you roll the gain down most of the way. I bought amp primarily for the hot-rodded Plexi and JCM800 tones from the 80's and 90's, since I have Small Box 50 for the classic rock tones that I also love. The Pink Taco V2 is very versatile though.

The "sat" and "fat" switches are very effective, as well as the three level gain structure switch. Every switch and knob makes a big difference on the sound this amp makes.

The "sat" switch boosts the gain in a unique way that is different from just turning up the gain knob. To my ears it adds the same kind of compression that the variac switch adds on the Friedman Plex.

The "fat" switch makes my Friedman 2X12 Celestion V30 loaded cabinet sound like my old Marshall 4X12 that was loaded with Greenbacks. Both sound great, but it is cool to flip a switch and change the character of my speaker cab. The "fat" switch does thicken up single coil pickups. It also adds that bass flub that comes from the Greenbacks vs. the more midrange focused V30's. Both are awesome. But it's easier to flip a switch than change speakers.

The gain structure switch makes a huge difference in the amount of gain this amp puts out. It will take you from classic rock Plexi tones to 80's and 90's heavy rock tones. It just sounds like the "perfect Marshall" now matter how you have it set.

The EQ settings are all very active too.

I know there are several other boutique Marshall-type amps out there and I am sure most of them deliver the goods very well. But in this day and age it is very tough to find a place or circumstance where you can compare several of them side by side. Most of us are stuck with what is available in our area and what we can learn on YouTube and then we have to just take a chance. Rest assured, if you do go with Friedman, any Friedman, you probably won't be disappointed.

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I sat on the fence with Friedman for years, but now I get it. Such a great and unique sounding amp. Proud to have one in my collection now. If you're thinking about one, trust me, it's well worth it.

First the pros: Sounds pretty good. Lower noise for a higher gain amp. Good effects loop.

The Cons: Not loud enough for a band setting. People say it is but……. It's not. No Presence control which would make a world of difference. A bit too smooth and not enough bite.

For me it was just ok and just too expensive for just a bedroom amp.

I dont say this lightly and rarely give 5 stars. This amp is hands down one of the best amps I have ever had, for
classic metal and rock styles.
and I've had a Wizard and a Soldano. This is like a "fixed Marshall" style amp. And heres the big thing, best master
volume I have ever experienced, meaning it sounds amazing even at apt volumes. The only other amp ive ever liked this
much are the Soldano SLO's but those are a bit different flavor.

This is a great amp!

The quality of the build is very impressive. I am a technical person so I had to take it apart. Wow incredible quality of work and components make this a steal for the price.

Hands down the best sounding small box classic Marshall sound. I put a JHS "Little Black Amp Box" in the effects loop to tame the volume and get "the tone" at bedroom volumes. It the neck position on my Strat I can easily dial in classic Jimi type vibes. Using a good Humbucker, like a SD-JB, with the amp controls at "5" for bass and mid, "7" for treble, master at "4" and gain at "7" you are in EVH land.

I had an issue with the power tubes, shipping related. My guess is the box was dropped off the truck. I reached out to Friedman at 10:30 PM. They responded in 15 minutes and then sent me new tubes. Incredible service and support.

I am running the amp through an Orange 212 OB and waiting for the matching Friedman cabinet.

I A/B this amp with a FDRR to achieve the tones I need for the typical cover gig.

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Crazy good amp. Lots of sounds, lots of tone ! It's simply a mix cutter !

I have had this amp for a couple months now. I run it thru an avatar open back 2x12 cab with Celestion 20 watt greenback combined with 25 watt greenback. The master volume control is absolutely capable of providing high gain tones at reasonable volume 75-85db levels for home practice. No attenuator needed! I got this amp after trying to adjust to a Marshall studio vintage 20w for a little over a year. The SV20 was great but way too loud if you want higher gain/overdrive (even at 5 watts) I tried an attenuator but it just wasn't the same sound. The PT20v2 excels at 80s high gain angry crunch (hot jcm800). This was exactly what I was looking for. No need for a distortion pedal… maybe a boost to get extra db for leads… but the sound is purely aggressive and complex. The tone controls have a good range and really don't allow for really nasty settings. I don't do metal so I can't reference those tones here. so I kinda set for a VH type gain structure and use the volume knob to clean up a bit. This amp is not going to be a go to for really clean stuff… however, there is enough clarity in the gain structure that I find even attempting jazz stuff (Kenny Burrell midnight blue) to come across very ear pleasing with neck humbucker grit and satisfying in a different way when compared to my Roland jc40. Strats sounds (single coil) can be a bit bright and may need to have tone roll off to tame the high end. Humbucker tones (particularly neck) really growl and are quite fat. The effects loop is great. I currently prefer and use a Dunlop Echoplex as this delay seems to work the best. I set the amp as follows(bass 6, mid 4, treb 6, gain 6, fat switch up, saturation up-and gain structure switch down) and haven't changed or fiddled with it for over a month now… just tweak from the guitar. This setting works for my strats, Ibanez semi hollow, fender tele and 59 epi LP guitars. This is a very enjoyable amp and really dials in quickly giving you great control from your guitar. Would love to try the matching 112 closed back cabinet to hear the bass in a smaller footprint… As always a big thanks to Charlie Davis for confirming/steering me to this amp and fitting the bill of what I was looking for!

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This is a great amp. Someone said they didn't like EL84 tubes for high gain, but they must not have heard this. At any volume it sounds superb. It can get brighter than its predecessor, but that can be dialed backed easily. It gets LOUD! And raising the volume does not diminish the quality and thump you can get out of this beauty. I play it through a 2x12 cab with V30s, and it sounds bigger than 20 watts. I get different sounds out of it, depending on the guitar. A Les Paul Modern through this amp is about as good as it gets. I had to dial the bass on the amp down to two to tighten it up…it all depends on what you're pushing through it. This amp is worth every penny, and the best thing is it's easy to carry!

The Pink Taco V2 is definitely more than the original. The addition of the sat and fat switches add more sound options. I prefer the sound without the fat engaged, so it sounds more like a classic rock Marshall tone, but this amp allows players the option of dialing back for 70s classic rock tones and dialing up for 80s and modern metal. And loud enough to gig with. I'm giving this 4.5 stars only because I prefer the original Pink Taco which I gave 5 stars.

I have played so many different amps over the years from Marshall, Splawn, EVH, Fender, ENGL, Mesa, etc. and eventually landed with Friedman. I have the JJ Jr. and had a Friedman-modded Marshall back in the day. Friedman has the tone I love.

Compared to the JJ Jr., this amp is brighter and has more gain and love it for that! This amp captures a nice 80s hard rock tone. Lots of switches for different settings and cleans up wonderfully!

With my Strat and with the gain turned down, I get a beautiful Fender-like clean with the "Fat" switch. Great purchase and so happy with it. Thanks to my dude Aaron at Sweetwater for helping me secure one of these.