Great amp and stellar service from Sweetwater!

I will start by saying I own a few tube guitar amps (mostly Marshall variants) and this Smallbox 50 has to be the my new favorite head. I did notice right away that the tube compliment was mostly BT (Chinese) tubes which i wasn't thrilled about and was sad to see that the "hand-wired" part was done on a PCB board as I understand is the new V3 format for this model but I defer to Mr Friedman's judgement and experience in this as i am little more than a Neanderthal when comes to the science behind such things. I have read many reviews about Friedman amps being "like a modded Marshall but more polite" or "a smoother Marshall sound". These comments were meant to be derogatory I'm sure but I don't feel that way at all. If rock, blues, Hard rock and 80's hair metal are in your circle of music then this one amp just dominates those tones. the PLEXI channel is just amazing. from clean to crunch it is just so responsive and "in your face" aggressive. The touch sensitivity and tone control you have just at your guitar volume knob is incredible (goes from sparkle to grit to snarl). Channel two is killer. It has more gain than I would ever use in my normal playing but even with the gain dialed back it is aggressive and big in a more modern way. (I don't play heavy metal or extreme drop tunings so i cant comment on its performance for that arena). It sounds great through every speaker cabinet I own to include greenbacks, EVH Celestion, Creamback, G12H-30, V30, GB12, G12-65, Alnico Cream, and CV-75. It took every boost and OD pedal I own exceptionally well with the clean boost pedals adding air and girth to already awesome tones i was getting. It gives you that "Hendrix" sound easily with a strat and every Humbucker I tried (from vintage output to mid / semi-hot) just sounded phenomenal. Another thing that i noticed right away is that the tone controls are super responsive and effective. the best part (to me) about this amp is that it sounds great even at lower volume levels. Unlike a traditional PLEXI where you need to push it into skin-peeling sound levels to get that tone, the Smallbox 50 can do it at almost bedroom levels if needed. The effects loop really is transparent and the bright cap selector gives you some color pallets to choose from in the clean side. Well done Mr Friedman, this is an absolute masterpiece.

If you like Marshall cleans with just a bit of hair on them this is your amp. The higher gain channel is very good at the Marshall high gain and a little beyond. If you need support, look up Friedman Amps on facebook, send a message and Dave Friedman gets back to you quickly! Stellar amp, stellar service.

I have owned several Friedman amps including a Runt, a JJjr, a Twin Sister, and a BE50, before I got the Small Box 50. My initial response to the Small Box was delight! I thought it was perfect for me. But when I got home and set it up with my rig I had a loud pop every time I used the footswitch to change channels. I thought I might have a bad switch so I tried changing channels manually on the amp itself, but I got the same popping sound and with the amp at gigging volume it was loud enough that I was worried it might take out a speaker cone. So we sent it back to the distributor and got it back a month later, but it had not been fixed. It was returned to Friedman and I got it back a few weeks later, turned it on and it blew up in a small cloud of haze. That was that. It was returned for a different amp. So I never really got to know if I liked it or not. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I have to give Friedman a "1" on this particular amp. I will mention that reliability has never been an issue with the other Friedman amps I have owned.

I've tried so many other amps and this is the best by far. Most of the tube amps today are geared towards metal players and I just wanted one with a great sound and not the harsh over gained amps for metal or wimpy too much headroom style amp that needed pedals. This amp has a natural old school sound and while I wish it has a spring reverb in it, still it's perfect for me and I just have to add a reverb pedal and maybe a fuzz one but it's perfect by itself. Two channels is enough and if you are into the British Plexi sound and with a little more mustard, this amp is for you.

I absolutely loved my Friedman BE50 Deluxe, but I was looking for something with that great Plexi tone and feel and I'm so glad I bought the SmallBox. It's simple and a thing of beauty. People always say my forever amp. I never bought in to that, but this is mine. It's truly a work of art at the highest level. So pleased. Finally, I've been dealing with Dave for a couple of years now and he's a man of his word and stands by his product. I feel fortunate to own such a great piece of gear and history.

I was looking for. Different voice than my JCM 80's from 1982 which I had played since then. I heard this at the amp show and wow. AC/DC when cranked on the clean channel, full of balls and low end. The crunch or BE channel is where the searing lead is. The amp overall checks all the boxes. You can hear your guitar sound like itself, not just the amp. Works killer with single coils or humbucker. No pedals are needed. This is a plug in and go amp perfect for any show small or large. I paired it with a Friedman 4x12 cab mixed with greenbacks and vintage 30's.
David Friedman has helped me get out of thin tone and into the professional level tone. I'm looking to buy the BE100 Deluxe next.
He is a great asset to real players. He helped me immensely and I will tell you, he know what he is doing.
Killer amp. Buy it…

I've been looking for a plexi style amp for a while. I stumbled across the friedman line and was torn between going for a bigger option in the be-100 or the smallbox and due to availability I ended up "settling" on the smallbox. HOWEVER, saying that I am happy with this amp would be an incredible understatement. This thing has tones for days and just the perfect amount of gain to rock out to. I use it in conjunction with a UA Ox Box for my cabs for studio recording and I rarely find myself touching eq's or any other settings in my DAW. This thing has that record ready sound to it! 10000/10! Also thank you to Lindsey for helping me acquire the amp! You rock!

I had my eyes on this amp for a few years and finally pulled the trigger. Should have done it ages ago. Absolutely love the simplicity of the layout. It was at least one of the features that attracted me most. The plexi channel is just what you would imagine. Very versatile and accepts pedals very well. The BE channel is massive and a boost pedal can take you to the portal of the dark lord! Cleans up nice just by turning the volume knob on your guitar down. This amp acceded my expectations.

The smallbox 50 is simple to use (I never need more than 2 channels) and it sounds absolutely amazing. I have a 1x12 Friedman open back cab and a 2x12 closed back cab. The 2x12 gives a bit more thump than the 1x12 but weighs a lot more. If you want a fantastic Marshall sound this is it. It never fails to Rock the Detroit rock dives I play and it takes any pedal you put in front of it. No need for overdrives though this has it covered. The effects loop works great with a little delay. Buy this. You won't regret it.

I"ve owned many top end amps, and this one might be the best!! Thanks again to Jozy Franco for helping me decide that this amp would be right for me!

This beautifully built amp lacks reasonable versatility. Two channels with one EQ doesn't fly. Dial either for a nice sound and the other is useless. High as my hopes were, I sent it back. Sweetwater could not have been better to do deal with through this disappointment.

If you are wanting a two channel amp with one being the roar of a Plexi and the other a more modded plexish JCM800 2204, then this is your amp. I own the Dirty Shirley 40, BE100 and the Small Box 50. The BE100 BE channel and SB50 BE channel are a little different from each other. BE100's is smoother, refined and leaner in the preamp low end. The SB50 is more raw, aggressive and a little fatter in the preamp but just a touch. Its a more plexish BE. I hear vintage amp users say they're curious of the SB50 but are afraid the BE will be too modern. Its not, it actually leans toward the vintage side of things but handles high gain perfectly without losing low end tracking. if you need more big blooming vintage bottom end then go with Dave's DS40. If the SB is not modern enough for you then go BE100. Between the two channels and various gain knob settings, there's a wide range of Marshall tones, from Hendrix, Cream, Page, to Foreigner, Eddie Van Halen and Jake E. Lee. If you try/buy this amp and don't like it, then you don't like Marshall tones or don't know how to play. Remarkable amp.

OK, so I was looking for a plexi-style amp and chose this on a whim. It's amazing. Channel 1 - Jimi to Jimmy. Channel 2 - Van Halen and beyond.

I've owned, over the years, a JCM 2000, Mesa Mark V, Mesa Mark III, and Bogner Shiva. For pure, no holds barred rock, the Shiva is the only one that even comes close, and even at that, while Bogner has always been my dream amp, if I had to pick one... well, the Friedman would be my choice. The Small Box is the real deal and, in my opinion, really reasonably priced for what you are getting.

But the reason you should buy a Friedman doesn't end there. In the last 24 hours, the actual Dave Friedman - i.e. dude who owns this company - and I have been emailing back and forth about sorting out my pedal chain for the FX loop. Good luck getting that kind of service with some of the bigger amp makers.

If you're into Marshalls, buy this amp. If you aren't, buy another Friedman that sounds closer to what you are looking for. These are great products from a company where the owner genuinely cares about your getting the most out of his amps. If you're a gigging musician, that kind of support is worth every last penny.

I've been searching for this tone all my life! I've owned numerous Marshalls, Boogies and Fenders over my 40+ years of playing guitar, but none have satisified my plexi craving like my new Friedman! If you're a plexi lover like me, but need an addition channel for solo's, this is your amp! Thanks to my sales rep Jared Kalish for the best customer service around!

Sorry, had to borrow my Review Title from 'Greg Koch's New Obsession' demo. I've had a lot of amps, my current favorite includes a Siegmund Midnight Blues that is like melted butter on fresh French bread to my ears, but where I've never really been satisfied is with the void created by not having a great Plexi type of amp. There have been many times where I have nearly bought a Marshall but there's always been a little something that I could not completely like about the tone or at least what I was abke to determine based on my experience with other people's Marshalls or what I could demo at the local brick and mortar stores. Ok so now comes the advent of the Friedman and anyone worth their salt raving about them but there's
the problem of the $$$$s, and so I just dreamt about a day I'd pull the trigger but with Sweetwaters 0% for 36 months it's all possible. Now I've been playing it and it is just flat out incredible awesome. Everything great you've read or heard is absolutely well deserved. I am running a Boss RV-3 into the best effects loop I've ever heard for a dose of perfect reverb/slapback delay and a MXR EVH Phase 90 into the from with the script setting and on the Plexi channel 1 I am hearing Led Zeppelin's the Rover like I have never achieved before. That and just about any of the best rock from the 70/80s. Channel 2 takes over where 1 leaves off and it takes things into the BE realm with higher gain and beautiful note separation and the same type of response you get with the volume on your guitar you can also achieve with just a lighter touch. I want to thank Mr. Friedman for designing and building with such high quality this awesome tone machine. Thanks also to my Sweetwater sales rep Drew Lehman for everything, he is without a doubt the best customer support experience I have ever had.

I have owned a super lead Marshall for 30 years. The amp in 48 years old. I love it and am ready to retire it, don't want to drag it around anymore.It was loud to say the least in a deep stage you could push it. but most places you could not use half the power.Enter the Friedman small box, I wanted a amp that had the same quality of the Marshall. The Friedman has all the sounds of the super lead and then some. It is handwired as is the super lead and has my favorite tube the EL34. This amp is not cheap but is a wise invest if you want an amp that will last as long as an early Marshall this is the one. As usual Sweetwater had the best price and AJ is the best salesman.

I had my Small Box special ordered through SW (to Friedman) with the modded saturation switch incorporated to foot switch capable, basically turning the stock two channel SB50 into a three channel amp. The BE gain knob is then shared with the Saturation 3rd channel (has its own volume control). The Presence knob was relocated to the back panel, (Friedman did all of this of course).

I run this amp with minimal effects (in the loop: MXR 10band, with TC 4x Delay, sometimes a touch of chorus but rarely), from the guitar into a KOKO boost (when desired), and occasional Salvation Mods Vivider pedal. This amp is "ABSOLUTELY CRUSHING", yet clean when it needs to be with its bad-@ss Plexi Channel. For cabinets, I'm running a 2x12 Port City with V30's and a 600W ISP Vortex Lukather Sub and sometimes added 4x12 Mesa Boogie with V30's.

Pretty much have any sound I want with this 50W beast!

I have a serious gear addiction... I've had one of everything from Mesa MkIIc+, mkiii, mkiv, even the new jp2c... Vht Pittbull, Marshall, Fender, DR Z, Vox Handwired, a few Bogners... The list of gear that I've owned is ridiculous. Anyways... This is my first Friedman.
This does not sound like a Boogie. This does not sound like a Fender or a Vox. If what you are after is the "Marshall of your dreams" tone. This is it. This is the single best sounding Marshall Type amp I've ever played. The note chirp on the attack is sweet and fast. The decay of the note is blooming and full, the sustain is clear yet robust, the definition is unparalleled...
The BE channel on the small box will blow you away. The saturation is enough to play metal, but at the same time you can hear everything that's happening. It's extremely clear no matter where your gain knob is.
Really really impressed.
Ohh, it has a killer effects loop too!

I had to replace my Marshall TSL 100 because you guessed it, "drifting bias" which they all come down with due to the poor design even though I replaced all the tubes. Enter Friedman. I'm willing to pay more for an amp that is well built, hand-wired, and with a lifetime warranty. Aric, my sales rep told me about Friedman. I wasn't familiar with them at the time. what a revelation! If you are looking for that tight old Plexi sound, this is it. In Spades! I didn't expect it to be this good, it drips and reaks of tone and sustain! I've become a better player because this makes me sound awesome. I was using the line 6 POD HD500X too, but it lacks the punch and tightness Friedman has, now it sits in the closet. My hats off to Friedman and Sweetwater!!!!

I demo'd this amp a few times with my guitar and did a lot of research before pulling the trigger. I have been using Line 6 gear exclusively for the past 10 years using the HD500X for the last 3. I was happy with the HD...until I played this amp. Not wanting to spend the money, I went home and tweaked more on the HD...ahh, much better, but meh....not quite the same. Not at all. Since buying the Smallbox Ive been extremely happy with it. Unlike most amps when trying to play quiet...the volume jumps from barely noticeable to 50% volume....not the Friedman! Precise control on the volume...I can actually play at below bedroom volume. What's better is that I paired this with a Suhr Reactive load box and loading some Ownhammer and Two Note speaker IRs into my DAW and now I have silent recording/playing that sounds exactly like the Friedman 112 cab I bought.

I don't need any other dirt pedal in front of the amp...in fact My favorite is to dime the gain on channel two and if I want to go to clean, I just roll off the volume on my guitar and it cleans up so nicely! It's amazing how much control I get out of just my pickup selectors, volume and tone...props to this hand wired beauty!

Can't say enough about how well this amp sounds and plays! Was going to buy the BE100 and found this amp instead. It just nails every thing from Angus to Jimi to even higher gain stuff without any effort. I love to to play rock and blues and this thing will sound great clean but puts that Billy Gibbons snarl on the notes when needed. A total keeper, if things get tough they will find me with no food in the fridge but that amp still sitting on top of some greenbacks!

This thing has everything from old plexi cleans, plexi crunch and beyond. If you like that plexi sound (and feel) you'll love this. The EQ is super effective and I couldn't detect any tone degradation when using the effects loop. Enough volume for any gig and the master volume is one of the best I've tried. Stop thinking about it and get it!

The Friedman Small Box has great tone. Everything from Clean, to crunch, to high gain. It sounds fantastic. It's everything I've wanted in a guitar amp. This amp does it all.
Thanks.

CR