In praise of the Friedman Smallbox

[aarontunes]

Aaron, I was wondering if you could give an update on the Smallbox now that you have owned it for a while? I have an FM3 I bought in May 2022 which is now broken and I want to go back to the tube amp setup. I only play at home and lean towards warmer/clean tones, but am good with classic rock crunch and overdrive. Just no Metal or heavily distorted/breakup. I don't believe you play Metal, but not sure. I 100% understand and agree with your comments on volume. Lots of the great stuff from the 60's and 70's was recorded at very loud volumes. I want to be able to get good sound without relying on excessive volume.
I have been looking at various amps: Bogner Helios 35, Germino Lead 45LV, etc. but the Friedman Smallbox sounds like it might be a nice versatile amp. I just don't know if it is "good" at more moderate volumes.
Thanks!

I still love my Friedman Smallbox. You may also look the Friedman JEL, which is very similar in features, but with a more toothy or "Marshally" top end. To some, the Smallbox can be a little dark. I think of it as: JEL = JEL. Smallbox = Neal Schon.

FWIW I owned a Bogner Helios 50, and while I loved the tones, the thing doubled as an AM radio receiver. Response from Bogner: "it's a very simple amp, and that's a consequence of its simplicity."

 

[Ozopart]

I still love my Friedman Smallbox. You may also look the Friedman JEL, which is very similar in features, but with a more toothy or "Marshally" top end. To some, the Smallbox can be a little dark. I think of it as: JEL = JEL. Smallbox = Neal Schon.

FWIW I owned a Bogner Helios 50, and while I loved the tones, the thing doubled as an AM radio receiver. Response from Bogner: "it's a very simple amp, and that's a consequence of its simplicity."

Thanks Aaron. The JEL seems to be more oriented towards hard rock so I need to look into that further but it might not be best for me. Neal Schon certainly is a guitarist that I appreciate. I don't mind a bit dark, I just want clean, warm tone also. I am also now looking at Dr. Z amps. They look interesting. In general, after my less than successful foray into Fractal modeling, I now want something completely "analog". Meaning tubes, circuit boards, etc., and no computer tech built in. So when I look at an amp and they talk about IR's and editors you use from your laptop to adjust things, that is a big red flag for me that it is computer tech and I don't want that anymore. I do want simplicity, but not an AM receiver!

 

[aarontunes]

Thanks Aaron. The JEL seems to be more oriented towards hard rock so I need to look into that further but it might not be best for me. Neal Schon certainly is a guitarist that I appreciate. I don't mind a bit dark, I just want clean, warm tone also. I am also now looking at Dr. Z amps. They look interesting. In general, after my less than successful foray into Fractal modeling, I now want something completely "analog". Meaning tubes, circuit boards, etc., and no computer tech built in. So when I look at an amp and they talk about IR's and editors you use from your laptop to adjust things, that is a big red flag for me that it is computer tech and I don't want that anymore. I do want simplicity, but not an AM receiver!

Then for your needs I heartily recommend the Smallbox. It's a simple, straight forward amp.

I've owned and played Dr Z amps in the past, and they are simpler still. Too simple for me, TBH. I'd also add that (in the past, at least) they seem to have an issue with their Tolex. Nearly every example I've seen close up had its Tolex peeling off like a snake shedding its skin. It's been many years though, so maybe they've solved this.

 

[Ozopart]

Then for your needs I heartily recommend the Smallbox. It's a simple, straight forward amp.

I've owned and played Dr Z amps in the past, and they are simpler still. Too simple for me, TBH. I'd also add that (in the past, at least) they seem to have an issue with their Tolex. Nearly every example I've seen close up had its Tolex peeling off like a snake shedding its skin. It's been many years though, so maybe they've solved this.

Interesting. I will look into that issue and just directly ask Dr. Z about it.
Friedman appeals to me because I think for someone like me who can't afford but one great amp they are more likely to have an ongoing business/support model, even after the founder is gone. Dr. Z amps have a nice sound to me but they seem more dependent on the founder for ongoing support. This is also my concern when looking at Germino amps. Great amps, really helpful founder, but reliant on the founder/builder. Of course Alexander Dumble is no longer alive, and I would gladly take a Dumble!!!

 

[mayfly]

FWIW I owned a Bogner Helios 50, and while I loved the tones, the thing doubled as an AM radio receiver. Response from Bogner: "it's a very simple amp, and that's a consequence of its simplicity."

That is an absolute load of crapola. Any electronic device should have an RF filter on the input - for a classic tube amp this is accomplished with a single grid stopper resistor.

 

[aarontunes]

That is an absolute load of crapola. Any electronic device should have an RF filter on the input - for a classic tube amp this is accomplished with a single grid stopper resistor.

I knew it was crapola, but didn't have the knowledge of electronics to properly articulate everything you said after that.

Dang...I remember the first time I took that amp to a gig and between every song all I could hear was some Spanish-language radio station. It was really embarrassing. Couldn't get rid of the amp fast enough after that.

And the usual disclaimer: this was about 6 or 7 years ago, so they may have that issue worked out now. YMMV.

 

[aarontunes]

Hey....one other thing: be aware that there are two sizes of Smallbox heads out there. I think the older ones are 22" wide and the newer ones are 20" wide. If you buy used make sure to get the newer one, as the older ones don't fit well on any of the Smallbox cabs.

 

[Don O]

That is an absolute load of crapola. Any electronic device should have an RF filter on the input - for a classic tube amp this is accomplished with a single grid stopper resistor.

A few years ago I worked on a friends 1993 Marshall 8200 Valvestate head. He lived a few miles away from a radio station tower. It would easily pickup the radio signal. I installed an AC line filter and that fixed the problem. Had to Dremel some of the rear chassis to get it to fit.