The PG Video crew of John Bohlinger, Perry Bean and Chris Kies recall a pair of killer Rig Rundowns with Nuno Bettencourt & Pat Badger of Extreme and Sammy Boller. Then the trio focus on new gear pieces from Keeley, Danelectro, Gibson, Line 6, and Schecter, before dishing out their opinions on relic guitars, sharing new music they're excited about from Gary Clark Jr, Charley Crockett and Black Country Communion. And they conclude their hang with a discussion about how AI will continue shaping music and songwriting.
Marshall-style muscle in miniature.
Well built, simple to use, and dripping with appealing cranked-plexi tones.
Controls arrayed less intuitively than on an actual amp.
$199
Friedman Smallbox
friedmanamplification.com
The Marshall-in-a-box stompbox format is so popular at this point that it seems like almost every prominent pedal maker builds one—each of which purports to deliver the sound and dynamics of a classic Marshall in enclosures that would barely accommodate an EL34 power tube from the real deal.
Friedman's take on the Marshall-in-a-box is a transistorized spin on the maker's own popular interpretation of a modified plexi: the 50-watt, all-tube Small Box head and combo. Of all the amp builders that make plexi-style heads, Friedman's are among the most highly acclaimed. Does the pedal version have the same magic?
Boxing Clever
The knobs on the top of the compact 4 ½" x 2 ½" x 1 ½" metal box are the same controls you'd find on a single channel of the Small Box amp. The control order is shuffled around a bit compared to the amp, but gives you the means to control gain, mids, volume, presence, treble, and bass.
There's also a gain-structure toggle switch on the side to replicate the amp's two channels. The down position voices the pedal as a cleaner vintage plexi; the up position takes on the qualities of a modified high-gain plexi. Switching is true bypass, there's a small red LED indicator light to signal on/off status, and the pedal accepts an external center-negative power supply that can run on voltages from 9V to 18V DC. There is no 9V battery option.
The touch and feel are great, and you can barely get a bad sound out of it, whichever way you turn the knobs.
Crunch Time
I've owned and gigged with a Friedman Small Box amp head for about four years, and its sound and feel are now very familiar. So I was a bit surprised at how effectively the Small Box pedal delivered me to so many of the same tone destinations, albeit via a different expressway. Playing a Les Paul and a Novo Serus J with P-90s, I used the Small Box with a variety of amps: a tweed Deluxe-style 1x12 combo, a black-panel Fender Bassman head and 2x12 cab, and a Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley 1x10 combo with its voicing switch on low gain. Obviously any type of overdrive pedal will sound a little different through different amps. That truth applies here, too. But aside from variables in volume and the sense of mass you derive from different speakers and cabinets, the voice, character, and touch dynamics of the pedal remain remarkably consistent, and that's an impressive start.
I'd challenge any player to plug this into a quality clean-ish amp, dial it in to taste, and not be impressed with the way it captures our contemporary perception of a juicy, dynamic, and ultra-satisfying plexi-inspired lead or rhythm tone. It excels at chunky, beefy crunch. The mid-gain blues drive is rich. Saturated soloing tones are available in abundance. And to my ears and fingers, it does that pedal-replicating-amp tone thing more accurately than any other Marshall-in-a-box I can think of. The touch and feel are great, and you can barely get a bad sound out of it whichever way you turn the knobs (which is typical of Friedman amps as well). It's an addictive pedal, and ultimately it just makes you want to play.
The Verdict
The Friedman Small Box pedal is simply a great Marshall-in-a-box-style overdrive that provides a very satisfying fast track to plexi-style crunch and lead tones. Long story short: I'd barely put in five minutes with the thing before I started wondering if Friedman would mind if I stuck some Velcro on the bottom and slotted it right onto my own board. If it's a Marshall-in-a-box you crave, the Small Box is a no-brainer.
Friedman Small Box Distortion - First Look
Experience amp-style touch sensitivity in a pedal that deals high-gain horsepower and mid-gain plexi punch with ease. (Video by @Devon Blue Whitaker.)More Fi...Here's a collection of powered guitar cabs that will help your digital rig feel more alive.
The proliferation of all-digital rigs, from arenas and stadiums to your local pub, proves that it's not a passing fad and that today's tech offers killer tone. This lineup of juiced-up cabs offers a wealth of options at a range of prices.
Atomic CLR Neo MkII
Described as a "reference monitor for the stage," this 500-watt, bi-amplified system contains two drivers, a max peak output of 130 dB, and a wealth of XLR outputs and inputs.
$999 street
DV Mark DV Powered Cab 112/60
The Italian amp gurus' solution for digital rigs is a lightweight cab with a Pearl White NEO speaker and both balanced and unbalanced inputs.
$499 street
Friedman ASC-12
Built around a class-G 500-watt power amp, this proprietary design can work as a monitor, backline, or even as a PA. Around back it has a low-cut control, ground lift, level, and single input and output.
$999 street
ISP Technologies Vector FS8
Tuned for deeper bass response and smoother high end, this compact floor monitor/guitar cabinet houses a 175-watt RMS power amp and dual XLR inputs.
$665 street
Headrush FRFR-112
This dual-input unit is stage-ready with a tilt-back design, XLR output, and a flat response 12" speaker. Bonus: It comes equipped with a contour EQ to suss out any pesky problematic frequencies.
$349 street
Laney LFR-112
This active guitar speaker offers a cab emulated XLR output along with a custom driver and LaVoce compression driver. It also has an aux in for jamming along with your computer.
$649 street
Kemper Power Kabinet
Inside this 1x12 combo sits a 200-watt setup that works exclusively with the company's popular Profiler and Stage units. It also offers 19 speaker imprints and the Celestion designed Kemper Kone, which is also available as a standalone speaker.
$789 street
Tech 21 Power Engine Deuce Deluxe
A 200-watt cab that's designed with a nod to the digital set, with a powerful 3-band EQ and a defeatable tweeter. It comes it at a manageable 29 pounds.
$449 street
Line 6 Powercab 212 Plus
Need a more elaborate setup? This 500-watt, 2x12 is loaded with MIDI, dual outputs and inputs, 12 different onboard speaker emulations, and room for up to 128 of your own impulse responses.
$1,399 street
ValveTrain PowerTrain Studio 20
Going the digital route but still want the glowing glass? This loud and portable cab uses two 6V6 power tubes and a 12AX7 preamp tube. Another great feature is the dead-simple, 1-dial control panel.
$1,199 street