Digital amp modelers simply DON’T do this
Links:
*FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!*
???? Halloween Special: Get all of our courses at one low price!
???? Includes “How to design guitar pedal circuits”, “Wampler Blueprint”, “Guitar Pedals 101”, “How to modify the Boss DS-1” and more!
Go here:
https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/bundles/everything
*PRODUCT LINKS*
Friedman IRX Pedal:https://friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-x/
Friedman IRD Pedal: https://friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-d/
Friedman IRJ (Jake E. Lee Signature) Pedal: https://friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-j/
*Special thanks to:*
Rattlesnake Cables
BTPA Cables
Hosa Cables
Porter Pickups
Tonal Concept Pickups
Fender Guitars
Whitfill Guitars
Epiphone Guitars
—————————–
Hey everyone! If you’ve been following my channel for a while, you probably know that I’m a huge fan of tube gear. There’s just something about the feel and response of tube amps that digital modeling can’t quite replicate. While I acknowledge the convenience of digital amp modelers and modeling amps—especially for traveling musicians who don’t want to lug around heavy tube amps and 4×12 cabinets—I just love the tactile satisfaction that comes from playing through tubes. It’s not just about the sound; it’s about the push and pull, the give and take that tubes provide.
In today’s video, I’m exploring some incredible new tube-based pedals from Friedman Amplification: the IR-X, IR-D, and the brand-new IR-J (Jake E. Lee Signature model). These pedals have literally left me speechless, and I can’t wait to show you why. Whether you’re into electric guitars, guitar pedals, or tube amps, you’ll love these tones.
Why Tube Pedals Over Digital Amp Modelers?
While digital amp modeling has come a long way and offers incredible convenience, there’s still a noticeable difference in the feel and response when compared to tube gear. These Friedman pedals capture that elusive tube amp experience, providing the dynamic response and touch sensitivity that digital platforms often lack. They’re an affordable and portable solution for gigging musicians who crave authentic tube tones without the hassle of heavy equipment.
Friedman IRX Tube Pedal
The IRX is a two-channel tube preamp pedal that’s somewhat “plexi-ish” but not overly high-gain.
I ran the IRX directly into the FX send of my Bravado amp, bypassing its preamp and using the 6L6 power section. This setup showcases the pedal as the primary preamp, delivering authentic tube amp tones.
Friedman IRD Tube Pedal
Personally, the IRD is my favorite because it allows for different flavors of the same sound, making it incredibly flexible for live performances and studio recording.
Friedman IRJ (Jake E. Lee Signature) Tube Pedal
The IRJ is the newest addition to the lineup and brings even more gain to the table. The built-in Tube Screamer circuit effectively gives you a pedal within a pedal, offering classic overdrive tones and the ability to boost for solos.
I didn’t just stop at running these pedals through my Bravado amp. I also tested them with:
Solid-State Amp (Peavey Bandit): Running the pedals into the power amp section resulted in surprisingly tube-like tones and responsiveness.
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe: Known for its less-than-stellar distortion channel, this amp was transformed when using the Friedman pedals, delivering rich, dynamic tones that were previously unattainable.
High-Voltage Tubes: Unlike many tube pedals that run at low voltages and use tubes more like clipping diodes, these Friedmans operate at high voltages for genuine tube amp feel.
Versatility: Whether you’re into clean tones, classic rock crunch, or high-gain metal, these pedals cover it all.
IR Loading: The ability to use built-in impulse responses or load your own adds another layer of flexibility, especially for direct recording or live performances without a traditional amp.
MIDI Control: Full MIDI implementation means these pedals can integrate seamlessly with modern digital rigs.
Portability: Get authentic tube amp tones without the back-breaking weight of traditional tube amps and cabinets.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:56 Overview of IR-D, IR-X, and IR-J
03:46 What’s the IR-X all about?
08:56 Let’s dig into the IR-D
12:57 Deep diving into the IR-J
14:42 The Tubescreamer circuit buried within
17:35 Why run this into a tube amp? Why not solid state?
18:21 Running these into a Solid State Peavey Bandit Amp
20:46 Running these into Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
#Digital #amp #modelers #simply #DONT
Originally posted by UCdVrg4Wl3vjIxonABn6RfWw at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UynaM5IzZs
Links:
FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!
???? Halloween Special: Get all of our courses at one low price!
???? Includes "How to design guitar pedal circuits", "Wampler Blueprint", "Guitar Pedals 101", "How to modify the Boss DS-1" and more!
Go here:
https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/bundles/everything
PRODUCT LINKS
Friedman IRX Pedal:https://friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-x/
Friedman IRD Pedal: https://friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-d/
Friedman IRJ (Jake E. Lee Signature) Pedal: https://friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-j/
Special thanks to:
Rattlesnake Cables
BTPA Cables
Hosa Cables
Porter Pickups
Tonal Concept Pickups
Fender Guitars
Whitfill Guitars
Epiphone Guitars
Yesterday I cranked the 'ol Deluxe up, Wide Open, with a tube screamer, and a strat, I was shocked at how just great that combo still is. I've been playing through sims for so long. Trust me sims are great. But they aren't an amp
great review- from an awesome builder/designer- cool! we have a great community
wonderful seeing you lost for words Sir
ISP ( Innovative Sound Products ) makes a Theta preamp pedal and a Theta Pro preamp with multiple effects. Theyre kind of dated but they "feel" like youre playing through a great tube amp. The feel of playing through an ISP Theta is wonderful, try one out if you havent already.
Save the Triceratops!!
The Freidman amp modelers don't do this. Try a Fractal. Don't just lump everything together and imply they all suck.
yep i would use a VHT poweramp with the friedman preamp but it aint the 80s anymore or 90s. They should do this pedal in a rack preamp
My brother. Love your pedals and show. But for the love of cripes….A Les Paul…PLEASE…. A Les Paul with the IR J. Let's hear this thing the way it was meant too. With a sh*t kicking set of humbuckers
A modeler thats dialed in thru a good playback system is much more enjoyable than an amp IMO. But you have to take the time and most people give up
Modelling and Valve amps both have their uses, there ARE ways to use modelling gear such as the Fractal range to be virtually indistinguishable from a good Valve amp
Try Bluguitar Amp1. You will love it.
The IR-X series are cool. Wish there was an ADA MP-1 style. All 3 channels and midi. 128 presets…
I prefer real amp reactive load, direct out to fx. Return stereo fx to Stereo Two Notes Torpedo Cab M plus to pa and reamp stereo power amp cabs. Play silent or put some sound on stage. Use my in ears. I have 2 nice 3 channel tube heads. My setup is consiatent. I can get same result any volume, I need.
I use all of the above.
When I want a cookie cutter standard sound, the digital emulations are kind of better. They will give you kind of a platonic ideal form of a crunch.
But if you use an unusual guitar or pickups. Or have a different kind of tone in mind, they are usually too narrow compared to what actual tube amps sound like.
Tube amps on teh other hand are not reliable. They change how they sound depending on the age of the tubes, line voltage, how far the bias has drifted etc.
Especially when playing long gigs they go past spongy feel to the mushy stage where no amount of EQ will summon definition.
The best sounds I ever got were with tube amps though. My old favorite is a Traynor YBA1a dimed into an EV- EVM cabinet.
Not a lot of lows or highs but the mids are amazing. Used to use a Rat as a boost to just push it into angry territory.
Your guitar playing has really improved since the last time I watched one of your vids. Good stuff!
TRUTH
Brain, always enjoy your videos, your enthusiasm and knowledge is inspiring!
The Bandit is one of the worst digital amps you could use. Try sometimes from the Boss range. The Fender does sound better, but again, it is not the best choice. Try Mark amps. Thanks for the video
It’s a simulation. It’s not real
The IR-J sounds so ridiculously good! All of them sound awesome, but if I could only pick one it would be the IR-J.
Btw: something I'd really would like to see in pedal format are the old Tascam GS-30 and BS-30 guitar and bass amp sims. They sound great, but they are built into these plastic tape recorder housings so they aren't really made for pedalboards. IIRC, the GS-30 is supposed to be based on the preamp and EQ from some old Tascam tape recorder. Really smooth and amp-like distortion.
Great video, thanks!
SS amps can yield good results with Tube preamps. In the 90's I had a Roland JC 77 and I ran a Soldano GTO tube preamp pedal into the front with Excellent results rivaling much bigger all tube counterparts. Ymmv. Great video.
Is it just me or do they all kind of sound the same? I feel like with a little bit of tweaking on each of these you can probably make them all sound fairly similar or fairly different… These are super cool but I feel like if you have one, you basically have them all.
For me, i use analogue stuff because modellers only do what some guy/gall programs it to do, whereas analogue stuff just does stuff and i can get anything out of it, regardless if its intentional. There is no way some dude at neural knows that some random bass player wants to abuse their marshall stuff to play bass
I want this kind of preamp when Mesa gives us Mark IIC+ in this kind of format. I have got an IR-X, yeah its a good pedal, but it sounds like overdrive with smooth tone(
Can’t beat the sound and physical FEEL of a cranked Marshall stack.
100watts vibrates a lot of air and makes you feel like a king!
If it’s good enough for my guitar heroes, it’s good enough for me.
I use the ir-x and ir-d mostly as a pedal platform and it's awesome …modelers are cool but I prefere the friedmans. the only downside for me is that you can not bypass the pedal… like the mofetta by the way ????
It's interesting how guitarists, when it's convenient, fail to mention the affect different Poweramp tubes like 6L6GC, 6V6GT, EL34, and EL84s have on the tone?
That magical tube Poweramp distortion they talk about, etc, is suddenly irrelevant.
Marshall released the JMP-1 in 1992, also with two 12 AX7s.
The only difference is in those days there were no IRs.
They also released the DRP-1 in the early 90s…so they were years ahead of the game.
My experience with hybrid amps that I have used is they always sound good that’s going back to marshal valve state, Orange micro dark to Bluguitar amp 1 mercury (which will tone match most tube amps).
As for the digital amps Roland seems to be the most realistic the blues cube range is very good.
Every thing else from boss katana, Blackstar silverline, AxeFX has always had something missing which is difficult to describe but you really notice it if you started on tube amps/ hybrid amps.
As for solid state there’s good and bad but the Jfet ones are definitely the type to go for ???? Orange Super Crush 100 is very impressive. Other solid state amps Pevey bandit is a classic and orange crush pro series are also very good.
As for these Friedman pedal board amps they will definitely give digital players a taste of what they’ve been missing.