DAVE FRIEDMAN FRIEDMAN AMPLIFICATION
Laced throughout the history of guitar amplification is a rare cadre of amp makers who somehow ‘had the ears’ to identify and dial in the sounds that players were seeking. Dave Jennings undoubtedly had ’em with JMI/Vox. Howard Dumble’s ears are legendary. Likewise Ken Fischer of Trainwreck fame. More recently, Dave Friedman has proven time and again that he’s able to nail the tones that fuel 21st-century rock.
If he’s heard it once, he’s heard it a thousand times. “Some people have said my amps don’t sound like a Marshall,” says Dave. “Well, first off, what Marshall are you referring to? What reference point? It doesn’t sound like a JVM? Or a 900 or a 2000 or an 800? They’re all different. Or a Plexi? When someone says the word ‘Plexi’, what Plexi sound are you talking about? Are you talking about AC/DC or the blown-up Van Halen sort of thing? Or do you mean somewhere between the two? Classic rock like Free, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and acts like that? What are you talking about?”
Indeed. What are you talking about? The simple fact is that Friedman has honed that ferocious aural feast we somewhat generically call ‘the Marshall sound’ to the extent that his amplifiers often offer a more direct route to classic
