A FEW YEARS ago, while in rehearsals with his band, Red Dragon Cartel, revered hard rocker Jake E. Lee decided to try out a new amp that had recently shown up at his studio: a Friedman Smallbox 50. According to the amp’s maker, Los Angeles guitar gear guru Dave Friedman, the Ozzy-pedigreed shredder immediately fell in love with the head and proceeded to use it every night of his ensuing tour. Soon thereafter, the guitar star and the builder teamed up to create a limited run of high-gain 100-watt arena-ready Jake E. Lee signature JEL-100 heads.
While those amps quickly sold out, anyone curious about their sound — or, frankly, anyone who loves kick-ass rockAnd though it is smaller than its forebear, it’s no less compelling.