Friedman JEL vs EVH Stealth

[@michaelmitchell5909]

Both are amazing amps, and I'd be crazy fortunate to own either one.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Ya, I’ve been blessed in my older years, very fortunate considering my youth. I now need both hands to count the friends lost to vice. I hope things work out so that you can own one of these some day \m/

[@zombiemontage]

It's not really a comparison if you aren't going through the same cab

[@oldguyjammin9732]

That’s fair and I figured someone would bring that up, it still delivers to the listener an idea of where the amp generally sits at the tonal table.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Would you really play an EVH head through a Friedman Cab or a Friedman head through an EVH cab?

[@wrentcht]

I’ve owned both the stealth and the EL34 ! I sold the Stealth because I liked the EL34 grit in the Clean channel way better ! From there I bought the Friedman JEL20 . At first I thought the EVH was more me ! Then ; one day, I dialed that JEL in with a Warm Audio Odd Box OD pedal ! After that ; as much as I wanted to like the EVH it sounded sterile ! I then traded my EVH ( even up ) for a Marshall studio Jubilee ! That head with a MXR EQ set into the loop IMHO KILLS IT ! I’ll never look back ! I guess that’s why they make so many different amps . Retubing the EVH heads too , OUCH ! $$$$$. Anyhow; I do understand the love for the EVH , I thought it was pretty good compared to the MT15 , my old Rectoverb 50 , 5150 Block letter , Bogner etc etc , CHEERS ! 👍👊🤘

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Dig your story and can totally relate, something keeps climbing to the top of the hill \m/ I may have reached a new height with the SLO30 however… loving it. Had a Suhr PT15 in for a couple of weeks but took it back, very expensive but not my thing. Glad you found the sound in your head!

[@MattW4319]

I was trying a guitar at Sweetwater and played the slo30 through a mesa 4x12 and it was just thick and awesome. For noise gates check out the isp gstring. I've used them for years and found them to be the best for 5150s.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

@@MattW4319 - I ended up with a Sentry NG and its worked great for me. I recently picked up a SLO30 and imo, it’s the new King of the Hill.

[@danz4904]

What happened to the Marshall Studio Classic? I've been thinking about getting one for the iconic JCM800 tone. I tried one at GC and it sounded pretty killer through a closed-back 2x12 cab with Vintage 30s. I had the preamp volume cranked and used the master to set the level. The amp cleaned up nicely using the guitar volume knob. Did you get rid of yours? If so, what didn't you like about it? I'm on the fence because the amp is VERY expensive for a single channel affair.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Tough to remember, but I do remember liking the ‘clean’ channel much better than the dirty one and what’s the point of having such an expensive clean channel? Know what I mean, the cranked JCM tone just wasn’t there for me… vintage Sammy Hagar \m/ Plus, I have found with Marshall’s that they sound best with the masters cranked and then adjusting the preamp and that was to do with this beast since I play at lower volumes and budget friendly attenuators are tone suckers imo. I also sold my DSL20 for the same reason but will never sell my DSL5 or DSL1. The Friedman Little Sister is Dave’s take on the JCM and I found it more of what I was looking for tonaly and the design allows for good tones at low volumes. In my little room I just didn’t need a big ol’ Marshall atop a 2x12 slant cab ha ha. Check the DSL5 along your journey.

[@danz4904]

​@@oldguyjammin9732thanks for the reply. I have a DSL5 and love it, especially after replacing the speaker with a Celestion G10 Creamback. The stock Celestion Ten 30 was good at bedroom volume but gets thin & loses definition as you crank it up. The 10" Creamback is awesome at all volumes, has deeper bass, and better clarity. The DSL doesn't have the same tone as a JCM800. The preamp and power amp circuits are quite different. The biggest difference is that the DSL has a more saturated distortion sound. Sure, I can back the gain off but the voicing is different. I get closer to the JCM800 sound by using pedals on the clean (classic) channel of the DSL5. I should probably just persue the pedal route with the DSL classic channel as it would be a more convenient & economical way to get my JCM fix. Thank you for all of your demos. I really enjoy your gear reviews. You do a great job capturing the tones on video and describing the pros & cons. I generally have the same likes/dislikes about any gear you review that I've also tried, so I value your opinion. Be well & thanks again for all the effort you put into these videos!

[@dalejacksonmo]

Cool demo between both of those Stealth sounded best for hard rock and metal tones...Friedman had a really nice tone too...just not quite as dark

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Yep, the JEL has kind of an Orange thing going on but tighter than say the OR15, more like a Brent Hinds. Can’t figure out why Friedman didn’t make it with a footswitchable boost rather than a pull pot…?

[@JaredTheGrayson]

After hearing you play, and seeing your choice of gear, I'd love to see a list of what you listen to in the car/truck.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Jesulick, Symphony X, Within Temptation, Disturbed, YJM, JORN Lande, MasterPlan, and any ol’ Priest, Maiden, KISS. I listen to a lot of country too, but don’t play much cause it’s not really guitar centered music imo. That’s the short list.

[@JaredTheGrayson]

@@oldguyjammin9732 Very nice!

[@filiprogina1753]

​@@oldguyjammin9732 great to see 'Jelusick' mentioned first. Proud of Dino and our Croatian badasses which are Jelusick. Cool video btw!

[@Rollingalucky7]

Is it pretty normal for the JEL-20 to hiss with the gain 2 knob pulled ?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Yep, that extra boost is pretty hissy. Any time you add gain you’re gonna add noise as well.

[@deuteronimus750]

What kind of noise gate do you use?

[@oldguyjammin9732]

SENTRY - very easy to use and as good as those costing much more.

[@2dazetake]

Think you were right to take back the orange hype

[@oldguyjammin9732]

Ya, good tones from both and with some EQing could probably sound very similar. Tonal consistency across the board is better with the EVH imo and had zero interest in the ‘added compression’ feature of the JEL.