BE-50 Deluxe 3-channel 50-watt Tube Head Review

So pleased with this purchase

Had the BE50 DLX for about a month now. There is so much flexibility with this, it takes some time to dial it in. But I'll bet 95% of you can find a perfect sound out of this. Every time you flip a switch (sat, voice, fat, etc) the tone controls get a new voice. I can't imagine needing another amp. The clean is…clean. Real clean. The BE and HBE channels are stunning. The tone… read more dials are very effective. The loop level out is a great add. Perhaps if you need insanely extreme shredding, the Friedman Butterslax or a Revv Generator 120 might be better suited. But short of that, this is your amp. Don't be cheap, pony up.

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Best advice of 2022 On Your Next amp!!!!!

Folks listen up!!!!! Friedman BE-50 is Hands down the GREATEST, ALL around , AMP EVER built! ….It's clean and sparkly ,cheeky, chewy, sleek and then….. with a switch …..of the foot switch button………IT RIPS YOUR FACE-OFF!!!!! Sell you Fractal, sell your Helix, sell your quad "shmad" cortex, take your "Kemper"put it and land fill, and stop searching for next HTXZT6000… read more super enhancer modulater micro zip zapper and buy a FRIEDMAN!!!!!!!!! Merry Christmas, Happy New year, HAPPY HANUKKAH. Take out a loan and buy a FRIEDMAN. BEST ADVICE YOU'LL GET in 2022!!!

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The culmination of Dave Friedman’s work

I'm not gonna write a long winded review for this amp, because Dave's work speaks for itself. This is the third Friedman amplifier I have owned at it is nothing short of spectacular. The Buxon Betty clean is crisp and chimey with unmatchable clarity. The BE and HBE modes are ungodly. Somehow Dave manages to design his amps where even the dirty channels are sharp harmonically rich… read more and squeaky clean with all the notes being articulated. I set everything to noon and hardly even moved from there; that's how I know an amp is for real. This head does it all. Friedman is one of the best, if not the best, in the business. Thanks for the excellent service as well, Sweetwater. You guys always come through; I'm a customer for life. -Gary

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BE 50dlx

I have owned this amp for 2 years now. I am well over the honeymoon phase. This amp is as close to perfect as you are ever gonna get. The clean channel is amazing. It is crystal clear with massive head room and takes od and fuzz pedals all day with zero problems. The BE channel is perfect at any setting. With the gain level switch and Sat switch this amp can go from Stones to Slipknot… read more if you want it to. The HBE channel takes the BE channel an adds another tube gain stage, and also has its own gain and volume control. It makes for the perfect lead channel for huge solo tones. The FX loop is the best in the business and lets you add un-colored FX to your cleans for huge spatial soundscapes, or just the right amount of delay to your overdriven leads. The warranty and customer service that you get are worth the price alone! Thanks again to my Sales Engineer Keith Klikas for working with me till we got the right amp.

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Handwired clarity

I got mine a coule of weeks ago, tried a couple of cabs, really love the sound and feel. So what is different from comparable amps? I emailed Dave to ask if the gain stages employ any solid state boosters (like some brands), NO, the gain stages are all tube stages regardless of which channel is selected. The jacks are all metal and appear to be more durable than plastic.The pots… read more appear to be much better quality than competing brands. If you wish to use an effect board to switch the channels, I use the RJM Mastermind, and each output for channel select has 2 switches and IS compatible with the BE-50 (the included footswitch also has 2 switches), but some multi-effect boards may output only one switch and you may not be able to change all channels. My BE-50 also came with a 5th preamp tube, and I checked back with Sweetwater, and they determined from Dave that it is a 2nd stage tube for the clean channel preamp. This tube is separate (behind) from the preamp line of 3 plus the phase inverter (4), just fyi. Better qualty parts and workmanship=better tone, more durable amp. Sweetwater did a demo with Dave and it was shown that the amp really allows the tone of the individual guitar to come through. That is an understatement! I handed my rig off to a "kid" (adult now) that I taught to play. Didn't change one single setting on the amp or guitar. He started in with some Alice in Chains riffs and sounded like an entirely different guitar, amp and settings, super grundgy, gritty, filth (that was awesome btw). He always sounds different but on this amp, it is night and day. I had to ask him if he had sewn sandpaper into his fingertips! Your style of playing will come through clearly no matter what guitar or settings. My best amp, now. Many thanks to Paul Rowan and the crew at Sweetwater for the demos and assistance they give in helping me choose the right rig!

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