NAD - Friedman JEL-50 through 2x12 with Avatar Fane M65 Speakers - It barks, it kerrangs, it really rocks!

[tbonesullivan]

 Does it bark? Yes, yes it does indeed, and it is full of KERRRAAAANNNGG. Classic Marshall tones from the 70s and 80s, done right. I had been thinking about a Friedman, particularly the JEL-20, for a long time, before this one was announced. As I have a good stock of SED EL34s, and wanted a bit more "thump", i decided to go for the larger wattage example. There were a bunch of pretty much brand new returns, so I saved a bit and picked one up.

Cabinet is an Avatar contemporary closed back with two Avatar M65 speakers by FANE. I did not expect to bright switches to have such a huge impact on the sound, especially at lower gain levels. Gonna get to know it a bit better, and then swap in some old production glass into V1 and V2. Also gotta change the strings on the guitar to 9.5 or 10 gauge, as 9s feel like noodles to me.

As it is, channel 1 is pure plexi style, and it's got the three way bright switch, which is almost like a gain control at lower gain levels. With it to the right I think it's the same as an OG Plexi, which is quite bright, though I don't have confirmation on that. In that setting it's hard to even get a clean sound, but with the bright switch in the left, or the center where it's the least bright, it's got a great clean sound. As you up the drive you get more dirt, and I think even near the highest gain levels you still get a good amount of extra bite with the bright switch to the right. With the gain fully dimed you're definitely a bit past AC/DC level gain, but if you want the real "plexi" sound you do need to get the master up above 5. However per Pete Thorn, Dave Friedman designed the amp so it isn't as woofy at lower master volume levels, so it still sounds good.

Channel 2 is the JCM 800 style channel, and serves that up just right. The bright switch is also quite useful at lower gain settings, but once you get above 7 or so you can barely tell it's on. I'm not sure if it even makes a difference when you pull out the boost on the lead gain, but I think I can hear a change. The gain is usable throughout the entire range, and pulled and pushed are kinda like two different voicings, so there's a lot of ability to customize the sound using the pull gain and the bright switches.

The presence and thump in the back are great as well, though they are more something I would set depending on the room I'm in, or the cabinet I'm using.

And speaking of that, this is the first time I REALLY got to put some volume through the Avatar cabinet with the M65 speakers as well, and I can say they are definitely some really nice speakers. I'm fairly certain that Avatar pretty much asked Fane to make some Creamback style speakers, but they definitely have their own voice. Nice and crunchy with a lot of definition. I'm going to make that my standard cab for a while, and hopefully break them in a bit more.

[LK155]

TBone,

It appears from your photo that the Carvin contraption you have is water-cooled.  Impressive.

 

[tbonesullivan]

2 hours ago, LK155 said:

TBone,

It appears from your photo that the Carvin contraption you have is water-cooled.  Impressive.

HAH! It is definitely Fridge sized. That bass stack came to PSP V or VI. I can't remember which. Maybe both. I know the rack came with me every time. I really need to get back out there.

[bolero]

Congrats!

And those are good tubes. I have a couple spares but wish I had a stash!

[tbonesullivan]

On 1/10/2025 at 5:02 PM, bolero said:

Congrats!

And those are good tubes. I have a couple spares but wish I had a stash!

Heh. Well it's only 8 tubes, 4 matched pairs. But that is enough to last a while. Two of the pairs are matched, so I could use them in a 100 watter, but I'm not playing arena shows.

[Genericmusic]

 I'm drooling! 🤤