Guitar Gear Forum

I have many boutiques I love. 3 Fargens, 2 Friedmans, Fuchs Train45, 2 Lockards and one Bumbox 1 watt.

The amps I’ve discarded in my quest for tone past 10 years too many to list.

My most recent disappointment is Friedman Runt 50. I have Little sister that sounds great. I just got Runt back from Friedman authorized amp tech who screened it and said it sounds wonderful. I plug in and play and it’s crap.

Today\tomorrow I am picking up Bober-build Budda 45.

I have $2K pedalboard. It kills me to run clean. smh

My cabs, Marshall 4x12 WGS ET-65 and Vet 30, Fuchs with 12C GBs, Tone Tubby Hempbomb, Lockard GB/Vin30. Also 2 1X12s with Mojotone Celextion 12Cs GB.

I agree with you about knowing if I'm going to like an amp within seconds.
Although I've had some amps that sounded great initially but didn't work in my band's context. So these days I tend to wait until I have one full volume band practice before deciding if an amp is for me or not.


About the Runt 50 specifically, I like that amp a lot. I've used one for most of 2022 and played maybe 30 shows with it and I thought it sounded great. I'd definitely buy one again.
But we all hear things differently, so what works for me might not work for you and vice-versa. That's why there are so many amp models out there.


The Budda 45 will be killer btw. Great sounding amp.

Yeah, I usually will know pretty immediately if an amp will work for me.

Meanwhile, I've had the DSLs for years and still don't know if I like them.

GuitarBilly wrote:

About the Runt 50 specifically, I like that amp a lot. I've used one for most of 2022 and played maybe 30 shows with it and I thought it sounded great. I'd definitely buy one again.
But we all hear things differently, so what works for me might not work for you and vice-versa. That's why there are so many amp models out there.


The Budda 45 will be killer btw. Great sounding amp.

It insults my intelligence. I have the finest cabs. However, I’ve had other equal in value that I could not find the tone. Fxchs ODS to name one. Mesa Boogie Californian to name another. Both Fenderish. I didg Marshall tone, without the ice picks.

I love Fargens. I have mini and mighty Plex (x2). I feel freakish owning, knowing that they’re not super popular.

mtm105 wrote:

GuitarBilly wrote:

About the Runt 50 specifically, I like that amp a lot. I've used one for most of 2022 and played maybe 30 shows with it and I thought it sounded great. I'd definitely buy one again.
But we all hear things differently, so what works for me might not work for you and vice-versa. That's why there are so many amp models out there.


The Budda 45 will be killer btw. Great sounding amp.

It insults my intelligence. I have the finest cabs. However, I’ve had other equal in value that I could not find the tone. Fxchs ODS to name one. Mesa Boogie Californian to name another. Both Fenderish. I didg Marshall tone, without the ice picks.

I love Fargens. I have mini and mighty Plex (x2). I feel freakish owning, knowing that they’re not super popular.

Well, I don't think it's a matter of intelligence, it's just having different tastes and hearing things differently. The Runt was a pretty easy amp for me to like. I think I had all knobs around 5 and that was good enough for me.

Here's a video with it:






I love Fargen amps too. I don't know why they're not more popular.

That is a beautiful segment. I admire people
out there doing things. I’m retired near six figure $ and my wife nags the shit out of me 80% of the time
at home. My private satisfaction is my manual Mango Challenger Hemi and a 911 Porsche.

The only amp I wasn't sure about, right away, was my VTM D50 Dumble clone.
It has FOUR gain stages (three in the front and one in the back).
While, I knew I "liked" the amp fairly quickly, it wasn't until I figured out how to dial in the gain stages that I learned to love the amp.... that took about 15 minutes!