Friedman Smallbox or Angry Charlie?

[JohnnyCrash]

I’ve been on a Marshall in a box kick lately… I’ve got the Friedman BE-OD, Dirty Shirley, and I just added the Smallbox.

I’m underwhelmed by the Smallbox (I really enjoy the BE and Dirty Shirley, though). The lower gain settings seem a little weak.

I’ve got an Angry Charlie on the way.

1. How would you guys compare the Smallbox with the Angry Charlie?

2. What other MIAB pedals do you guys like/use, and what do you like about them?

 

[Unadan]

Guvnor Reissue is the best I've tried of many.

 

[JohnnyCrash]

Guvnor Reissue is the best I've tried of many.

I built a Guv’nor. It’s a nice distortion pedal, but it’s not exactly an amp-in-a-box…

Now I’ve gotta go dig it out of its hiding spot in the garage. I haven’t played it in a while!

 

[green_henry]

I don't have a lot of experience with other MIAB pedals, but I'm very happy with my Xotic SL Drive. I'm not a metal player, but I love the early Judas Priest tone, and the SL seems to nail it for me (going into a clean Boogie Blue Angel, fwiw).

 

[Killing Floor]

What makes that overdrive so great is that it’s actually tubes being overdriven.
I use this as my “Marshall” in a box:

JC Emerald – Sushi Box FX

 

[bluesholyman]

I'm digging a Friedman Motor City Drive right now - outstanding higher gain tones.

 

[E5RSY]

If you're playing through a BF/SF Fender, give the DOD Gunslinger a hard look. While designing it, Tom Cram and crew tuned it using a silverface Twin Reverb to emulate a Marshall (can't recall which model they were shooting for).

 

[pi]

I built a Guv’nor. It’s a nice distortion pedal, but it’s not exactly an amp-in-a-box…

I don't know what you qualify as an AIAB, but the Angry Charlie is a Guv'nor circuit (with a different tone stack).

 

[D_Malone]

I’ve been on a Marshall in a box kick lately… I’ve got the Friedman BE-OD, Dirty Shirley, and I just added the Smallbox.

I’m underwhelmed by the Smallbox (I really enjoy the BE and Dirty Shirley, though). The lower gain settings seem a little weak.

I’ve got an Angry Charlie on the way.

1. How would you guys compare the Smallbox with the Angry Charlie?

2. What other MIAB pedals do you guys like/use, and what do you like about them?

What amp are you using, and how is it set (clean, edge of breaking up, dirty) ?

What Marshall sound are you aiming for? Low gain Plexi? AC/DC crunch? High gain/modded?

 

[JohnnyThul]

I dig my Barber DD/DC pedal a lot for MIAB sounds. A Direct Drive is nice as well, but cannot get as high gain as a DD/DC.

 

[JohnnyCrash]

I don't know what you qualify as an AIAB, but the Angry Charlie is a Guv'nor circuit (with a different tone stack).

I didn’t know that!

I guess I’ll be dragging my Guvnor clone out of the garage for a five pedal showdown.

I used the Guvnor sparingly back then and I was more into tube overdrive at the time (still am, mostly). Now that I’m looking for more quiet recording options it might be a good pedal to resurrect.

 

[JohnnyCrash]

I don't know what you qualify as an AIAB, but the Angry Charlie is a Guv'nor circuit (with a different tone stack).

I just ABed my Guvnor clone with the Angry Charlie.

Whatever they did to the AC, it was very much an improvement on the Guvnor.

The AC sounds a lot more like my real JCM800s. My Guvnor sounds more like a standard distortion box. The AC has a much wider gain range (from clean boost to filthy) and can even do low gain sounds very well.

I’m looking forward to trying it with a cab IR sim pedal for direct recording. It is a pleasure to play!

I should also point out that I modded my Guvnor with a diode switch to give me more flexibility. The AC still won, at least to my ears. My quest is over. I’m selling my Friedman Small Box… but I’m keeping the BE-OD and the Dirty Shirley, they’re just awesome.

 

[pi]

Whatever they did to the AC, it was very much an improvement on the Guvnor.

Cool.

I don't have the Guvnor myself but I do have a Crunchbox, which is another Guvnor-like circuit.

I compared all three schematics. Topology is the same up to the tone controls. The Guvnor has gain/clipping stages, followed by a marshall-like tone stack. The Crunchbox has exactly the same gain and clipping, but alters the values for many key components, then follows with a simple passive tone control. The AC has exactly the same components as the CB in the gain stages, but follows with a 3-band tone stack.

I think the evolution of this was Guvnor->Crunchbox->AC, with each making changes to improve it. CB to tune it more like a marshall, and AC to improve the flexibility with better tone control.

 

[NICQ]

Wampler Plexi Drive and Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret are also good MIAB pedals

 

[telemnemonics]

None of the MIAB pedals I buy and try sound like there is a Marshall inside.
Had too many actual Marshall’s maybe?
The cost of alla those pedals was way less than the Orange OR15 and even took up about the same amount of space if combining all those pedals.
How about a nice SLOIAB?

 

[telemnemonics]

Key question to me is: "which Marshall sound do you want t o hear and what non Marshall amp are you trying to force to make that sound?"

Small tube rectified mids scooped PRRI?
Seems like many MIAB pedals really do target owners of the PRRI wanting to hear a half stack.

 

[GGardner]

I like my Wampler Plexi-Drive.

 

[telemnemonics]

Pedals I like for Marshall influenced amp clipping would be the Bogner Ecstasy Blue in both versions, the DLS in red which is a leaner low mids, and the Marshall Drivemaster which is almost identical to the Guvnor.
Also the ZVex Distortron and I knida like the Bogner La Grange which is it seems based on the ZVex BOR which is also the Distortron minus the extra controls added to the Distortron.

But I am not using SS pedal clipping, only tone shaping and push.

 

[JohnnyCrash]

Cool.

I don't have the Guvnor myself but I do have a Crunchbox, which is another Guvnor-like circuit.

I compared all three schematics. Topology is the same up to the tone controls. The Guvnor has gain/clipping stages, followed by a marshall-like tone stack. The Crunchbox has exactly the same gain and clipping, but alters the values for many key components, then follows with a simple passive tone control. The AC has exactly the same components as the CB in the gain stages, but follows with a 3-band tone stack.

I think the evolution of this was Guvnor->Crunchbox->AC, with each making changes to improve it. CB to tune it more like a marshall, and AC to improve the flexibility with better tone control.

How do you like the Crunch Box?

My quest is over, but I always hold open the “honeymoon phase,” especially if it means I can acquire new gear

To be fair, my Guvnor was built by me… so that might be its flaw!

 

[JohnnyCrash]

Key question to me is: "which Marshall sound do you want t o hear and what non Marshall amp are you trying to force to make that sound?"

Small tube rectified mids scooped PRRI?
Seems like many MIAB pedals really do target owners of the PRRI wanting to hear a half stack.

Mostly the JCM800.

I also built a Zvex Box of Rock that does a pretty good job.

My “real” Marshall amps are my go-to, but I’m trying to get a good and silent recording setup that won’t make my neighbors call the police!