Friedman Amps (finally) ship Pink Taco and Dirty Shirley 20-Watt combos
Mini boutique combos at last!
Friedman Amplification have finally released their two new 20-Watt combo amps based on the Pink Taco and Dirty Shirley models. These two grab-and-go mini versions will be perfect for anyone after vintage tones in an easy to carry rig.
Pink Taco & Dirty Shirley
Both these amps have existed in the form of 20-Watt heads for a few years. Finally, Dave Friedman has decided to release both models as combo amps. This is a great move as it means you get all the cool sounds of the original models, but now they are far easier to lug around.
As an owner of a Pink Taco head, I can attest to the quality of the workmanship of Dave’s amps. I will also go on record with this: I love mine and I use it every single day. It is one of those amps that makes you smile when you play through it.
The Pink Taco is based upon the original Brown Eye 100-Watt head version, itself designed to sound like a soup-ed up Marshall Plexi. The Dirty Shirley, on the other hand, has more of a ‘Classic Rock’ Marshall tone and accepts effect pedals really nicely.
Combo amp models
Control-wise they are nice and simple (for me, one of their strengths): Master, Gain, Treble, Middle and Bass. This means it will be easy to dial in your tones. I speak from experience, as setting up tones on my Pink Taco head is very straightforward. It’s an amazingly versatile amp given the simplicity of the control layout. My mates that own the Dirty Shirley head all say the same about that model, too.
Each amp features a pair of EL84 power amp tubes and three 12AX7s for the preamp section. The Celestion 10″ speaker is a G10 Greenback, which is a good choice for these models. You can, of course, bypass it and send it out to a larger cabinet if you so wish via the 8-Ohm and 16-Ohm speaker outs on the rear. Both models are rated at 20 Watts, enough for small gigs. I have played in bands with my Pink Taco 20-Watt head with no problems, although admittedly I wasn’t aiming for a clean sound.
A word about the effects loop: Dave Friedman’s effects loop design is – dare I say it – awesome. He claims it is “transparent”, and he is not lying. I think it works beautifully and I use mine frequently with either a touch of delay and on occasion some flanger or phaser.
They should be hitting dealers soon and I would seriously advise you go check them out. Now all we need is the Buxom Betty!
Price £1799 each
Dirty Shirley Combo page
Pink Taco Combo page
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