You also get an effects loop and the option to use MIDI for more than just channel-switching, hardware permitting. The cab-simulated DI output is impressive too, offering a lifelike replica of the sound in the room for mic-free recording or connection to the PA. ![]() ![]() The BE really does sound totally ‘boutique Marshall’, and feels like a natural match for this output stage and the V30s.Īll four modules can get monstrously loud, so it’s just as well the master volume control is pretty good at keeping levels bearable without throwing a big beige blanket over everything. There’s no such thing as a clean tone here, but the first channel of the BE module does get close with gain not far off zero, and you can easily set the four channels to step up through the gears all the way to boosted blitzkrieg on the HBE side. We’ve no such worries with the two Friedman preamps, which we can’t resist lining up as a pair for four switchable channels of pure Plexi grind. The Twin channel has this feature as well but, while it does offer more headroom for pedals, it sounds a little bit flat in comparison and also seems to have a higher noisefloor at matched levels. You also have two teeny toggle switches, marked B and T (bright and tight), for added EQ tuning. The Deluxe side offers beefy clean tones with lots of snap in the mids and classic Blackface sparkle on top, and you can push the gain for some beautifully sweet Fender crunch. The T/DLX unit offers a clear Atlantic-hopping contrast from its Vox-voiced neighbour, and there’s also a stark difference between its two channels. And of course, if you really want to confuse the house engineer, you can just stomp over to the other module. But this gives you plenty of options for those big solo boosts. The two channels are voiced the same, and share a tonestack, so the only variety on offer from channel-switching within this module – other than the independent bright switches – is in the gain and channel volume settings. Cranking the master controls for presence and density helps – we’re guessing these act on the negative feedback loop (treble and bass respectively), so leaving them wide open gives us some extra sizzle and bloom. If you’re after that Vox-y squished attack and shimmery breakup, it’s all here – and while we do miss the looseness of cathode-biased EL84s and low-wattage speakers, the difference is not as pronounced as you might expect. And the first thing to say is that the Morgan AC20 sounds… well, an awful lot like a Morgan AC20. Once we’re in business, though, the SYN-50 looks and operates just like a standard channel-switching amp. It’s okay in the end, but it’s not exactly slick – and neither is the process of loosening the screws, then tugging on them to take a module out. But the Synergy T/DLX preamp needs a bit more of a shove to dock with the contacts in the left slot, and then one of the screws doesn’t want to go all the way in. The Morgan one pushes into the right-hand slot cleanly enough, and screwing it snugly to the panel takes seconds. But for review purposes, we’d better fill those openings with a couple of modules. In its unloaded state, this head would make a lovely shelter for bats. ![]() But oh my, are we keen to find out just how close it can get… In use So no, we can’t expect a Friedman that’s been squeezed onto a toastie-sized PCB and pushed through someone else’s output stage to sound exactly the same as the hand-wired real deal. Now, you may well point out at this stage that there’s more to a guitar amplifier than its preamp, and equally that there’s more to a preamp than its circuit. All of this is running through a pair of 6L6s into a ported 2×12 cab equipped with Celestion Vintage 30s. The modules are all priced at £375 our review amp has two designed by Friedman (based on the Plexi-style BE100, with and without boost), one by Morgan (from the Vox-like AC20) and one with Synergy’s own take on the Fender Twin Reverb and Deluxe Reverb.
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