Friedman Dirty Shirley 40W Amp Head

If you are a fan of classic British rock sounds from the 60’s and 70’s but want something a little bit hotter, the Friedman Dirty Shirley might just be the amp you are looking for. Based on an old hot rodded JTM45 this amp has that fat classic sound that has appeared on countless records this  is not a sound you hear too often anymore.

Single Channel Design

As this is based on one of the most legendary amps ever made the Dirty Shirley had to really use a single channel layout to really nail that classic British tone. Don’t let that put you off though as it is incredibly easy to dial back the gain at a moments notice using your touch and the guitars volume control.

One of the issues with remaking an amp like that however is that they never quite had enough gain for most modern tastes. While yes you could use a boost pedal Friedman decided to all of the extra gain you will ever need straight in to the amplifier. This means when you get past around 12 o’clock you unlock the more modern side of the amplifier.

Signature Friedman Touches

Friedman amps are well known for a handful of different things but the main things are just how dynamic the amps are and the transparency of the effects loop. For you this means that you can easily control the output and response just by changing your touch and that your pedals will not drastically change your tone. It is quite a common problem that just by using the effects loop your tone changes even on high end amps. So by making it transparent your tone stays your tone.

Made In USA

Designed and built by Dave Friedman and his team in California the Dirty Shirley is well known for being an incredibly high quality amplifier that sounds great from the moment you turn it on. By using a selection of three 12AX7 preamp valves and two 5881 power valves you get a truly British sound that competes well with anything actually coming out of Britain today.

Voicing Toggle Switch

The small toggle switch on the front will change the voicing of the amp. The 3 voicings available are:

• Low gain – Think Plexi-style vintage gain territory
• Mid gain – Typical PT20 tone, or a lot like a JCM-type gain sound
• High gain – Very similar to the famous Friedman BE100

The new voicing switch was created so that you can make the most out of the amp in studio or live. If you like running the gain from the amp then the BE100 setting would perfect. But if you prefer to cook the amp with some drive pedals in the front, use the middle position for a Plexi-style voicing. The positions look as follows:

• Toggle in the middle: Plexi
• Toggle in the left position: JCM
• Toggle in the right position: BE100

Specifications

• 40-Watt all tube head
• One channel
• High and low sensitivity inputs
• 2 x 5881 power tubes
• 3 x 12AX7 preamp tubes
• Gain, Master Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble and Presence
• Ultra transparent series FX loop
• 4, 8 and 16 ohm Impedance selector switch
• Custom USA made transformers
• Limited Lifetime Warranty
• Dimensions: 10.5″ (D) x 24″ (W) x 10″ (H)
• Weight: 30.5 lbs.
• Hand Wired in the USA