Friedman IR-X Dual Tube Preamp

I really had high expectations for this product. Featurewise it's got everything and it's well thoughtout....expect for those players who like to have a clean tone.....you can do that but the overall output of the irx gets way too low. The boost on that channel also is too weak for getting it into crunch territory....the lead channel is nice but the tonecontrols lack the ability to get a more mellow, round tone....presence and thump controls as well as other ir's that are excessable through the computer don't change things enough in this regards....it's greatly built, very fine features etc but it's not for me in terms of delivering the tones I'd like to hear....

I ordered Friedman IR-X from Thomann and it arrived in Dubai flawlessly and on-time. As my first order from Thomann, it was a very good experience.

Now let's talk about the IR-X. I have used this unit for over 8 months now and I am really impressed by it. Having used digital modelers for many years, the best thing I like about this unit that it has no digital screen and menus to scroll through. You can dial in EQ and Gain instantly. This helps specially when you have to perform at different venues and need to adjust your EQ and Gain on the fly. Having two channels (low & high) with their own boost setting is very helpful and avoids the need to have a separate boot pedal. I don't use any modulation effects so my signal chain consists of an Overdrive > IR-X > FOH (That's all). I use Reverb/Delay in the loop. Just three pedals and I can get all the tones I need to play Classic Rock and Blues. IR-X is very dynamic, which means it reacts very well to light/hard picking and guitar volume control.

I mostly use channel 1 on the IR-X as a pedal platform. It produces clean to slightly overdriven tones. I prefer getting more saturation through stacked OD pedals, this helps me to add gain, saturation and volume in steps. The beauty of using OD pedals is that you can change the character of the amp. For example, if I use a Dirty Shirley OD pedal in the front then I can make the IR-X sound like a JTM 45.

Whilst I love the IR-X and how it sounds, there are some areas where IR-X could have been even better.

1) The pots on the IR-X are very soft which means they have little to no resistance. I am not sure why Friedman could not get better pots same as we see on Boss and other pedals. Some people add a rubber o-ring under the knobs to create resistance or add an additional protective cover on top. I have seen similar units with better ergonomics.

2) The plastic knobs could have been of better quality; like we get on Marshall amps. To me they look and feel cheap for a US$ 500 unit.

In conclusion IR-X is a great unit and I love it for what it is. However, I also enjoy using ToneX One as a pedal platform, which can offer a lot more than the IR-X.