Dave Friedman and his band of merry builders are never ones to skimp or make products that don’t need to be made. That’s why we’re always excited to hit the Friedman booth at NAMM. And this year certainly didn’t disappoint.
Friedman started the show strong with an attenuator that’s not just an attenuator, a superstar 3-channel (or 2.5, depending on who you ask) amp, and a British AC-style series. Check it out during AMS’s coverage of NAMM 2026.
Friedman IR Load – Pure Amp Sound and Feel without the Volume
Sure, big, bad amps are certainly fun to play. But not everyone can blast stadium-level volume in their house — at least without structural damage or noise complaints. Attenuators are nothing new, but Friedman saw a “hole in the box that they just had to fill.”
The Friedman IR Load is an attenuator first. It can handle up to 300 watts (200 comfortably) and mimic the curve of a 4x12 cabinet. You can easily keep the volume at a manageable level without affecting your tone.
However, beyond the simple attenuator, the IR Load really takes things up a notch, and then a notch above that. Not only can it keep your tube amp in check, but it also can reamp your signal into a power section developed by Synergy. They call it a “Machine Learning Power Amp.” It takes a sweep of your cabinet, constantly interacting with the cab, and reacts like a tube amp. It has the touch, feel, sag — everything! You can then remove your amp and use the IR Load as a 90-watt power amp!
As if that wasn’t enough, Friedman threw in a stereo effects loop, built in IRs, and even MIDI-capable knobs that can adjust your amp controls in real time.
Plus, it’s rack-mountable.
This thing is bonkers. It could potentially be your entire rig if you wanted it to. It’s an attenuator with that special Friedman touch.
Friedman Collab with Phil X: PX20
Bet you’ve never seen a Friedman 20-watt amp with this much versatility. The latest collaboration between Friedman and Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X has produced one of the coolest little amps out there: the PX20.
The PX20 is a 20-watt tube amp that brings between 2.5 and 3 channels (depending who you ask) of ridiculous tonal versatility to your setup.
Channel one is a Fender-esque clean with a few Dumble mods. Dave Friedman said it’s “just a little circuit we use,” adding some of his secret sauce to the clean channel.
Channel two brings in some dirt. But not just any dirt, controllable dirt. The structure switch can take you from a crunchy 800-style sound on the lower end to a hot-rodded tone on the higher end.
Where the half or extra channel comes in is the special boost. With a gain AND volume control, you can dial the boost to be anything from just a little bump in volume without affecting tone, adding some dirt without increasing volume, or blowing the audience out the back wall with both volume and gain. You choose how to use the boost!
And it’s a Friedman, so you know it looks good sitting on top your cabinet. We can’t get over the styling!
Friedman Goes Vintage – Vintage Series Amps
The Beatles, Brian May, Pete Townshend, they all liked a certain kind of amp. You know the one. It has the same name as the “air conditioning” abbreviation. Okay fine, it’s the VOX AC series. Their legendary British tone has been coveted for decades by some of the biggest names in the industry. Well now Friedman has their own British AC amp with the Vintage Series VX30.
The Friedman VX30 is a 20-watt amp that mimics the classic sound of an AC30 with a few special Friedman touches along the way. First, you can choose between the Top Boost channel for that chimey, jangly tone or swap to the Normal channel for a clearer tone.
But that’s not even all. The Normal channel sports a rotary switch that lets you choose between all the variations of the AC models from back in the day, giving you tons of tonal options to choose from. You can even blend the two channels for a lovely mix of chime and clarity.
The Friedman VX30 is best paired with the Vintage Series 2x12 cabinet with Celestion Blues, but Dave promises a version a bit later on with Greenbacks — you know, for those who don’t want to spend quite as many of their “greenbacks.”
New Amps from Friedman at NAMM 2026
Friedman is a mad wizard when it comes to amp design. He’s always out there trying to take tone to new levels. We certainly think he accomplished his goal at NAMM 2026. And if you want to check out all the latest Friedman amps, you know where to find them: right here at American Musical Supply.
