Friedman Runt 50 trade? Yay or Nay?

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SithLordChris

SithLordChris

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I have a Mark V 25 Head and Cab that I dig, but I rarely keep amps for long and i'm considering bringing something else in. A local guy has a Friedman Runt 50 for trade and we are both kicking the tires on a potential deal. I play punk, hardcore, some classic rock and mostly jam at home or record via Two Notes. I'm looking for a Marshall type sound, something close to a Small Box or BE without the price tag. I'd be playing through a Mesa 2x12 loaded with a Redback and a Creamback and playing Les Pauls and Strats. Would this amp satisfy my craving for a hot rodded type Marshall tone or should I stick with the Mark V and try my luck at something else later on? Any advice or short reviews of the Runt would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!
 
The Runts are cool but it depends on what type of hot rod Marshall you're looking for.
Some mods will make a Marshall more aggressive and biting.
The Runt is the type of mod that make things a bit more smooth and compressed from the time I spent with one.
One other thing to note about the Runts is the FX loop. You need to route the wires from the loop so they do not
run anywhere near/over the right hand (input) side of the amp otherwise you'll get a bunch of noise in the loop.

I also have a V:25 and the crunch setting is an excellent modded Marshall tone. I'd keep the V:25 cause it'll do
what the Runt does but is WAYYYY more versatile. Better cleans too.
 
I've owned the Mark V 25, and loved it. But, owning a Runt 50 as well, it will certainly do modded Marshall tones much better, but needs boosted. As far as the loop issue mentioned, I've not heard of such a thing. Ever...
 
There is a guy here been trying to sell/trade a Runt 50 all year with no luck.
IMO if you're gigging the MK V:25 is the perfect amp, much better than the Runt.
And the Runt is no Marshall.
 
WBellman said:
I know firsthand it's an issue with both the Runt 20 and the JJ Jr.
Dave F. is well aware of it.

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/runt-20-fx-loop-info-noise.1805047/
Click to expand...

Be that as it may, I've never had any problems, (albeit I've only owned the Runt 50). But, my FX in the loop are on the floor, FWIW. I use an RP1000 for modulation effects only, with an MXR 10-Band in the RP's loop.

Funny.. Someone in TGP thread posted "A Runt has a metric buttload of gain". Uh.. No it doesn't. It has maybe the same as a DSL's green Crunch, which isn't nearly enough for most without a boost or two.. I use an Xotic EP into a VFE Dragon in front of my Runt 50 to get into good thrash territory.
 
LP Freak said:
Is this exclusive to to 20? I had a 50 and never experienced any issues
Click to expand...

I have no personal experience with the 50. Just thought it was worth pointing
out to the OP. I wouldn't even describe it as a fault on the R20 or JJJ. You just
have to pay attention to the send and return cables and keep them from being
directly adjacent to the PS side of the heads. Probably not an issue with a combo
since those would be hanging down anyway.
 
WBellman said:
The Runts are cool but it depends on what type of hot rod Marshall you're looking for.
Some mods will make a Marshall more aggressive and biting.
The Runt is the type of mod that make things a bit more smooth and compressed from the time I spent with one.
One other thing to note about the Runts is the FX loop. You need to route the wires from the loop so they do not
run anywhere near/over the right hand (input) side of the amp otherwise you'll get a bunch of noise in the loop.

I also have a V:25 and the crunch setting is an excellent modded Marshall tone. I'd keep the V:25 cause it'll do
what the Runt does but is WAYYYY more versatile. Better cleans too.
Click to expand...

Plug them both into a 4x12, crank the V 25 to about 10:00, and do the same with the Runt. Of course, volume is going to play the biggest role. If OP gets to crank the Runt 50, I think he'd dig the Runt. The V 25 falls apart.

Now, when I had my V 25, I stacked it on (2) Thiele 1x12's with the MC90's, and boosting the IIC+ mode, or MK IV mode, it was plenty aggressive, and quite fun. It just runs out of steam and higher volumes, where the Runt just starts coming into it's own. And the right boost really brings the goods. It IS the closest you'll get to a BE without the price-tag, bar-none.
 
Last edited:
SithLordChris said:
I have a Mark V 25 Head and Cab that I dig, but I rarely keep amps for long and i'm considering bringing something else in. A local guy has a Friedman Runt 50 for trade and we are both kicking the tires on a potential deal. I play punk, hardcore, some classic rock and mostly jam at home or record via Two Notes. I'm looking for a Marshall type sound, something close to a Small Box or BE without the price tag. I'd be playing through a Mesa 2x12 loaded with a Redback and a Creamback and playing Les Pauls and Strats. Would this amp satisfy my craving for a hot rodded type Marshall tone or should I stick with the Mark V and try my luck at something else later on? Any advice or short reviews of the Runt would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Honestly, the Runt 50 would be terrific for the tones you're after. The question is, do you like your mark? Is it not giving you the tones you want? Or do you enjoy it and you're just looking for something different?

The mark v will be able to cover a lot more ground overall, but if the tones you're getting aren't satisfying to your ears, that really won't matter. As others have mentioned, the mark 25 will fall apart at higher volumes, so that's something to keep in mind if you ever intend to jam with others.

I have a Runt 50, and it's honestly my favorite Friedman I've owned to date. It just seems to be a little more raw and organic, and less polished and 3d than the others I've played. It just suits my ear more. It can easily cover classic rock tones and sound killer doing it. The amp can also get into very high gain territory with the right boost and pickups.

I find no lack of gain with the amp. It's got considerably more gain on tap than my jmp 2203 or 2203x, but still stays tight and clear when you have the gain cranked up, u like the marshalls. For me, it is a great modded Marshall option.
 
Crunch mode on the V with a SD-1 or other similar boost will drive that Mark into a Marshall type tone. I have the 90W Mark V and with a SD-1 on the Crunch channel with the 5 band you can get some pretty kick ass Marshallish gain. However only a Marshall circuit is going to get you there 100%. BIG difference between the 50W Runt and the 25W Mark though, how loud do you need to be?
 
Texhex said:
how loud do you need to be?
Click to expand...

In the OP he didn't mention the V:25 not being loud enough so I figured that was off the table.
With the V in Crunch mode with a KTR in front I can cop just about any 80s modded Marshall tone.
 
Thanks for the response on this guys. I do like the Mark, but it was a matter of "would I like the Runt more". Reading some of the comments I went back to channel 1 boosted and I think I can get close to what i'm wanting with the Runt. Thanks for helping me with the decision to keep the Mark!
 
WBellman said:
In the OP he didn't mention the V:25 not being loud enough so I figured that was off the table.
With the V in Crunch mode with a KTR in front I can cop just about any 80s modded Marshall tone.
Click to expand...
The Mark is pretty loud for what i'm using it for. I did go back and mess with channel one and I think i'm content. Thanks for the feedback!
 
Bad.Seed said:
Honestly, the Runt 50 would be terrific for the tones you're after. The question is, do you like your mark? Is it not giving you the tones you want? Or do you enjoy it and you're just looking for something different?

The mark v will be able to cover a lot more ground overall, but if the tones you're getting aren't satisfying to your ears, that really won't matter. As others have mentioned, the mark 25 will fall apart at higher volumes, so that's something to keep in mind if you ever intend to jam with others.

I have a Runt 50, and it's honestly my favorite Friedman I've owned to date. It just seems to be a little more raw and organic, and less polished and 3d than the others I've played. It just suits my ear more. It can easily cover classic rock tones and sound killer doing it. The amp can also get into very high gain territory with the right boost and pickups.

I find no lack of gain with the amp. It's got considerably more gain on tap than my jmp 2203 or 2203x, but still stays tight and clear when you have the gain cranked up, u like the marshalls. For me, it is a great modded Marshall option.
Click to expand...
Your video really had me on the fence haha. The tone was awesome! I appreciate the feedback man! I might have to check out the Runt another time.
 
Donnie B. said:
The Runts are cool but it depends on what type of hot rod Marshall you're looking for.
Some mods will make a Marshall more aggressive and biting.
The Runt is the type of mod that make things a bit more smooth and compressed from the time I spent with one.
One other thing to note about the Runts is the FX loop. You need to route the wires from the loop so they do not
run anywhere near/over the right hand (input) side of the amp otherwise you'll get a bunch of noise in the loop.

I also have a V:25 and the crunch setting is an excellent modded Marshall tone. I'd keep the V:25 cause it'll do
what the Runt does but is WAYYYY more versatile. Better cleans too.
Click to expand...
The noise is due to the send level not high enough. It can be solved by a setup on the VR10 (increase send turning clockwise) potentiometer and soldering a lower resistor parallel to R62 :

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/oQAhCbfjz3Q6J1gd/?mibextid=WC7FNe
 
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