We’re going all improv free-association with you folks today: first a drummer, then a drummer’s crowdfunding project, and now another crowdfunded endeavor for you to dump your fleeting cash into, this time from an amplification company.
You might know the name Fryette, but it’s more likely that VHT rings a bell. The company went through a legal curfluffle a couple years back and either sold the name or lost it—no one is quite sure. Names ain’t nuthin but a name though, andFryette’s amps are still top notch. There’s a distinctive sound to every product Fryette has released, so clear under massive distortion that the amps can sound oddly clean. Fryette’s signature tone can be divisive, but personally I love all the amps the company has released, especially the Deliverance.
So naturally I’m beyond tickled that Fryette wants to build a little 1 watt recording amplifier, the GP/DI. There’s been a lot of innovation in this field recently, but most of it has been in the digital modelling arena. I’d love to see more tube amp companies put their own spin on things.
Admittedly the direct recording feature, at least in the videos, isn’t knocking my ears off. It certainly sounds good, but even an analog snob like myself will admit that speaker simulation is where things tend to fall apart for all tones non-digital. I’d be so incredibly curious if some glorious fool with too much disposable income plugs this Fryette unit into an Axe-FX at line level and disables everything except the cabinet emulation. It could be the best of both worlds, albeit with a pricey and impractical bridge.
Still, it looks like the GP/DI will sell for $600, a far cry from the $2000+ you’ll pay for an Axe-FX or Kemper Profiling Amp. I admit to guessing here, but it seems like this could be a great little unit not for serious recording, but for shredding at home in a low volume environment plugged into a 112 or 212 speaker cab (since it does have a 1-watt power amp) and for recording great sounding demos direct (or mic’d).
Anyway, check out the videos below, and if the product piques your interest, maybe consider supporting Fryette’s GP/DI Kickstarter.
And by the way, Helmet fans may be aware that Page Hamilton was one of the early VHT/Fryette endorsers. The 2nd video below features the man himself giving the GP/DI a test run.
