“An entire Friedman rig in a compact pedalboard-friendly package”: Friedman’s expanded IR-D puts a cult classic amp mod into a tube preamp pedal without breaking the bank

Friedman has expanded its collection of pedal amps with the IR-D – an tube-loaded, two-channel preamp pedal that has been described as “an entire Friedman rig in a compact pedalboard-friendly package”.

The IR-D follows Friedman’s IR-X, which arrived late last year. That pedal set a new precedent for the firm, putting boutique tube tones on your ‘board at a rather enticing price point.

Specifically, it weighed in at $499, making it exceptionally more affordable than some of the boutique brand’s more traditional amp offerings, which comfortably sit in the five-figure area.

The amp specialist has now continued its work with the IR-D, which retains the IR-X’s approach of marrying a tube-loaded frontend with a digital backend by blending the two 12AX7 preamp tubes with a DSP IR cab/power amp simulator.

At its core, the IR-D is inspired by Friedman’s Dirty Shirley/Twin Sister amps. These in turn were inspired by the sounds of a Marshall JTM45 mod masterminded by firm founder Dave Friedman, which delivered the “signature British tone for which Friedman is known for”.

Each channel has its own footswitch, as well as a dedicated control set comprising a three-band EQ, Volume, Gain and Boost parameters. The IR-D also bolsters the IR-X feature set, offering two-way Bright and three-way Structure switches. Again, there are dedicated switches for each channel.

As for the digital side of things, each channel of the IR-D has a Cab/IR switch that navigates the onboard sims. These can be sent to front-of-house, or to a DAW for recording, and the stock IRs are apparently some of Dave Friedman’s personal favorites.

Other IRs can be loaded into the IR-D using the accompanying Friedman editing software, which also lets players tweak power amp settings via Thump and Presence controls, and activate a mysterious ‘Boost Lock’ feature.

As expected, the connectivity is mighty versatile: there’s an FX loop, TRS output, MIDI and headphone jacks, and a USB output.

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“IR-D isn't simulating a Friedman tube preamp. It is one,” Friedman says of its IR-D. “While many available preamp pedals utilize tubes to 'warm up' their digital or solid-state circuit, two glowing hot 12AX7 preamp tubes, running at the proper high voltage, are this pedal's beating heart. 

“A genuine preamp in every way, IR-D delivers all the tone, response, gain characteristics, and harmonic complexity you expect from a Friedman design.”

We already spoke at length about why the IR-X was such an appealing release from Friedman, and the IR-D – with its Dirty Shirley/Twin Sister tones and expanded feature set – looks to be an even more attractive option.

The IR-D is available now for $499.

Head over to Friedman to find out more.