Founded in 2008 by Dave Friedman in Los Angeles, California, Friedman Amplification is a boutique guitar amplifier company rooted in decades of amp building, modifying, and repair work. Friedman moved from Detroit to LA at age 18 and cut his teeth working with high-end studio gear, eventually apprenticing under Bruce Egnater of Egnater Amplification. He spent years building custom rigs and modifying Marshall amplifiers for top-tier session and touring guitarists — work that earned him a reputation as one of the premier amp techs in the industry. His client list included Eddie Van Halen, Steve Stevens, and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, all of whom helped shape the tones that would later define the Friedman production line.

The company's flagship amplifier is the BE-100, a high-gain head inspired by hot-rodded Marshall Plexi circuits, known for its aggressive yet articulate voicing. The Dirty Shirley, a lower-wattage head drawing on 1960s and '70s British amp tones, covers everything from sparkling cleans to saturated crunch. Other amp models include the Pink Taco and Little Sister, both offering the Friedman character at lower wattages. On the pedal side, the BE-OD distortion pedal — designed to capture the BE-100's drive channel in stompbox form — has become one of the most popular overdrive pedals on the market, alongside the Dirty Shirley Overdrive and Motor City Drive. Friedman also produces electric guitars, speaker cabinets, and monitors.

Friedman amplifiers are built in the USA with hand-selected components, and Dave Friedman personally inspects and plays each unit before it ships. The brand has found a following among players like Billy Howerdel of A Perfect Circle and Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters, and occupies a respected position in the boutique amp world for delivering high-gain tones with note clarity and touch sensitivity.

Friedman has 105 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Guitar Amplifier Heads, Guitar Amplifier Cabinets, and Combo Guitar Amplifiers. Their gear is featured by 115 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Metal, and Pop. Notable users include Tosin Abasi, Bill Kelliher, and George Pajon, Jr.. Most Friedman products sit firmly in the high-end, boutique range.