Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest, since 2011) runs three Friedman amps based on early-80s 2203 donor chassis with Jose-school front-end voicing. Per Dave Friedman ([Panel #5 44:44]):
> *"He's got one of three he has. They're related and everything… 1981 or 82 donors."*
Faulkner's amp inspired Friedman's later George Lynch signature ([Panel #5 44:44]) — the two amps share architectural DNA. Faulkner's specific component spec is partially preserved on Metro forum from Friedman's archives ([Panel QA Apr 2025 61:10]):
- Mostly a super-lead front end: 2.7kΩ cathode, 0.68µF bypass.
- First coupling cap = 0.022µF (not the lighter 0.02 typical of stock 2203).
- A cathode bypass cap "47 or 68" (Friedman uncertain) across the 820Ω in the cathode-follower section.
- Presence cap = 0.68µF style.
- Phase-inverter coupling caps = 0.022µF.
- Tone stack: lead 33kΩ slope, 500pF treble cap.
What's distinctive about Faulkner's recipe vs canonical Jose:
- No extra gain stage (no V0). Faulkner runs essentially "the best possible 2203" rather than a Jose-cascade build. Friedman: *"optimizing the 2203 circuit, making it sound like a GOOD 2203."*
- No diode clipper. Faulkner's tone is open, all-tube saturation, in the no-diode Jose family (alongside Mars, DeMartini).
- 2203 platform (not 1959 Plexi). Faulkner uses the JCM800-era cold-clipper baseline rather than the Plexi mixer architecture.
JMIL surface area: to approximate Faulkner, start from Stock 2203, enable cathode-bypass-switch + bright-cap-reduction. Skip V0-stage (Faulkner doesn't have it), skip diode-clipping. Cascade-v1-v2 is already stock on 2203. Dial Mid ~7, Treble ~5, Presence ~6, Master high. The result is a tightened, articulate 2203 voiced for arena-volume lead lines — Faulkner's signature.
Adjacency to Lynch: because Lynch's Friedman amp shares Faulkner's design DNA, the same JMIL settings approximate both — the difference shows up more in playing style and rig (Lynch's high-watt cab + GE-10 pre-Plexi, vs Faulkner's straight-into-cab) than in amp circuitry.