Electro-Harmonix Freedom Portable Amp

This old boy was mass produced a few years back. I don't think they make them anymore, which is a real shame. Sturdy pine box, single 8" speaker and simple controls.

There is no headphone jack, but there is a preamp out. I have used it for recording and it sounds very decent.

It looks very unique and as they are no longer produced, it is sure to become a collectors item.

Battery powered by a 12 volt lead acid battery (thats the good kind, old and heavy, but they last forever!) A full charge will typically last about 4 to 5 hours. I installed a new battery when I first got it and it has never died on me.

The power switch has three modes on/off/charge. Here is one of this amps biggest failings in my opinion, you cannot run the amp off of the mains power. It's battery or nothing. However, if you just remember to charge it for a bit whenever you are done playing, you shouldn't have a problem.

Heres a tip for you DIY-ers out there. I bought a second battery for about $20 and wired the pair into a DPDT switch which I installed in the back. I could then select which batter accepted a charge and which one was being used to power the amp. Both batteries fit inside the box without a hassle. So now if I am playing a gig and I start to loose power, I just switch over to the auxiliary battery. Email me if you want details on how to do this. It makes the amp a little heavier, but it's a small price to pay for double the battery life.

I play a Tele and a Squire 51. I do a lot of tapping, clean, drenched in reverb and two stacked delay pedals. The amp handles my playing like a champ! I have been known to throw some pretty thick fuzz at it as well and it takes it in stride for the most part. If the lows are too hot the speaker will crap out a bit, but hey, it's just an 8" so what do you expect? Besides, a small adjust of the tone knob and you can take care of that.

I got a little daring and ran my J-bass through it with the lows scooped out a bit. While it wasn't the fattest tone I have ever heard, I was pleased to hear that it could also be a decent bass practice amp at low volume and high tone.

This amp has the sweetest tone I have ever heard. It gets loud. Not 'rattle your teeth' loud, but enough to compete with a kit, although it sounds best when kept a little lower and mic'd up.

There is a 'bite' knob, which seems to be a mid sweep with a bit of gain added. It will sharpen your tone up a bit, but it also has a tiny hiss to it when cranked all the way up. Nothing terribly noticable, but it's there.

Overall, I love the sound of this amp! I am constantly scouring eBay for others so i can have a back up if this thing ever goes out on me, but it's built pretty tough so I am not too concerned about that happening.

This thing in constructed to be very solid. I have had the back off on many occasions while fiddling around with the battery. I think the brilliance of this amp is the simplicity of the design. The PCB in encased in steel, which is attached to a nice shock absorbing foam before it's screwed into the wooden case. The battery is tied down with a metal strap that holds it in place, and the speaker is surrounded by foam as well. I hope it never falls down the stairs, but I imagine it wouldn't damage it too much it it did.

Like I said earlier, the only drawback to the amp is the limited battery life. But I only play longer than four hours on few occasions and my addition of a second battery took care of that. It's never died on me at a show.

I actually called EH with a few questions about the amp when I first got it. I left a message (it was after their business hours) and they called me back THE NEXT MORNING! And it was a real live human being on the other end who knew what he was talking about and answered all my questions. I love the people at EH. Great products and great support. I should mention that even though this amp is a model they no longer make, they STILL had a staff member who know it inside and out. Very impressive.

I have owned quite a few combo amps in my day and this one of far and away my favorite. While it doesn't have the built in effects and amp modeling like the Microcube or the Vox DA5, I think the sound of this amp blows them out of the water. It's beefy, sturdy and it looks classy. Aside from being able to run to off wall power, I would say it's perfect.

If it was stolen or lost I would weep bitter tears, but would be online that night looking for a replacement.

If you are looking for a nice, smaller amp that can also scream and hold it's own at rehearsal and smaller gigs, this is the way to go.

Date of manufacture unknown,bought it used in very good condition.
I play R&B,Folk,Blues,Country..it`s Basically an Acoustic/Electric highly portable amp.wich means:Lightweight ,about 8 lbs.(4 kg.)including big dryfit 12v cell ,made of rather thick pine(20 mm)fingerjointed ,coated with transparent varnish,Big Pine Carrying Handle on top falls in recess when not in use,Gold coloured Speaker Grill Cloth,cabinet has a wooden flap underneath that can be flipped out so as to tilt the amp.upwards (when closed can be held securely in place by a little wooden pivoting peg )it is a sturdy construction and looks like a nice piece of handmade furniture.It has an 8" speaker ,that just fits in the cabinet,wich is driven by a 15 watts transistor amp.One Channel Only !! Controls are at the top of the cabinet (recessed) consists of : (arranged next to eachother) Volume ,Tone , Bite ,and underneath : InputJack ,Charger socket ,Switch On/Off/Charge ,LineOutJack (Only LineOut !!,No HeadPhones. WellMade and Robust ,Go Everywhere Amp.

Now , Basically I consider this an amp.for Acoustic/Electric Guitar and for that it does the Job Very Well. I use it Primarily to Amplify Ovation`s (Piezo P U with Pre-amp.),However,the Input is so Sensitive that even a SingleCoil can drive this amp. It can produce a Big, Powerfull Voluminous Sound ,Setting the controls on my O??s to Neutral,the Tone control on the "Freedom" can give a Full Rich Bass or a decent Treble,for there is some Hiss coming from the amp.(But No Hum ) The Bite Control works like a Mid Control with a twist,for ,when in use it Induces a Mild Distortion ,and when turned up will amplify that Hiss,in daily use however that is negligible,for it is Well Below Sound Level,basically put: Playing an A/E guitar through it will make it sound like a Loud Acoustic Guitar.Good Sound Indeed ! Now,for Electric Guitar,well,it Copes quite well with stompboxes,(I use a Morley Wah at times ) Many Options there,compared to Other Battery operated Amps.this one can give a Well Defined Big Sound with lots of "Oomph" !! The Line Out is exactly that ,meant to be plugged into a Mixer-P A. Will NOT Drive HeadPhones !! However :When Inserting a Jack into Line-Out ,the "Freedom" gives a slight buzzing sound through it`s Own Speaker AND into the P A ,Turning Down the Bite Control Completely ,and Turning the Tone Control Not more than Halfway Up will Minimise the buzzing/hissing so making it possible to use the "Freedom"as Monitor for Live Playing,however it is not recommendable for Recording,not over the Line-Out that is. A Mic.placed in front of it`s Speaker would be a Better Choice !
The Switch for On/Off/Charge speaks for itself,yet,During Charging the "Freedom" can not be used for playing,so it`s either: Charge or Play ,but when fully charged it can Play for a Long Time on Full Power !!,easily handles a Hard Long Evening Gig Without a hitch !
A Word of Caution though,the Charger supplied is a simple thing,that does NOT Switch off by itself,(killed a battery by leaving the charger on too long)so I installed a measuring device (galvano meter ,available from radio-parts outfits)to make sure the Battery reads no-more than 15 Volts,That`s when it`s fully charged !!
For Playing Out with A/E Guitar (or Electric with stomp`s)and Considering it`s Powerfull Big Sound ,Sturdiness,Reliability,Good Looks and Portability ,I would rate it a solid 9 ,However,that Charger issue should be adressed :-) !

I do Dare to Depend on it,I bought it used some time ago,so can n`t tell how old it is,as far as I know,it has never had any issues,I`ve been putting it through it`s paces,so far no problems,and with an outfit like this,a back-up would be overkill,Yeah,I`ll recommend this little Gem to Any One, who Needs a Big ,Warm ,Detailed Sound with Lots of "Oomph"in a small Nice-Looking package, GREAT AMP !!

Did not have to deal with them,it`s an Amp,over 10 yrs. old ,so no warranty.

Been at it for a good forty yrs.I own several Ovation`s, Phat Strat,Jazz/Blues box (Washburn-Washington J-9) ,Zepeda (handmade smallbodied acoustic ,sometimes equipped with a AKG 411 L condensor pu )Fender Dreadnought ,H??fner classic,Lany Klipp amp.Fender G-dec,Roland Micro-cube ,KORG D3200 rec.mixer, a good range of condensor mics. Dynamic mics.(Peavy Diamond..AUDIX ),Behringer UB2222FX PRO stage mix. ,OPERA 415 P A Speakers. and some other paraphernelia.
I love the "Freedom"s Portability,Good Looks,Ease of Use,and above all,it`s Big, Warm yet Detailed ,Powerfull "Oomphy Sound.
They should include a charger that switches off by itself,to prolong battery life.
Compared to: Roland Micro-cube (Electric Guitar amp.really) Crate Taxi,Pignose,VOX : The "Freedom" sounds Bigger,Louder,Simply NICE !
I wish it had an extra input so as to make it Possible to Play while Charging.
It`s small and Sturdy enough to Sit on ,rather Handy !(allways my own seat with me)
If for some reason it disappeared,I would get another ASAP!!
Highly Recommended !
A GREAT LITTLE GEM !!

One instrument input. One preamp output. Very reasonable weight. Volume, Tone and Bite controls. Bite is a soft distorsion that sound nice. More Bite will increase the perceived volume also. Battery lasts for about 4 hours, as stated by manufacturer. Charger included. It can not be used while charging (this is the only sad point) Will charge in 4 hours. 15 watts. I use it at one quarter and is loud for home. It has a (custom made?) 8'' speaker.

It sounds very clean. I use Genelec studio monitors and this is not the same =:) but it sound clean, unlike most guitar amps. With a natural and pleasant sound. It's quite silent. You will not hear annoying hiss coming out of it. Of course, it's there, but in a very decent amount.
It sounds beautiful with my Takamine with nylon strings. I processed with many wiard effects and still sounds organic and pleasant. I'm very happy with it, soundwise. Still did not play an electric through it but I can tell you it will sound nice too. Is a transparent kind of amp, a great value for the money.

It's rugged. Pine wood. Will show the pass of time and I like this. I onpened and it's very well built, simple and strong. Big and reliable and comfortable handle. You can easely substitute a bettery if you have to. Even use a larger capacity one. Big good rubber feet and a piece of wood that can stand the amp at an angle. It seems quite reliable in general.

I haven't deal with the company but their website is very poor. No tech specs, no good photos... very poor. Sad and even absurd for such a legendary company. That's all I can comment by now.

It is beautiful looking and clean, full sounding. Rugged. It gives me good vibes because is made of wood. I can get it anywhere in my home or outside.
The only bad point is that you can not play while is charging and that you can not plug it to the mains. I think I will perform a simple mod and insert a switch for battery/external DC and a conector to plug in a good 12V PSU, so I do not waste the battery when I can plug it. I reccomend it if you like a clean amp that's not too big and that looks "organic"

VERY versatile - great choice for acoustic guitarists! This amp was designed for "street guitarists", not harpists. I say this because an earlier poster rated this amp '5', berating it for having 1 input and lack of a gain knob, then discontinued rating the amp in other catagories, because they bought the amp and "tried, foolishly, to use it for harp". What a silly thing to do. Its "features" should be rated according to the intentions of the manufacturer. I don't think this product was intended for any other purpose than a simple, portable guitar amp.

Sounds great! I tried every battery powered on the market and this has the BEST sound for acoustic guitars, perhaps due to the wooden box design. Don't take my word for it, try 'em ALL out and find out for yourself.

Need more time to adequately determine this.

Haven't needed to contact the company yet.

If you want a simple, battery powered amp for acoustic guitar, that weighs only 17 lbs., can play up to 6 hours on one charge, looks great as furnature, then I suggest purchasing the Freedom Amp.

ATTN: Musicians who do NOT play guitar, please refer to forums at other websites. Thank you.

just bought this a nd it is real simple and low cost. Don't need a lot of stuff just something to bring the tunes to the people. this package is perfect because it is made of wood and voiced like an acoustic amp but it can really get loud.

Fenders, Gibsons, Martins, Giannini even sitar. They all sound great on this amp, just adjust the amp for your best tone and you should be in good tone. Talked to EH and they were very helpful with giving me the details on this amp because their website sucks. But they told me how they tested it and they seemed right on the money. Can use for electric (especially w/ amp modeling), acoustic and even vocals if needed.

Seems stonger than any other amp on the market at this size. I haven't tried the AER amps but they cost $700. This one goes for $260 and is better than the Crate taxi amps which I think is the only other serious battery powered amp. If you can get a battery powered effect device then you can make all your gigs without any problems.

Only dealt with the phone call discussed earlier and they were helpful. Their WEBSITE SUCKS, no real info.

I have a huge set of amps including the usual elect guitar suspects (Mesa, Fender, Soldano, etc.) as well as acoustic /keyboard amps (trace elliot, laney, etc.) and this amp is great for the coffee house gig or any gig that you want to avoid carrying tones of gear, because your tone is really in the way your fingers hit the fretboard.

I'm adding this, because I didnt see it on this list. It's so long ago, that I'm working from memory. The Mike mathews freedom amp was
pretty cool in its day. Freedom referring to its using batteries, and I believe ac, also. ( I'm guessing I owned it in about 1972 - 74) I guess you'd compare it to the Crate taxi of today. It was about 1 foot x 2 feet. Red vinyl top. And I think it ran on 8 or 10 D cells. I play blues, and the tone was fair. But it was pretty loud ( way louder than a pignose of that era.) I think it had to 8 inch
or 10 inch speakers. ( probably cheesy speakers by todays standards)
You could just about gig with it. I'm hoping another reader remembers it too, so I can get someone elses details to bolster my
own hazy recollection. Sold it eons ago. I'll give it an 8 for
being a head of its time.

Very basic, businesslike little amp. Volume, tone, bite, and a pre-amp out. The pine cabinet is pretty (my wife bought if for me because it "looks like furniture", instead of all that black crap (vintage Fender)that would otherwise be lying around. The portability and length of charge are excellent features. The little stand on it is nice, too.

I play an ASAT Classic Thinline, a'37 Gibson L7 wiith a b-band prototype, and a Guild M-20 with a '79 Barcus Berry hot dot. All sound pretty good. The amp lets the pickups do the work. It take effects, (primarily delay and eq very nicely.) The Bite knob dirties up the attack a bit, but I play pretty clean, so I don't use it much. This amp is LOUD -surprisingly so. It holds its own in a small room with much larger amps. The sound is very clear and comes out on top of bigger rigs. I rarely use it past 7 or so, because the drummer complains about the volume.

It has been absolutely reliable and predictable. I've had no dealings with the company, so I can't rate them, but I'm perfectly willing to take it out without a back-up.

No work has been done. I don't remember what the warranty says, but I got one that was built right.

I've been playing since dinosaurs roamed. I own or have owned way to much gear to list, but sufficient for a knowledgeable comparison. I would definitely replace it if I had to. I wish it had a line in.I looked at a number of 'practice' amps before getting this one. It works great as a bedroom amp, but I play out with it too. The sound quality, for a solid state, is really amazing.. Very few amps of this size sound this good, and NOTHING in this size and price range even comes close.

This is a single channel, portable amp with volume, tone, and bite. It is battery powered or AC powered. This is a no frills amp but it is built very solid and the wood cabinet is well made and looks great. The cabinet is sealed and the amp has an 8 inch speaker. The power rating appears to be around 15 watts but I'm not sure.

I use a american standard strat and a fender custom shop strat with a fulltone fulldrive 2 pedal for distorion. This amp has one of the best clean tones I have ever heard from this size amp, it is warm, clear and has great sustain. The sealed cabinet gives a full, round bottom end and the bite control lets you shape the attack and the brightness. I am constantly surprised at the number of people who comment on the tones I get from this amp, it is a jazz players dream. The amp just doesn't really distort that much unless you crank it all the way, I've found that if you use a good pedal the amp responds very nicely .

I've had it for a year and have never had any trouble, I own several tube amps and I have tired of the hassle of keeping them running in top condition. I never thought I would feel so strongly about a solidstate amp but the freedom amp not only sounds good it "feels good" to play like a tube amp does.

I called the company when I bought the amp to see what a replacement batter would cost in case mine died and they were very helpful over the phone.

I use this amp quite a bit because I am able to run it through the PA with it's line out and it is so portable. If it was lost or stolen I would order one the next day.

This is the reissue amp that looks like it came from the Ikea catalogue. Light lacquered wood finish. On / Off, Volume, Bite, Tone, Preamp out, rechargeable inner battery, 1 input. I wish it had gain, which is why I rate it 5.

I tried, foolishly, to use it for harp. What a joke - no tubes = wrong sound. It was like playing acoustically, but loud. Don't get me wrong - if you want to play clean, and LOUD, especially to busk, this is the ticket. The Bite knob gives some attack distinction and the tone variance is pretty nice. It's all very very clean and loud.

I'll leave the scoring to the guitarists as I chose the wrong amp for the job.

Solid like a block of wood. And the battery charge seemed to last a good while. Might worry about scuffing-up the purty finish.

It's a very 'attractive' amp - aesthetically. It's probably right for clean-playing guitarists with some pedals that they don't mind in-lining. I'm not overly experienced, but I just wanted something with a bit more soul and the ebay price was right (normally $350). I bet this would make a super acoustic amp.