NAD: Fortin Cali #23 (updated with clip)

[LunatiBSW]

The Cali doesn’t need any boosts at all.
Maybe your talking about how fast the attack is??? Cause the Cali is awesome for that, it’s the best attack I’ve seen from an amp unboosted.
On that pedal, also, couldn’t sell it fast enough. Played it through tons of amps. Was very processed sounding and added to much artifact to the sound.
This amp has zero qualities of either of those things, but if that’s what you hear than more power to ya.
The amp is organic and very dynamic, which that pedal in front of any amp, is the polar opposite.
I also am not really a fan of using boosts, and if I do, it’s on my recto or deliverance 120, to give it faster attack, cause they are a little tubby, which is why I may be selling them. Haha
Thanks for checking it out though. If you can check one out, def do so. I think you may be surprised at how different it is from your KSR.

I was never really a fan of using boosts with high gain amps either. Then one day I looked at all of the boosts I owned for using with stock Marshall amps. I started tinkering with high gain amps and it opened up a whole new though process. I’m LOVING using the VFE Standout in front of the CCV. The CCV is very similar to the Fortin Cali, so neither amp “need” a pedal out front.

That VFE standout is a gem. It has taken #1 spot for boost/eq.
I played with it a lot this weekend with all my amps. It really gives me the little 5% I need to make the perfect gain tone. The pedal is genious.. I have to tweak it a little different for each amp.
I’ve realized most boosts color the tone a little too much for me. With this pedal I can hone in on a little tighter bass or a tiny more top end, no prob. Still keep the punch of the core tone.
It retains the core tone the best of any boost I’ve used, you can basically shape it the way that suites you best.
You were one of the guys that really sold me on buying one.
Glad I did.
I’m about to redo my board, and it will be the only boost on there.
Gonna do a fortin spliff, get the tuner out of the chain (since it has a dedicated feed to be on all the time), just run the vfe standout into zuul into amp. Spliff also has a mute button
I can feed the key this way, then with one out of the spliff I’m gonna run my Slax with delay, since Friedman has the best loops. Then run the other iso out to the Fortin Cali, for the evil slice, dry with no Fx.
Experimenting is fun.

How did you like the VFE in front of the Wizard? I only tried it once and while it was okay, I didn't like it as much as the Koko Boost with the Wizards. I did like it with the Fryettes though. I need to pull that thing out of the box and give it another shot.

It sounds fantastic in front of the mcII.
That wizard really loves my big Friedman cab. The vfe, allows a little more atrack, so I can lower the treble and presence more and still get the aggressive cut I like. Which means I can make it thicker but still bite your head off.
Most of all* It maintains the 3D punch and open-ness That the wizards are known for, but allows me to focus the bass a tiny bit more since my Friedman cab has the Celestion 15’s on the bottom (they’re a deep speaker, very badass).
The cab is tight but it’s really huge with the wizard haha. So the vfe gives me the little focus I like, but doesn’t compress the tone like other od’s I’ve tried. It really feels like an amp expander to me hah.
I will say it took my some time to really figure it out.
I didn’t like it this much first couple times I tried it.
Once I understood what’s was really going on, and what the pedal can do, it’s priceless now.

Can't remember if you have used the Buxom with the MCII Brandon? I think the Buxom rocks with this amp but the Duncan 805 is also absolutely killer with the Wiz!

I have not yet tried that pedal. I know what type of boost it is though, and have played similar ones.
I may have to borrow one to try.
The standout is just so awesome with a hpf and lpf.

Wow! The Cali is the biggest 50 watts I’ve ever heard. Seems even bigger than the 50 watt MCII I had. Not as thick as the 100, but feels as stout. The clean channel turned up to loud home volumes sent my Plexi clone packing. Impressive. It’s bright and cutting and requires good technique to tame, but is dynamically rewarding. Much like an MCII. It took some serious work to balance the channels. But totally possible for my low to high gain style. My mind is blown. This thing is a beast.

I agree, it sounded just as big or bigger than the mc 50w I had.
It’s an amazing amp. Loving the Cali so much, personally. There’s a lot going on with a lot of knobs and switches, but they interact well. Like you said, I was able to get all the channels to balance without compromise.

 

[Crash-VR]

And you play with way more gain than I do. That really says something. There’s no compromise from clean to ultra high gain. Every shade of gain is equally awesome. Not sure I’ve ever come across an amp that does this so well. Although many try...

 

[LunatiBSW]

And you play with way more gain than I do. That really says something. There’s no compromise from clean to ultra high gain. Every shade of gain is equally awesome. Not sure I’ve ever come across an amp that does this so well. Although many try...

“And you play with way more gain than I do”
...... who are you talking to here? how would you know this?
Kinda weird thing to say. You play classic rock with your fortin or something?

 

[Crash-VR]

And you play with way more gain than I do. That really says something. There’s no compromise from clean to ultra high gain. Every shade of gain is equally awesome. Not sure I’ve ever come across an amp that does this so well. Although many try...

“And you play with way more gain than I do”
...... who are you talking to here? how would you know this?
Kinda weird thing to say. You play classic rock with your fortin or something?

Just from the videos you’ve posted and from the correspondence we had when I asked you if it did low gain well. I don’t Classic rock, but I don’t play metal either. It’s an original band with a lot of power chords but just not super high gain.

 

[LunatiBSW]

And you play with way more gain than I do. That really says something. There’s no compromise from clean to ultra high gain. Every shade of gain is equally awesome. Not sure I’ve ever come across an amp that does this so well. Although many try...

“And you play with way more gain than I do”
...... who are you talking to here? how would you know this?
Kinda weird thing to say. You play classic rock with your fortin or something?

Just from the videos you’ve posted and from the correspondence we had when I asked you if it did low gain well. I don’t Classic rock, but I don’t play metal either. It’s an original band with a lot of power chords but just not super high gain.

I was fucking with you a little, that’s cool though!
Cool to see you’ve had experience with wizards also.
Enjoy that Cali, it’s a beast, not just for 50w. It punches.
I love it more than I was expecting to. But I had high expectations from what buddies told me with killer kali ++ mods.

 

[Crash-VR]

And you play with way more gain than I do. That really says something. There’s no compromise from clean to ultra high gain. Every shade of gain is equally awesome. Not sure I’ve ever come across an amp that does this so well. Although many try...

“And you play with way more gain than I do”
...... who are you talking to here? how would you know this?
Kinda weird thing to say. You play classic rock with your fortin or something?

Just from the videos you’ve posted and from the correspondence we had when I asked you if it did low gain well. I don’t Classic rock, but I don’t play metal either. It’s an original band with a lot of power chords but just not super high gain.

I was fucking with you a little, that’s cool though!
Cool to see you’ve had experience with wizards also.
Enjoy that Cali, it’s a beast, not just for 50w. It punches.
I love it more than I was expecting to. But I had high expectations from what buddies told me with killer kali ++ mods.

Yeah, I love it way more than I was expecting to. I was trying to get another Wizard when I stumbled on the Cali. So far I’m really glad I did.

 

[Racerxrated]

I would imagine we'll be seeing a 100w version at some point....as cool as this 50 is you all know the 100 will be the one to get...just like the 50w Wizards are cool and seem like a 100w at times, you HAVE to get the 100w to get the full Wizard experience....
Just sayin.

 

[LunatiBSW]

I would imagine we'll be seeing a 100w version at some point....as cool as this 50 is you all know the 100 will be the one to get...just like the 50w Wizards are cool and seem like a 100w at times, you HAVE to get the 100w to get the full Wizard experience....
Just sayin.

Ah, kinda.
I’ve had both 50 and 100w wizards.
I liked both. I don’t find my fortin lacking at all, anywhere
I like the smaller, lighter format honestly.
I could sell all my amps and be happy as a pig in shit, with only the fortin.
100w would be cool, But Not necessarily needed IMO.
Fortin really likes the 50w format. It’s Angrier. He def figured out how to make it punch just as hard as the 100w + amps.
If you’ve noticed he’s only made 50w amps, since he started doing runs. But he also doesn’t spill the beans. So you never know.....

 

[clark81]

Hi guys, I need your help on this... Having a Wizard MTL 50 right now, do you think that ordering a Cali could be a different flavour? How different is it from the Wizard. I am asking this here, as I see people owning both.

 

[psychodave]

Hi guys, I need your help on this... Having a Wizard MTL 50 right now, do you think that ordering a Cali could be a different flavour? How different is it from the Wizard. I am asking this here, as I see people owning both.

It will be quite different. The Cali is a Jose style amp. The Wizard will blow it away though IMO.

 

[JerEvil]

I would imagine we'll be seeing a 100w version at some point....as cool as this 50 is you all know the 100 will be the one to get...just like the 50w Wizards are cool and seem like a 100w at times, you HAVE to get the 100w to get the full Wizard experience....
Just sayin.

Ah, kinda.
I’ve had both 50 and 100w wizards.
I liked both. I don’t find my fortin lacking at all, anywhere
I like the smaller, lighter format honestly.
I could sell all my amps and be happy as a pig in shit, with only the fortin.
100w would be cool, But Not necessarily needed IMO.
Fortin really likes the 50w format. It’s Angrier. He def figured out how to make it punch just as hard as the 100w + amps.
If you’ve noticed he’s only made 50w amps, since he started doing runs. But he also doesn’t spill the beans. So you never know.....

The Cali is a fucking ripper, no if's, and's or butts about it, eh!

 

[RedB4Black]

Hi guys, I need your help on this... Having a Wizard MTL 50 right now, do you think that ordering a Cali could be a different flavour? How different is it from the Wizard. I am asking this here, as I see people owning both.

It will be quite different. The Cali is a Jose style amp. The Wizard will blow it away though IMO.

The Wizard does blow it away. Though I have a 150w and two 100w MTLs. Never played a 50w WizardThe Cali sounds small in comparison. It is different though. I like the Cali, but of my 7 amps, it comes in at number 7.

 

[clark81]

Thank you so much, I also thought so without having the Cali in person. The wizard is a beast of an amp and really hard to be defeated. Especially when you raise the volume a bit...