Fortin Cali Mod Marshall VS Splawn Quick Rod

[ericb]

Every general gear forum I've been a member of, there is always a brand or group of brands/builders/particular amp models that are the most popular/least criticized on the forum. General gear forums have always been that way since the later half of the 90's when I first started reading them. Manufacturer specific "fan" sites are a different story of course.

Splawns have never been in that group on Rig Talk since I've signed up, which was when the site was originally formed. Was even a member of Rig Talk in the original format if anyone remembers that it looked quite a bit different back then.

Since the new ownership Splawns have seemed to become even less talked about or maybe it's just my perception.

Rig Talk is a marketing portal now and is almost a quasi manufacturer specific fan site in some ways. Sort of like a hybrid, just imo.

The closest I've seen Splawns become popular (on forums) was when Shreder75 was in full promotion mode on HCAF circa 2006-2007. That was probably the early origins of how the "Splawn police" term was originally coined but I'm just speculating.

Imagine bashing Fortin on Rig Talk, there would have been a similar response if you bashed Splawn on HCAF back then.

I pretty much agree with this post! Once again , I've been a member of all the forums since even b4 the forums were out! There were newsgroups and it was called alt.guitar.amps! Then the Guitarist forum ,then the GREAT Harmony Central , then the rest. I had thousands of posts all over as a diehard-gearheard and BIG MOUTH, but never slammed any gear , unless I really really thought it flat out sucked and not only sucked, BUT it was publically hyped on purpose by sales-reps posing as forum members AND it sucked. . ANyway , I've never gotten 1 impression in the past 10 years that any Splawn amp didn't sound absolutely awesome based on every single clip, recording, video ,etc I've heard of them. . It's been the ONLY amp I can think of where some people don't like them, including my old internet buddy Steve Snider who was the biggest amp pimp of all-time . . . I have no idea why , so will need to find out for myself. I pretty much guarantee I'll love it as I'm a huge Marshall lover and huge-modded- Marshall lover.. We shall see! AS for the 'door-stop' comments , to me they 're just plain ignorant , BUT hey if someone wants to make them ,it's their right

Eric

 

[Shiny_Surface]

including my old internet buddy Steve Snider who was the biggest amp pimp of all-time . . . I have no idea why , so will need to find out for myself.
Eric

Yeah Snider is definitely not a Splawn fan.

 

[ericb]

Imagine bashing Fortin on Rig Talk, there would have been a similar response if you bashed Splawn on HCAF back then.

Hey , just out of curiosity , have you played a Fortin -modded Marshall? I bought a 1982 JCM800/bass amp with the Cali mod, and the series/parallel fx loop ,etc . It absolutely 100% kicks ass. It's a VERY unusual mod to me as a guitarist in that you have these 3 positions on your volume knob and 2 of them have severe clipping of the signal , so you have a MUCH REDUCED Volume and 1 is full volume . If anyone's played any JCM800 they know they're loud as hell. . With the CALI Mod , the amp can sound like your best marshall tone you've ever heard at such low volumes. I'm NOT a lo-volume guy . .I play in 2 cover bands these days and 1 is 3 piece and 1 4 piece and I'm the only guitarist and we tend to have a reputation of playing pretty loud. The CALI can be turned up also , but the it'd have to be almost maxed out on the volume knob (Isn't that wierd? ) HOWEVER once again , it's about the best sounding Marshall you could imagine, cleans up decently , all kinds of gain , AND another weird thing is it almost PLAYS ITSELF. . It's friggin easy to play compared to most Marshalls and any other amp.. . I have 2 Demeters , 2 Barons, an Orange, THD, Fenders, Mesa Tremoverb, Trainwreck clones, etc also amongst my load of Marshalls, and I can't imagine anyone would ever bash the Fortin!

Eric

 

[ericb]

including my old internet buddy Steve Snider who was the biggest amp pimp of all-time . . . I have no idea why , so will need to find out for myself.
Eric

Yeah Snider is definitely not a Splawn fan.

And he's a good guitarist too and very experienced in amps , as are some of other others who aren't fans, SO the only way is finding out for myself I guess. .SEriously this has bugged me for years..

Eric

 

[Lord Toneking]

If youre close to Cleveland Ohio you can borow my amp anytime Eric. I've let 2 total strangers and one of my friends borrow my amp in the past. Two of those guys went out and bought a Quickrod. But then again they might have been needing a good doorstop I guess

 

[shreder75]

OK you guys win. Splawn QR's are a great amp with lots of cool features

But, the OP was asking about a comparison to a Cali mod. They aren't even in the same league. Totally different. That's all. It's an easy concept.

And yes, some of the QR clips are nice. But, clips are clips and not to be always trusted....

My argument more than likely IS pretty stupid, but how do you explain how great some of the Splawn clips all over the net sound , if the amp is as bad as you say? I'll admit I do NOT have a valid opinion as a Splawn is 1 amp I have not played or owned, but I don't think I'm getting faked out by how good the clips sound. . haa.. . I surely agree the Cali is f'in phenomenal though . The notes almost play themselves on the Cali . My Morin when it was in good shape was sortof like that

Eric

Eric,

I don't think I know you. But, I don't think anywhere I said the QR or anything by Scott Splawn sounded bad. Bad is relative though. Bad to me may be good for you or the other way around. The OP was asking about a comparison of the QR to a Cali mod and there is no comparison and there is really nothing similar in either amp, so it is all a matter of taste and what you want out of an amp. To me, the QR is decent enough at what it was designed to be...a 3 channel amp covering the basic Marshall tones with a few modern bells and whistles to capture Plexi-JMP-JCM in one box at a fair price. It won't do what a Cali mod is capable of though and what it was meant to be. As far as clips go, there are some good ones out there. But, you got to watch clips, the way they are recorded and processed or FX added and not disclosed. This holds true for any amp or clip. I don't like the QR too much and I didn't like the Nitro either. But, that is my opinion.

Steve

1) Weak back-pedal
2) I've posted a ton of QR clips and a video and always disclose my signal chain. I guess it's depressing to learn there's nothing special in the signal chain.
3) Michael Wagener seems to love the QR, guess he doesn't know anything about tone or gear either.

But ok, if steve_k on RT said it's a "doorstop" it must suck then. Right?

ahhh..the wagener trump card..well played sir =D

 

[ericb]

including my old internet buddy Steve Snider who was the biggest amp pimp of all-time . . . I have no idea why , so will need to find out for myself.
Eric

Yeah Snider is definitely not a Splawn fan.

Sadly Steve is banned cause he dared question the Cameron/ King Guitar/ Baby Blue Marine... What a shame the diection this place has taken under this inflated ego-maniac's wing.

Yea, that's bogus as hell ,as although I've only known Steve thru the internet ,and we live on opposite sides of the country , he's a VERY GENEROUS contributer to any forum , and also going back 15 years or so , he'd even made me cd's and or loaned pedals to me , etc. . He was 1 of the most passionate dudes about amps , (I am too! ) and music, and turned me on to some great guitarists, as well as gear. He's also totally harmless, and had some kind of ethics too

Eric

 

[shreder75]

yeah, the primary difference now is that it's ok to be a fanboi..as long as you're a fanboi of the right amps...when I was labled a fanboi it was a derogatory remark...a dig..a knock..some kind of insinuation that I was getting paid to talk about Scott's amps..which has NEVER been the case..no idea where that came from...

but it's ok to be fanbois of certain other amps on here..nobody bats an eyelash..

meh..whatever...

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Imagine bashing Fortin on Rig Talk, there would have been a similar response if you bashed Splawn on HCAF back then.

Hey , just out of curiosity , have you played a Fortin -modded Marshall? I bought a 1982 JCM800/bass amp with the Cali mod, and the series/parallel fx loop ,etc . It absolutely 100% kicks ass. It's a VERY unusual mod to me as a guitarist in that you have these 3 positions on your volume knob and 2 of them have severe clipping of the signal , so you have a MUCH REDUCED Volume and 1 is full volume . If anyone's played any JCM800 they know they're loud as hell. . With the CALI Mod , the amp can sound like your best marshall tone you've ever heard at such low volumes. I'm NOT a lo-volume guy . .I play in 2 cover bands these days and 1 is 3 piece and 1 4 piece and I'm the only guitarist and we tend to have a reputation of playing pretty loud. The CALI can be turned up also , but the it'd have to be almost maxed out on the volume knob (Isn't that wierd? ) HOWEVER once again , it's about the best sounding Marshall you could imagine, cleans up decently , all kinds of gain , AND another weird thing is it almost PLAYS ITSELF. . It's friggin easy to play compared to most Marshalls and any other amp.. . I have 2 Demeters , an Orange, THD, Fenders, Tremoverb, Trainwreck clones, etc also amongst my load of Marshalls, and I can't imagine anyone would ever bash the Fortin!

Eric

I haven't had the opportunity, but would love to try one someday.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

including my old internet buddy Steve Snider who was the biggest amp pimp of all-time . . . I have no idea why , so will need to find out for myself.
Eric

Yeah Snider is definitely not a Splawn fan.

And he's a good guitarist too and very experienced in amps , as are some of other others who aren't fans, SO the only way is finding out for myself I guess. .SEriously this has bugged me for years..

Eric

Probably a feel thing I'm guessing. I get the impression he isn't into stiff amps and likes some bounce to his tone.

 

[ericb]

If youre close to Cleveland Ohio you can borow my amp anytime Eric. I've let 2 total strangers and one of my friends borrow my amp in the past. Two of those guys went out and bought a Quickrod. But then again they might have been needing a good doorstop I guess

Thanks man!!! I live in the Burlington , Vermont area so not close to Cleveland, but we did take a vacation there a few years back ,as I brought my kids to the ROck and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Zoo , baseball game and Cedar Point. . My 12 year old is no longer scared of the huge roller coasters and she 's begging me to bring her back this year! I think it'll be in the works but not til summer. I'll probably have bought one to try long b4 then , if this keeps bugging me. haha... IF NOT THOUGH , I will take you up on your offer for sure. . I haven't gotten together wtih internet forum guys in awhile , BUT have many great memories over the years. . I went to a New England jam once in New Hampshire with some of the original TGP and HC forumites . . A buddy from a forum literally gave me 2 Scott Henderson tickets to see him in Schenectady , and I met some guys at a "Dismemberment Plan " concert in BOston . . Fun times. . Looking forward to maybe meeting you someday in Cleveland. Eric

 

[ericb]

including my old internet buddy Steve Snider who was the biggest amp pimp of all-time . . . I have no idea why , so will need to find out for myself.
Eric

Yeah Snider is definitely not a Splawn fan.

Sadly Steve is banned cause he dared question the Cameron/ King Guitar/ Baby Blue Marine... What a shame the diection this place has taken under this inflated ego-maniac's wing.

Yea, that's bogus as hell ,as although I've only known Steve thru the internet ,and we live on opposite sides of the country , he's a VERY GENEROUS contributer to any forum , and also going back 15 years or so , he'd even made me cd's and or loaned pedals to me , etc. . He was 1 of the most passionate dudes about amps , (I am too! ) and music, and turned me on to some great guitarists, as well as gear. He's also totally harmless, and had some kind of ethics too

Eric

Yup, I go back to the RMMG days! Steve is a great guy and I respect his ear. A lot more than I can say for the 80's hacks in this forum.
This Baby Blue Marine selectively edits and bans members who dare question the ethics of the rip-off artist Cameron, a scumbag who should have had his ass kicked in years ago. CamerRAT LOL

Yep , now I remember . . it wasn't just alt.guitar.amps. . It was Rec.Music.Makers. guitar. DAMN that was a fun group . . Ya know , I really don't want to get into my 'Cameron ethics' views, as I feel the same as Steve and many others, as I lived that back when I was very poor and a teenager when my friend took apart my 1st motorcycle and then never put it back together. . That hurt like hell .. Then I brought 1 of my 1st Crown Power Amps to a local repair place and a year later he never had done anything to it , other than tear it apart.. . . Both incidents hurt like hell and I think I learned some lessons. . I feel REALLY bad for anyone that had a 'Cameron incident'. . I really think the new amps should have a different name, although King Amps was already taken years ago! ANyway , enough on that. . as I really just wanted to post about Splawns! Eric

 

[ericb]

including my old internet buddy Steve Snider who was the biggest amp pimp of all-time . . . I have no idea why , so will need to find out for myself.
Eric

Yeah Snider is definitely not a Splawn fan.

And he's a good guitarist too and very experienced in amps , as are some of other others who aren't fans, SO the only way is finding out for myself I guess. .SEriously this has bugged me for years..

Eric

Probably a feel thing I'm guessing. I get the impression he isn't into stiff amps and likes some bounce to his tone.

I totally agree with you . . BUT man they sound great on all the clips I've heard! The FortinCali mod is JUICY as hell and the notes jump off the frets. No idea if his own amps are like that. I've never said that before , as although I own and play a boatload of amps , I don't describe them well and I'm not of the cork-sniffer caliber at all!!!! Moving on now

Eric

 

[Shiny_Surface]

I totally agree with you . . BUT man they sound great on all the clips I've heard! The FortinCali mod is JUICY as hell and the notes jump off the frets. No idea if his own amps are like that. I've never said that before , as although I own and play a boatload of amps , I don't describe them well and I'm not of the cork-sniffer caliber at all!!!! Moving on now

Eric

Juicy is not a term I would use to describe the QR, if anything it's a little on the dry side at least my '07 was. It's up to you to get the notes out on your own. I heard the latest ones are a little different and have had some tweaks.

 

[Rogue]

Excellent thread. 4.5 stars. Would read again.

 

[ericb]

Excellent thread. 4.5 stars. Would read again.

Hopefully that's out 5 possible stars!


Eric

 

[Vrad]

So... Broken Fusion, did you get anything useful out of this thread? Other than that you currently own a great doorstop?
I'd love to give you a comparison as I own a QR, but I've never played a Fortin so I can't comment.

 

[Lord Toneking]

FWIW, I really don't have a problem with steve_k. He actually seems to be a cool guy aside form making these tasteless remarks. I ceratinly don't want to see him get thrown to the dogs over it, everyone does have opinions and is entitled to them. I just wish people would think before they say smart ass comments. Scott Splawn runs a great business and is a CLASS ACT. A very honest and helpful person that puts out a very good product. Sure he could change up his designs and follow the trend of these modded super high gain saturated amps but that's not what it's about for him. It's about making HIS amps that have HIS flavor to them...with his small shop and small team that's all he needs. The guy works his butt off and pumps these amps out one by one....on time and guaranteed. To call his amps a "doorstop" is just rediculous...and insulting

That being said, I myself would still love to get my hands on a Fortin. I love what I hear from these amps and I can clearly see that MIke is also a class act. A guy very involved with his customer from what Ive seen and heard

 

[Gainfreak]

ah yes the good old vs thread

The problem with these threads is that you are always going to get a difference in opinion because we all like different things.

Ive said this in many threads but this question is literally like asking someone what the best color is and then arguing about it

I say just be grateful that in this day and age that you have so many killer choices to chose from.

My logical sugestion would be to try Both for yourself if you can and then decide what amp you like best. There is no right or wrong when it comes to this stuff IMHO.

All the best

~R~

 

[steve_k]

Damn...you guys having fun?