Fortin NATAS owners/players in here. I have a few questions

[moronmountain]

So I did a search, but I don't think I found out everything I needed to know.

1) What speakers/cab/ohm rating seems to work best with the NATAS?
2) How quiet is the amp at higher volumes as far as hiss and feedback go?
3) Is there any popping noise when channel switching?
4) Any other info would be appreciated. It's an expensive amp to look at without being able to play one, so I need as much info up front as I can.

I currently have a Fryette/VHT Ultralead with eq, I used to own a V1 Uberschall, and I grew up on a Marshall 2205. I have tons of experience with Marshall, and a decent amount of playing time with various Mesa's and a Diezel Einstein. I'm just mentioning that so any comparisons to these amps would be helpful to me. Especially how the NATAS compares to the Ultralead in the gain, clarity, noise, balls, voicing department. I'm keeping the Ultralead, but find myself needing a second head. My current cabs are a Fryette/VHT Deliverance 4x12 and a Marshall JCM800 1960a slant w/75 watt speakers. Both cabs are 16ohm. Thanks in advance for any info, and pics of your rig with the NATAS in it.

 

[Gainfreak]

So I did a search, but I don't think I found out everything I needed to know.

1) What speakers/cab/ohm rating seems to work best with the NATAS?
2) How quiet is the amp at higher volumes as far as hiss and feedback go?
3) Is there any popping noise when channel switching?
4) Any other info would be appreciated. It's an expensive amp to look at without being able to play one, so I need as much info up front as I can.

I currently have a Fryette/VHT Ultralead with eq, I used to own a V1 Uberschall, and I grew up on a Marshall 2205. I have tons of experience with Marshall, and a decent amount of playing time with various Mesa's and a Diezel Einstein. I'm just mentioning that so any comparisons to these amps would be helpful to me. Especially how the NATAS compares to the Ultralead in the gain, clarity, noise, balls, voicing department. I'm keeping the Ultralead, but find myself needing a second head. My current cabs are a Fryette/VHT Deliverance 4x12 and a Marshall JCM800 1960a slant w/75 watt speakers. Both cabs are 16ohm. Thanks in advance for any info, and pics of your rig with the NATAS in it.

Wassup!

Hopefully Lolzgreg and Digijams will come into this thread and help you out. You could also Pm them.

Ive tried the NATAS through v30's and even Greenbacks and it sounded Killer. Im pretty sure it would sound killer through any cab because the EQ controls are very sensitive. The ohms on the cabs ive played the amp through were 8 ohms .
There is minimal hiss for a high gain amp IMHO and the only problem with feedback that I saw was from a guitar that had a pickup that wasn't potted and you'll get feedback from that no matter what. Id be willing to bet that if you love Steve Fryettes stuff you will love the NATAS. Id also say that if you play loud, 2 cabs would be ideal since the NATAS can be brutal on speakers given the design of the transformers in the thing.

 

[moronmountain]

Thanks man. I don't play insanely loud, but I do play loud enough to put the amp to work, and to play over my VERY hard hitting drummer. At any rate, it's loud enough that most Marshalls and Mesas would find themselves squealing pretty bad. I don't prefer to use a noise gate or similar either if I don't have to.

 

[Digital Jams]

I agree with Ralph with his thoughts, if you dig the VHT UL you are going to love the Natas as they have simular traits the beauty of the Natas are the grind and girth controls which are freq shaping controls pre - preamp, once you find your tone using the usual controls you can use the girth and grind to really bring out certain freqs, add sizzle, tightness, etc.

Agreed about 2 cabs as well if playing LOUD, I own cabs from bogner, CAE, Diezel, mesa, and mojo and they have all farted out and the natas had more to give. Your drummer is not going to bury you

About the price..............everyone looks at cost differently but here are some facts why Mike priced the natas the way it is,

The logo alone costs Mike $70, it is milled from solid aluminum.
The chassis is stainless steel and polished, the chassis is only for the natas.
The front and back panels are solid metal cnc cut to his specs.
The panels are hung via screws into inserts, not wood screws into the headshell.
Premium tolex and chrome handle
No silk screens, the chassis is etched.
Nobody has the natas iron, nobody.
He is the only builder, nobody else or 3rd party but that may change. Mike can clarify.
SED winged tubes of your choice.

There are a few more people with Natas amps and a few more will be rolling out, maybe you can get a chance to play one soon

 

[moronmountain]

I don't think the NATAS is overpriced at all, but it still is expensive. I know quality parts are expensive, especially on items that are pretty much made to order. Which output tubes did you end up going with, and are you glad you did? So you think the NATAS will fart out a single Deliverance cab? I can see it doing that to a Marshall as my Ultralead quickly and easily farts out my 1960a. Though I haven't had the Deliverance cab that long, and I haven't turned the UL up full blast through it yet. I just assumed the D4x12 would handle it.

 

[fearhk213]

1) I run mine through a 4x12 rear loaded V30 cab at 8 ohms. I’ve never ran it at other ohm settings, but 8 sounds killer. Originally my cab had G75xV30 in x-pattern when I first got the Natas. I couldn't get the blend dialed in to my 100% liking. I got all V30's in there & I was golden. To expound on the cab thing I can tell it could easily overwhelm 1 cab to the point where you may want 2 depending on how you eq it or if you really crank it. But if you have a good cab I can't imagine needing 2 for the typical volume levels you'll be using for band practice & gigs. That said I really want to blast it through 2 4x12's cause something tells me it will it will sound even better.

2) You know at the end of the day all high gain heads will have some floor noise, but the Natas is the best I’ve heard in that regard.

3) I haven't even hooked up my footswitch yet

4) As for other things worth mentioning, it’s more flexible than you’d think. The way it's voiced makes it sit in a mix extremely well. The clean is one of the best you'll find on a channel switcher. It’s the most responsive high gain amp I’ve played. All your pick nuances will come through loud & proud. It’s not going to make all your guitars sound the same like some other high gainers seem to. It’s extremely sensitive to eq changes, pickup changes, etc. Even cable changes are much more apparent. To expound on that, I’ve A/B’d my Mogami & Colossal Brooklyn & it’s pretty easy to hear a tonal difference…A/B’d through the Natas it was glaringly obvious. I remember talking to Mike when he was designing the Natas & he mentioned how he wanted the power amp to accurately put out everything you feed it…I’d say he nailed it.

The only heads you’ve mentioned I could compare it to would be the Uberschall & a Mesa Recto. Both of those are polar opposites to the Natas. Although those two don’t sound the same, I’d throw them in the same category as they both have a similar delivery. They have more of a wide rather than direct sound. They have a looser feel & attack. The Natas is very direct, tight, & more immediate in attack. Though for as tight as it can be dialed in it plays like butter & doesn’t fight you. All three amps have a big bottom, but on the Uber & Recto it tends to be obtrusive & unfocused if not careful. The Natas lowend is more usable, tighter/focused, & punchy. The Natas is also much more percussive in the upper mids. Hopefully this next description doesn’t get lost in translation…You know how a good Marshall has that percussive high mid kerrang? Well the Natas is voiced completely differently in that range, but it has an authoritative, percussive high mid punch too.

 

[Gainfreak]

1) I run mine through a 4x12 rear loaded V30 cab at 8 ohms. I’ve never ran it at other ohm settings, but 8 sounds killer. Originally my cab had G75xV30 in x-pattern when I first got the Natas. I couldn't get the blend dialed in to my 100% liking. I got all V30's in there & I was golden. To expound on the cab thing I can tell it could easily overwhelm 1 cab to the point where you may want 2 depending on how you eq it or if you really crank it. But if you have a good cab I can't imagine needing 2 for the typical volume levels you'll be using for band practice & gigs. That said I really want to blast it through 2 4x12's cause something tells me it will it will sound even better.

2) You know at the end of the day all high gain heads will have some floor noise, but the Natas is the best I’ve heard in that regard.

3) I haven't even hooked up my footswitch yet

4) As for other things worth mentioning, it’s more flexible than you’d think. The way it's voiced makes it sit in a mix extremely well. The clean is one of the best you'll find on a channel switcher. It’s the most responsive high gain amp I’ve played. All your pick nuances will come through loud & proud. It’s not going to make all your guitars sound the same like some other high gainers seem to. It’s extremely sensitive to eq changes, pickup changes, etc. Even cable changes are much more apparent. To expound on that, I’ve A/B’d my Mogami & Colossal Brooklyn & it’s pretty easy to hear a tonal difference…A/B’d through the Natas it was glaringly obvious. I remember talking to Mike when he was designing the Natas & he mentioned how he wanted the power amp to accurately put out everything you feed it…I’d say he nailed it.

The only heads you’ve mentioned I could compare it to would be the Uberschall & a Mesa Recto. Both of those are polar opposites to the Natas. Although those two don’t sound the same, I’d throw them in the same category as they both have a similar delivery. They have more of a wide rather than direct sound. They have a looser feel & attack. The Natas is very direct, tight, & more immediate in attack. Though for as tight as it can be dialed in it plays like butter & doesn’t fight you. All three amps have a big bottom, but on the Uber & Recto it tends to be obtrusive & unfocused if not careful. The Natas lowend is more usable, tighter/focused, & punchy. The Natas is also much more percussive in the upper mids. Hopefully this next description doesn’t get lost in translation…You know how a good Marshall has that percussive high mid kerrang? Well the Natas is voiced completely differently in that range, but it has an authoritative, percussive high mid punch too.

This is pretty spot on.

 

[Digital Jams]

I don't think the NATAS is overpriced at all, but it still is expensive. I know quality parts are expensive, especially on items that are pretty much made to order. Which output tubes did you end up going with, and are you glad you did? So you think the NATAS will fart out a single Deliverance cab? I can see it doing that to a Marshall as my Ultralead quickly and easily farts out my 1960a. Though I haven't had the Deliverance cab that long, and I haven't turned the UL up full blast through it yet. I just assumed the D4x12 would handle it.

I went with Mike's advice of 2 EL34s and 2 6L6s, both SED brand and yes very glad I did. For another speaker example listen to the clip in my sig, those were h30s through a diezel 4x12. IMO since I have many different cabs and speakers I was not too worried about the power tubes because changing cabs creates a larger difference imo. I am glad Mike uses SED though, my favorites.

The amp as stated is far more flexible than just metal, it is a super huge headroom clean machine, an incredible thrash amp, sludge, etc.

Never played a Deliverance cab so I can't comment. Just to be clear to make my cabs fart out I am playing at huge volumes, I would probably never play at that level other than screwing around.

 

[wIsEbLooD]

what is that cable for on the back far left? leds?

 

[Digital Jams]

what is that cable for on the back far left? leds?

Yup.

Mike went a tad mental and made an LED strip with around 40 so it is very bright

 

[verderacer]

I think it looks f*ckin awesome !

 

[killertone]

Like Scott said, the Girth and Grind controls are key in this amp. It is hard for me to play amps that don't have that control after having one for the last 3 years! Extremely useful controls as they tailor the amp to your specific needs. You can tune the amp to precise, super tight, fast tracking rhythms or fat doomy tones just with those controls alone. Clean channel is killer and has tons of headroom. Not sure if you heard the clip I made of that: NATAS Clean.

 

[thegame]

2 Sylvania 6CA7s + 2 RFT EL34s were the best output tube config. I tried in the Natas when I was experimenting with it. These tubes improved the overall detail and midrange complexity.

 

[lolzgreg]

Gary, I think the Natas has changed quite a bit since you've heard it last.

On any note, you can play it through one cabinet.

It sounds awesome through Greenbacks, K100s, V30s or T75s. The mid control is very usable and the depth will get you in the right ballpark for any set of speakers.

The Freyette cabinets are pretty awesome; however, the speakers have their own thing going on. I actually preferred the Deliverance cabinet to the Fatbottom cabinet when I was playing them extensively side by side.

In my experience, the Deliverance cabinet is a lot LOOSER sounding than the Fatbottom. It DOES have a tendency to fart out sometimes, similar to a Rectifier cab if you push it too hard.

 

[moronmountain]

I don't think anyone specifically said how much of a problem feedback is with this amp? If you did, and I missed it, I apologize. Thanks for all the responses thus far.

 

[verderacer]

Gary, I think the Natas has changed quite a bit since you've heard it last.

On any note, you can play it through one cabinet.

It sounds awesome through Greenbacks, K100s, V30s or T75s. The mid control is very usable and the depth will get you in the right ballpark for any set of speakers.

The Freyette cabinets are pretty awesome; however, the speakers have their own thing going on. I actually preferred the Deliverance cabinet to the Fatbottom cabinet when I was playing them extensively side by side.

In my experience, the Deliverance cabinet is a lot LOOSER sounding than the Fatbottom. It DOES have a tendency to fart out sometimes, similar to a Rectifier cab if you push it too hard.

Changed how?

 

[Digital Jams]

I believe Gary played the final version, he can chime in to verify but I believe he may have played mine or Mike fitted the proto with the same iron and final changes. Gary was the one that got Mike to build a natas type amp.