Mike Fortin Officially Back To Modding

[facefirst]

If you're paying that kind of dough, at that point I'd consider it as basically a new amp than just a "modded" Marshall. In those terms, ~$1700 (amp and mods) isn't out of line at all.

 

[lester]

I know a guy who got a ground-up build hulk that is crushing. IMO, stuff from Fortin and others are worth every penny when they are doing the work themselves. A Natas or Meathead is worth it for Mikes attention to detail, but the Randall ones are not. The number of returns to Randall bear out my hypothesis.

If I am not mistaken Randall has their amps built by Smarvo Electronics in China. Egnater also I think and some others.

I thought I read somewhere that Friedman amps have their circuit boards populated by them (or someone else) in China and final assembles here?

Whoa. It says made in the USA on them.

Uh oh.......

So, all those "latest version" black board Friedman's are fucking Chinese....damn

 

[LP Freak]

I know a guy who got a ground-up build hulk that is crushing. IMO, stuff from Fortin and others are worth every penny when they are doing the work themselves. A Natas or Meathead is worth it for Mikes attention to detail, but the Randall ones are not. The number of returns to Randall bear out my hypothesis.

If I am not mistaken Randall has their amps built by Smarvo Electronics in China. Egnater also I think and some others.

I thought I read somewhere that Friedman amps have their circuit boards populated by them (or someone else) in China and final assembles here?

Whoa. It says made in the USA on them.

Look closer

 

[rottingcorpse]

I heard of this guy Bill Blades that is doing mods too. Anyone hear of him? wonder how his mods compare to Fortin?

There is one of those on Craigslist in Dallas. Sooooo hard not to go check it out, if only to do a shoot out and gut shot comparison with the fortin hulk. You gotta know mikes work and tone would crush the blades amp.

 

[BSRIAudio]

I know a guy who got a ground-up build hulk that is crushing. IMO, stuff from Fortin and others are worth every penny when they are doing the work themselves. A Natas or Meathead is worth it for Mikes attention to detail, but the Randall ones are not. The number of returns to Randall bear out my hypothesis.

If I am not mistaken Randall has their amps built by Smarvo Electronics in China. Egnater also I think and some others.

I thought I read somewhere that Friedman amps have their circuit boards populated by them (or someone else) in China and final assembles here?

Whoa. It says made in the USA on them.

Uh oh.......

So, all those "latest version" black board Friedman's are fucking Chinese....damn

It would likely be a minimum wage worker in the US assembling boards as well and that work isn't particularly critical. The guy or gal doing the work in China is probably extremely skilled at that type of assembly.

If the rest of the amp is assembled in the US to a high quality standard then that is what really matters. If any of that is even the case. When an amp retails for $3700 I have a tough time imagining you couldn't turn a profit on that with all local labor. It would certainly be easier to run the production without waiting on overseas shipments.

 

[Racerxrated]

I heard of this guy Bill Blades that is doing mods too. Anyone hear of him? wonder how his mods compare to Fortin?

There is one of those on Craigslist in Dallas. Sooooo hard not to go check it out, if only to do a shoot out and gut shot comparison with the fortin hulk. You gotta know mikes work and tone would crush the blades amp.

Yeah. I'm sure the Blades amp sounds good but it better after copping all those designs. The worry is, will it catch fire? And another worry is, damn I can't be seen in public with this amp!

On the other hand I'd be proud to sport a Fortin/Gower product!

 

[Tone Merchant]

I know a guy who got a ground-up build hulk that is crushing. IMO, stuff from Fortin and others are worth every penny when they are doing the work themselves. A Natas or Meathead is worth it for Mikes attention to detail, but the Randall ones are not. The number of returns to Randall bear out my hypothesis.

If I am not mistaken Randall has their amps built by Smarvo Electronics in China. Egnater also I think and some others.

I thought I read somewhere that Friedman amps have their circuit boards populated by them (or someone else) in China and final assembles here?

Same old Physco Dave

Really Dave? Please show everyone on the forum where you read that information and or who told you that?
every board is populated and every amp is built at ETI. Then every amp is tested and signed by Dave himself at ETI located in Los Angeles California.

you would've thought you have learned your lesson by now of spreading false rumors about Friedman after getting banned from the gear page and groomed noodler and huge racks etc

 

[psychodave]

I know a guy who got a ground-up build hulk that is crushing. IMO, stuff from Fortin and others are worth every penny when they are doing the work themselves. A Natas or Meathead is worth it for Mikes attention to detail, but the Randall ones are not. The number of returns to Randall bear out my hypothesis.

If I am not mistaken Randall has their amps built by Smarvo Electronics in China. Egnater also I think and some others.

I thought I read somewhere that Friedman amps have their circuit boards populated by them (or someone else) in China and final assembles here?

Same old Physco Dave

Really Dave? Please show everyone on the forum where you read that information and or who told you that?
every board is populated and every amp is built at ETI. Then every amp is tested and signed by Dave himself at ETI located in Los Angeles California.

you would've thought you have learned your lesson by now of spreading false rumors about Friedman after getting banned from the gear page and groomed noodler and huge racks etc

Hi Rob. I honestly can't remember where I read it, but a quick search yields that Smarvo is associated with ETI and they list Friedman amplifiers footswitch on their website as being made in China. It's really not a far stretch to have read that other things have been assembled in China as well. Who knows, maybe what I read was talking about the link below.

http://en.52wmb.com/b-e_t_i_sound_systems_inc/2993628


Just to clear this up for so no false rumors can be made, are you saying that nothing in any Friedman amplifier is assembled in China, Taiwan, Asia, etc. in the past, present or future and 100% assembled in the USA? Of course I'm not talking about components that are typically made in Asia.

If I was wrong with what I read, please accept my apologies.

 

[zewango]

I wanted a Bogner Uber Footswitch awhile back. Called Bogner they were out of them and waiting for their shipment, from China.

 

[LP Freak]

I know a guy who got a ground-up build hulk that is crushing. IMO, stuff from Fortin and others are worth every penny when they are doing the work themselves. A Natas or Meathead is worth it for Mikes attention to detail, but the Randall ones are not. The number of returns to Randall bear out my hypothesis.

If I am not mistaken Randall has their amps built by Smarvo Electronics in China. Egnater also I think and some others.

I thought I read somewhere that Friedman amps have their circuit boards populated by them (or someone else) in China and final assembles here?

Same old Physco Dave

Really Dave? Please show everyone on the forum where you read that information and or who told you that?
every board is populated and every amp is built at ETI. Then every amp is tested and signed by Dave himself at ETI located in Los Angeles California.

you would've thought you have learned your lesson by now of spreading false rumors about Friedman after getting banned from the gear page and groomed noodler and huge racks etc

Hi Rob. I honestly can't remember where I read it, but a quick search yields that Smarvo is associated with ETI and they list Friedman amplifiers footswitch on their website as being made in China. It's really not a far stretch to have read that other things have been assembled in China as well. Who knows, maybe what I read was talking about the link below.

http://en.52wmb.com/b-e_t_i_sound_systems_inc/2993628


Just to clear this up for so no false rumors can be made, are you saying that nothing in any Friedman amplifier is assembled in China, Taiwan, Asia, etc. in the past, present or future and 100% assembled in the USA? Of course I'm not talking about components that are typically made in Asia.

If I was wrong with what I read, please accept my apologies.

Well I honestly could give two shits if the foot switch is made in China

 

[psychodave]

Here is another link someone sent me. Maybe what I originally read was about this? 25 pieces at 701 pounds. Seems heavy for a foot switch?

https://es.panjiva.com/Smarvo-Electronics-Inc/37749495

I'm just providing you information you requested...unfortunately I can't find where I originally read it.

 

[LP Freak]

Here is another link someone sent me. Maybe what I originally read was about this? 25 pieces at 701 pounds. Seems heavy for a foot switch?

https://es.panjiva.com/Smarvo-Electronics-Inc/37749495

I'm just providing you information you requested...unfortunately I can't find where I originally read it.

That's a lot of circuit boards

 

[lespaul6]

Maybe he stopped buying those cheap magnetic components transformers because he found even cheaper?

 

[Bloodrock]

Has anyone here looked inside an old Marshall? Not much to it. I work on cars for a living. I can diagnose a multiplexing can/lan system, tear the inside of the car or engine harness apart, repair the wiring or faulty controller and resemble the car in one day. There's no way in hell it takes more than a few hours to replace a few resistors and add a few components to a simple tube amp. I've done a few mods and was surprised at the simplicity of this old ass technology. We're all being snowed by these modders. They likely do these mods in a couple hours tops,especially if it's one they've performed multiple times.

 

[Racerxrated]

Has anyone here looked inside an old Marshall? Not much to it. I work on cars for a living. I can diagnose a multiplexing can/lan system, tear the inside of the car or engine harness apart, repair the wiring or faulty controller and resemble the car in one day. There's no way in hell it takes more than a few hours to replace a few resistors and add a few components to a simple tube amp. I've done a few mods and was surprised at the simplicity of this old ass technology. We're all being snowed by these modders. They likely do these mods in a couple hours tops,especially if it's one they've performed multiple times.

With some mods I'd agree. But the Ceriatone Fortin Cali I had, I opened that up to check the bias and what Mike had done was very involved, no chance it took a short period of time. And yes you are paying for the knowledge of the modder, not just his bench time. I've biased my amps for a long time, from ptp JMPs to PCB 800s and had Cameron's, Friedman's etc and none of those amps circuits were as completely redone as the Fortin Cali. Looked rebuilt to me.

 

[glassjaw7]

I would love to get me a Fortin or Hermansson Marshall one day.

 

[VC4Ever]

For the guys bitching about prices I bet your employer is asking the same damn question about your salary. Are you worth X amount of dollars? People need to make a living. Do you think he should be charging as much as a fast food server makes? Honestly, you try doing what he does and tell me if charging what you think is fair is going to keep you a float.

 

[JTyson]

Has anyone here looked inside an old Marshall? Not much to it. I work on cars for a living. I can diagnose a multiplexing can/lan system, tear the inside of the car or engine harness apart, repair the wiring or faulty controller and resemble the car in one day. There's no way in hell it takes more than a few hours to replace a few resistors and add a few components to a simple tube amp. I've done a few mods and was surprised at the simplicity of this old ass technology. We're all being snowed by these modders. They likely do these mods in a couple hours tops,especially if it's one they've performed multiple times.

I'm guessing you've never even seen one of Mike's builds, they are much more than a few resistors. I have 2 of his builds and either of them was WAY more involved than that, including 7 added switching and voicing options, a completely different DC power supply to the heaters with a much quieter noise floor, an added 5th gain stage after the tone stack that can be switched in/out, the most transparent tube buffered loop I've ever heard, external bias adjustments in addition to all the normal stuff. Who cares how much or little time it took to do it? People who can change a starter on a Ford pickup are not automatically Formula 1 race suspension technicians.
For you to come in here and try to say he's snowing people is utter bullshit, and anyone who has ever dealt with him knows it.
I've dealt with Mike for years and he has never snowed anyone or mis-represented what he does in any way shape or form.
He's an honest, humble straight-up guy who is trying to make a living at what he loves, and he has to put up with hearing bullshit like this on the internet from know it alls who fix cars, but could do what mike does in an hour
FUCK...
No wonder he dosent come in here anymore. Nothing like having your character demeaned by someone who dosent know you and has never had any dealings at all with you.... But knows all about you
Nice

 

[xXDaveyJonesXx]

Has anyone here looked inside an old Marshall? Not much to it. I work on cars for a living. I can diagnose a multiplexing can/lan system, tear the inside of the car or engine harness apart, repair the wiring or faulty controller and resemble the car in one day. There's no way in hell it takes more than a few hours to replace a few resistors and add a few components to a simple tube amp. I've done a few mods and was surprised at the simplicity of this old ass technology. We're all being snowed by these modders. They likely do these mods in a couple hours tops,especially if it's one they've performed multiple times.

Yea,
But your not paying them for what you think they are doing. Your paying them for results that only their experience can provide.
Every amp is different, and every capacitor is gonna have a different value. Who is gonna really know how to finesse those elements to achieve the best example of that modification?

The guy who read about it online and thinks he is good with a soldering iron?
Or the guy who has done hundreds of amps and knows what it's really supposed to sound like, react, interact. Etc.

Not to mention all the hard lessons and cost of poor quality we're circumventing. And like many great builders, a lot of the values of his components are blacked out (even that's done tastefully, I might add) to protect his intellectual property.

Don't kid yourself. His builds aren't trinkets. The complexity, added components and tidiness is nothing short of stunning. Even if the average Joe could design a layout half as professionally, how many components does a guy really wanna smoke before he even begins to get onto something ballpark?

No thanks... No thanks. Even if I posessed the EE knowledge, ability and patience to manage such an undertaking, Mike will keep my business.

 

[bubbastain]

Mike did a mod for me back in February 2011 and I still just grin from ear to ear every time I plug in. I haven't really looked at what he did on the inside and I don't really care because it sounds awesome and I have not had a single issue with it. Glad he's officially modding again regardless if I can afford them or not.