NPD! Fortin Zuul / Blade have landed - Pics!

[engage757]

If you have an issue with your ZUUL, please email to info (at) fortinamps (dot)com. We answer all emails within 24 hours, usually far less. It is insanely rare that any email is missed.

 

[jc986]

Guys, the ZUUL gates both the front and the loop. That is the point and that is how it works.

If you have an issue with your ZUUL, please email to info (at) fortinamps (dot)com. We answer all emails within 24 hours, usually far less. It is insanely rare that any email is missed.

It gates in the loop based on the clean guitar signal fed to the key input. It can’t possibly gate the front including any pedals because the Zuul has no idea that the pedals are there (unless of course you run the Zuul in the front as the last pedal before the amp). This creates more work for the Zuul in the loop when you could run a gate in front to reduce the noise from the dirt pedals in front, and get away with running the Zuul at a lower threshold in the loop which results in an overall smoother and quieter gating experience. Without running a gate in front, if I barely touch my strings with my left hand (to move to the next chord), the Zuul opens because it thinks I’m playing based on the key input. If I set the Zuul high enough to silence these extremely light touches, clean passages do not sustain. With an additional gate in front, and the threshold set low, these types of movements get silenced while allowing me to set the Zuul threshold low enough that the clean passages are unafffected.

 

[LCW]

Your point is taken, but It’s not gating the input signal before it hits the amp, which is why you might need 2... and that’s what we’re talking about... gating the input signal before the amp

I guess if you were running the gates without any sort of key input that might make sense... I just think if you run something like a ZUUL (or ISP or NS-2) with a separate input trigger, you shouldn't have to run two gates. Don't you run into a problem syncing up those 2 gates, or getting some weird situation where one triggers and the other doesn't?

In any case, you get what I'm saying, and I get what you're saying. I'm happy with the performance of the ZUUL in the loop with key input, even with a hottish pickup (14K) and noisy pedals before the amp (TS9, RAT, GRIND).

Hope you guys find a solution that works for you and that it isn't due to something defective with the ZUUL. Because when it works it's a great noise gate IMO.

 

[LCW]

Guys, the ZUUL gates both the front and the loop. That is the point and that is how it works.

If you have an issue with your ZUUL, please email to info (at) fortinamps (dot)com. We answer all emails within 24 hours, usually far less. It is insanely rare that any email is missed.

It gates in the loop based on the clean guitar signal fed to the key input. It can’t possibly gate the front including any pedals because the Zuul has no idea that the pedals are there (unless of course you run the Zuul in the front as the last pedal before the amp). This creates more work for the Zuul in the loop when you could run a gate in front to reduce the noise from the dirt pedals in front, and get away with running the Zuul at a lower threshold in the loop which results in an overall smoother and quieter gating experience. Without running a gate in front, if I barely touch my strings with my left hand (to move to the next chord), the Zuul opens because it thinks I’m playing based on the key input. If I set the Zuul high enough to silence these extremely light touches, clean passages do not sustain. With an additional gate in front, and the threshold set low, these types of movements get silenced while allowing me to set the Zuul threshold low enough that the clean passages are unafffected.

You should have explained it that way from the very beginning. For my particular case, ZUUL in loop gates everything properly, even stuff in front of the amp. But I get it, you have a particular setup where that doesn't work.

Hope you find something that works to your liking.

 

[jc986]

Guys, the ZUUL gates both the front and the loop. That is the point and that is how it works.

If you have an issue with your ZUUL, please email to info (at) fortinamps (dot)com. We answer all emails within 24 hours, usually far less. It is insanely rare that any email is missed.

It gates in the loop based on the clean guitar signal fed to the key input. It can’t possibly gate the front including any pedals because the Zuul has no idea that the pedals are there (unless of course you run the Zuul in the front as the last pedal before the amp). This creates more work for the Zuul in the loop when you could run a gate in front to reduce the noise from the dirt pedals in front, and get away with running the Zuul at a lower threshold in the loop which results in an overall smoother and quieter gating experience. Without running a gate in front, if I barely touch my strings with my left hand (to move to the next chord), the Zuul opens because it thinks I’m playing based on the key input. If I set the Zuul high enough to silence these extremely light touches, clean passages do not sustain. With an additional gate in front, and the threshold set low, these types of movements get silenced while allowing me to set the Zuul threshold low enough that the clean passages are unafffected.

You should have explained it that way from the very beginning. For my particular case, ZUUL in loop gates everything properly, even stuff in front of the amp. But I get it, you have a particular setup where that doesn't work.

Hope you find something that works to your liking.

As stated, I am very happy with the Zuul and bought it knowing fully that it is a single gate. I’m currently happy with running the ISP to gate in front, and am considering adding a second Zuul as I do feel the Zuul is a bit more transparent.

I wasn’t ever complaining about the performance or disparaging the product, just trying to help others understand where the gating is occurring and that it isn’t 2 gates in one as is being misconstrued. It is a great piece of gear that gates one part of the signal path by monitoring the key input to open/close the gate.

 

[stratjacket]

Updated the OP

Ha, that struck me funny. Reading down the thread and kind of stuck in there with an "oh by the way, can we get back to my OP"

 

[tortilliggah]

If you have an issue with your ZUUL, please email to info (at) fortinamps (dot)com. We answer all emails within 24 hours, usually far less. It is insanely rare that any email is missed.

still waiting for an answer, never answered my question regarding the warranty and how to proceed for warranty repair ?

 

[mchn13]

jer; really interested in you opinion on the blade boost. I know you've had time on the other fortin boosts, and while they were killer at one tone imo they limited how I could set my amp. the contro,l layout on these look promising.

 

[JerEvil]

Updated the OP

Ha, that struck me funny. Reading down the thread and kind of stuck in there with an "oh by the way, can we get back to my OP"

LOL! Right??? This is about ME!!!!!

jer; really interested in you opinion on the blade boost. I know you've had time on the other fortin boosts, and while they were killer at one tone imo they limited how I could set my amp. the contro,l layout on these look promising.

Dude I really like it! Only had a bit of time with it last night but it is really effective. Some vids will be coming this weekend for sure. I posted a quick one in the Fortin FB group.

 

[mchn13]

Updated the OP

Ha, that struck me funny. Reading down the thread and kind of stuck in there with an "oh by the way, can we get back to my OP"

LOL! Right??? This is about ME!!!!!

jer; really interested in you opinion on the blade boost. I know you've had time on the other fortin boosts, and while they were killer at one tone imo they limited how I could set my amp. the contro,l layout on these look promising.

Dude I really like it! Only had a bit of time with it last night but it is really effective. Some vids will be coming this weekend for sure. I posted a quick one in the Fortin FB group.

Private group or got a link?

 

[JerEvil]

Updated the OP

Ha, that struck me funny. Reading down the thread and kind of stuck in there with an "oh by the way, can we get back to my OP"

LOL! Right??? This is about ME!!!!!

jer; really interested in you opinion on the blade boost. I know you've had time on the other fortin boosts, and while they were killer at one tone imo they limited how I could set my amp. the contro,l layout on these look promising.

Dude I really like it! Only had a bit of time with it last night but it is really effective. Some vids will be coming this weekend for sure. I posted a quick one in the Fortin FB group.

Private group or got a link?

https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.varao/v ... 388410714/

It was totally just plug in/set up.

Doing proper vids this weekend like I said.

 

[LCW]

This is probably the most concise and effective example of the benefit of the key input I've seen so far...

 

[JerEvil]

Awesome! I need to try 4CM with mine.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

What is blade? Looks like whitechapel artwork...

 

[JerEvil]

What is blade? Looks like whitechapel artwork...

It is in face the Sig Whitchapel Boost. Basically like a Grind but with adjustable Hi/Lo controls.

 

[psychodave]

Edit, didn’t want to hijack this thread. I made a new topic.

 

[jc986]

Does anyone’s Zuul buzz and hum badly when using the key input in the loop when shutting the Zuul off? I was trying the Zuul in the loop of an amp (with Key input) and shut it off when playing clean and I heard a pretty bad hum and am wondering if others have the same issue? Basically rendering it unable to shut off.

Mine doesn’t do that, but I do get a buzz/hum when tuning. I’m feeding the key input with a Boss TU-3w so the signal should be muted but i get a humming sound when playing a note to tune it when the tuner is turned on. I have to turn off the Zuul when tuning during a gig otherwise it seems unprofessional.

 

[stratjacket]

Edit: removed response to add to other thread started about the buzzing

 

[moltenmetalburn]

What is blade? Looks like whitechapel artwork...

It is in face the Sig Whitchapel Boost. Basically like a Grind but with adjustable Hi/Lo controls.

So it is a full clone TC Integrated preamp?

Grind and 33 are utterly identical, which are both the TC with the EQ “preset”.

Seems this one is the TC straight up ?!

I just got a clone that switches from TC full EQ to preset grind/33, I guess that means I have all three covered.

 

[JerEvil]

What is blade? Looks like whitechapel artwork...

It is in face the Sig Whitchapel Boost. Basically like a Grind but with adjustable Hi/Lo controls.

So it is a full clone TC Integrated preamp?

Grind and 33 are utterly identical, which are both the TC with the EQ “preset”.

Seems this one is the TC straight up ?!

I just got a clone that switches from TC full EQ to preset grind/33, I guess that means I have all three covered.

Not sure. I have heard this is what FT used but never looked it up. If so, this is cheaper than the used TC so... win?
Lol!

Honestly not sure. I’ll have to look up some clips.