Fortin Cali #19 Killin it in Texas

texmarkmusic

Active member
Received my amp last week...Working a golf tournament so I did not get to crack it open until yesterday. It's greatness...Some observations...

I have owned lots of modded Marshall stuff throughout the years. Enjoyed all of them but the idea of modding an old JMP or early JCM started bothering me. Great to have a ground up build that covers that territory without sacrificing a nice old amp.

Next up. First cabinet combination I tried did not tickle my taint. EV 5153 cabs with the low watt Heritage greenbacks. Could not put my finger on it until I moved to other cabs. I tried a pair of Friedman cabs and then a pair of Scumback naked 69's with M75 65 watt speakers. It opened up and started breathing like the flamethrower that it is. All of the options came into play at that point. The lower watt speakers do not seem to translate changes in bright, violence, thump etc very well. So far my favorite cab combo is the Scum cabs. I would appreciate any other ideas on speaker choices. I own about everything Celestion makes in various forms of cabinets. Vintage 30's, G12H30's, Lynchbacks, Cream 65's, Cream 75's, EVM 12L's, etc etc etc. I think I might try the amp through a pair of Recto 2x12 horizontals next.

Last thing...For an 80's hard rock heavy metal guy who does not drop tune what would you use on the front end to push this amp? In a scenario where you pull back on the dual gains and push the front end for another flavor. From the Fortin pedal collection specifically but if there are other things out there let me know...
 
Byron Nelson??

BTW...HNAD! Listening to the clips on the other fortin threads..great sounding amp...looks good too.
 
Congrats on the Cali Mark...If I recall correctly, I thought you had a bunch of cabs.

How would you compare the Cali to that old 50w Cameron Jose (think you are the one that bought it from Michael B)?
 
First question, yes working the Byron Nelson. Nasty Saturday, great Sunday...

Next up, hey Matt. It compares nicely with previous Cameron HG Jose’s I’ve had. It’s been a while since I’ve played a Cameron but from what I remember it sounds pretty close. Lots of grind if you want it. Goes beyond the standard HGJ mod. Lots of tone shaping options. The clean is really nice for a high gain. Does not break up until you get the clean volume past noon. I really like this amp. Really like it. If they ever offer black tolex as an option I’ll buy another one...White head on black cab, Black head on white cab. Schenker style. I have too much discretionary income...

Only other amp I might buy any time soon is a Hiwatt Super-Hi 50...
 
texmarkmusic":37ou92ua said:
Received my amp last week...Working a golf tournament so I did not get to crack it open until yesterday. It's greatness...Some observations...

I have owned lots of modded Marshall stuff throughout the years. Enjoyed all of them but the idea of modding an old JMP or early JCM started bothering me. Great to have a ground up build that covers that territory without sacrificing a nice old amp.

Next up. First cabinet combination I tried did not tickle my taint. EV 5153 cabs with the low watt Heritage greenbacks. Could not put my finger on it until I moved to other cabs. I tried a pair of Friedman cabs and then a pair of Scumback naked 69's with M75 65 watt speakers. It opened up and started breathing like the flamethrower that it is. All of the options came into play at that point. The lower watt speakers do not seem to translate changes in bright, violence, thump etc very well. So far my favorite cab combo is the Scum cabs. I would appreciate any other ideas on speaker choices. I own about everything Celestion makes in various forms of cabinets. Vintage 30's, G12H30's, Lynchbacks, Cream 65's, Cream 75's, EVM 12L's, etc etc etc. I think I might try the amp through a pair of Recto 2x12 horizontals next.

Last thing...For an 80's hard rock heavy metal guy who does not drop tune what would you use on the front end to push this amp? In a scenario where you pull back on the dual gains and push the front end for another flavor. From the Fortin pedal collection specifically but if there are other things out there let me know...

Regarding a pedal to push it a bit... the VFE Standout is what I use with my CCV. I set it to add a little bit of push and to be crazy tight. The Standout beat both the 33 and Grind on versatility and sound.
 
texmarkmusic":1tajhtz5 said:
Received my amp last week...Working a golf tournament so I did not get to crack it open until yesterday. It's greatness...Some observations...

I have owned lots of modded Marshall stuff throughout the years. Enjoyed all of them but the idea of modding an old JMP or early JCM started bothering me. Great to have a ground up build that covers that territory without sacrificing a nice old amp.

Next up. First cabinet combination I tried did not tickle my taint. EV 5153 cabs with the low watt Heritage greenbacks. Could not put my finger on it until I moved to other cabs. I tried a pair of Friedman cabs and then a pair of Scumback naked 69's with M75 65 watt speakers. It opened up and started breathing like the flamethrower that it is. All of the options came into play at that point. The lower watt speakers do not seem to translate changes in bright, violence, thump etc very well. So far my favorite cab combo is the Scum cabs. I would appreciate any other ideas on speaker choices. I own about everything Celestion makes in various forms of cabinets. Vintage 30's, G12H30's, Lynchbacks, Cream 65's, Cream 75's, EVM 12L's, etc etc etc. I think I might try the amp through a pair of Recto 2x12 horizontals next.

Last thing...For an 80's hard rock heavy metal guy who does not drop tune what would you use on the front end to push this amp? In a scenario where you pull back on the dual gains and push the front end for another flavor. From the Fortin pedal collection specifically but if there are other things out there let me know...

Hey there,

Congrats on the amp!

I think you purchased my JJ. Hearing the JJ through a naked Scumback 4x12 made a lasting impression. Lemme know if you ever want to move one of those cabs.

How does the Fortin compare to the JJ or SS?

I’ve had great success using the Timmy as a boost in front of an amp. I can get it to sound like my Tubescreamer or Rat, but aslo adjust lows and highs to taste for different sounds. A very versatile pedal, and the one I’d choose if I had to pick one out of the many I have. The Way Huge Green Rhino is a close 2nd, and maybe #1 for achieving that 80s sound. Kills in front of amps with a thicker voice.
 
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