Fortin 3.33 gives Thordendal's one-knob 33 boost a second channel

For years the Fortin 33 did one job with one knob: up to 22 dB of boost, built to lock in Fredrik Thordendal's rhythm tone, set once and left alone. The 3.33 keeps everything that was in the 33, lets you control it, and adds a second, independently voiced channel. Fortin Amplification says the Meshuggah guitarist was involved in every stage of the design and had the final say on every aspect.

The name doubles as a map of the front panel. Channel 3, the top row with a red LED, is what the manual calls a variation of another of Fredrik's favourite boost archetypes. Channel 33, the bottom row with a green LED, is the old 33 beefed up with the controls it never had. Each side gets Volume plus active Bass and Treble, and the CH 3/33 footswitch flips between them.

Between the rows sits a small Zuul knob. Fortin has built its noise gate straight into the circuit and keys it from the input, so moving the EQ or volume on either channel doesn't change how the gate tracks.

The side panel is where the 33's amp-switching trick grows up. A quarter-inch jack runs to the amp's channel footswitch input, one switch picks whether the ON stomp or the channel stomp changes the amp channel, and a polarity switch sorts out an amp that lands on the wrong side. The ON switch itself is a relay true bypass that wakes up in whatever state it was left.

The manual's starting points are worth a look. Both of Fredrik's suggested settings, one per channel, run Bass almost or fully off, with Treble around one o'clock and Volume from two o'clock up. Mike Fortin's own favourite on the 33 channel puts Bass at 8 and Treble at 10, with Volume from noon up.

Built in the USA, the 3.33 takes a regulated 9 V supply only, with no battery clip, and measures 122 x 67 x 39.5 mm without knobs. More details are on our 3.33 product page. Fortin's own store currently lists it as backordered.

Video: FortinAmps, “Fortin 3.33 - Fredrik Thordendal’s New Dual Boost”.