It’s time for some more unboxing and first impressions, and in this one I’m getting two pedals from Dual Stage Amplification out of the box and straight into the rig with basically zero prep (aka: me not really knowing what I’m doing and just seeing what it sounds like). We’ve got the Forte Fatale V1 and the Cyllarus V1, and this is very much a “use your ears” quick first look—full demos for each pedal are coming very soon, so if there’s anything specific you want to hear, chuck it in the comments. I start with P90s on my Gordon Smith Gatsby, running into the Rev D20’s direct XLR out with cab sim, using Celestion IRs. The Forte Fatale feels like a really usable compressor—especially because of the parallel compression/blend thing, plus the tone control and that pad switch making things interesting. I’m usually not a huge fan of pedal compressors, but I genuinely like this one, and you can absolutely use it as a boost into the front of the amp. Then I hit the Cyllarus (yes, I keep saying it different ways) which has a very “clone-style / horsey guy” vibe with loads of volume on tap and plenty of gain. I try both pedals together, swap over to humbuckers with a Guild Polara Deluxe, and then push the amp harder using the D20’s boost. End result: two well-built pedals that sound great, and I’m keen to dig in properly in the full videos.