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Post by Strato on Dec 8, 2006 3:36:08 GMT -7
Late tonight, i was up cranking my Z and I decided to run stereo out of my Line 6 DL4 into the Maz jr and my Twin Reverb reissue... HOLY COW incredible tones. I hadn't fired my twin up in a long time.
Anyway... I like my Maz alot, but it almost seems a bit to marshall-like. I really dont need the harsher high-gain stuff. What can I do to mellow it out and make it more on the american side?
It's a Maz Jr NR head with zbest cab, all stock tubes and speakers. I was thinking about alnicos to smooth it out, but I dont know? Maybe higher wattage speakers?
Thanks for the input guys!
Edit: My usual settings are as follows...
Cut noon-3, Master 9-noon, Bass 9, mid 10, treble 9, volume 11.
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Post by kruzty on Dec 8, 2006 7:03:11 GMT -7
Start here - use the low input, all the tone nobs at noon, volume and cut at 10.
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Post by Lefty on Dec 8, 2006 7:41:24 GMT -7
Drop the cut and mids, crank the treble and bass and master and use the pre to set the volume as needed.
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Post by Curt on Dec 8, 2006 8:09:11 GMT -7
Drop the cut and mids, crank the treble and bass and master and use the pre to set the volume as needed. +1 Max the master, or at least run it at noon> Keep the Cut low, 9:00, 10:00 MAX Keep the 3 tone knobs NEAR noon Use the volume as ........well...the volume ;D I normally use the Hi Imput with this setting but the Lo imput will take even more "edge" off. the biggest positive I've done to mine is swapping the REC to the JP mismarked ones Mike @ KCNOS has for about $65.00. And I have found the best tones with 1 Weber Alnico Blue Dog (30 watt) and one well worn V30.....and I've tried MANY speakers LOL. Perhars Dan will chime in here as he's gigged mine set up this way and seemed pretty happy with it as well. You may also want to try different tubes in V1 & V2 like NOS 5751's or look in Doc's notes as he suggest's some as well, Svet's I think?? Trust me, It'll get really close to a Deluxe, Etc. but way more musical. Good luck and have fun ! Curt
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Post by Lefty on Dec 8, 2006 9:15:30 GMT -7
Sold my Deluxe Reverb BECAUSE of my Maz Jr.
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Post by billyguitar on Dec 8, 2006 9:25:32 GMT -7
Deluxe Reverbs are HIGHLY overrated, especially the RI. I've had 2 blackface and one silverface and sold them all when I got a blackface Vibroluxe Reverb. The VR has a "full size" sound in a 1/2 size package. I'd think a Maz Jr could easily soundetter in every way than a Deluxe Reverb, except for the tremolo and Fender's great reverb in the old ones. BTW those two features can't be used if the DR is all the way up anyway. A Jensen type speaker might also get you closer the the Fender sound.
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Post by Strato on Dec 8, 2006 11:28:34 GMT -7
Well shoot ;D I will have to try this all out. Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
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Post by Strato on Dec 8, 2006 11:39:53 GMT -7
Drop the cut and mids, crank the treble and bass and master and use the pre to set the volume as needed. +1 Max the master, or at least run it at noon> Keep the Cut low, 9:00, 10:00 MAX Keep the 3 tone knobs NEAR noon Use the volume as ........well...the volume ;D I normally use the Hi Imput with this setting but the Lo imput will take even more "edge" off. the biggest positive I've done to mine is swapping the REC to the JP mismarked ones Mike @ KCNOS has for about $65.00. And I have found the best tones with 1 Weber Alnico Blue Dog (30 watt) and one well worn V30.....and I've tried MANY speakers LOL. Perhars Dan will chime in here as he's gigged mine set up this way and seemed pretty happy with it as well. You may also want to try different tubes in V1 & V2 like NOS 5751's or look in Doc's notes as he suggest's some as well, Svet's I think?? Trust me, It'll get really close to a Deluxe, Etc. but way more musical. Good luck and have fun ! Curt +1 Curt, Is this the tube you are talking about? mislabeled www.kcanostubes.com/content/estore_details.asp?category=157&product=149Also, I looked at 5751's, but there are a few brands and many models under each. Do you or anyone else have any recommendations? Also, I remember reading something Myles said about the importance of a good balanced tube in the PI spot. Does anyone have a recommendation for that? Thank you all sooo very much for your help. It really means alot!
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 8, 2006 15:45:22 GMT -7
I've been on a mission to find the Fendery (American) tones in my MAZ 18. I really like Fender amps and find that if you have powerful cleans it's not hard to get your drive and dirt from pedals. Tonight I picked up one of them SS rectifier substitutes and dropped it in my MAZ . (Groove Tubes SS5AR4) and am liking the results. First off I noticed that the Bass was a lot tighter in the amp and my clean tone was a bit more focused. Then I ran my gain high and the master low and to me that side sounded a little thinner than with the tube rec. but I like running the amp clean and using pedals so this may work. I also noticed that the transformer was'nt getting as hot as before and theres less glass in the amp to rattle so it's all good. I looked for info on the ss rectifiers in Dr Z amps to see if there was any warnings but did'nt find much, I wanted to try a Weber Copper Cap but a local store had the GT in stock. If there is any reason that I should'nt run a SS recto in a MAZ please speak up and let me know, the amp tech at the store where I bought it said it should be fine as long as my tubes were fairly new and the filter caps werent too old.
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Post by (8^D) on Dec 8, 2006 16:39:51 GMT -7
Strato, yes, that's the tube. Have it in my Jr too...thought I'd give it a whirl after abusing Curt's Jr for an evening. Nice tube... The remainder of the tubes are 'stock' - new, but the same ratings as original set.
I have a NR212 but am only running 1 speaker (Weber Blue Alnico 30 watt 8ohm light dope) at the moment. That REALLLLLY smoothed out that amp! Was paired with a G12H30 but had an annoying harshness in the top end. Tried a couple other speaker pairings but the single Weber sounds the best. Probably pick up a Ceramic something or other (different G12H30 or Weber Silver Ceramic most likely) for higher volume gigs so the low end will be tight/present on stage.
Guitargeorge, Setting the master low and the volume high really puts the amp in vox meets fender tone - more scooped w/a nice chimey top end, tight bass. Running the master high (2-3:00+) and the volume low (12:00-) adds a nice mid-hump and creaminess to the tone getting a great marshall vibe...uppping the volume adds nice gain/edge.
Love the versatility of this amp...like having a couple different amps in one - great for studio work!
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Post by jwr on Dec 8, 2006 17:47:57 GMT -7
Try a couple of chinese 12AX7's in V1 and V2. Put a 5751 in the PI position, this will get you much closer to a good Fender tone along with the tone settings Curt recommended. That's how I run my Maz Sr. and it sounds amazing. Jason
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 8, 2006 19:53:09 GMT -7
I think in twenty years when sombody speaks of amp tones in a comparative way they are going to say "well that sounds like a Fender, or a Marshall or a Vox or a "Z". I had a 1974 Orange Custom Reverb Twin back in the seventies and although it was based on a Twin Reverb (with EL34's) it sounded like an Orange, it got close to other amps but it still had that Orange sound. Dr Z MAZ 18''s get close to the reference tones but it still sounds like a Dr Z. and that's a good thing. I can sit and twist knobs for hours on this amp and it's really not easy to find a setting that does'nt sound good, I agree, this amp is one versatile animal.
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Post by Strato on Dec 9, 2006 23:19:14 GMT -7
I can't believe how big of a difference that made... It sounds like a completely different amp! Now, it definitely does that "fender thing," but even better! ;D
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Post by Curt on Dec 10, 2006 12:50:15 GMT -7
I can't believe how big of a difference that made... It sounds like a completely different amp! Now, it definitely does that "fender thing," but even better! ;D Tell us what "that" is? What did you try/change?
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Post by Strato on Dec 10, 2006 15:45:15 GMT -7
Well I used the low input, which made a big difference. My settings are
Cut - 10 Master - Noon Bass and Mid - Noon Treble - 11 Volume - 11
It seemed that for the longest time, I could get sweet cruch tones for rhythm, but when I kicked in a boost for solos, the tone got really shrill and harsh. Not anymore... i definitely had the cut too high and I should have been using the low input from the start.
With my twin, I loved hitting the front of that thing hard with a tube screamer, or just plugging straight in with the amp on 10 (loud as hell!). When i did that, I got that really nice "spanky" bottom end and sparkle on the top.
But I never knew my Z could do that! With my Z now, I know hear all the nuances of my strat coming out for the first time. The two pickup selections that are "in-between" as I call them are absolutely incredible. I have an old B.K. Butler Tube Driver pedal that i hit the front of the maz with. I max out the output volume on the pedal and use the drive setting as a volume control.... Also sounds amazing.
Before I changed my settings, I noticed that all of my drive pedals sounded much on the marshall side. That was good sometimes, but not really what i was looking for. Now, they each sound unique.
Thanks everyone! ;D
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cosmo
Full Member
Posts: 156
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Post by cosmo on Dec 11, 2006 13:01:13 GMT -7
This selection of options is brilliant--I'm gonna try this stuff too with my Jr. Once again, what a great forum!
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Post by Curt on Dec 11, 2006 13:15:03 GMT -7
Well I used the low input, which made a big difference. My settings are Cut - 10 Master - Noon Bass and Mid - Noon Treble - 11 Volume - 11 It seemed that for the longest time, I could get sweet cruch tones for rhythm, but when I kicked in a boost for solos, the tone got really shrill and harsh. Not anymore... i definitely had the cut too high and I should have been using the low input from the start. With my twin, I loved hitting the front of that thing hard with a tube screamer, or just plugging straight in with the amp on 10 (loud as hell!). When i did that, I got that really nice "spanky" bottom end and sparkle on the top. But I never knew my Z could do that! With my Z now, I know hear all the nuances of my strat coming out for the first time. The two pickup selections that are "in-between" as I call them are absolutely incredible. I have an old B.K. Butler Tube Driver pedal that i hit the front of the maz with. I max out the output volume on the pedal and use the drive setting as a volume control.... Also sounds amazing. Before I changed my settings, I noticed that all of my drive pedals sounded much on the marshall side. That was good sometimes, but not really what i was looking for. Now, they each sound unique. Thanks everyone! ;D Awesome, glad to of helped along with the others. The MAZ's take a bit of time to dial in what you want..then it's ON !! Curt
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Dec 11, 2006 20:18:33 GMT -7
Well I used the low input, which made a big difference. Awesome, glad to of helped along with the others. The MAZ's take a bit of time to dial in what you want..then it's ON !! Curt Yea it is "on" Curt... thats why I just got another Maz Jr ( Blonde reverb 2x10 to match my blonde Ghia 2x10) ;D I had a Maz Jr NR 2x12 combo a while back and got great sound with it by itself and if I was the only one playing guitar with a band but with two guitars I couldn't seem to make it work...I needed more clean headroom... so I traded it and got a Maz Sr which I LOVE and got more clean headroom... BUT all that was really before I understood how to set up the Maz... so when I got the MAZ SR I figured out the EQ thang on the Maz AND also FOUND out about the LOW input... awesome... then went back to Elite Music in Montgomery Al and used a Maz Jr 2x12 reverb combo they had to see if I could do the same thing I was doing with my Maz SR with the Jr... and I found I could and it sounded great... so for now my Ghia combo has a "twin"... Strato... the LOW input is the secret weapon on ALL Dr Z amps that have one... I primarily use the Low input on ALL of them... I want to try the Maz JR again now to use for lower volumes and still push an amp hard, sometimes I find I just can't get my MAZ SR to quite give it up low enough... the Stingray can give it up at ANY volume... but I like that Maz thang too... and same sound at a little lower level would be sweet... I remember playing my old Maz Jr NR I had and not even having to hardly run any pedals, just Crank it with a boost or light overdrive... Great tone... I can do the same with the Ghia but I'm gonna try and see if i can get a little more clean headroom outta the Maz JR... might be neat to a/b between the two or even run em together?... gonna try it again, and may or may not end up still just using the higher powered amps and the Ghia for the lower stuff... we'll see... Jason
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