Post by garyjc on Mar 9, 2008 5:14:29 GMT -7
Hi I'm Gary and proud to be an owner of a new Maz 18 JR NR 2 x 10. To my knowledge there is only one Dr Z supplier here in the UK and I'm fortunate enough to live close enough to the dealer to see the Dr Z amp range personally. I have to say, however, that this wasn't my original first choice. After gigging in a function band for about 25 years I had a break for several years for personal reasons, then couldn't resist getting back into the groove when the opportunity arose at the grand old age of 54!
So after reading a respected magazine over here called "Guitarist", in which they raved about the new Mesa Exress 5:50 amp I went to Peach Music and tried one of these new "gems". They had Dr Z amps on display but to be honest I never really noticed them as I'd already - and foolishly set my heart on the Express. To cut a very long story short, three amps and numerous problems with faulty leads, gain pot buzzing and excessive hissing on the clean channel later, my patience ran out and after contacting Mesa direct and the UK distributors I returned to Peach who agreed to change the amp.
I was looking for an amp with a minimum of 25 watts - we're not a loud band but just tried the Maz Jnr as it seemed to mysteriously beckon! I was completely blown away by the lush, rich and full tone, not to mention the volume that this 'little beast' could achieve! Bass notes were tight and dynamic and I was amazed at the sustain I was getting from my American Deluxe Ash Strat. So I fell in love with it immediately and haven't been able to switch it off since - can't wait till the next gig!
My question is in respect of pedals and using the effects loop. I have a Boss Dynamic Wah, Rat 2, Boss Tremolo, TC Electronics Chorus and Eventide Timefactor. When placing the modulation effects through the loop there is a slight drop in volume which I expected. However, I am more concerned at the loss of tone. the 'bite' seems to disappear and I find myself having to turn the treble and cut controls to near maximum to get anywhere the sharpness achieved before. The sound is still on the bassy side, however. At the same time, if I run everything in front on the amp I get a fairly loud hissing noise. I've set up each pedal individually and this seems to be emanating from the Timefactor as all others are pretty quiet. This is a great pedal but I'd really like to eliminate or at least reduce the hiss. Turning down the treble and cut this time helps but I don't want to lose the great tone I'd obtained from my original settings.
Any comments or assistance would be greatly appreciated, and in the meantime I'm happy to be one of the first to be spreading the Dr Z word over here. At last I've found the perfect balance of tone, gain and output. Looks great in red too!
So after reading a respected magazine over here called "Guitarist", in which they raved about the new Mesa Exress 5:50 amp I went to Peach Music and tried one of these new "gems". They had Dr Z amps on display but to be honest I never really noticed them as I'd already - and foolishly set my heart on the Express. To cut a very long story short, three amps and numerous problems with faulty leads, gain pot buzzing and excessive hissing on the clean channel later, my patience ran out and after contacting Mesa direct and the UK distributors I returned to Peach who agreed to change the amp.
I was looking for an amp with a minimum of 25 watts - we're not a loud band but just tried the Maz Jnr as it seemed to mysteriously beckon! I was completely blown away by the lush, rich and full tone, not to mention the volume that this 'little beast' could achieve! Bass notes were tight and dynamic and I was amazed at the sustain I was getting from my American Deluxe Ash Strat. So I fell in love with it immediately and haven't been able to switch it off since - can't wait till the next gig!
My question is in respect of pedals and using the effects loop. I have a Boss Dynamic Wah, Rat 2, Boss Tremolo, TC Electronics Chorus and Eventide Timefactor. When placing the modulation effects through the loop there is a slight drop in volume which I expected. However, I am more concerned at the loss of tone. the 'bite' seems to disappear and I find myself having to turn the treble and cut controls to near maximum to get anywhere the sharpness achieved before. The sound is still on the bassy side, however. At the same time, if I run everything in front on the amp I get a fairly loud hissing noise. I've set up each pedal individually and this seems to be emanating from the Timefactor as all others are pretty quiet. This is a great pedal but I'd really like to eliminate or at least reduce the hiss. Turning down the treble and cut this time helps but I don't want to lose the great tone I'd obtained from my original settings.
Any comments or assistance would be greatly appreciated, and in the meantime I'm happy to be one of the first to be spreading the Dr Z word over here. At last I've found the perfect balance of tone, gain and output. Looks great in red too!