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Post by Wes C. on Apr 7, 2008 16:53:14 GMT -7
I think it is about time to get a Z now. I have really only been looking at the Maz 18, but as I listen to demos of the RX Jr, I really like the sound of it. For you guys that own a Maz and an rx jr, which one gets more saturation faster, and which one do you prefer. I am looking for an amp that can get a Voxy amount of gain. When I play through a Vox, I usually have the volume around noon-2:00 and the master wherever it fits.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Apr 7, 2008 19:51:48 GMT -7
I have both, but there are more differences than just their gain. FYI my view is the RX Jr has more gain than the Maz Jr, but more significantly they sound a lot different to me. The Maz Jr has a lot of midrange thrust that you don't really find in the RX Jr. I think the bottom end on the RX Jr is bigger than the bottom end on the Maz, but my perception is no doubt skewed by the fact that my Maz is a combo. Both have beautiful sparkling top ends.
Might be time for a comparison clip, but these two are likely to be the most difficult to compare because how do you compare two amps that each have dozens of different sounds? They are both very versatile, and can be set so many different ways that comparing them is likely to be a difficult challenge.
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Post by James on Apr 7, 2008 20:24:27 GMT -7
I also own both.........and have no preference as like Benttop says, they are very different. I have the JR with verb mind you, so, less gain than the NR model. My opinion is that both amps can handle the same playing situations.......... They both offer nice sparkley cleans and they both can dial in some nice overdriven tunes. You coudn't go wrong owning either one IMO.
For me it comes down to guitars..........the maz jR and a strat is the total magical combination between a guitar and amp. They just sound so sweet together. My p-90 guitars and my tele, however, are balls to the wall rock and roll machines with the rxjr. It has this highly highly percussive side with a bottom end that the maz cannot come close to being as punchy as. To me, thats what makes it a different amp. I have a greenback in a single 12 cab, for example, and it cannot handle the rxjr's bass. It gets farty and loses focus with the rx. This doesn't happen with the maz unless you nearly dime the bass.
I lack the adjectives to use to compare and contrast the amps...... All I can say is listen to the soundclips......on the website. The RXJR has more drive and ooomph. More raw sounding.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Apr 7, 2008 20:53:39 GMT -7
+1 - That's well said James.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Apr 7, 2008 20:59:23 GMT -7
They just FEEL different when you play them don't they... it's really hard to articulate, but they can overlap alot soundwise, while at the same time... to me, they still just kinda feel and react to your playing in a little different way. I'm absolutely no help...
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Apr 7, 2008 21:16:54 GMT -7
I think it's clear we all need both.
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Post by bluzman on Apr 7, 2008 21:17:36 GMT -7
GET BOTH!!
I think the natural power tube thang happens faster with the RxJrS at a more realistic level for me. I've been using Maz Jr. Rev 2x10 combos for a while and the RxJrS is a different animal... but however I just started playing with a Maz Jr. NR head with a 1x12 Gold and it also is different than the Rev. combo. I need more time with the Maz NR head though. They both take all pickups well, but like James said the Maz and a Strat are great... but My 335 likes it too!!
Depending on what axe you use and what and how you are playing, I'm sure you'd do well with either. Yep another huge help here, huh?
You should play one of em if you can... but at any rate... GET BOTH!!
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Post by Wes C. on Apr 7, 2008 21:20:53 GMT -7
Yeah, I wish I had somewhere to play one, but I will have to drive two hours to play one. I think I will start with the Maz and then get an Rx Jr later unless I find a Rx Jr. for around $950.
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Post by James on Apr 8, 2008 5:38:39 GMT -7
I will say, for me personally, I prefer owning the RXjr and the maz with verb rather than the maz NR -rxjr combination. Because I am not made of $$$$, I want any amp I purchase to be worth it in terms of being different than any other amp I own. Having also owned the maz NR model, I think the differences are greater between the Maz with ver-rxjr combo vs the maz NR-rxjr combination.
JMO!
If you don't want reverb, than the point is moot......but, otherwise, I'd go with the maz nr as the first purchase. As the first Z you buy.....it's a good choice. Own the rxjr down the line maybe, but, for now......spend a good amount of time really diggin to what the maz nr has to offer. I have had mine for a year and am still tweaking it and finding new tones......
Hope this helps!
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Post by John on Apr 8, 2008 7:19:11 GMT -7
You guys are puzzling me about wanting to purchase an RX Jr. I just sold my Route 66, so I'm down to the Maz Jr. (just purchased a Maz Jr head, so I'll be selling my combo soon) So I'm wondering if there is too much duplication in tone to justify owning both. I KNOW they're different, I KNOW the RX is more percussive because of the EF86.
Part of me wants to get the RX Jr head with the proceeds of the combo sale, but I don't know if I can justify owning the two amps. I think I'll have to have a shoot-out at Z fest.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Apr 8, 2008 8:19:01 GMT -7
I'll go along with what James says about the Maz being the perfect amp for the Strat, but the RX loving the Tele. Yeah you can switch them up, but I just LOVE the Strat in my Maz Jr, and LOVE the Tele in the RX Jr. Now if the Doc comes along and starts designing amps that really sound great for one individual string, I'm screwed...
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Post by James on Apr 8, 2008 9:09:08 GMT -7
You guys are puzzling me about wanting to purchase an RX Jr. I just sold my Route 66, so I'm down to the Maz Jr. (just purchased a Maz Jr head, so I'll be selling my combo soon) So I'm wondering if there is too much duplication in tone to justify owning both. I KNOW they're different, I KNOW the RX is more percussive because of the EF86. Part of me wants to get the RX Jr head with the proceeds of the combo sale, but I don't know if I can justify owning the two amps. I think I'll have to have a shoot-out at Z fest. I used to own a rt 66 and a maz sr, but, they were too loud for my needs. I loved the sr because it had more fendery cleans......I loved the rt 66 for its ability to just rock with a les paul........... It's very similar with the Maz Jr and the rx Jr for me. when I wanna play ZZ top type stuff...........or chuck berry.....or "heartbreaker" by zep, a les paul/rxjr just sounds better to me than the version of those tones from the maz. Of course the maz can rock, but, my ears sense that the rxjr is well in its comfort zone doing higer gain stuff. On the other hand, when I want more SRV ish or bluesy-Jazzy-Jump Blues clean type tones, my maz sounds better to my ears than the rx. Sure , the rx can get sparkley clean, but, my ears sense that the maz is more in its comfort zone when its being dialed in to cover those styles. Take into consideration what we have all said about choosing diff. guitars for diff. amps. Because I own both......each of my guitars has their "goto" amp. I just have more fun playing my R6 thru the rx and my strat thru the maz. Another perspective I might offer is this: Some people own many different "gain pedals"......to fit a certain texture of gain even though the pedals overlap in the amount of gain. (Owning a BB and zendrive are good examples........) To their ears, they hear enough difference and most importantly FEEL enough difference to justify owning both. Owning both the heads serves the same purpose to me. The tones overlap, but it's the texture that makes them different. They both have different textures of gain, but each can get nearly as gainy as the other.............They both have roughly the same headroom and can get just about as clean as the other, but, the texture and feel of what each amp offers in a clean tone is different. If the rxjr never existed, I'd be fine making things work with the Maz, but, the RxJR was born......I listened to it, and my ears not only liked what it had to offer, but, also made me realize I wouldn't be getting my maz to sound that way....... So I own both! You are right, John, you do need to let your ears make the decision. But, if you justified owning the rt66 and a maz jr, its very similar to owning the Rxjr and maz. My one caveat, however, is still that I am talking about the JR-Verb and not the NR. Someone else may be able to speak better about that comparison.
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Post by dock66 on Apr 8, 2008 10:23:45 GMT -7
Both are great amps. If the opportunity presents,get both,you'll end up liking both.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Apr 8, 2008 20:08:22 GMT -7
Well I have to say, tonight I plugged the RXJr and the Maz Jr into my 2x12 stereo THD cab with Golds, and the RXJr was REALLY LOUD. I've been fooled by the speakers I've been using. The Tone Tubby I have in my Maz Jr must be way more efficient, because when both amps are in the same cab with the same speaker, I think the RX Jr may be a tad louder.
An aside - I started out last night thinking I would do some testing and maybe record the two amps, and one of my Golds was dead. I didn't have time to fiddle with it last night, so I pulled the back off the THD cab tonight and found one of my solder connections was apparently a cold joint and had come off! Shame! That's not supposed to happen. I'm glad it did in the studio and not out on a live gig!
Anyway, now that it's repaired I can think about a comparison, but I was playing with the tone controls a lot tonight to try to find a place where both amps sound close to the same and I have to say - they are NOTHING alike. This comparison might take several clips to fully demonstrate though...
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Post by Curt on Apr 8, 2008 21:03:23 GMT -7
The TT is rated at 97dB Steve, and I find it way less effecient than a Gold : /
That is 180 deg. from what you feel, odd huh?
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Apr 8, 2008 21:12:11 GMT -7
The TT is rated at 97dB Steve, and I find it way less effecient than a Gold : / That is 180 deg. from what you feel, odd huh? Really... Hm. Well running the RX Jr through the V30 it seems so much quieter than the Maz Jr, but maybe I should lay off the hallucinogenics when I do this stuff, eh?
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Post by James on Apr 9, 2008 8:08:38 GMT -7
So..............I think my fantasy small club amp would be a channel switching amp with Maz Jr on one side and RXJR on the other. ;D
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Post by guitarstan on Apr 10, 2008 4:59:58 GMT -7
So..............I think my fantasy small club amp would be a channel switching amp with Maz Jr on one side and RXJR on the other. ;D Perhaps the wave of the future where one can do exactly that.....you choose two or three different amps you want in one head and order it that way. Sounds good to me.
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Post by asattwanger on Apr 10, 2008 13:55:06 GMT -7
So..............I think my fantasy small club amp would be a channel switching amp with Maz Jr on one side and RXJR on the other. ;D Perhaps the wave of the future where one can do exactly that.....you choose two or three different amps you want in one head and order it that way. Sounds good to me. That already exists. The Mesa Maverick can be a honest Vox or Plexi on the clean channel and high gain Marshall and Mesa on the lead channel. Really is two totaly different amps. I know that is a Mesa, but people fans of Vox and Marshall turned their noses up at Maverick. Fan's of the idea a full sized amp in a small box would be turned off by full sized Dr.Z heads. More so if they start hitting the 40 pound head mark like a Mesa. I like the simple non-channel swtiching small head design.... By the way on either amp, could you call the top end of gain Mesa sounding?
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