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Post by neofnashville on Feb 13, 2009 20:55:54 GMT -7
I hate to do it, but here I present to you what must be the 1000th "which Amp" post... Hi all, BRAND newbie here looking for advice on my first "Z". I've been lurking for awhile and have pretty much narrowed it down to: Stangray Maz SR/JR Rx ES/ JR C' Ghia But let me throw it out there to the masses... The amp I'm looking for should be equally at home spewing open chord, low-string Country from a Tele (a la Brad Paisley/ Toby Keith), "power chord" country (a la Kenny Chesney), and Southern Rock/ blues from a Les Paul (a la Allman Brothers/ Gov't Mule). I'll probably be feeding it any combo of a Keeley Comp, a Keeley-modded TS-9, a BOSS BD-2 blues driver, DD-6 Delay, CH-1 Super Chorus, and occasionally a crybaby or talkbox. Power output isn't a huge issue as our band plays kinda soft and I can mic the cab, and if it's too loud I can add an airbrake. Soooooo, with that being said... Any ideas?
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Post by T-R☼CK ♫ on Feb 13, 2009 21:08:44 GMT -7
First...lemme say....I 'AINT no expert, and I don't really feel qualified to answer questions in this section. That said....I will offer MHO...
My "go to" when gigging these days is a Ghia/1x12/blue. With a cpl pedals, I NEVER feel underpowered/unarmed. Even when playing jams, where other players have 1/2-full stacks on stage.
I don't feel the need to attenuate this rig, and with just a little tweek of the tone knob, all is good for hummers or singles.
Since your "handle" includes "Nashville"...... I assume you are familiar w/the scene there. I will say, that I play in Nashville about 8/10 times a year, on various size stages, w/anywhere from 3 to 8 players, and this continues to be my "grab 'n go". Mostly un-mic'd. Vol anywhere from 8:30 to 2:00 depending on the rythym section/room/crowd/time of night...U get my drift.
ALL the amps U listed are stellar, and given my choice.... right now, I wud play a Galaxie, or Remedy thru a Zbest. But, in the real world, the Ghia/open back 1x12/Blue..." just gets it done for me". The CG will ALSO be your cheapest intro to "Z" land.
AND, as EVERYONE here will tell you, you simply CANNOT own just 1 DrZ amplifier. But, as Myles sez...."If you can only own 1 amp....it should be a Ghia"......FWIW/JMO/etc.........
Good luck man...
Oh yeah....there are ALWAYS the three comments....ALWAYS...
18 watts? Two knobs? Where is the reverb control?
I LOVE that chit!!!!
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Post by cementedman on Feb 13, 2009 21:48:11 GMT -7
i will have to chime in after the t and say, i have owned 3 ghias, the best tone i have ever had from it was with a humbucker bridge pickup with the thing dimed through a 50 watt speaker. the amp could do anything, so, if i could have only one, it would be that go to amp, but i am partial to the big ezg50 sound, i use an airbrake, and you really cant tell the airbrake is on, only your ears,, but, if it was one? the carmen ghia. i only play one amp at a time, dont you know.
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Post by iluvpunz on Feb 14, 2009 7:44:18 GMT -7
Welcome! Lot's of great information here, and lots of varied opinions for sure. Everybody has "that tone" they love and you will different favorites because of the different playing styles and tastes in music. All of the Z's are great amps, especially when compared to what some of the other hand wired amps sell for.
My personal #1 choice has to be the Maz Jr NR head/cabinet choice. So very versatile and controllable, great with pedals, and quite transportable. This is what I use now. I am in the process of saving for an Rx, preferably a junior head. I think between those two and mix and match cabinets I will catching all my dream tones.
If you have read many of the threads here, you will find that speaker choice can affect the tone of the particular amp greatly. If there is any lesson I have learned over the last few years, it's that. Another reason why I like the head/cabinet configuration. The same amp will sound very different through a V30 than it will through a Blue. A great place to start is in the sounds section. Finding the tone you are looking for will help lead you to the right combination.
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Post by neofnashville on Feb 14, 2009 21:09:51 GMT -7
Thanks for the insight guys. I listened to the sound clips, and the Ghia sounded a little "warm" for my tastes...is this a fair assumption, or did the recordings not do it justice?
I've been listening to clips from a 'Ray and so far I'm impressed, just not sure how it would sound with hummers. Anyone have a fair comparison of a 'Ray and a Maz18 or Ghia?
Whatever the end result is, it will be heard through 2x12 Blues, as God intended.
BTW, I can't find a dealer within 100 miles that stocks these beasts...I assume I can order straight from the Good Dr?
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Post by brad737 on Feb 15, 2009 7:18:27 GMT -7
Welcome. Since you mentioned you're going to use a couple of overdrive pedals, you could cover a LOT of ground with a Ray. The Stingray has the best clean tone I've ever heard, and it takes pedals very well. I've used Zendrives, Analogman KoT, BB Preamp & Plus, Tube Screamers, and even a Digitech Brian May Red Special pedal with my Stingrays. The Rays love them all. I think that rich, glorious cleantone paired with the pedal-friendly EF86 front end makes it incredibly versatile.
How far northeast of Nashville are you? I'm sure there are some Z Bros who aren't that far away who would let you try out their amps.
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Post by hymns on Feb 15, 2009 9:48:22 GMT -7
I play a 2 amp setup.One Maz18NR with a Cel.blue and g12h30 combo and Z28 with weber blue alnico a30 watt on top and 50 watt on bottom.They are two homemade cabs and kick butt.That setup gives me the chime and the chunck.
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Post by stevez on Feb 16, 2009 11:52:47 GMT -7
... BTW, I can't find a dealer within 100 miles that stocks these beasts...I assume I can order straight from the Good Dr?... I am just south of Nashville and have also begun my quest for my first "Z". The only dealers I have found nearby are... Rock Block Guitars • 2113 Elliston Place • Nashville, TN 37203 - I have checked out Rock Block a couple weeks ago and they have a small selection of Maz 18, 38, Z-28, EZG-50 and several cabinets. Humbucker Music • 751 Battleground Pkwy • Ft. Oglethorpe, GA 30742 • (706) 858-5874 www.humbuckermusic.com/humudrzinsts.html- Although 2.5 hours from my house (a bit further for you depending on how far NE Nashville) their website indicates that they do have a large selection on hand to demo. When I start to narrow down the field and decide to get a "Z" I will likely take the drive to get exactly what I want. Good luck in your quest!
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Post by neofnashville on Feb 17, 2009 19:10:31 GMT -7
How far northeast of Nashville are you? I'm sure there are some Z Bros who aren't that far away who would let you try out their amps. I'm VERY Northeast of Nashville...Northern New Jersey is a bit more accurate, but doesn't sound as catchy for a band name... But if there's any Z-folk up here, a tryout would be appreciated. I'm so impressed to see that Dr. Z has such a loyal customer base who are more than willing to help a Z- Noob like me make a good purchase decision. That makes me even more confident in buying an amp from him. As far as which one, I'm still working that out. I like the sound clips from the Stangray best, I think that its "niche" is exactly how I would describe my idea of tonal paradise... If I hit a dealer a state or 2 away, it looks like I could try out and walk away with a Maz-18 or Ghia relatively easily, but the 'Ray head is a little harder to find. In your collective opinion, should I use a "local" dealer or am I better off buying it straight from the Dr? About how long would it take if I order "factory-direct"? And I should rephrase my initial question to "which amp should I get FIRST?" It seems these things cause "Lay's potato chip syndrome"... no one can have just one!
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 17, 2009 19:22:32 GMT -7
How far northeast of Nashville are you? I'm sure there are some Z Bros who aren't that far away who would let you try out their amps. I'm VERY Northeast of Nashville...Northern New Jersey is a bit more accurate, but doesn't sound as catchy for a band name... But if there's any Z-folk up here, a tryout would be appreciated. I'm so impressed to see that Dr. Z has such a loyal customer base who are more than willing to help a Z- Noob like me make a good purchase decision. That makes me even more confident in buying an amp from him. As far as which one, I'm still working that out. I like the sound clips from the Stangray best, I think that its "niche" is exactly how I would describe my idea of tonal paradise... If I hit a dealer a state or 2 away, it looks like I could try out and walk away with a Maz-18 or Ghia relatively easily, but the 'Ray head is a little harder to find. In your collective opinion, should I use a "local" dealer or am I better off buying it straight from the Dr? About how long would it take if I order "factory-direct"? And I should rephrase my initial question to "which amp should I get FIRST?" It seems these things cause "Lay's potato chip syndrome"... no one can have just one! Hey guy, so far I've bought nine Z amps without a tryout. They have all been real winners (no regrets whatsoever), but the Stingray I have here is without parallel. There's nothing else on the planet quite like it. Yeah, it's a narrow niche, but it does that niche better than anything else out there. Just get the 2x12 open back with Blue's. But the reason for my post is not that - It's this: just buy one, because you'll be buying another, then another very soon after. Not as replacements - in addition to! I'm just sayin...
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Post by Danny on Feb 17, 2009 19:28:00 GMT -7
How far northeast of Nashville are you? I'm sure there are some Z Bros who aren't that far away who would let you try out their amps. I'm VERY Northeast of Nashville...Northern New Jersey is a bit more accurate, but doesn't sound as catchy for a band name... But if there's any Z-folk up here, a tryout would be appreciated. I'm so impressed to see that Dr. Z has such a loyal customer base who are more than willing to help a Z- Noob like me make a good purchase decision. That makes me even more confident in buying an amp from him. As far as which one, I'm still working that out. I like the sound clips from the Stangray best, I think that its "niche" is exactly how I would describe my idea of tonal paradise... If I hit a dealer a state or 2 away, it looks like I could try out and walk away with a Maz-18 or Ghia relatively easily, but the 'Ray head is a little harder to find. In your collective opinion, should I use a "local" dealer or am I better off buying it straight from the Dr? About how long would it take if I order "factory-direct"? And I should rephrase my initial question to "which amp should I get FIRST?" It seems these things cause "Lay's potato chip syndrome"... no one can have just one! Darn, up till last June I was still in Manhattan and I had a few Zs for you to try. But now I'm rather far from home ... What town in NJ are you in?
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Post by wardpike on Feb 18, 2009 17:28:47 GMT -7
Hey you're halfway between Tennessee and me, so you can just come Northeast some more if ya like, and try out mine. :-) [/size][/font]
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