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Post by Tone Dog on Mar 23, 2008 18:25:32 GMT -7
I had ordered a Carmen Ghia from a dealer and it was taking a lot longer than I was told so I cancelled it and bought a Mazerati. Probably a more appropriate choice for me anyway. Some of the larger rooms I play get about 700 people and the extra "grunt" will probably come in handy.
It's a Red 2004 2x12 with Celestion Blues and S/P grill cloth and it's in mint condition. The tubes that were in it worked fine, but I installed new ones just so I knew where I was with it. Nothing special - JJs for the 84s and rectifier, a Tung-Sol reissue for the 12AX7 and a JAN NOS 5751 (GE/Sylvania).
It just came the other day and I only had one gig in a very low volume room (with a terrible house soundman) so I haven't had a chance to really put it through it's paces yet. I couldn't even get the Volume up to 9:00! What a joke. But I've owned one of these before so I pretty much know what it's capable of. I have a couple of nights in one of my regular clubs later this week so that will be a more "normal" situation.
My gig rig is pretty simple. Usually a Strat with Lollar Tweeds in the neck and middle and a Lollar Blonde in the bridge or an EB/MM Axis Sport S/S/H with Suhr FL Classics and DSV+ 'bucker and I added a toggle to split it. Barber Tone Press => Tim OD => Boss DD3 Delay. I have a BK Butler Tube Driver on the way for heavier rock type lead tones - if it makes the grade. I really struggle with the gainier distortion boxes.
At any rate, I just wanted to hop on and share. I'll update after I play a couple of decent gigs later this week.
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Post by Fiestared69 on Mar 23, 2008 20:44:38 GMT -7
Cool Beans, I love the Mazerati's their just a great amp period! I own two. I was thinking about scoring that one if it was the same one that was on TGP that a friend told me about.
Enjoy that amp !!!!!!
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Post by Tone Dog on Mar 23, 2008 21:32:42 GMT -7
Why, I do believe it IS that same amp - I did find it from a TGP ad! Thanks for the well wishes - it should be pretty cool!
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Post by Fiestared69 on Mar 24, 2008 9:11:32 GMT -7
Should be pretty cool !!!!! Man , that amp is cool looking but I'll bet it's KILLER SOUNDIN"!!!!!
I just don't want to lug around a 2x12 combo anymore! But they sound awsome!!
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Post by telejas on Mar 24, 2008 12:56:20 GMT -7
I love my Rati! It's gotta be a REAL close 2nd to my Stangray, and sometimes wins over my Ray for a gig. Great amp!
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Post by Tone Dog on Mar 24, 2008 15:19:42 GMT -7
Should be pretty cool !!!!! Man , that amp is cool looking but I'll bet it's KILLER SOUNDIN"!!!!! I just don't want to lug around a 2x12 combo anymore! But they sound awsome!! That's funny because I went back to the 2x12 Mazerati to lighten my load and get away from lugging a Guytron GT-100 head, a 2x12 cab, Lexicon Alex, a bunch of cables to connect everything, etc. The Mazerati is a piece of cake compared to all of that!
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Post by Tone Dog on Mar 24, 2008 15:20:36 GMT -7
I love my Rati! It's gotta be a REAL close 2nd to my Stangray, and sometimes wins over my Ray for a gig. Great amp! I would love to have a Stangray too! Very cool amp.
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Post by 6strang (aka Paul) on Mar 24, 2008 18:40:29 GMT -7
Here is some Karma for you for finding one heck of an amp! Love my 112 combo. It is killer!
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Post by Tone Dog on Mar 25, 2008 16:08:37 GMT -7
Here is some Karma for you for finding one heck of an amp! Love my 112 combo. It is killer! Thanks for the karma, Paul! I see you have a JMP-1 and I'm jealous! I had one of those years ago and still say that it was one of the coolest pieces of gear I ever owned.
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Post by Tone Dog on Apr 6, 2008 9:56:23 GMT -7
Just an update. My gig rig has evolved over the past few weeks to this:
I usually use a parts Strat with Lollar Tweeds in the neck and middle and a Lollar Blonde in the bridge. I think this guitar sounds best with the amp.
On a Pedaltrain Jr with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power II: Strobostomp => Barber Tone Press => Fulltone Fat-Boost 2 => Tim Overdrive => Butler Tube Driver (direct from BK Butler) => Boss DD-3 Delay
I've been running the Volume on the amp around 12:00 (sometimes a bit lower or higher) and the Tone control around 10:30-11:00. I do a modern country thing (with a rock and roll attitude!) and I like to keep the "snap" factor up a little bit. But the amp sounds great with the Tone control a little past 12:00 too - it's just not the most appropriate sound for this gig.
I just got the whole rig put together about a week ago and I've played 4 gigs with it since then. I have 3 booked for later this week but I think I've gotten everything pretty close to where I need it as of last night. I used the camera on my cell phone to snap pictures of everything so I would have them as a reference when I set it all up again (the memory ain't what it used to be!).
The only niggle is that I don't get quite the same amount of "quack" and stringiness from those in-between Strat settings as I did with the Guytron and frankly, I kind of miss that. The Guytron actually leaned a little toward the Fender Blackface sound a bit whereas this amp favors a more Vox-like vibe. It has it's own brand of chime but it does NOT sound like a Blackface - as I've seen some players describe it. It still sounds great, just different and that will take some adjustment on my part. But the main reason for the change was to improve portability and simplify the load-in / load-out process since I find myself doing this several times a week. I've accomplished that in spades - and I'm finding my tone slowly but surely. The amp sounds best when plugged straight in (lovely cleans) and the pedals take some of that away, but they are necessary to get the range of tones I need for this gig. But all-in-all, I'm pretty happy with what I have going on now - and that red tolex sure is a conversation piece at my shows! LOL!
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Post by telejas on Apr 6, 2008 10:22:46 GMT -7
The Rati really doen't "chime" like other Z's (Ray, RxES), but it is "meaty". This is where I like my Stangray best for clean because of the "chime" and the Rati best for the "Meat"... Although they both extend in to the same territory, but excell in others..... Yeah, the pedal signal chain does kill a little tone - but I need several pedals, as you do, to get the many different tones I need to cover all the songs we play (original-cover). The amp sounds best with a guitar plugged strait in to it and without an attenuator, and in a perfect world we could all afford to get the $10,000 FX set up with a clean signal path...... But we gotta do what we gotta do..... and the hardest thing to swallow, is that 99.99% of the people in the "bar crowd" can't tell a difference in that difference in tone like us compulsive guitarist can, and then it depends on how the sound man has it EQ'd in the PA.
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Post by ruger9 on Apr 6, 2008 15:42:20 GMT -7
You guys need to get yourself a buffer to help with the pedal chain- I use & highly recommend the Radial PB-1, as it's an ADJUSTABLE buffer... you can actually adjust the impedence to get the "true" "guitar>cable>amp" sound out the other end of your pedalboard. Since is adjustable, there are no complaints like "the buffer brightens the sound too much" like I have read with other buffers.
I've seen people (even electronics pros) say "as long as you have 1 or 2 buffered pedals in your chain, you're good to go", but I disagree... the ONE pedal I could NOT live without (using a pedalboard) is my dedicated bufffer. TOTALLY will give you back some of that "touch" & "stringyness" the Z's have.
BTW, the PB-1 is a damn GOOD clean boost as well!
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Post by telejas on Apr 6, 2008 21:01:11 GMT -7
My Visual Sound Rt66 pedal has a buffer in it..... It's supposed to help "add" back to the tone if you use it. I can actually tell a difference when I have it in the chain..... Not sure if it's an EQ thing or a buffer at work, but it sound a little better with it in the chain. I'm sure it's not a great buffer, but I guess it's better than nothing?
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Post by ruger9 on Apr 7, 2008 3:49:18 GMT -7
I also have pedals in my chain that are buffered, and yes they do help, BUT... a dedicated buffer is a whole 'nother ballgame, especially when you are talking about a Z... there is SO MUCH TO BE LOST, because there's SO MUCH THERE... tactileness, touch sensitivity, that whole "I can hear the strings coming out of my speakers" thing...
I have 2 or 3 pedals in my pedalboard that are buffered, and if I remove my dedicated buffer, there's a huge difference in tone. The only way to get the guitar>cable>amp tone with a pedalboard (well, a pedalboard setup with 25ft or more of cable between the guitar output and the amp input) is with a good dedicated buffer, IMHO. I actually set the entire pedalboard up in a TB loop to adjust my buffer, so out of the loop I'm going guitar>cable>A/B box>cable>amp, and in the loop I'm going guitar>cable>buffer+entire pedalboard>cable>amp.
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Post by telejas on Apr 7, 2008 5:17:24 GMT -7
Any good, decent priced (as in cheap) buffers out there that are woth a whoot?
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Post by ruger9 on Apr 7, 2008 13:34:10 GMT -7
Seriously, check out the Radial PB-1. It's a buffer, that's ADJUSTABLE, and it doubles as a clean boost (also adjustable.)
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Post by 6strang (aka Paul) on Apr 8, 2008 10:44:03 GMT -7
Tone Dog - The JMP-1 is fun for when the Marshall gas comes around...plenty of adjustable tones in that bad boy. You can find them on the bay for $375 on the low end to $475 on the high. Sounds great with the 9100 power amp into my Z best cab. Fun for some heavy rock riffing when the urge hits.
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Apr 9, 2008 4:13:04 GMT -7
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