Post by upfrontguitars on Oct 22, 2009 21:35:02 GMT -7
So my remedy arrived today from Humbucker Music in Atlanta. While I did not have much time today, I was able to plug in for a little bit and get some first impressions. The guitar I was using was a Strat with Lollar Blackface Neck Pickup, G&L AlNiCo middle, and Lollar Special bridge. My reference points are my Z28 and Maz 18 Reverb, all played through a Z-Best Cabinet.
I have no personal experience with the "Plexi" sound but this amp has the positive elements of classic 6v6 tone and is well balanced with nice harmonics and complexity. It has good depth without any added reverb or delay, while in comparison the Z28 is a tad dry without a little something. I have been playing "british" tubes for years, but Dr. Z does something magical with his 6v6 designs. The bass and mids are firm, but the highs sparkle without being overly shrill or strident.
Normal and Bright Volume Controls - Very ingenious feature enabling the amp to really morph across a broad range of tones from dark to aggressive. Even at the 20W setting I was not able to get into any appreciable crunch, but I just touched the surface of what is possible.
Tone Controls - I've become accustomed to fairly anemic passive tone controls especially the midrange. That's one of my gripes about the Maz, I just don't find them to be very effective. The tone stack in the Remedy is great. These knobs really do something. The midrange can go from scooped Strat to thick but not flabby. The other controls are equally effective and you can really do a lot of tone shaping, and the sounds are musical throughout the range.
I also found it takes my Fulltone Fulldrive pedal very well. While the Maz gets a little mushy, and the EF86-equipped Z28 wants to blast off, the Remedy just sucks it all in and does not get overly gainy or piercing. I'm used to really dialing back the Fulltone when using the Maz or Z28, but at similar settings the Remedy is much more composed and mild crunch is easily obtained. Pinched harmonics fly off the fingerboard.
Gripes? In the short time I played I couldn't quite dial in the Strat bridge pickup. But there is a lot of potential here, and who hasn't had an overly bright Strat bridge pickup? Also, if you want to quickly turn up the amp, it's a two-knob affair and you may need to adjust the ratios to maintain the same tone.
Overall? I can see this amp becoming my favorite. It's got body, touch, complexity and a range of tone shaping that is immediately appealing. In comparison to the Maz, the EQ sweet spot is a mile wide and it was hard to get a bad sound out of it. Like the Z28, it's got the firm but musical mids that make it a great band amp, but I suspect even more flexibility.
I have no personal experience with the "Plexi" sound but this amp has the positive elements of classic 6v6 tone and is well balanced with nice harmonics and complexity. It has good depth without any added reverb or delay, while in comparison the Z28 is a tad dry without a little something. I have been playing "british" tubes for years, but Dr. Z does something magical with his 6v6 designs. The bass and mids are firm, but the highs sparkle without being overly shrill or strident.
Normal and Bright Volume Controls - Very ingenious feature enabling the amp to really morph across a broad range of tones from dark to aggressive. Even at the 20W setting I was not able to get into any appreciable crunch, but I just touched the surface of what is possible.
Tone Controls - I've become accustomed to fairly anemic passive tone controls especially the midrange. That's one of my gripes about the Maz, I just don't find them to be very effective. The tone stack in the Remedy is great. These knobs really do something. The midrange can go from scooped Strat to thick but not flabby. The other controls are equally effective and you can really do a lot of tone shaping, and the sounds are musical throughout the range.
I also found it takes my Fulltone Fulldrive pedal very well. While the Maz gets a little mushy, and the EF86-equipped Z28 wants to blast off, the Remedy just sucks it all in and does not get overly gainy or piercing. I'm used to really dialing back the Fulltone when using the Maz or Z28, but at similar settings the Remedy is much more composed and mild crunch is easily obtained. Pinched harmonics fly off the fingerboard.
Gripes? In the short time I played I couldn't quite dial in the Strat bridge pickup. But there is a lot of potential here, and who hasn't had an overly bright Strat bridge pickup? Also, if you want to quickly turn up the amp, it's a two-knob affair and you may need to adjust the ratios to maintain the same tone.
Overall? I can see this amp becoming my favorite. It's got body, touch, complexity and a range of tone shaping that is immediately appealing. In comparison to the Maz, the EQ sweet spot is a mile wide and it was hard to get a bad sound out of it. Like the Z28, it's got the firm but musical mids that make it a great band amp, but I suspect even more flexibility.