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Post by The Fifth Column on Nov 4, 2007 20:23:18 GMT -7
Well Z forum, after much deliberation I finally own my own Dr. Z amp. Actually it's been about two weeks since I got it, I wanted to really test it out before giving my impressions.
I originally went to take a look at the Prescription EX at the local dealer, ended up playing a Maz Sr, Maz Jr and Z-28 as well. I really liked all of them and ended up asking for some advice on here more than a few times. A lot of people were recommending the 66 for the tones I was craving. I was kind of leaning towards one of the Maz's, but decided on a whim to take everyone's advice and go with the 66... even though I'd never even gotten to play one.
I gotta say, you all were right... this was totally the right amp for me. As I said, I've had it for about two weeks now and outside of a few early problems with spring retainers snapping and the original power tubes losing vacuum (bad luck I guess), I'm completely thrilled with it.
So much has already been said about this amp that I don't have too much to add. I was worried about it not being overly versatile, but like so many others, I'm amazed at the wide variety of tones that can be had with so few knobs. As has been said before, I can't really find a setting that sounds bad and it's responsive with tons of sustain at just about every on the dial.
Clean, it's rich and full, a sound that I really like a lot, but was not exactly why I was looking for a new amp as I rarely play a clean amp, preferring to just roll down the volume. Yeah, it's the dirtier overdriven sounds that are why this is the amp for me. With the treble between 4-5 (o'clock), the bass between 1-2 and the volume up to about 2 as well... with my custom LP copy... it's just perfect, (and quite loud, through a Z's Best). It cleans up with the guitar volume and yet has enough grit to be a great rock and roll tone too. Plus, by working combinations of the volume and tone controls I can get tons of variety, and it always sounds fantastic. I can see this as being a great tone to build on or just play as is.
I like this gritty tone so much, I'm thinking of checking out a lower number Kt-66 too so that I don't have to crank it quite so far as it's definitely loud and won't have to attenuate it as much when jamming at home. I like playing it straight in, but with my Keeley Java Boost it's pretty sweet too. I'm looking forward to maybe adding a Fulltone OCD (when I have the cash) to the chain as well to get a good Zeppelin-esque tone.
On top of that, it's so transparent (in turn of letting the tone of the guitar come through as people have said) that I've been inspired to change the pickups in my afore mentioned LP copy. Although they sound great, they're a cheaper set of humbuckers that were originally in my Ibanez hollowbody and I'm curious as to how a better set would sound. I have a set of humbucker sized single coils that I had custom wound in my Ibanez now and those just kill through the 66, especially playing slide, so I'm figuring a quality set of humbuckers in the LP would blow me away as well.
Anyways, I just wanted to give you all my impressions on this amazing amp seeing that it was really the suggestions of the people on here that made up my mind. I don't see needing another amp any time soon, if ever again... well except maybe a Z-28, and a Maz...lol.
Thanks again everyone,
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2007 20:38:30 GMT -7
Congrats on the new purchase and welcome to the Z Family.
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Post by dixiechicken on Nov 5, 2007 5:14:39 GMT -7
Congrats from another recent Route66 owner. Great amp, great sound & versatile to boot. Flexibility doesn't come with many knobs - it comes with great tone Cheers: Dixiechicken
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Post by iggs on Nov 5, 2007 7:42:12 GMT -7
Congrats and enjoy!
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Post by billyguitar on Nov 5, 2007 8:37:15 GMT -7
You'll be wanting an Air Break, I suspect.
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Post by dock66 on Nov 5, 2007 8:42:43 GMT -7
Congrats on the new amp. Great amp,you'll love it,happy playing.
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Post by John on Nov 5, 2007 9:07:35 GMT -7
Let's all takes bets on how long before he purchases another Z!!
Glad you enjoy the 66. I love mine too.
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Post by The Fifth Column on Nov 5, 2007 13:21:41 GMT -7
Let's all takes bets on how long before he purchases another Z!! hahaha... It won't be too long I'm sure. If I win the lottery tomorrow you can bet I'll be picking up a few... or all of them, lol... and probably one of those VOS Les Pauls to really pull out all the stops. Yeah, attenuators are a little necessary when at home, it still sounds great though. I'm using a THD hotplate now, but I am curious about the Z brake and especially the Weber Mass, because it's supposed to be more like a speaker load from what I've read. Anyone ever do a side by side on all three and see which is the most transparent? I can hear the hotplate sucking a little tone, but it's not horrible. Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm definitely loving it so far.
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Post by The Fifth Column on Nov 5, 2007 13:31:01 GMT -7
Oh, something else that might interest you all. I'm also thinking of building an isolation box for the Z's best, for recording. Anyone had any luck with that? I've found some suggestions from a site I've read a bit called Amptone, www.amptone.com (no affiliation). There's a guy who built one for a 2 x 12 marshall cab and gives his process, but his instructions and techniques seem too easy, and I can't imagine it really being all that quiet. I don't think these boxes can ever be silent, but just a single layer of sound absorbing egg crates against a 2 x 12? Just a thought as I'd like to use as little attenuation as possible in as many situations as possible. Anyone else ever attempted this?
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Post by John on Nov 5, 2007 14:10:42 GMT -7
I have both a Weber Mass and an Airbrake. I prefer the Airbrake.
First, the Mass' initial db reduction is somewhere around 6db. That means when you've got the Mass at it's loudest, the unit is still reducing at least 6db. That's too much for gigging purposes. The Airbrake can be set for no reduction, then 1.8db clicks down.
I also thought the airbrake was a little more percussive.
And as for your second Z amp, I recommend the Maz Jr. It's a great compliment to the Route 66. (not that you'll use them together, but each has their own characteristic, depending on what you feel like at the time)
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Post by The Fifth Column on Nov 5, 2007 22:27:35 GMT -7
Thanks for the info gtrman3, that's interesting about the Mass and something that might make me look more at the Z-brake.
I'll also take your suggestion into consideration on the Maz Jr as well, as that sure was a fun amp to play. I'm actually interested in how the 66, Z-28 stereo rig that a lot of people talk about might sound, and I'd like to play a Stang Ray and the Galaxie to see what those two are like too.
Or maybe just two 66s in stereo...lol
Oh well, I better start saving my money now.
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Post by gheston on Nov 8, 2007 9:41:44 GMT -7
Dave - congrats on the '66 - I look forward to your feedback. ;-)
That will be our first purchase in 2008, for the 1966-1969 sound in living colour.
Do you own a Z-best? What are your speaker options?
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Post by The Fifth Column on Nov 8, 2007 13:50:04 GMT -7
gheston...Mine's paired with a Z's Best that I special ordered as a 16ohm version. It sounds absolutely huge. I'd also be curious as how it would sound as a sort of mini Z stack, with a 1 x 12 stacked on top of the 2 x 12, but I don't have the funds to order one right now... nor do I really need it to be louder, but it would be cool looking. I also tried it through my Peavey 4 x 12. Those are pretty cheap speakers in there, but it still sounded pretty nice... nothing close to the Z's best though of course.
Also, I decided to try out a lower number of kt-66s a bit sooner than I anticipated originally. Mine had 4s in it to begin with, so I ordered 1-3s and they should be coming soon. It'll be my first attempt biasing it (or any amp), but I also ordered a pair of Weber Bias rite heads (just the sockets as I have a multimeter) to make it a little easier. Assuming I don't do anything crazy and electrocute myself it should go fine... lol
This is the first amp I've really been excited about tone wise. Makes me want to go out and spend a couple thousand dollars (that i don't have) on pedals and guitars to see how many great tones I can find.
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Post by Dr.T on Nov 10, 2007 9:24:15 GMT -7
Welcome in the happy family of Route 66 owners! Z-best is one of the best match with this amp
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Post by kledbet on Nov 10, 2007 9:55:52 GMT -7
Somethinig else you can do is raise the bias to around 37-38. The tubes you have should breakup faster. If your current tubes are biased at 34-35 you will have a cleaner sound.
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Post by fisholot on Nov 10, 2007 10:02:28 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum.... congats on the new amp.. I tried the air break and IMO I like the hotplate better with my 66. I also have a Maz jr and these two amps together cover alot of ground..
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Post by Telemanic on Nov 13, 2007 6:51:01 GMT -7
Congrats my friend, .... an excellent choice indeed! Good call by Kledbet, .... I'd bet just biasing a little hotter would do ya as well. BTW, biasing the 66 with GT Kt66's is pretty easy, Doc has a page on the amp site with great info so you dont even have to dive way into all the bias theory and formulas, .... just set the ma within recomended and your gold. Just be careful in there! Enjoy!!
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Post by Biggie Smalls on Nov 14, 2007 7:45:14 GMT -7
Greetings everyone, I am a newbie on this board and I have just bought a Route 66 but I have an issue.
I play punk style and my issue is that it doesn't break up until 9 or 10 which is very disappointing given everything I've read here. So I've replaced the KT66s with the JJs and told my tech to bias it hot, but still no crunch. Is there a burn-in period that I should be aware of?
I am oplaying thru a 4x12 Orange cab and I will say that it is very loud, very quiet and indeed "takes pedals well" (I use a OCD) but missing the ballz on its own. My problem with the OCD is that is squeals a bit when it's crankin'.
I also have a Top Hat Super Deluxe which breaks up perfectly and when using my homebrew Dos Mos it has a growling natural AC/DC-esque tone, will feedback with a power chord nicely, no squealing and I'd love to get that sort of natural tone out of the Dr. Z. Any suggestions?
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Post by dixiechicken on Nov 14, 2007 8:13:46 GMT -7
DC here! You may have to get an Airbrake or as I do a Weber Minimass. The Route is a loud amp despite "measly" 32 watts. Even if your diming the tone-controls you have to push the volume to about 12 - on mine - to get into "crunchville." My Route is biased at about 31-33 mA right now. Most people are always mentioning the Route66 when overdriven - how great it sounds with or without pedals - that is indeed true - but lets not forget that there is a lot of clean headroom also on tap in this amp. Cheers: Dixiechicken!
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Post by Biggie Smalls on Nov 14, 2007 9:23:32 GMT -7
Hey DC, I assume your talking 12 o'clock but I am saying mine doesn't start to break up until 4 or 5 o'clock. I'm trying to avoid spending more $ on all sorts of pedals/attenuators. The KISS method bcause I aren't very smrt.
Should I let the tubes burn-in for awhile? Do I need to explain better to my tech? What should I tell him? Are the JJ tubes no good for crunch?
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Post by iggs on Nov 14, 2007 9:35:07 GMT -7
Hey DC, I assume your talking 12 o'clock but I am saying mine doesn't start to break up until 4 or 5 o'clock. I'm trying to avoid spending more $ on all sorts of pedals/attenuators. The KISS method bcause I aren't very smrt. Should I let the tubes burn-in for awhile? Do I need to explain better to my tech? What should I tell him? Are the JJ tubes no good for crunch? JJ's seem to have more headroom then the Chinese KT66 in my '66. Both sets have the same current draw so they would be the same "hardness" rating on the GT scale.
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Post by dixiechicken on Nov 14, 2007 13:49:49 GMT -7
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Post by The Fifth Column on Nov 14, 2007 15:41:14 GMT -7
Hey everyone, thanks for the comments and questions.
I'll be waiting a little while before rebiasing my 66, as I haven't even had notice of the biasrite's shipping yet (customer service said they were training some new people) and I don't want to risk biasing it on my own right now. Check this out, as I said, I requested 1-3's on the new tubes... they're 1s, that should make um break up a little earlier wouldn't you say? lol, I'm looking forward to seeing how they sound.
As for the question from Biggie, I had number 4 GT kt66s in my 66 when I bought it and with the treble at like 4 (o'clock), and the bass anywhere over 12, it has plenty of crunch with the volume at 12 as well. I can't imagine it not breaking up till 4 or 5 as my god I'd be even more deaf.
To also echo what a lot of people say about the 66, it's pretty freakin' loud depending on the cab, so an attenuator is worth the cost in my opinion as this amp sounds amazing turned up clean-ish or overdriven.
So I guess to also echo what dc is saying, this amp not breaking up till 4-5 doesn't sound right at all... at the same time though, one person's crunch is not the same as another's and depending on how heavy the type of punk you play, you might want to boost it.
Speaking of boosts and pedals... (I started this thread so I'll digress if I want, but I'll probably ask this under effects too), Anyone played any ThroBak pedals? I'm thinking it'd be fun to add a Tonebender style fuzz to my minimalist rig. The ThroBak Stone Bender has gotten some good reviews on Harmony Central (not that that means anything), and the clips nail that Zeppelin tone, a pretty good Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII clone with some additional features to my ear, but I haven't played a lot of pedals. Seeing the Soulbender is no longer being produced and I can't find one used, I'm leaning towards this one, any thoughts?
Thanks everyone,
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Post by dixiechicken on Nov 14, 2007 16:22:54 GMT -7
As you say - one mans crunch is another womans clean. Tone and sound perception is thank G@d a very personal thing. ;D
Cheers: Dixiechicken!
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taz
Junior Member
"give taz great tone"
Posts: 51
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Post by taz on Nov 15, 2007 4:57:07 GMT -7
Hello all, I have recently ordered a Route 66 & Z Best cab to search for a fatter, more sexy blues tone than my mesa boogie triple rectifier currently offers. I have been reading all the good things you have to say about this amp & I've got to say Iam getting damn excited to lay it down & spank it right! The good fella's at Humbucker music are gonna ship my future bride to Tasmania any week now. So all apendages crossed that she will arrive in fine form. ;D I look forward to hearing this baby sing..can any of you guys n' girls post some vids on youtube..there aren't many there on the route 66. cheers
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Post by dixiechicken on Nov 20, 2007 7:51:59 GMT -7
"taz" - DC here! Congrats on placing the Route66 order - hope you don't have to wait as long as I did on mine. It's great amp - simple, versatile, great tone and a joy to use. You'll dig it. With the Z-best cab you'll need a Weber Minimass or an Airbrake to tame the volume a bit. Cheers: Dixiechicken!
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taz
Junior Member
"give taz great tone"
Posts: 51
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Post by taz on Nov 22, 2007 3:26:43 GMT -7
yeah cheers DC, I ordered a Z airbrake as well, 150wt mesa head just seems a bit too loud for the garage. Luckily when I ordered Dr Z was preparing a new shipment & snuk my order in, so hopefully it will be a nice early christmas present for me ;D can't wait
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Post by tritone6 on Nov 23, 2007 1:03:04 GMT -7
congrats to all you new 66 owners & new forum members. you all got an amazing amp. i play so many styles, and it covers almost all of them. with a good od or distortion pedal it will do classic hard rock to metal. huge low end, and it gets real mean. i got great old sabbath tones with my sg and prs soapbar II, and a keeley java boost. the 66 eats pedals. i cant imagine not owning an airbrake with this amp. to me its like unlocking a second versatile amp.
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Post by taswegian on Nov 24, 2007 9:48:18 GMT -7
Hello all, I have recently ordered a Route 66 & Z Best cab to search for a fatter, more sexy blues tone than my mesa boogie triple rectifier currently offers. I have been reading all the good things you have to say about this amp & I've got to say Iam getting damn excited to lay it down & spank it right! The good fella's at Humbucker music are gonna ship my future bride to Tasmania any week now. So all apendages crossed that she will arrive in fine form. ;D I look forward to hearing this baby sing..can any of you guys n' girls post some vids on youtube..there aren't many there on the route 66. cheers Well well, another Rt 66 and Z Best in town! Welcome to the forum Adam, you can come hear my Rt 66 and Z best around town anytime. Playing at the Vic Tav every Sat night (except for the next fortnight). and plenty of other places, although I seem to be using my Ulbrick 1-12 cab just to tame the volume most of the time these days. 3 Tasmanians (all from Hobart no less) on the Dr Z forum, who'da thunk it!
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Post by deltone on Nov 24, 2007 10:10:56 GMT -7
Picked up a Rt 66 head from Curt (tele62) yesterday. Man, this thing is awesome! I love it. I can't wait to hear it with the band(s) and try it through my Zbest. Can't imagine it sounding any better than through this 115 cab. Just straight into the amp, no pedals, maxed out. Of course I won't be able to gig w/ it at that volume. I'm really impressed. Man, oh, man!
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