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Post by mtlrecords on Jun 28, 2010 9:46:46 GMT -7
So the general idea is that the Monza is a high gain machine, loosely like a Mazerati GT with only 2 tubes. I have played both separately, but not had the opportunity to A/B them. Does anyone have some time on both or own both? Anyone willing to do a comparison?
I am kind of leaning to the Monza at this point. Not because I NEED another amp, but because I would like to get a "fun amp." Wondering about relative perceived volume, tonal similarities, how they handle different guitars/pickups, etc. Anything really, just some thoughts to help maybe give me an idea before I go spend the bucks.
Thanks!
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Post by jimmysmith on Jun 30, 2010 16:52:49 GMT -7
i have a gt and i also played a monza combo last week, it had the eminence spkr in it, ragin cajun or whatever it is,,, i put the volume at 9 oclock, and immediately said, "no wonder this amp is so popular" it had that gain thing and it was loud,, the real difference to me in these two amps, is, i can get a clean tone a little over 9 0clock with the gt, it has a fair amount of headroom and is louder,,, with the monza, there is little headroom at all and it is not as loud,, i know that is a real vanilla description of the two, but,, i would say, i have owned the original mazerati, and the mazerati gt has everything i love about the carmen ghia,, only louder,, the design of this mazerati gt is amazing to me,, it would be hard to let go,,, if you are wanting a "fun" amp i would get a monza,, the tone and volume of the gt is kinda hard to deal with at times,,, i would love to have a monza, but i have two dual el-84 20 watt amps, one by a booteek maker and a marshall dsl 2000 jcm , so, it will be awhile till i get a monza
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Post by mtlrecords on Jun 30, 2010 17:09:17 GMT -7
Thanks for the info.
I know the GT is cool and really either way I am probably going to pickup an Air Brake or Brake Lite. Because having played both these amps separately a bit, I recognize how ridiculously loud 20-30+ watts of Dr. Z amp can be. So I think volume is not as big of an issue for me. And I guess I don't really need much clean headroom (got some other amps for that).
The nice bonus about the Monza that I can see is that it comes in a combo- the GT doesn't (to my knowledge). I am still leaning towards the Monza, but still curious about the tonal differences. I wonder what makes the "tone" of the GT hard to deal with at times?
Thanks again.
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Post by jimmysmith on Jun 30, 2010 20:59:08 GMT -7
well, i shouldnt have said "tone" was hard to deal with at times, what i meant was, the gt is really loud for a small recording room, so it is hard to deal with,,
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Post by mtlrecords on Jul 1, 2010 11:34:58 GMT -7
Yeah, it seems like the Monza would be better for recording, but still would need a brake lite. Thanks for the feedback.
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jul 2, 2010 5:54:18 GMT -7
I've had a Mazerati GT since they first came out... and I've got a Monza as well. I've got quite a few hours on both. Here's my opinion... I know the Monza is supposed to be sort of a two tube GT, but I really think of these two as totally different amps. For the record I have head versions of both and run them both into my good old 1998 Z-Best. When I think of the GT I think of balls to the wall saturation with clarity, focus, and the ability to clean up remarkably well with your guitar's volume knob. Because of the ultra-sensitive front end, the amount of cleans you can get are determined by your pickups output. My Fralin Vintage PU's clean up really well, especially with the volume down around 9:30 to 11:00. P-90's kill with this amp and still clean up really well. Humbuckers don't get quite as clean but still it's enough to do rhythm unless you need "country clean" (old country, that is...not modern rock country ). It's also LOUD. It's got all those things we love about the Ghia, Rx, Route 66 etc. like incredible string-to-string balance, articulation, and percussiveness, but because of the high gain it just sounds "smooth", kind of like Boogies ultra-saturated lead tone BUT without getting there by squashing the hell out of the signal and making every guitar sound the same. It gets there by using a short signal path, great components, and output tube distortion, which is the "right way" to do it IMO because you keep all the clarity and dynamics. The Monza to me is much more like a Ghia taken to the next level. It's capable of a lot of saturation, but it's not as....fluid as the GT...it's a little rawer. I don't know how to say this, but the GT, as awesomely controllable as it is from the guitar's volume control, just feels like it wants to be on "10" all the time...you can get great crunch tones but to me it's all about the lead tone. The Monza to me is all about the hairy and crunchy tones. I laughed out loud for about 10 minutes when I first plugged into mine. It is "Billy in a box" and a lot more. It murders on stuff like Trowers "Day Of The Eagle", which is kind of my style. I think the Monza is the most "feel connected right to the speakers percussive" two-EL84 amp I've ever played...more than the RxJr even. The power supply feels a lot beefier. It's one of those rare amps where you just think about what level of crunch you want, and (if you're a good player) you can instantly get it from your touch and guitar's volume control. It's an amp I think guys like Joe Bonamassa would love. It's an amp like that thought-controlled fighter jet from Clint Eastwood's "Firefox"...just think what level of crunch you want and you've got it. So what's my favorite? I love 'em both, but if I had a normal rock gig I'd pick the Monza. If I had a gig where I needed a great rock amp and could open up the GT, there's nothing like the luxurious feeling of four EL84's with unlimited sustain, clarity, and harmonics at your fingers.
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Post by mtlrecords on Jul 2, 2010 7:01:15 GMT -7
Thanks Phil. That is the kind of details I was hoping for! I think for most things, the Monza would serve me better. I tend to not use the volume knob on my guitar and rely on pedals or a volume pedal, as I usually have to focus on singing in the bands I am in.
Plus, as you alluded to, the Monza made me smile the second I hit a note. It is just like you know that you are getting what you hear in you head...translated perfectly! And since I don't really need the amp to be clean, which I know the GT does well with the volume rolled back, I feel even more like the Monza is the way to go. Thanks!
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jul 2, 2010 7:09:23 GMT -7
Thanks Phil. That is the kind of details I was hoping for! I think for most things, the Monza would serve me better. I tend to not use the volume knob on my guitar and rely on pedals or a volume pedal, as I usually have to focus on singing in the bands I am in. Plus, as you alluded to, the Monza made me smile the second I hit a note. It is just like you know that you are getting what you hear in you head...translated perfectly! And since I don't really need the amp to be clean, which I know the GT does well with the volume rolled back, I feel even more like the Monza is the way to go. Thanks! Just looking at your sig with your current gear I think you'd enjoy the Monza a lot.
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Post by Thomas R. Pullen on Jul 2, 2010 14:01:24 GMT -7
Does the Monza have the low end of the GT?
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jul 6, 2010 11:19:28 GMT -7
Does the Monza have the low end of the GT? No. It's got an awesomely tight low end (the tranies on this thing look lije they could be on another amp companies 50W amp) but it's not quite as good as the GT with its four power tubes and even bigger iron.
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Post by pvfan on Dec 27, 2010 20:56:25 GMT -7
I've had a Mazerati GT since they first came out... and I've got a Monza as well. I've got quite a few hours on both. Here's my opinion... I know the Monza is supposed to be sort of a two tube GT, but I really think of these two as totally different amps. For the record I have head versions of both and run them both into my good old 1998 Z-Best. When I think of the GT I think of balls to the wall saturation with clarity, focus, and the ability to clean up remarkably well with your guitar's volume knob. Because of the ultra-sensitive front end, the amount of cleans you can get are determined by your pickups output. My Fralin Vintage PU's clean up really well, especially with the volume down around 9:30 to 11:00. P-90's kill with this amp and still clean up really well. Humbuckers don't get quite as clean but still it's enough to do rhythm unless you need "country clean" (old country, that is...not modern rock country ). It's also LOUD. It's got all those things we love about the Ghia, Rx, Route 66 etc. like incredible string-to-string balance, articulation, and percussiveness, but because of the high gain it just sounds "smooth", kind of like Boogies ultra-saturated lead tone BUT without getting there by squashing the hell out of the signal and making every guitar sound the same. It gets there by using a short signal path, great components, and output tube distortion, which is the "right way" to do it IMO because you keep all the clarity and dynamics. The Monza to me is much more like a Ghia taken to the next level. It's capable of a lot of saturation, but it's not as....fluid as the GT...it's a little rawer. I don't know how to say this, but the GT, as awesomely controllable as it is from the guitar's volume control, just feels like it wants to be on "10" all the time...you can get great crunch tones but to me it's all about the lead tone. The Monza to me is all about the hairy and crunchy tones. I laughed out loud for about 10 minutes when I first plugged into mine. It is "Billy in a box" and a lot more. It murders on stuff like Trowers "Day Of The Eagle", which is kind of my style. I think the Monza is the most "feel connected right to the speakers percussive" two-EL84 amp I've ever played...more than the RxJr even. The power supply feels a lot beefier. It's one of those rare amps where you just think about what level of crunch you want, and (if you're a good player) you can instantly get it from your touch and guitar's volume control. It's an amp I think guys like Joe Bonamassa would love. It's an amp like that thought-controlled fighter jet from Clint Eastwood's "Firefox"...just think what level of crunch you want and you've got it. So what's my favorite? I love 'em both, but if I had a normal rock gig I'd pick the Monza. If I had a gig where I needed a great rock amp and could open up the GT, there's nothing like the luxurious feeling of four EL84's with unlimited sustain, clarity, and harmonics at your fingers. poetry, dude. I must have both. But your words tend to confirm the Monza as my next. Lot of things up in the air though, so I will have to hustle and trade and do some fund waiting. But I can be super resourceful depending on the g.a.s. pressure.
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