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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 3:23:37 GMT -7
I recently purchased a Bogner 20th Anniversary Shiva that I love, and have been looking for another amp to use with it in conjunction with an A/B footswitch I acquired from Lava Cable. I own a Maz 18, but because my two guitars - a '73 Les Paul Recording model with low impedence pickups and a 1980 maple neck Strat with the original pickups - have low output signals, I have not been able to achieve good rock or blues tone with the Maz 18, especially with the Strat.
Since I am waiting on a Grosh Bent Top that will be delivered in November, I posted my problem on the Grosh discussion forum seeking advice. One of the forum moderators, a Mr. Smith who also works at Grosh, adviced that by using the master volume I was only overdriving the preamp, and that the tone I was seeking required putting the amp's power tubes to work. He suggested I try an attenuator before giving up on the Maz 18. To that end, I ordered a Brake Lite from Fat Sound Guitars. What a revelation! Diming the Maz 18 preamp volume, setting the master volume at 3:00, and the Brake Lite on its lowest setting produced a huge difference in the amount of break up, or overdrive, or whatever it's called these days; bottom line is that I did not yet have the tone I am seeking, but using the Brake Lite moved me hard in the right direction.
So I called Fat Sound Guitars back to discuss this with Mike Gallo, and ended up trading my Maz 18 head for a Remedy head (I kept my Z-Best cab). I chose the Remedy based on what I have read on this forum, the advice from Fat Sound Guitars based on my description of the tone I am chasing, and some postings on the Grosh forum by a Dr Z enthusist with the handle "benttop." Don't know if he is the same "benttop" that posts on this forum or not.
Now I am waiting on both the Remedy and the Bent Top, and I feel like a kid waiting on Christmas. Given the scheduling, it appears they may both arrive in November.
If anyone is looking for a used Maz 18 head, mine will arrive at Fat Sound Guitars next Wednesday. Shortly after I purchased the Maz 18 a few years ago, life caught up with me and I ended up never gigging with it or any other amp over the last six years. I had to switch to fingerstyle acoustic since it became apparent that playing in a band was just not going to be possible for awhile. I've had fun with the acoustics, but I am ready to add some eccletic electric music to the mix, and I think our lives have settled down enough to permit it. The Remedy should see action, as I will be putting a band together with my youngest daughter. Getting back to the Maz 18, the point is this: From the time I bought the amp until I shipped it to Fat Sounds today, it stayed in my den. It has the blonde tolex, a maple front panel, and is in pristine condition. I hope it finds a good home.
My thanks to all who post their advice and share their experiences on this forum, as it helped me make a more informed decision regarding Dr. Z amps. Now that I have experienced a Dr Z with an attenuator, I have a feeling there is yet another Dr Z in my near future.
Kirk
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Sept 18, 2010 7:35:59 GMT -7
The Remedy is a great amp! You will want an attenuator for it if you want the good stuff. You can choose the Airbrake or Brake Lite Standalone (or even the original Brake Lite) - they are all ok with the Remedy.
What is the configuration of your new Bent Top Custom? Does it have a humbucker in the bridge? That's how mine is set up and it rocks - especially with the Remedy!
Welcome to Z-Talk!
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 8:27:07 GMT -7
The Remedy is a great amp! You will want an attenuator for it if you want the good stuff. You can choose the Airbrake or Brake Lite Standalone (or even the original Brake Lite) - they are all ok with the Remedy. What is the configuration of your new Bent Top Custom? Does it have a humbucker in the bridge? That's how mine is set up and it rocks - especially with the Remedy! Welcome to Z-Talk! Thanks Steve. Regarding the Bent Top, yes it has a humbucker in the bridge. The pickup configuration is BSmith's PU design, a Blown 59, for the neck PU, a Blown 59 for the bridge PU, and a 60s Fat single coil for the middle PU. Based on the discussions of the Blown 59 on the Grosh forum, I am confident it will give me what I want from a humbucker. What I am also hoping is that coil tapping the neck or bridge Blown 59 and setting the selector switch on positions 2 or 4, which combine the neck PU with the middle or the bridge PU with the middle, respectively, will give me the same scratchy sound that I get on my Strat when the selector is on position 2 or 4. If this works, I will have the best of both a humbucker config and a three single coil config. We will see. I made a wood change that will also affect the tone. Instead of maple over mahogany, my Bent Top will be koa over mahogany. This should give me more mids in my tone, which I like. I know there are times when scooped mids are in order, but generally that is not my cup of tea. Was it Tom Petty who sang, "The waiting is the hardest part." The waiting and anticipation is at a pretty high level here, with both the Remedy and the Bent Top pending. Again, thanks for your helpful posts here and on the Grosh forum. Kirk
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pzaxtl
Junior Member
Posts: 63
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Post by pzaxtl on Sept 18, 2010 10:12:41 GMT -7
I bought my Remedy from Mike Gallo at Fat Sound as well. One of the best amp purchases I've ever made. LOVE this amp! You will definitely need/want an attenuator with the Remedy to get out of it what it has to offer.
Haha Now, I need to lose Fat Sound's address from my GPS or I'm going to be in the poorhouse.
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Post by doctorice on Sept 18, 2010 10:15:48 GMT -7
Welcome and congrats on the on-the-way Remedy. It is a spectacular amp. As Steve said, one of the Doc's attenuators is a must-have so you can match the overall output level to the venue and get the tone(s) you enjoy.
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Post by Joey Beverages on Sept 18, 2010 10:56:47 GMT -7
Congrats on the new acquisition and welcome to the REmedy ranks and Z-talk. Lookin' forward to seein' some pics of the new rig and hearin' your thoughts/etc once you've got some play-time ;D cheers always, eh Joel
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 12:38:22 GMT -7
Gentlemen,
Thanks for welcoming me to the forum. I have only been logging onto this sight for a couple of weeks now, and already I have obtained a lot of useful information. I also notice that it seems to be a friendly place, which I appreciate, as I am interested in learning and sharing, not arguing. I wish all music forums were like this one.
Kirk
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 12:59:14 GMT -7
Welcome and congrats on the on-the-way Remedy. It is a spectacular amp. As Steve said, one of the Doc's attenuators is a must-have so you can match the overall output level to the venue and get the tone(s) you enjoy. Absolutely - so I kept the Brake Lite Mike Gallo sold to me. Kirk
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 13:12:13 GMT -7
I bought my Remedy from Mike Gallo at Fat Sound as well. One of the best amp purchases I've ever made. LOVE this amp! You will definitely need/want an attenuator with the Remedy to get out of it what it has to offer. Haha Now, I need to lose Fat Sound's address from my GPS or I'm going to be in the poorhouse. Pzaxtl, I hear you! Mike Gallo at Fat Sound Guitars has done a wonderful job of recommending (and selling) equipment to me that gives me the sound I am seeking. I mentioned in my original post there may be yet another Dr. Z in my near future. Well Mike and I talked again this morning, and I have now given him a deposit on a Z-Wreck. By the way, Fat Sound Guitars have five Z-Wrecks on order and four pre-sold, so if anyone is still thinking about pulling the trigger, Fat Sounds has one more on order that is not yet spoken for. My missus could not have been a better spouse for a musician, even though I have not played professionally for 20 years. So I try to treat her right and reciprocate when I can. For example, a family needs at least one good car, so she always gets the new car, and it is usually something very nice. When I had to replace my last car, I bought what was then a nine year old Bonneville with hail damage, so instead of driving a nice car and playing a beater, I play nice guitars and drive a beater. Works for me and generally keeps the missus from being upset about my GAS. Even so, when we talked about the Z-Wreck this morning, she gave me THE LOOK, which 34 years of marriage has taught me that it means, in this context, that the Z-Wreck had better be my last new amp for awhile. No matter - I think Mike Gallo now has me lined out with what I need for the tone I've been chasing. Still, given Mike's product knowledge and my terminal GAS, I'd better have the missus hide Fat Sound Guitars' phone number for awhile! Kirk
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Post by Norrin Radd on Sept 18, 2010 13:12:15 GMT -7
Congrats! Awesome amp.
Would have said so earlier - but I've been busy playing my Remedy I got a couple weeks ago! ;D
Have we seen a pic of this one yet?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 13:29:23 GMT -7
Congrats! Awesome amp. Would have said so earlier - but I've been busy playing my Remedy I got a couple weeks ago! ;D Have we seen a pic of this one yet? Hi Norrin, No - Fat Sound Guitars had to order it. They tell me it will be about six weeks before I have it. That will undoubtedly be a long six weeks. I will take pictures of the Remedy with the Bent Top when they arrive and post them here. I should receive both the guitar and the Remedy in November, but I have no idea how soon the Z-Wreck will arrive. Kirk
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Post by markT on Sept 18, 2010 14:32:56 GMT -7
I have a feeling there is yet another Dr Z in my near future. Welcome to the forum Kirk! And congrats on your Remedy......and your Z-Wreck!!! I just got through with a long session with my Remedy this afternoon. Boy that amp just smoke's!! I'm sure, with the Brake Lite you will get what you are looking for. It has much more "meat" than the Maz Jr. Not to knock the Jr!! I still have mine and it's not going anywhere. I'm looking forward to the Z-Wreck as well. I quoted you saying you have the feeling there's another Z in your future, and before I got to the end of the thread, you'd already ordered the top of the line Z!! COngrat's again..and how 'bout some karma for some fine choices!!
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 19:40:33 GMT -7
I have a feeling there is yet another Dr Z in my near future. Welcome to the forum Kirk! And congrats on your Remedy......and your Z-Wreck!!! I just got through with a long session with my Remedy this afternoon. Boy that amp just smoke's!! I'm sure, with the Brake Lite you will get what you are looking for. It has much more "meat" than the Maz Jr. Not to knock the Jr!! I still have mine and it's not going anywhere. I'm looking forward to the Z-Wreck as well. I quoted you saying you have the feeling there's another Z in your future, and before I got to the end of the thread, you'd already ordered the top of the line Z!! COngrat's again..and how 'bout some karma for some fine choices!! Thanks Mark! It may seem like I made the decision to purchase the Z-Wreck rather quickly, but Mike Gallo has been working with me on this tone puzzle posed by my low output guitars since May, and I have benefited significantly from his product knowledge. Under more normal circumstances, I may have delayed my purchase of the Z-Wreck until I had lived with the Remedy for awhile, but there are a couple of anomalous issues that made purchasing the Z-Wreck now the right choice. One of those issues is that my oldest daughter will be starting medical school in the Fall next year. Once that happens, I will be doing good to buy strings for my guitars, let alone a new amp. (The cost of four years of medical school ranges from $230K to $300K, and that is after incurring the cost of obtaining an undergraduate degree in a four or five year program.) So I pulled the trigger on the Z-Wreck now. Mark, it sounds like you also own a Remedy and have a Z-Wreck on order, so I would appreciate your thoughts on this: Do you intend to use both amps at a gig? If the answer if "yes," what role will you assign to each amp? What was your overall objective in owning both amps? I am asking this because I just finished going through this decision tree and am very interested in the perspective of a another player who reached the same conclusion, but most likely with a set of different facts and objectives. Thanks, Kirk
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