rviducic
New Member
"Somebody get me a Dr.(Z)!!"
Posts: 13
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Post by rviducic on Aug 30, 2012 21:52:05 GMT -7
Hi all! Happy to be new to the forum, thanks for having me! With that being said, I am the very proud(spoiled) owner of an rxes/gold, z28/greenback, and mini z/red fang. Of course, I need another z, and two in particular have caught my eye: the M12 and the MAZ 8.
The RXES with the gold will be buried with me, but unfortunately the z28 and mini just aren't my thing. The long and short of it is basically- what amp do you guys think would be a better compliment to my rxes/gold. The catch is, I need it to replace the z28 AND mini. I need the new amp to basically work for small gigs and as my main at home go to. When playing live I always use dirt pedals to further boost an already slightly driven amp.
I understand that both the MAZ and M12 are excellent pedal platforms. Whichever amp I get will have a celestion blue and a brake lite. Also, the rxes and "new z" will never be run in a two amp rig, so that's not a concern.
Thanks so much in advance!
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Post by bwc on Aug 31, 2012 7:34:32 GMT -7
Have you tried the z-28 with the gold? You might just need to buy a new speaker. What is it about the 28 that you don't like?
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Post by jesslm02 on Aug 31, 2012 8:59:04 GMT -7
Both the M12 and Maz8 are great little amps. The M12 has more clean headroom as it's built for pedals (but also has a great amp only tone). The Maz8 sounds great, but if you use pedals for your overdriven/distorted tones then I'd probably go with the M12.
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Post by doctorice on Aug 31, 2012 9:05:27 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum.
I own both, and my gut sense is the same as jessim02's: M12. One reason is that the MAZ has its own lovely breakup, which would be a shame to "not use", and less clean headroom. With the Brake Lite, you'll be able to push the M12 as needed to get your base tone.
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rviducic
New Member
"Somebody get me a Dr.(Z)!!"
Posts: 13
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Post by rviducic on Aug 31, 2012 11:33:00 GMT -7
Hey guys thanks for the quick responses! I tried to the z28 with the gold and found it to be harsh sounding(surprised me!)
It looks like two votes for the m12, which I'm not surprised at at all- it seems awesome. My only wonder is if the m12 is too similar to the rxes that I love, to make it practical? I've never had the opportunity to play the maz or m12 so I can't compare them
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rviducic
New Member
"Somebody get me a Dr.(Z)!!"
Posts: 13
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Post by rviducic on Aug 31, 2012 11:41:14 GMT -7
More often than not, this new amp will be used at home(a townhome) so volume will be an issue. Thanks again
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Post by jesslm02 on Aug 31, 2012 20:51:19 GMT -7
I have an RX Jr also, which is similar to your ES. To me, the M12 and Jr are pretty different in tonality. The RX has lots of chime, the M12 has more sparkle than chime, if you catch my drift. Also, the tone controls react very differently between the two respective amps. You really just have to hear it and you'll know what I mean.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2012 5:34:37 GMT -7
More often than not, this new amp will be used at home(a townhome) so volume will be an issue. Thanks again I think the Maz 8 would be better if thats the case (home). A whole lot of tones in the Maz 8 between the Pentode/Triode switch and the tone bypass. It's a little tricky to get used to because of the single ended design. Usually Master wide open and pre-amp low is the way you get clean sounds but with the Maz 8 you get power tube grind (very sweet btw) after noon in the Master. Maz 8 with a Brakelite is about the best home/home recording amp you could ever hope to find.
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Post by Dan F"i"fe on Sept 12, 2012 6:58:00 GMT -7
^^^ +1 on what Eric said.
It was tricky for me to get used to mostly because (I never had one previously) of the "blue break in" but now that I've tamed that beast, I love it. Plus using other speaker cabs gives it some sweet other tones as well.
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Post by bluzman on Sept 12, 2012 10:03:21 GMT -7
^^^^^ Yep Yep. The Maz 8 is a very fun amp. Great for small gigs with a controlled drummer and perfect for home and studio.
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Post by Jefferson on Sept 14, 2012 11:28:52 GMT -7
never played a maz 8, but the feel and tone coming from my M12 head are simply stunning. cant imagine that the Maz 8 would be better and certainly would not be as pedal friendly as the M12.
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Post by doctorice on Sept 14, 2012 17:24:41 GMT -7
^^^
I spend a couple hours dialing in and getting lost in the tones from the MAZ 8 and a high-end OD pedal recently. I have to say the sound was absolutely glorious. Very pedal friendly amp, albeit not quite as "neutral" as the M12.
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rviducic
New Member
"Somebody get me a Dr.(Z)!!"
Posts: 13
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Post by rviducic on Sept 16, 2012 22:39:17 GMT -7
Well fellas, I was fortunate enough to find the perfect red maz 8 in a studio combo for a steal, so I took it. It should show up Wednesday- I will report back accordingly!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2012 5:07:39 GMT -7
I bet you'll love it.
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rviducic
New Member
"Somebody get me a Dr.(Z)!!"
Posts: 13
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Post by rviducic on Sept 24, 2012 22:35:58 GMT -7
Well boys, it's here. And I do. Absolutely love it. What masterpiece, toolbox of beautiful tones it is. I couldn't be happier with the amp. It came loaded with a g12h anniversary- which I don't care for(never have, find it to be harsh sounding) but I tried it with a blue, gold and greenback. I WILL put a blue in it eventually, but what speakers do you guys dig with the 8? The blue sounded like a blue- like it does in every amp, the greenback sounded even/balanced, musical, and surprisingly enough I did not like the gold at all. I do however love the gold in my RXES. Thanks again for all the tips!
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Post by stupac on Apr 4, 2013 12:26:53 GMT -7
Hi folks,
I'm asking myself the same question here...
I've never owned a Dr. Z before. My main amp for years and years has been a Samson era Matchless DC-30. I still love that amp, of course! The versatility of the pentode and triode channels is awesome. And, the Cut control is what finally taught me how to use an amp properly!
But, I now find myself playing music that is very quiet and almost entirely clean. I use a little reverb, a little analog delay, and a little tremolo from time to time. But, rarely anything else. I have some great overdrive pedals. But, I'm just not using them anymore. I keep the Matchless on half watts (15), plug into the low input, and keep the volume super low. Sounds great!
The trouble is that the DC-30 is super heavy!! So, I'd like to get more of a grab and go amp. I'm thinking 1x12, just because I already have lots of 1x12 speakers to play with. I do love the stereo vibe of a 2x12. But, I really want to keep this amp small and light.
I'm torn, though, to try the Maz 8 or the M12. I will play it almost exclusively clean. So, it isn't that I will use pedals to enhance the sound too much. I don't even have overdrive pedals on my board right now. That said, though, it was be nice to be able to dial things up once and a while. So, being able to do that without pedals would be nice. I do love the Cut control on my Matchless. But, I'm not using it right now either.
Thoughts?
Thanks!
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Post by jesslm02 on Apr 26, 2013 9:52:46 GMT -7
The Maz 8 with the blue would have some really nice cleans. Especially for low volumes. Although, both it and the M12 can still be pretty loud. But for what you are wanting, the Maz 8, blue, and the built in 'verb would be it.
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Post by doctorice on May 11, 2013 5:13:06 GMT -7
I don't even have overdrive pedals on my board right now. That said, though, it was be nice to be able to dial things up once and a while. So, being able to do that without pedals would be nice. The MAZ's EQ bypass will get you there big time I've played both recently, and if I had to choose one, I'd take the MAZ 8. YMMV, as they say.
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Post by Frankie Starr on Feb 28, 2014 11:27:44 GMT -7
I have a m12, and MAZ 18 and 38 . I have tried the Maz8 as well. I really liked the 8. One thing to consider is the 12 has a nice simple layout, where the MAZ 8 has several more knobs to tweak. This could be. A bad thing. Or good, depending. On what your comfortable with. Just something to think about.....
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Post by BW on Mar 2, 2014 23:53:27 GMT -7
In what solar system might this mythical creature be proven to exist, and is the sun yellow there?
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Post by bluzman on Mar 3, 2014 0:39:28 GMT -7
^^^^^ Ya gotta understand suntin... If I bring the people in the band together, then I get to be the director so to speak... It's to the point where I am no longer PaulT... They call me Richard Rooster when I'm being nice about it, but when the drummer gets louder than "I" want him to be, they say I turn from Richard Rooster to his mean side (aka know as D-ck C-ck "a-doodle-doo") as he doesn't stand for none of that round heah! But seriously, I get the gigs and it's my PA and they have to play to the volume of whatever amp I bring without drowning it out. I taught these dang hippies how to follow the rules, bless em all! ...but they don't know I always have Ghia hidden in the truck just in case. ...and like I sed... we be hippies! "The sky was yellow and the sun was blue!"
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Post by skinvoyager on Mar 3, 2014 14:56:38 GMT -7
If you're playing clean, I think the Maz series is the way to go. I just sold my M12 for a Z-28, but I really like the Maz 18. I found the M12 a little sterile and a little limited, even as a pedal platform amp. While more complicated, the Maz at least gives you the options to get dirtier if needed. And let's face it, it's nt Mesa-Boogie-complicated.
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Post by Frankie Starr on Mar 22, 2014 11:14:50 GMT -7
If you're playing clean, I think the Maz series is the way to go. I just sold my M12 for a Z-28, but I really like the Maz 18. I found the M12 a little sterile and a little limited, even as a pedal platform amp. While more complicated, the Maz at least gives you the options to get dirtier if needed. And let's face it, it's nt Mesa-Boogie-complicated. When a Z amp sounds sterile, the solution is to turn it up brotha !
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Post by digs57 on Mar 22, 2014 14:07:29 GMT -7
vote for maz 8...very versatile.The amp breakup is the icing.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2014 14:15:33 GMT -7
vote for maz 8...very versatile.The amp breakup is the icing. I am most likely going to Buy an 8 myself: Already have a M12 and it's Got some balls: I have no trouble getting tube distortion on HI around 1:00. USING a Gold of Course: It's anything but a sterile AMP. I think the M12 pairs up great with my remedy -And the little maz 8 should do fine with my Reck- With a W.
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Post by chaasy89 on Apr 28, 2014 10:26:10 GMT -7
This might already have been said, but the Maz 8 breaks up much earlier and at much lower volumes than the M12, which has much more headroom than the 8 since it was build for the "pedal connoisseur"
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