Post by skinvoyager on Dec 3, 2012 9:06:12 GMT -7
So...about a month ago I was shopping for a new amp, and I started getting REALLY stressed out. I felt like I had been through every amp on the planet. There aren't too many affordable hand-wired amps out there. I have owned several Zs. My first was a Route 66 when it first came out. I thought it was great, but I was a lot younger then and I think I really didn't know how to pull all the tone from that amp. I had a Maz 18 Jr. a few years ago, and while it sounded phenomenal when it was opened up, I wasn't able to run it very loud at my gigs, so it always ended up sounding a little sterile and flat.
About two years ago, I jumped the Dr. Z ship and started playing 65 Amps. I think I felt I just needed to try something new. I kept reading reviews, spending all this money, only to be disappointed at the gig. My first 65 was the Lil Elvis combo. It had a great clean tone and I like the master voltage feature. However, the Bump sounded unusable to me, and the tremolo sounded awful. Again, I was wondering if I'd ever find the perfect amp. I bought a Ventura head. Actually, that's a pretty damn good sounding amp, especially when the gain is cranked. It's got a very raw, dimensional overdrive. For some, it may be perfect, but it just didn't play well with my pedals.
Over the past several years, I've been fanatic about finding the right pedals. I would order five at a time, place them side by side and eliminate the losers. It was fun but also a bit frustrating. I kept thinking, if I had a good platform for these pedals I might get better results. I even toyed with the idea of going direct. Then i thought, I just need an amp with volume, bass and treble. I tried my friend's Z-28. Too loud. Ugh.
I was getting ready to give the Maz 18 another chance (I was afraid the Maz 8 wouldn't be enough) and when looking around stumbled across the M12. I'd never even heard of it. The idea intrigued me. I knew 12 watts sounded about right (same rating as the Lil Elvis). I thought, what the hell, so I ordered one from Humbucker and crossed my fingers.
When the amp arrived, I first plugged straight in with no pedals. For the first time EVER, I got instant gratification from strumming a single chord. With all the controls at noon, it just sounded full, articulate, and responsive. My wife was wondering what made this amp so different. I tried to explain to her it just FELT different.
When I plugged my pedalboard in, things got better. My foundation pedals are as follow: Wampler Ego compressor, Lovepedal OD11, Rockbox Boiling Point. With the Ego engaged, everything just sounded perfect. I got Setzer-like tones and a brilliant response. The OD11 let my Strat sound like a Strat. The Boiling Point sounded great, but not as great as I had hoped. I busted out my old OCD (version 4). Dear God! It sounds amazing. It was much quiter and fuller sounding than the Boiling Point. I can't believe it, but this amp is making me sell my Boiling Point. Sorry, but my ears aren't lying.
Three nights later I took the M12 to its first gig. I was amazed at my clean sounds. For me, it's hardest to get really good, responsive clean to semi-clean sounds that cut through live. The M12 delivered. I never once had the urge to turn up or tweak my controls. And i have to say, the volume is perfect. We mic everything, but the M12 could easily hang in a non-mic'ed practice session.
Long story short: I ordered an ATA road case for the M12. That, for me, only happens when I get a keeper.
One note: I use an MXR MC401 Boost for my leads. It comes after my OD pedals. I was using the "Hi" input on the M12. I noticed when I engaged the boost, my guitar didn't get louder, just a bit more saturated. I also noticed my delays sounded a lot more up front than usual, and I had to turn the delay mix levels down. The next day I figured it out: When using the Hi input, it's almost like hitting an overdriven amp. The amp doesn't sound overdriven, but it acts like one. So the delays are more pronounced, and boosts don't really change the volume at all. When I switched the input to Lo, everything changed. Suddenly my boost pedal made a big volume increase when engaged, and the delays weren't as pronounced.
I like the dynamics of the Hi input, and I'm also worried if I'd have enough volume at a gig using the Lo. I need to do some more experimenting (including adjusting my OD settings) to find the perfect balance. But this is a MINOR point that I know I can resolve...just throwing it out there.
All in all, this amp is home run. I love buying new gear and reading all the forums, but I would really like to just have an amp I love and stop looking for the next greatest thing. I think I've finally found it with the M12. Unless something completely revolutionary comes out, this amp isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
About two years ago, I jumped the Dr. Z ship and started playing 65 Amps. I think I felt I just needed to try something new. I kept reading reviews, spending all this money, only to be disappointed at the gig. My first 65 was the Lil Elvis combo. It had a great clean tone and I like the master voltage feature. However, the Bump sounded unusable to me, and the tremolo sounded awful. Again, I was wondering if I'd ever find the perfect amp. I bought a Ventura head. Actually, that's a pretty damn good sounding amp, especially when the gain is cranked. It's got a very raw, dimensional overdrive. For some, it may be perfect, but it just didn't play well with my pedals.
Over the past several years, I've been fanatic about finding the right pedals. I would order five at a time, place them side by side and eliminate the losers. It was fun but also a bit frustrating. I kept thinking, if I had a good platform for these pedals I might get better results. I even toyed with the idea of going direct. Then i thought, I just need an amp with volume, bass and treble. I tried my friend's Z-28. Too loud. Ugh.
I was getting ready to give the Maz 18 another chance (I was afraid the Maz 8 wouldn't be enough) and when looking around stumbled across the M12. I'd never even heard of it. The idea intrigued me. I knew 12 watts sounded about right (same rating as the Lil Elvis). I thought, what the hell, so I ordered one from Humbucker and crossed my fingers.
When the amp arrived, I first plugged straight in with no pedals. For the first time EVER, I got instant gratification from strumming a single chord. With all the controls at noon, it just sounded full, articulate, and responsive. My wife was wondering what made this amp so different. I tried to explain to her it just FELT different.
When I plugged my pedalboard in, things got better. My foundation pedals are as follow: Wampler Ego compressor, Lovepedal OD11, Rockbox Boiling Point. With the Ego engaged, everything just sounded perfect. I got Setzer-like tones and a brilliant response. The OD11 let my Strat sound like a Strat. The Boiling Point sounded great, but not as great as I had hoped. I busted out my old OCD (version 4). Dear God! It sounds amazing. It was much quiter and fuller sounding than the Boiling Point. I can't believe it, but this amp is making me sell my Boiling Point. Sorry, but my ears aren't lying.
Three nights later I took the M12 to its first gig. I was amazed at my clean sounds. For me, it's hardest to get really good, responsive clean to semi-clean sounds that cut through live. The M12 delivered. I never once had the urge to turn up or tweak my controls. And i have to say, the volume is perfect. We mic everything, but the M12 could easily hang in a non-mic'ed practice session.
Long story short: I ordered an ATA road case for the M12. That, for me, only happens when I get a keeper.
One note: I use an MXR MC401 Boost for my leads. It comes after my OD pedals. I was using the "Hi" input on the M12. I noticed when I engaged the boost, my guitar didn't get louder, just a bit more saturated. I also noticed my delays sounded a lot more up front than usual, and I had to turn the delay mix levels down. The next day I figured it out: When using the Hi input, it's almost like hitting an overdriven amp. The amp doesn't sound overdriven, but it acts like one. So the delays are more pronounced, and boosts don't really change the volume at all. When I switched the input to Lo, everything changed. Suddenly my boost pedal made a big volume increase when engaged, and the delays weren't as pronounced.
I like the dynamics of the Hi input, and I'm also worried if I'd have enough volume at a gig using the Lo. I need to do some more experimenting (including adjusting my OD settings) to find the perfect balance. But this is a MINOR point that I know I can resolve...just throwing it out there.
All in all, this amp is home run. I love buying new gear and reading all the forums, but I would really like to just have an amp I love and stop looking for the next greatest thing. I think I've finally found it with the M12. Unless something completely revolutionary comes out, this amp isn't going anywhere anytime soon.