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Post by gitaryzt1985 on Mar 18, 2013 5:15:34 GMT -7
I've read through most of the "Getting to know the Maz 18" thread, and I've come to the conclusion that some new Mullard preamp tubes will be going into my Maz 18 soon. I like the thought of darkening the amp up somewhat to get a little more range from the cut knob, but still retaining the chime I love from the Maz 18. I do find the Maz to be one of the brighter amps I've ever owned, but not in a bad way at all.
My issue is with choosing preamp tubes. I've been using Tungsols in EVERYTHING for about 2 years. I love them, but they can be a little bright and clear. I don't anticipate wanting to add more brightness or clarity to the Maz 18, so I'm thinking about trying some new Mullards in the Preamp section as well. But, I don't want the Mullards to darken the amp too much...what do you guys think?
Can anyone tell me what V1 and V2 do for the tone of the Maz? Maybe a Mullard in V1 and a Tung Sol in V2 would do the trick.
My goal in all of this is to darken the Maz without losing clarity and chime. I just would like more range in the cut knob. I can't really turn it up past 9 oclock...again, not a bad thing, just curious about new tubes and I can't afford NOS right now.
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Post by hymns on Mar 18, 2013 8:33:45 GMT -7
I always use the RCA blackplate in v1. It mellows the highs.
hymns
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 18, 2013 9:03:55 GMT -7
I may have some helpful insight...I was aiming to do the same thing with my Maz a while back. I had a full set of JJ's in there and if you know anything about the new batches of JJ's...they are quite bright. So after lots of research and help from people here I ended up with Tung Sol in V1, a chinese made Penta Labs in V2, and TAD EL84s in the power section. The results were exactly what I wanted. I still get the high end chime, but it's much smoother and more pleasing to the ears.
I think V1 has much more impact on tone than V2, so you will probably be happy with the Mullard in V2 if you're concerned about it darkening too much. But you would be fine to switch them back and forth if you find it to not articulate well. I prefer the Tung Sol in V1. But don't overlook the power section when trying to tame brightness. I tend to run my volume knob (preamp) around 12 and master knob (power) at least at 12 for gigs. The TAD EL84s provide a smoother, fatter sound.
What speaker do you use?
Hope some of this helps.
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Post by gitaryzt1985 on Mar 18, 2013 9:07:41 GMT -7
I may have some helpful insight...I was aiming to do the same thing with my Maz a while back. I had a full set of JJ's in there and if you know anything about the new batches of JJ's...they are quite bright. So after lots of research and help from people here I ended up with Tung Sol in V1, a chinese made Penta Labs in V2, and TAD EL84s in the power section. The results were exactly what I wanted. I still get the high end chime, but it's much smoother and more pleasing to the ears. I think V1 has much more impact on tone than V2, so you will probably be happy with the Mullard in V2 if you're concerned about it darkening too much. But you would be fine to switch them back and forth if you find it to not articulate well. I prefer the Tung Sol in V1. But don't overlook the power section when trying to tame brightness. I tend to run my volume knob (preamp) around 12 and master knob (power) at least at 12 for gigs. The TAD EL84s provide a smoother, fatter sound. What speaker do you use? Hope some of this helps. Thanks! I am using the G12H30 it comes with stock unless you order a nicer speaker. Not that this one isn't nice though. The Goal is to put a 25 watt Greenback in it soon though because I LOVE Greenbacks. Plus, it wouldn't hurt having a quieter and less efficient speaker in there.
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Post by stevegansen on Mar 18, 2013 13:29:07 GMT -7
Right on, no problem! I've heard the G12H30 is good. I use an extension cab with a WGS Reaper in it which, from what I understand, is much like the G12H30. I would imagine a greenback would kill in that thing. Haven't heard much about that though.
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Post by Zasquatch on Mar 18, 2013 14:03:48 GMT -7
Here is what I do with my Maz 38 to achieve what you're talking about. I leave it exclusively in EQ bypass mode and run my guitar into the low input with a foot switch plugged into the high input so I can toggle between the inputs as both sounds are awesome and useful. Crank the master volume all the way and then set volume to desired drive and then air brake it to the stage level. Set the tone with the cut dial. You get way more use from the cut knob this way. Strat or Tele, I usually set it to 1 or 2 O clock. The Maz 38 turns into this warm, fat, luscious wall of creamy dynamic inspiration when run this way and I have a hunch the same would be true with the 18. I love this EQ bypass mode so much that I had it done on my Jaz 20/40 as well. I hope this helps you.
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Post by gitaryzt1985 on Mar 19, 2013 6:09:47 GMT -7
Thanks guys. I know that in the coming months I'm going to want to put a couple NOS 12ax7's in the Maz, along with a NOS Rectifier tube. I know it's going to be pricey, but I have NO CLUE what to buy let alone where to look.
Anybody have any thoughts on where to buy NOS tubes, as well as what brands to look for? I think I'm going to continue using New production EL84's because I've read that the Maz 18 requires a matched set in order to self bias properly, and that matched NOS tubes may not actually retain their matching if they sit for a long period of time.
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Post by iluvpunz on Mar 19, 2013 7:17:10 GMT -7
There are some good online tube dealers that are well respected here. kcanostubes.com, tubedepot.com, and dougstubes.com are a few sites that I have purchased from. KCA especially has good descriptions of what individual tubes sound like and what to expect. Don't be afraid to call them, they are also very helpful over the phone.
The power tubes should be matched and the phase inverter (V3) should be balanced, but the preamp tubes don't have to be matched. You might just start with an NOS RCA or similar tube in V1 and see what you think. The rectifer tubes can be expensive, but I've has an RCA 5AR4 in mine going on 4 years and no problems at all. I had very bad luck with JJ GZ34's and would not recommend those for a rectifier tube.
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Post by gitaryzt1985 on Mar 25, 2013 9:21:45 GMT -7
The Mullards are a success! I put Mullards in V1 and V2, and both EL84's. The amp does seem a little smoother, and I was able to turn the cut up a fraction or so. I can't really describe more more than that, but I like how the amp feels after the tube swap. I'm sure that it sounds probably 95% the same as it did prior, but I like what I'm getting.
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Post by benmaz on Nov 22, 2023 13:21:36 GMT -7
I did the same thing. If you want the amp smoother and warmer, with the stock speaker, the Mullards work great (but switching the speaker to a Greenback works even better).
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Nov 25, 2023 11:21:25 GMT -7
I’ve messed around with various preamp tubes with my Z’s. V1 makes the biggest difference in tone. I will say the Maz platform doesn’t change nearly as much as the Ghia does with v1 changes.
I’ve found some big swings with various speakers in my various Maz’s.
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