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Post by paulsbruno on Jul 29, 2014 6:55:27 GMT -7
Hey, new to the forums, this is only my second post. Wanting to ask you guys, those of you that know, what the tonal differences are between the Maz 38 SR Reverb head, from about 2004-2006, to the current, or newer, production models. I have one from a long time ago, about the era I've asked about, though I don't know the precise year. It has red tolex and uses the pointed dials instead of the round knobs, has two input jacks side-by-side, and has the 'Z' and knobs in black, if that helps. I'm just wondering what these differences are, and if the newer ones are slightly better, vastly better, about the same (I doubt this is true), or not better at all (some degree of not quite as good).
Thanks for all your help!
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jul 29, 2014 8:16:29 GMT -7
Here's a link to the thread that will enable you to determine which year your amp was made in : ztalk.proboards.com/thread/53340/dating-serial-numbersAs for whether new or old is better??? It's all subjective. The new ones come with the EQ bypass that gives you a kind of two channel amp with the EQ bypass on being a boost/OD Channel. Depends what you are looking for in an amp. Some people prefer the non-reverb over reverb because the NR circuit is a simpler circuit. I have both Reverb and NR - like them both!
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Post by paulsbruno on Jul 29, 2014 9:35:21 GMT -7
Jaguarguy (Mike) First off, thanks for your super informative reply! I'm gonna look up the serial number stuff here in a sec... I'm fine without the "boost" channel, so that's not an issue. Honestly, instead of phrasing "good"/"bad" or "better"/"worse" - I'd really just love to hear qualitative characteristics, adjectival descriptions, of what the two sound like. That, more than anything else, will help me decide on what I'll end up doing. With the EQ of the new amp being on, compared to the "old" amp, what would you say the tonal differences are, if you had to describe them? Sounds like, from what you've already said, that they'd be slight, perhaps.
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Post by paulsbruno on Jul 29, 2014 9:37:47 GMT -7
Jaguarguy (Mike) Hey, actually, from investigating the serial, it's an 'L' amplifier, which according to the thread you just gave would tell me that my amp is a 2001. Anyone know the particular merits/demerits of that era of Maz 38 SR Reverb heads?
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Post by fishman on Jul 31, 2014 18:12:37 GMT -7
Anyone know the particular merits/demerits of that era of Maz 38 SR Reverb heads? There are no demerits in MAZ heads from any time frame. I don;t know what a MAZ is supposed to sound like and I have been using one for 8 years......pretty much what you dial it to do. I have had a couple of tweaks done to update mine a bit, changed a couple of things in the amp, and to be 100% honest, I have no clue what. Don was nice enough to work on my amp and having delt with him in the past, I just told him to go ahead, what sounds good to him will sound good to me. I did have the bass response lightened up a bit as it was pretty heavy in the bottom end...now I can actually use the bass control more and it gives more tonal options....not that it needs any...the amp has sounds everywhere... alot has to do with the speaker cab..and the make of speaker...I am not a celestion fan so I lean to eminence...I have a THD 2-12 with Emi RedFangs....sounds great...also use an Avatar Bluesbreaker style cab with two custom Emi speakers in it...even eminence would not tell me who those speakers were supposed to go to...they did validate the serial...again sounds great....have a 2-10 with celestion vintage 10's-[the real ones-sounds great...have used G12H, RedFang, Vintage 30, Tonker, Greenbacks, and on and on...not that celestions sound bad with the amp they don;t. I simply like emi speakers...The amp can cover chimey, dark, bright, loud, louder and ouch, whisper, it can Fender, it can Marshall, it can Vox, it can do all 3 at once....or, it can simply sound good....thats how I play it now...took a while, about a year before I could really say I know how to handle this amp in all conditions....its very interactive....it has a sound all its own. If there is a problem its what "good/great sound" to use....I fought with this idea for months...cause even though I had a killer tone, I KNEW there were lots more in there...sooooo out went the signature sound and in came lets just see what comes out....I have a default with mine only to have a reference....if I simply need a great fat clean/some hair I can set the master and volume to make that work with the guitar knob. About every 3rd time I set the amp up by ear....I turn all the controls to 0.. turn master to between 11-1, turn volume up to 11 or so, those can change once the amp is set... then I turn the treb, mid, bass, and cut until I hear the change from each one...once I hear the shift I leave it...don;t even look at the knobs..I repeat that with the rest....nothing plugged into the amp...if I want more of one or the other I can listen for the shift when things inside change and I leave it. Never fails to give a great sound something to work from...So in this round about dissertation of how does a MAZ38NR sound? (mine is a NR) it sounds strong bass, strong mids, strong treble, its your choice of what mix of those you like...because to answer your question the only answer that makes sense to me is this, The MAZ responds to how its set up....lol....I can tell you this, I have had a fair share of the Doc's amps...had a hell of a time parting with my 28..but from StingRay to EZG50 to KT45 to Remedy....and I am back where I started 8 years ago...my first amp was a 38NR 1-12...now I have the Head...it does whatever I need it to...if I have a "fender" thing going on and would like a bit of that vox "shimmer" its there...darken it up, heavy it and it will lay down enough low, low mid to walk on.....or it can sparkle , sounds great with a LP in the middle position...has that bit of Telecaster sparkle going on...its all good...whew...sorry to rant on...its a hard question to answer at least for me..the amp sounds great thats the bottom line....every time....last thing, if you are a strat guy this amp is tailored to you at least I think so cause I can get sounds out of it with my strat I can;t get with anything else...I am a strat guy and a LP guy...use both, strat more....low imput 80% of the time...
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