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Post by gtarbill on Feb 20, 2015 20:40:40 GMT -7
Picked up my first Dr. Z amp today, a used Jaz 20 40. HUGE tone, I'm excited about it.
Newbie question: I've been playing for most of my life, but I never owned a guitar amp with a cooling fan in it. I can see the advantage of having one, yet it does make a bit of noise. I searched this forum and checked some owner's manuals of other models on the Dr. Z site, but haven't seen any mention of the fan.
The amp was an hour from my house, so with all the running around to pick it up, I never played it for more than a 1/2 hour continuously today. I'll probably set aside a few hours on Sunday to get acquainted with it. Will the fan shut off automatically?
Thanks, Bill
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Post by "Z" Steve on Feb 20, 2015 22:06:17 GMT -7
The fan will/should shut off when you turn the amp off. I had one in my Maz 38 combo and it did become a little noisy as I recall. Check the mounting screws and any wiring that may be vibrating against it. Maybe even a little lube on the shaft if the amp appears dusty or dirty on the inside.
Congrats on what I've been told is a great amp! AND, welcome to the forum.
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Post by doctorice on Feb 21, 2015 7:41:38 GMT -7
It's a great amp. Congrats and welcome. My experience has been that sometimes the fan seems to generate more noise than at other times. I've not investigated why. My solution is to turn up the volume The power section is like that in the Remedy, which only comes as a head and does not have a fan. I assumed Dr Z, in his usual high quality design and build, put the fan in the JAZ combo since the chassis is "upside down" compared with the head and Doc wanted to ensure adequate ventilation. I just realized that you didn't mention if you had a head or combo, though. This might be useful: The tone controls on the JAZ are basically attenuators operating in different frequency ranges. If you want to get higher gain sounds you may find boosting these knobs and the volume control to be helpful. For example, I'm currently running Mid nearly all the way up, Treble past noon, and I adjust Bass to suit after I've set Volume and Master. I also tend to like Master up pretty high so that the power tubes are working a bit. Setting Master high and Volume low are key to getting cleaner tones. (Master on the JAZ and MAZ series is more a power amp gain control than a true master volume.) Have fun!
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Post by doctorice on Feb 21, 2015 7:42:43 GMT -7
Bill, I should have added that you may want to post this in the JAZ section as well.
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Post by gtarbill on Feb 22, 2015 7:02:31 GMT -7
Many thanks Steve and doctorice for your helpful replies. I'm an old SF Fender guy, so the Z experience is new for me.
It's a combo BTW, with the Celestion G12H - idea when I bought it is to sell my SF Super Reverb. Sounds huge with the one 12".
Michael, I'll check your advice on the Master and tone controls. I have to admit, before I bought it, I checked this site, and a lot of your earlier posts on the Jaz were informative and helpful. I'll check the Jaz section, too.
Over two hours until my next lesson, so it's time to play!
Thanks, men. BTW, '68 SF Super Reverb for sale in the Brussels, Belgium area.
rgds, Bill
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Post by gtarbill on Feb 22, 2015 7:06:11 GMT -7
Getting back to the fan - I suppose if I'm recording with the amp, it's no harm to unplug it for a while?
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Post by doctorice on Feb 22, 2015 7:20:21 GMT -7
Getting back to the fan - I suppose if I'm recording with the amp, it's no harm to unplug it for a while? Probably, especially if you're not pushing the amp hard. You can check in with the factory on that via email.
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Post by zpilot on Feb 23, 2015 1:27:43 GMT -7
I converted my JAZ combo to a head with a head cabinet purchased directly from the "Z" factory. I mounted the fan from the combo in the head cabinet because it did not come with one. It was very difficult and I had to get creative because of the tight fit. The chassis is still mounted in the top of the cabinet just like the combo. They told me the cabinet was from EZG50 production but it was the same as the JAZ head cabinet. I was told subsequently by the factory that the JAZ heads DID NOT have fans. I think you can assume from that that it is OK to run without a fan.
I've seen on the forum that some people have had hum issues from fans in JAZ and EZG50 heads. I've not had any problems with that or other noise even though my fan is in VERY close proximity to the chassis and the reverb tank. I guess maybe I'm just lucky. I've only used it for playing live gigs and, granted, that is a different animal than studio work. I play single-coil guitars most of the time so maybe my threshold for noise is different than yours.
I sold my BF Super Reverb partially to be able to afford my JAZ. I don't really miss it at all. I play through a 2X10 cabinet and if I really need that SR thump I use an additional 2X10. I've only needed that when playing outdoors though.
The tone controls on the JAZ are very different from BF/SF Fenders. I run my volumes similar to doctorice but I like the tone controls somewhere close to full up. The JAZ is a great first "Z" amp. I suppose if I could only have one amp the JAZ would be it.
One other tip. Stay with JJ 6V6's when it comes time to replace the power tubes. The amp was designed around them and you should not have the reliability problems you might have with other brand tubes.
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Post by nicholas on Feb 23, 2015 13:33:56 GMT -7
Congrats on a great amp! As for the fan noise "issue".. I've unplugged my fan here and there. So far no issues. I also run Tung Sol 6V6 tubes and have for years, on my 4th quad. Again no issues.
If the fan bugs you for recording or late night "quiet time" I wouldn't worry about unplugging it. However once I start playing I totally forget all about any fan noise. My fan doesn't make much noise, other than the noise of air moving which is unavoidable with a fan.
Enjoy that sucker. It's a good one.
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Post by gtarbill on Feb 23, 2015 20:20:54 GMT -7
Thanks a lot for the advice / info, guys. I guess my initial concern was if a little fan noise was normal or not. I imagine, as zpilot and nicholas pointed out, on a gig I won't notice it, and for recording or home use, it won't get too hot. Interesting to know that the head doesn't have the fan. BTW, I love this amp. I like to dime the Master, and then maybe dial it back to about 4:00 for some big clean tones. I usually use a DR in a small room (with the same speaker as the Jaz!), and the Jaz on 20 watt setting sounds great. I chose this amp for the 20/40 watt switch, but from what I've heard so far, the 20 watt seting may be enough for me. Peace of mind, though, with that 40 watt option. Thanks again, nice folks here. Bill
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Feb 24, 2015 5:51:18 GMT -7
You have a great amp there Bill! Was very unappreciated/misunderstood first time it was released. I had one but had to sell it in order to buy a very special Z amp. I'm on the list for a new Z-Lux - can't wait for it to come in!
Welcome to the Forum - a lot of great people and information here as you are already finding out!
Mike
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