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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Apr 6, 2015 16:31:12 GMT -7
So, for those of you who are fortunate enough to have two or more Maz amps...I've got the Maz 8 and love it. I am just wondering whether the 8 sounds like the 18 or 38, just smaller, with less power. Also interested in the difference in gain for the NR versions. I'm thinking that maybe I should have gone for a bigger Maz, but if they sound alike, I'll just mic up and be happy. In other words, how does the Maz 8's gain stage match up to it's bigger brothers?
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Post by dergit (Markus) on Apr 7, 2015 13:38:21 GMT -7
I'm sure you'll get more qualified responses than this one but I was at least fortunate enough to try out a bunch of different boutique amps (mostly Zs) before I went for the 18 2x10" combo.
My impression was that the 8 saturated too early for my taste (I like my guitar sound to still contain some clean guitar at all times and react to pick attack really well) and sounded a bit flatter and less 3-dimensional when it did overdrive.
To give you some more reference: I set pretty much all the knobs to 11 o'clock to start with and go into the Lo input with my PRS with narrowfield humbuckers. Then I usually turn down the volume a bit to clean up the guitar sound more and tweak the bass, treble and cut knobs to suit the room.
To be fair though, I tested them in a very much dead room and I'm sure a lot of that impression is owed to perceived volume differences (psychoacoustics). In the real world, the 18 is a bit too loud for me, if I'm entirely honest. We regularly play venues between 50 and 200 people and the Brake Lite hasn't been set lower than 2 for a long time. I sometimes find myself thinking that the 8 would have done the job just as well.
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Post by benluke on Apr 8, 2015 5:31:27 GMT -7
I am old enough to remember the days when the guitar players at club or pub gigs would regularly have Marshall Stacks or Twin Reverbs on 8 or 9 and the first few tables would often be empty by the third song. I suppose P.A systems were not as efficient then but I also believe there was a tolerance of excessive volume in those days and ringing in your ears was a sign of a good time had by all.
I began with a Maz 18 2 x 10 NR and it was my go to amp for six years playing 200 seater venues. It moves so much air and has such a great tone that on a whim I got a used Mint 38 1 x 12 with reverb. The orthodox view is that the NR versions have a bit more bite and I would agree the 38 has less gain then the NR 18 at equivalent dialings but is still very loud - far too loud in fact.
I think I must have suffered one of those startling moments of clarity when I saw the Maz 8 Demo and copped a used Studio with a Blue in mint condition. Suddenly it all seems so clear.....it does sound like the 18 but has far more range at usable volumes in my opinion.
It has become a cliche on this forum but this is the only amp I have ever owned that achieves the sweet spot and can deliver a range of tones whilst competing with a drummer and not frightening the horses. For me it is just pure magic and with the Pentode / Triode switch has more to offer than the 18 or the 38 which really do need attenuation in all but the largest venues. So whilst I love them all I say unless you are playing Madison Square Garden in the near future Dave, mic the 8 and thrill the crowd - and yourself.
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Post by doctorice on Apr 8, 2015 8:16:11 GMT -7
The 8 is not a scaled-down 18, just like the 18 is not (exactly) a scaled-down 38. The single-end design of the 8 gives it a different sound and feel, especially when pushed. My view is that if you like/want a lot of clean volume on tap and generally aren't miking the amp, you'll be better served by the 18. On the other hand, if you like a pushed sound with power amp grind AND can't open up an 18 to that level, the 8 is wonderful. I play with a fairly heavy-handed drummer. The 8 doesn't give me quite enough margin of clean volume for gigs. At least, that's my impression when I play it at home. Don't get me wrong, it's plenty loud in the house. I usually have the Brake Lite on 1 click and that's in triode mode. For a while I had both an 18 'verb and an NR. The NR had a bit more gain and more prominent mids. I posted a video comparing the two. It's somewhere here on Z Talk if you're interested. Probably the most important thing is that if you are digging your guitar sound through the 8 and you have the option to run it through the PA, go for it. If you end up wishing for more/something different, Z has a lot of options
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Post by digs57 on Apr 8, 2015 8:28:12 GMT -7
I have got both nr/reverb 18's...the clean on tap is important for me...as I do like the overdrivin tone from maz...but I like the clean more... prefer to play with slight breakup.
I do like the reverb model a little more as it has a little less as dr said prominent mids...the heavy handed drummer thing...been there way to many time's...fwiw
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