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Post by telego on Apr 26, 2016 2:58:59 GMT -7
I find myself going for the Carmen Ghia a little more lately as it's just a real user friendly amp, the Maz still seems a bit stiff sounding to me. I recently put a 5V4 rectifier tube in it which helped a bit but the problem still exists. Tone wise the Maz is a great sounding amp and I love all the controls and find it very easy to dial in but I wish it had the sustain and smoothness that the Ghia has.
I think if I could smooth the amp out a little more I would probably favor it over the Ghia because it just has more to offer and I can get a good balance with single coils, just the tone itself is fantastic. Maybe a good compressor will help but I would appreciate some advise. I don't recall any other Dr Z amp I have used sounding this stiff or tight whatever the word would be to describe it.
The amp is an earlier model with the power cord attached, I run both my Ghia and Maz heads through a Celestion Blue 2x12 cab.
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Post by dergit (Markus) on Apr 26, 2016 3:16:05 GMT -7
I call it "precise" and I like it, but...
1. 6p14p tubes in the power stage will reduce harshness and clean headroom a bit. 2. 5751 in v1 (and v2 and possibly PI, which I haven't tried yet) will reduce gain and warm up the preamp stage. 3. brake lite will allow you to run the master higher which increases poweramp compression (less transients, looser sound, more sustain).
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Post by DRZ on Apr 26, 2016 3:28:11 GMT -7
I agree with Marcus's post. But if the 5V4 helped go all the way and try a 5Y3, just like the Ghia. Will definitely soften up the MAZ 18 NR.
Actually the term " bit stiff" doesn't really paint a clear picture for me.
Z
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Post by John on Apr 26, 2016 3:29:29 GMT -7
Maybe the Ghia is more your type of amp? It was for me. I've had two Maz Jrs. Great amps. But the Ghia just 'called to me' a little more than the Maz.
I'm splitting hairs here. Both are great amps, but after you play them both for a while, you can pick up on what appeals to you just a bit more.
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Post by telego on Apr 26, 2016 3:39:42 GMT -7
Hey there dergit, I m glad you chimed in on this one, thanks, your advise has helped me out a few times. I will give it a go. I also forgot to mention that I did put a Phillips 5751 in V1 last night at a gig and it did sound better, but I only had one of those in my bag so I might get a couple more and try v2 and PI positions. We were playing quite loud last night so the break lite stayed off. I will keep my eyes out for the 6p14p power tubes. I have never used these tubes before and I don't think I have seen them for sale anywhere. Cheers.
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Post by telego on Apr 26, 2016 3:47:32 GMT -7
I agree with Marcus's post. But if the 5V4 helped go all the way and try a 5Y3, just like the Ghia. Will definitely soften up the MAZ 18 NR. Actually the term " bit stiff" doesn't really paint a clear picture for me. Z Sorry Doc, I missed this, you must have been typing while I was typing my reply to dergit. I did not know a 5Y3 was safe to use in the Maz but now I know so will try that too. Cheers
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Post by mangoman on Apr 26, 2016 4:41:49 GMT -7
I had a 5Y3 in my old Maz. It was really nice...had some sag to it. I'm putting it back in my current one.
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Post by dergit (Markus) on Apr 26, 2016 4:58:14 GMT -7
Actually the term " bit stiff" doesn't really paint a clear picture for me. I understood it as quick attack and short decay and release (those I like a lot), penetrating transients, little body (sustain). 5Y3 is definitely an option if that's the case. As is just clicking back the Brake Lite and turning up the Master. But maybe telego can elaborate? ... or speakers. I've heard good things about the Creamback with a MAZ. It's on my list. There's a *lot* of good info on different tubes in the MAZ here, by the way: ztalk.proboards.com/thread/30034/maz-18-jr
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Post by Maddog on Apr 26, 2016 5:37:58 GMT -7
One of the easiest "mods" to perform is a speaker change. Might try a Z-12 or a Celestion G12M-65 Creamback to warm it up a bit....
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Post by digs57 on Apr 26, 2016 7:38:45 GMT -7
This might be off a little of topic....a while back I forgot who posted about humidity and speakers sounding dull...my house over the top humidity in closets,ect.
I have been using desiccant packs in my amps sense and I can notice the difference in tone and immediacy...doesn't sound flat...fwiw...kool tweak...
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Post by BritInvasion on Apr 26, 2016 8:09:56 GMT -7
^^ Type of speaker and possible humidity condition crossed my mind too when reading the OP. My Maz18NR is anything but stiff / tight.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2016 8:37:11 GMT -7
One of the easiest "mods" to perform is a speaker change. Might try a Z-12 or a Celestion G12M-65 Creamback to warm it up a bit.... +1000 for the Z12 with the Maz. Great for both clean sounds and crunchy rock tones. Tames some of the brightness but still cuts very well.
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Post by nater9 on Apr 26, 2016 10:18:32 GMT -7
Which type of 5Y3 rectifier is acceptable? I see S, G, and GT. Will any of those work in the MAZ Jr.?
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Post by DRZ on Apr 26, 2016 10:30:09 GMT -7
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Post by deluxx on Apr 26, 2016 18:20:30 GMT -7
...If I'm interpreting correctly, I kinda get what you mean.
The volume knobs, have to be pretty generously cranked to get that smooth feeling. I am so happy I had a brake lite installed. I kept in in the third position the whole time last band practice...both volume and master at around 1230 or so....and the amp felt very buttery...the strings needed very little digging in to sound musical.
...I suggest a brake lite...lol...
deluxx's 2 cents
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Post by telego on Apr 27, 2016 1:31:43 GMT -7
I have never been much of a gear guy, just plug in and play, but I am learning more as time goes on. Its the Air Brake that I have, not the Brake Lite, so I got that one wrong. Dergit said maybe I could elaborate on the stiffness but I think he explained it well by saying quick attack, short decay and release. There are several simple things I can now try, I wont give up as I really like the Maz but just want that little bit of something I could not explain. Thanks for advise everyone.
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Post by telego on Apr 29, 2016 3:31:21 GMT -7
Another thing I should mention is that my Maz only has 8 and 4 ohm outputs so I wired up my 2x12 speaker cab as a 4 ohm cab, this may also give the amp an effect of being allot tighter/stiffer so to speak. The other Z amps I owned had 16 ohm outs so that's how the cab was wired. Weather on not this makes a big difference in the feel of an amp, I do not know, but sure would like to know.
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Post by tubetone74 on Apr 29, 2016 11:00:25 GMT -7
Filtering issue ( reason is a better word) in the MAZ 18 NR?
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Post by fishyfishfish on Apr 29, 2016 15:35:36 GMT -7
Buy it a few drinks?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2016 20:13:03 GMT -7
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Post by telego on May 2, 2016 4:00:11 GMT -7
This might be off a little of topic....a while back I forgot who posted about humidity and speakers sounding dull...my house over the top humidity in closets,ect. I have been using desiccant packs in my amps sense and I can notice the difference in tone and immediacy...doesn't sound flat...fwiw...kool tweak... Its true, we have had lots of wet humid weather hear lately and everything feels damp, the studio is very damp, noticed some mold appearing here and there and speaker cones in the cab felt like wet cardboard, so I brought my gear up to the house for a while. Just put a 5y3 GT rectifier in the amp and dried the cab out with a blower heater. Amp now sounds how I wanted it to sound. I might have to do something about that studio, being on a concrete slab may be the reason dampness gets in.
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Post by digs57 on May 2, 2016 7:23:33 GMT -7
good dehumidifier for starts...I got a larger one for the house...be amazed how much water that thing take out of the air.
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