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Post by davedemagico on Dec 12, 2016 15:03:55 GMT -7
Hi all,
I've been lurking around for a bit and read through a ton of threads, and learned quite a bit, but haven't found exactly the answer I'm looking for. Hoping you could help.
I play a maz 18 nr in a band with drums, bass, vocals and one other guitar player. I really love the amp, but I tend to run it fairly dirty and thus run out of headroom when it's time to kick on a pedal for solos, so they don't really jump out in front volume-wise. I feel like it's getting lost in the mix too much. Also, I'm starting to feel like the maz would be better suited to a band with just one guitar player. Between the other guitarist and the drummer bashing on cymbals, I feel like my sound gets a little washed out (we're a fairly loud and dirty-ish band)
Anyways, on to my question...
Does the 66 have enough headroom that I could have it set on or just past the edge of breakup and still get a significant boost in volume for solos with some kind of fuzz/overdrive/etc.? Think dinosaur jr type solos
Like I said, I like the maz, but thinking of moving away from the chime and into something a little fatter and more substantial with the 66. I'd hate to get one and find that it just compresses/saturates more with a pedal and doesn't give me much of a bump in volume.
Anyways, thanks in advance for any info and sorry for the long-winded first post haha. Very cool forum here for sure!
*Edit just to ad that I primarily use single coil guitars (stray/tele/jazzmaster)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 16:47:55 GMT -7
What speaker(s) are you using? Open or closed back cab?
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Post by davedemagico on Dec 12, 2016 17:19:56 GMT -7
A closed 2x12 with g12h30s
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 17:45:33 GMT -7
That's a loud band 😉
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Post by davedemagico on Dec 13, 2016 11:20:24 GMT -7
Yeah, we tend to be a little on the loud side haha. When we have the benefit of a decent pa at a gig, I don't have as much of an issue. Problem is we sometimes play rooms that don't have much of a pa, or just have vocals going through it, etc. That's generally when I have the problem of leads not jumping out in front or having my tone get kinda washed out
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Post by doctorice on Dec 13, 2016 12:00:09 GMT -7
Are you running Volume up pretty high to generate the base dirty tone? If yes, then the amp's front end is nearly out of headroom. It just can't get much louder, only more compressed. Where is Master set?
to be continued...
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Post by davedemagico on Dec 13, 2016 12:07:29 GMT -7
Are you running Volume up pretty high to generate the base dirty tone? If yes, then the amp's front end is nearly out of headroom. It just can't get much louder, only more compressed. Where is Master set? to be continued... I used to set the master around 12:00 and volume around 3:00, but even if I sort of invert that (master @ 3:00-4:00, volume @ 9:00) it's still not quite there. I just want something I can squeeze a little more volume out of before it saturates if that makes sense
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Post by simpleton on Dec 13, 2016 12:39:00 GMT -7
I had similar issues with both the MONZA and Ghia....I think it's the wattage of the amp. 18-20watts gets washed out under heavy play for me too. The Therapy at 35 watts gas never collapsed under pressure. I would think the RT 66 would offer similar results.
But the amp will be a different tone than the MAZ and the bands tonal balance might be upset with a drastic tone shift by you. The MAZ 38would be fatter, louder but in the same tonal signature.
30 watts and up is my main thought.
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Post by davedemagico on Dec 13, 2016 16:56:04 GMT -7
I had similar issues with both the MONZA and Ghia....I think it's the wattage of the amp. 18-20watts gets washed out under heavy play for me too. The Therapy at 35 watts gas never collapsed under pressure. I would think the RT 66 would offer similar results. But the amp will be a different tone than the MAZ and the bands tonal balance might be upset with a drastic tone shift by you. The MAZ 38would be fatter, louder but in the same tonal signature. 30 watts and up is my main thought. Yeah, I knew going in that the wattage of the maz would present some challenges, but I figured I could deal with it. Guess not haha. As far as the balance of the band, I think it'll actually work out for the better if I go with a thicker toned amp. The other guitarist plays mostly just chords and wants more chime so he's about to pull the trigger on a vox. I play more leads and melody lines, so my thinking is that fat leads over chimey chords would work nicely Thanks for the input!
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Post by simpleton on Dec 13, 2016 17:37:03 GMT -7
I had similar issues with both the MONZA and Ghia....I think it's the wattage of the amp. 18-20watts gets washed out under heavy play for me too. The Therapy at 35 watts gas never collapsed under pressure. I would think the RT 66 would offer similar results. But the amp will be a different tone than the MAZ and the bands tonal balance might be upset with a drastic tone shift by you. The MAZ 38would be fatter, louder but in the same tonal signature. 30 watts and up is my main thought. Yeah, I knew going in that the wattage of the maz would present some challenges, but I figured I could deal with it. Guess not haha. As far as the balance of the band, I think it'll actually work out for the better if I go with a thicker toned amp. The other guitarist plays mostly just chords and wants more chime so he's about to pull the trigger on a vox. I play more leads and melody lines, so my thinking is that fat leads over chimey chords would work nicely Thanks for the input! It was playing with a second guitar player who didn't have the best ear for volume or band dynamics that made the Ghia and Monza run out of gas....usually they were more than enough. The Route 66 has been on my want list for a long time. I love the demos I hear from it.
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Post by doctorice on Dec 13, 2016 18:24:39 GMT -7
Yeah, I knew going in that the wattage of the maz would present some challenges, but I figured I could deal with it. Guess not haha. As far as the balance of the band, I think it'll actually work out for the better if I go with a thicker toned amp. The other guitarist plays mostly just chords and wants more chime so he's about to pull the trigger on a vox. I play more leads and melody lines, so my thinking is that fat leads over chimey chords would work nicely Thanks for the input! Maybe the MAZ would work for the other guitar player. It can get fairly Vox like. A Route 66 could work. You might also consider a Remedy, Antidote or Therapy. All of those will cut through.
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Post by davedemagico on Dec 13, 2016 21:50:19 GMT -7
Yeah, doctorice, I was thinking the same thing about getting the other guitar player to buy the maz. I'd really like to keep it though! I don't know how realistic keeping it is though... I could see some situations where it would be great to have, I just don't know how often they'd come up. I really love the maz, but my loud-a$$ band has exposed one of its few limitations haha
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Post by detuned on Dec 14, 2016 6:57:07 GMT -7
Man, that *is* loud. I remember those days (through the ringing in my ears...). :-)
Agree with the Maz38 if you want your core sound intact, maybe even think about adding more speakers, although 2 12s should be able to get it done.
If you want a girthier (not a word, I know) tone, consider where you want to shift. More blackface, with a lot of low and high end and almost a scooped middle, and you're looking at something like an EGZ-50 or the like. Doc makes a couple of amps centered around the Fedner sound.
If you want something more Marsha-like, try a Rt. 66 or (call me crazy) a Remedy. The Remedy actually has a great clean sound, but gives up the goods nicely too, and with selectable 20 or 40 watts, would work for a variety of venues. It has that early plexi, mid focused sound that sounds huge and sits nicely in a mx. I miss mine...
You sound like you'd like to stay away from the Vox sound, but don't count out the Maz 38 - just a slight adjustment of the knobs, and you can shift your tone dramatically. I like to describe the Maz as a reverse-modeling amp: any tone you like, just one at a time. Or maybe dig up an old Mazerati, or a Stang Ray, or any number of Paisley-inspired amps - that's his home tone right there, and he and the Doc have worked on a bunch of amps together.
Anyway, tone hunting is fun, so enjoy it! Depending on where you live, there may be a great Z dealer, or a Z brother near you who may let you audition their collection. One thing I know, we love to share! Good luck!
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Post by davedemagico on Dec 14, 2016 8:23:20 GMT -7
The remedy is definitely still on the list of possibilities. So many choices with Dr Z! So many flavors! They're like freakin' Pokémon; I want to catch them all My nearest z dealer is a couple hour drive away. I might just have to see what they have in stock and make a day of it haha
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Post by doctorice on Dec 14, 2016 10:31:35 GMT -7
The remedy is definitely still on the list of possibilities. So many choices with Dr Z! So many flavors! They're like freakin' Pokémon; I want to catch them all My nearest z dealer is a couple hour drive away. I might just have to see what they have in stock and make a day of it haha That's the spirit!
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Post by dixiechicken on Dec 15, 2016 4:40:48 GMT -7
DC here! Have never run out of headroom with my Route66 in my big band or any other band for that matter. My nine pice band with horns are not terribly loud as such outfits go. Three horns two guitars keayboards bass drums. R&B, blues soul funk etc. Cheers: Dixiechicken!
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dex45
Junior Member
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Post by dex45 on Dec 19, 2016 18:07:27 GMT -7
The Rt 66 is as loud as a Marshall JTM 45 or 50 watt Plexi. Maybe slightly louder. The tone stack gives you some room for more headroom. The 66 is my favorite Z amp.. Truly unique, amazing mids!
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Post by daveyk on Jan 7, 2017 21:23:12 GMT -7
If you like the 18, but just want more headroom and a fatter low end, definitely check out the Maz 38 NR! That's what it is! It's also a little smoother than the 18. Killer amp!
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Post by davedemagico on Jan 31, 2017 13:13:43 GMT -7
Welp, I did it! I pulled the trigger and got a 66!
I got to use it at practice last night. It's SO much different than the Maz that it kind of freaked me out at first! I got used to it pretty quick though. Sooo nice and fat. It definitely demands that it be heard!
Still trying out all my fuzz/overdrive pedals to see what I like best... looking for something for some rhythm grit and something to go over-the-top for solos. Any/all suggestions welcome...
Thanks to everyone for the input! I really appreciate y'all sharing your knowledge/experience!
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jimr
New Member
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Post by jimr on Feb 10, 2017 4:10:36 GMT -7
Try the Joyo Sweet Baby for rhythm grit - don't look at it, just listen! It's a dirt cheap clone of the Mad Professor Sweet Honey and it sounds great. It leaves your sound untouched but adds overdrive from just a bit of hair to nice rhythm crunch.
For soloing try boosting the Sweet Baby with any good sounding tube screamer, that makes my 66 sing and trail into glorious overtones. I have a Zendrive clone which is also great for fat overdrive sounds but it has a bit of midrange hunp too.
JimR
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Post by prspastor on Apr 6, 2017 6:05:42 GMT -7
Congrats on the 66! I use an Xotic BB to give a little hair, or a brake light to get the 66's own crunch. I also have used a Zendrive for Dumble tones.
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