ctone
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Posts: 31
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Post by ctone on Jul 12, 2017 9:53:02 GMT -7
I have owned my Maz sr since 2003 or 2004. It has been my sole gigging amp that time. That is pretty amazing. However these days I just feel like it is too loud. I am generally playing in situations where the volumes are lower. This combined with a renewed interest in getting at least a breakup from the amp and possibly even just using a boost or an od as a boost for leads is making the situation worse. I am seriously thinking about selling it and getting a jr or Gia or Cure. One thought I have had though. Would putting a cream back m (65) in the sr make it much closer to the volume level of a jr? I believe the db difference between the G12h 70th anniversary that I have (stock) is 3DB louder than the cream back. Does this mean that the sr will seem half as loud. If so it seems like I would be able to get the dirt out of it. Would a brake light get me there easily ? As a side note I tend to be more of a g12m than h person. SoI think I would like the tone better anyway . Am I chasing my tail? Should I just sell it and buy a smaller amp? As a side note I also want to use it in one of my teaching studios until I can afford to buy something just for that purpose. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
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Post by mickey on Jul 12, 2017 10:09:17 GMT -7
I have a 2005 Maz Sr reverb head, and have had a similar dilemma. I normally use the amp with a 1x12 convertible cab with a Celestion Gold. Like you I do find this generally too loud, but have had excellent results with my Airbrake, which is used on just about every gig I do. It's often used on 2 clicks which I remember a forum member equated to a bit less apparent power than a Maz Jr. Personally I have always preferred the Sr, for its more solid, smooth and generally authoritative sound. Recently I bought a Creamback M, and replaced the Gold with it. It sounded very good, with maybe a bit more natural breakup than the Gold, and a bit less compression. The main factor was that, yes, it is noticeably quieter than the 100db Gold, and I found I could turn the master up a bit more to get the amp working a bit harder, with good results. There were other benefits, such as being able to turn the tone knobs up and use more of their full range, and also my pedals reacted slightly differently, in a good way. Ultimately though, I preferred the response of the Gold, and I'm back to using that again. The Creamback is a good speaker though, and I've kept it in order to try it again at some point. I don't know what they cost in the US, but for me in the UK it was worth the cost of the Creamback to try it out. I'm fortunate enough to also have a Ghia and a (recently bought) Cure, and the Maz is still my main gigging amp, though the Cure works great for small venues where volume has to be kept low, and I may well end up using it a lot more once I get more used to it.
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ctone
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Post by ctone on Jul 12, 2017 10:32:06 GMT -7
Great post thanks! You have pretty much done all the things I am considering. 2 clicks is a little less than a jr huh? That sounds good. Do you notice any loss of vibe and tone?
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ctone
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Post by ctone on Jul 12, 2017 10:43:01 GMT -7
Also I am sure I can look this up , but do you know if the air brake has the same reduction settings as the brake light? I know the brake light doesn't have the bedroom knob, but are the clicks the same?
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Post by mickey on Jul 12, 2017 15:10:17 GMT -7
Great post thanks! You have pretty much done all the things I am considering. 2 clicks is a little less than a jr huh? That sounds good. Do you notice any loss of vibe and tone? That's hard to say as these days I rarely get to use the Maz without the Airbrake, even if it's on just one click. What I can say is that it sounds good to me with or without the 'brake; maybe not quite the same, but still good enough for me to be happy with it. On the odd occasion that I've had to use the 'brake on three clicks then yes it sounds a bit thinner, but I can compensate with the eq, and on the whole it works well in that I can set the amp up so that it is just on the edge of breakup at any venue, then use a pedal to push it a bit more when it's needed. Again I can't say whether the clicks on the Airbrake have the same effect as those on the Brakelite, but I'm sure someone else could answer that for you.
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Post by goldenrod on Jul 18, 2017 6:59:35 GMT -7
You guys ever think of using the stock G12H30?
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Post by mickey on Jul 18, 2017 9:00:24 GMT -7
You guys ever think of using the stock G12H30? Yep, tried it and also used a V30 for a couple of years. Prefer the Gold, and also the G12H30 is an efficient speaker at 100db, more so than the Creamback at 97db. The CB is a good sounding speaker and quieter, so the amp can be cranked a bit more for the same volume.
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Post by z4me on Jul 18, 2017 22:53:31 GMT -7
Agree with Mickey, the CB is 97 db so will be quieter than the G12H 30 and some sort of air brake or brake lite is a handy tool. IIRC both brakes allow volume adjustments per click so that you can tailor to your desired volume drop increments. The CB sounds great with the Sr, but the CB is not half the volume or anything like that. To what Mickey described, though the CB has less volume, I too end up turning up the master volume for better/fuller tone. So you kind of end up nearly at the same volume, but better tone imo. So having a brake attenuation device is nice to drop some of that volume. I have a Sr and an air brake. When I first got the air brake I used to play at the bedroom setting. It is nice to have that option, but I found that compressed too much for my liking, so I usually play with 2-3 clicks down; home or gig. Set of 2 clicks at a gig.
I have a CB speaker and as I mentioned it sounds very good with the Sr. But later I purchased a Z 12 speaker and prefer the Z 12 speaker with the Sr. It is also a less efficient speaker, but I see that it is rated at 99 db now. I thought that it was 97 dbs when I purchased it. It does sound quieter than a G12H 30 or other 100 db efficient speaker though.
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Post by zpilot on Jul 22, 2017 10:34:25 GMT -7
A 2003 MAZ Sr was my first Z amp. A great amp but I almost NEVER had a chance to really open it up at a gig so I replaced it with a MAZ Jr and a Brake-Lite which turned out to be a much more usable setup. I loved it with a C-Gold.
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Post by mikefleming on Jul 26, 2017 6:17:47 GMT -7
I've swapped both Creambacks as well as a V-30. The M is noticeably quieter, but not very much, gig/useability wise. Also, it is tonally a little different than the G12H you're using, less bass more mid, so you might want to be aware of that aspect too. Personally I suggest the Brakelite as well - that has given me way more volume control than any speaker swaps, with less tone shift. I can click it 2 or 3 down and have virtually the same tone at way less volume.
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ctone
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Post by ctone on Jul 26, 2017 18:29:37 GMT -7
You guys ever think of using the stock G12H30? Yep, tried it and also used a V30 for a couple of years. Prefer the Gold, and also the G12H30 is an efficient speaker at 100db, more so than the Creamback at 97db. The CB is a good sounding speaker and quieter, so the amp can be cranked a bit more for the same volume. I've been using the G12h30 for 14 years!
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ctone
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Post by ctone on Jul 26, 2017 18:38:34 GMT -7
I've swapped both Creambacks as well as a V-30. The M is noticeably quieter, but not very much, gig/useability wise. Also, it is tonally a little different than the G12H you're using, less bass more mid, so you might want to be aware of that aspect too. Personally I suggest the Brakelite as well - that has given me way more volume control than any speaker swaps, with less tone shift. I can click it 2 or 3 down and have virtually the same tone at way less volume. The tonal change is the only reason why I havent just bought the brake lite. I have tired of the G12h30 . I feel like it's all bass and treble, I want more mids. I am generally a fan of green backs...... I think I will probably do both and get a cream back and Brake lite. I think both will be useful even if I do decide to downsize .
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Jul 31, 2017 22:34:01 GMT -7
A 2003 MAZ Sr was my first Z amp. A great amp but I almost NEVER had a chance to really open it up at a gig so I replaced it with a MAZ Jr and a Brake-Lite which turned out to be a much more usable setup. I loved it with a C-Gold. This I usually use a Maz Jr 1x12 studio cab with an early Alnico Tone Tubby (nice even all around tone with the JR... high's lows and mids and not too efficient) and a break lite usually on two clicks unless it's a bigger place... I'm used to the two clicks now and have even miked it on a larger stage w/ two clicks, plenty loud and worked fine.. However I still have my Maz Sr and LOVE it when I rarely use it... AIR Break on it with two clicks and usually run it through a single 12" Alnico Weber Silver Bell... pretty usable except for the smallest place we play a LOT... but I been thinkin even the smallest places I could actually go three clicks and play cleaner / lighter drives or boosts only OR just roll off the guitar vol a bit and probably get by with the Maz Sr playing cleaner lower cause it's a bit fatter / jucier than the Jr... may have to break out the Sr n try it next time. The Creamback will do the same thing my Silverbell does... speaker just makes a HUGE difference here, and you can just find the one that gives you what you want while being less efficient.. I LOVE the Weber Silver Alnico with the Maz Sr for this. and to me the full size air break is a bit stouter for the Maz Sr and maybe just a tad better for handling the bigger Maz especially only going two clicks... break lite will work too, but i prefer using it with the smaller wattage Jr / Z's and only going two clicks..
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ctone
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Posts: 31
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Post by ctone on Aug 10, 2017 18:24:13 GMT -7
Thanks for the help everyone!
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Post by John on Aug 11, 2017 5:33:32 GMT -7
I'm late to the party, but YES...get a brakelite and get a creamback.
You will notice a lot more mids than the H. (In a good way) It will be easier to hear during gigs. H speakers have lots of bass and treble, but recessed mids. CB has considerably more mids than the H. It may seem a little weird at first, but once you get used to it, you'd probably never go back to an H.
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