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Post by trojanhov on Aug 7, 2017 10:46:52 GMT -7
Hey guys, i have the opportunity to trade my z-28 for a maz38r and I am having a tough time making the decision. I've read up on the 38 quite a bit over here but I am concerned for just a few things:
1. 38 watts - i mainly play at home and weekly at my church that seats about 300-400 people. The Z-28 has been great in regards to clean headroom, but I sometimes find myself wanting a bit more chime and high end to my sound. I just fear that 38 watts might be tough to tame (i use a brakelite). i mainly get my drive from pedals with the z-28 and almost never push the z-28 to drive levels. Clean headroom is important to me, but i still want to be able to get to the amps sweet spot without having my ears bleed.
2. weight - I think the maz38R 1x12 combo weighs in at about 60 something pounds? my 1x10 z-28 weighs in about 40-50 pounds with the celestion gold.
I almost always use a fender 52 avri with lollar special t's and a gretsch g6112tcb-jr as far as guitars go.
any advice or guidance would be appreciated.
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Post by simpleton on Aug 7, 2017 13:12:00 GMT -7
I've not owned either but I'd say, as a fellow gear chaser......
A Brake Lite would easily solve any extra volume issues I think....
The real difference to me would come in tone. I think the Z28 vs the MAZ38 would be pretty different in feel....tube wise and tone wise. If you like your set up now and only want a small tweak don't trade for a new amp. New amps make my ears hear everything different and send me re arranging my sound around it.
If you want a touch more chime maybe it can be had with a speaker or pedal...but if you want a different amp to try out that has more chime and is awesome go for the 38. I think the 38 makes for a great sounding clean pedal platform. At least from a bystander perspective.
I love trading amps. I love trying new amps and going through all the tonal flavors they offer. But sometimes I've wished I would of stayed with my trusted comfortable rig that I thought need a little more of something. For me it was going to the Therapy from a Ghia/Monza stereo set up. The Therapy was awesome! But more amp than I really needed and I missed the sweetness of the Ghia and Monza...EL84 vs 6L6 was a big feel difference....squishy to stiff, compressed to broad shouldered. It was a big change....I have a Cure now and realize I like smaller amps a bit better . The extra watts will be less in your case than minbar still I'd think of feel difference between 6V6 and EL84.
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Post by daveyk on Aug 8, 2017 12:37:42 GMT -7
The 38 is an awesome amp! I have a 38 NR 2x12 and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it. I need an amp that can do a lot of different things, but do them really well, and the amp hasn't let me down. The amp is stupid loud, but with a brake lite i can use it in pretty much any situation. To truly be a bedroom amp i think you'd need an air brake though because even with my brake lite 4 clicks on it is still quite loud. Anyway, here's a good thread of members reasons for choosing the 38.
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Post by mickey on Aug 8, 2017 15:23:19 GMT -7
I've not owned either but I'd say, as a fellow gear chaser...... A Brake Lite would easily solve any extra volume issues I think.... I love trading amps. I love trying new amps and going through all the tonal flavors they offer. But sometimes I've wished I would of stayed with my trusted comfortable rig that I thought need a little more of something. That's two reasons why I've stuck with my Maz 38 reverb head for the last 7 or 8 years or whatever; my Airbrake helps solve those volume issues, and the amp is exactly that, comfortable. Maybe sometimes I do think I need something different, but if I then think hard enough I can usually come up with reasons why I'm better off sticking with the Maz as my main gigging amp. I do also have a Ghia and a Cure, but that Maz has done hundreds of gigs, never let me down, always sounds good, (and if it doesn't it's my fault). It's ol' faithful, it just works for me. A 2x12 combo may be too much for your applications, but a 1x12 or a head and 1x12 cab could work well. I'm currently using a Creamback M in my 1x12 convertible cab; it suits the amp well, and it's reduced efficiency over the Gold I had in there previously also helps to tame the volume. Also, the 38 has all the chime and high end you'd ever need, I'm sure; it's a characteristic of that amp.
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