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Post by alex2murk on Jan 15, 2018 9:42:18 GMT -7
I have a Z-28 that does not get used as much as it deserves as I play only at home. I really like the sound from 6v6 tubes and so I am considering selling the Z-28 and replacing it with either a Cure or a Z-Plus. Any advice from those who have experience with the Z-28 and one or both of the others would be much appreciated.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jan 15, 2018 10:22:40 GMT -7
I have all three - right now I am playing the ZPlus. While all three are good amps, the ZPlus just has that something special. Mine is the studio cab with a blue in it. I like having the reverb on board; the 7/15 watts is perfect.
p.s. - I too am only a home player.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2018 10:32:06 GMT -7
Different beasts. It depends on what you want/need the amp to do.
The Z Plus will get you dirt at home with the MV. You're not getting a ton of dirt at home with the Z28 without an attenuator. I would give the edge to the gainy sounds of the Z28 over the Z Plus, and the Z Plus cleans over the Z28 cleans but again that's personal preference. The Z Plus is squarely in the Champ/Princeton camp, and the Z28 is a juiced up Brown Deluxe.
The Z Plus is scary good, but sometimes I miss the simplicity and the EF86 front end of the Z28. The Z28, Therapy, Cure and Z Plus all have overlapping traits, but I would say the Z Plus is the most dissimilar to the others.
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Post by Christopher on Jan 15, 2018 13:28:28 GMT -7
Going to play devil's advocate here. The Cure can get a wide swath of gain tones at home levels minus reverb but it does have an FX loop so you can add whatever suits you for ambiance. The cleans on the Cure are good, not as thick and present as the Z-28 but good for a home player. I've played the Z-28 with my buddy cranking his Cure simultaneously and they held up to one another well. The '28 likes to be loud for amp break up but it's a buttery great breakup that eats pedals up. I haven't played a Z-Plus in any capacity so I have no opinion but share this nugget of Z experience with you- a Z watt is a very stout watt and if the Z plus is really a Champ/Princeton style wattage it's probably going to be too loud for home use unless you mind the controls and add a pedal. I know the Cure can get gain without any pedals needed and you can still talk in a normal voice to your significant other about how great you sound without yelling. Also, the class A style of the Z-Plus will be super touch responsive and b/c of the two operating wattages you can find a mess of tones to get your motor running. The last factor I'd look at between them is the cost. A Cure sets you back about $1400 new whereas the Z-Plus is @$2K IIRC. The '28 is totally different front end wise b/c of the EF86 preamp so I'd wager you're going to hear a big difference between the attack of all three. I know Mike (jaguarguy), DRIce and roscoe all have both the '28 and Cure again, IIRC and can weigh in on the perceived subtle response differences between the Cure and Z-28. Doctorice also has a Z plus and has gigged it so he can weigh in on the bigger tonal variations these fine machines deliver.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 16, 2018 7:50:35 GMT -7
I sold my Z-28 this summer and got the Cure. The Z-28 was just too loud for small clubs. The Cure is light weight and does dirt and clean.
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Post by bigben55 on Jan 17, 2018 6:14:56 GMT -7
My advice? Get a Z Brake Lite. I owned a Z28 2x10 combo 5 years ago that was just too darn loud, sold it, bought a smaller amp and a bigger amp. But I missed it. I acquired another Z28 a few months ago with the Brake Lite and can absolutely say, if I had ponied up and bought a BL 5 years ago, I'd still have the first Z28. I don't have a huge house, but can set the BL at 4 and play in the basement without the wife screaming at me. Sure it changes the tone a bit at 4, but not in a "bad" way. I gig with it at 2 often and find at 1 or 2, it doesnt really change the tone. 3 and 4 does, but such is the sacrifice of marriage. A Z28 + BL at 4 will absolutely be less loud than a 7 watt Z Plus cranked, and I have a rather loud speaker in my amp.
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Post by trojanhov on Jan 17, 2018 7:20:38 GMT -7
My advice? Get a Z Brake Lite. I owned a Z28 2x10 combo 5 years ago that was just too darn loud, sold it, bought a smaller amp and a bigger amp. But I missed it. I acquired another Z28 a few months ago with the Brake Lite and can absolutely say, if I had ponied up and bought a BL 5 years ago, I'd still have the first Z28. I don't have a huge house, but can set the BL at 4 and play in the basement without the wife screaming at me. Sure it changes the tone a bit at 4, but not in a "bad" way. I gig with it at 2 often and find at 1 or 2, it doesnt really change the tone. 3 and 4 does, but such is the sacrifice of marriage. A Z28 + BL at 4 will absolutely be less loud than a 7 watt Z Plus cranked, and I have a rather loud speaker in my amp. Agree! I have a brake lite for home and I'm good!
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Post by John on Jan 17, 2018 10:11:14 GMT -7
You can't go wrong with either the Z plus or the Cure. Both will be very different from a Z28.
When I had my Z28, I found it to be a great gigging amp (with a brakelite), but didn't like it so much for home alone playing. (unless you can play really loud at home) It's an amp that needs to be played loudly.
If I were an exclusively home alone player, I'd go for the Z plus. (but like I said: cure or Z+....either is great)
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