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Post by pinkie on Oct 2, 2021 15:26:06 GMT -7
Good evening everyone, it's my first post here. Which Dr.Z amplifier would you recommend to get close to Gilmour-like sounds? Surely someone will think: "Why not a Hiwatt?" Because an Hiwatt DR103 has 100W and is difficult to manage at home, has prohibitive costs (3000-3500 $), in addition to all the problems that a 40 year old amplifier can have (capacitors and transformers on all). Dr.Z is a well-respected brand, and the build is great. He is one of the few to still use the ptp system.
What Dr.Z amp could I consider that mimics Hiwatt/Fender sounds (Gilmour in the studio often used Fender Bassman, Tweed Tremolux, Twin Tweed, Gibons Tweed)? Something that has great headroom, takes pedals well, and has a pretty flat frequency response. As specified in the title, I'm searching for head, not a combo, and I'd played it mainly with Strats and Teles.
The Dr.Z catalog is very large, I have never had or tried one, so I have a hard time finding my way. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks all.
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Post by adam on Oct 2, 2021 16:39:28 GMT -7
Cheers and welcome! You remind me a lot of me when I joined the board looking for info. I had a long time friend who went through a bunch of Z's and I thought there was something to that, then I played a little gig with provided backline and they had me plug into some Z and it sounded fantastic, but I had no idea what it was. Eventually I just bit the bullet and bought a maz18 from SW on a Black Friday deal and figured if I didn't like, I'd just return since they are so good with that. My impression was/is the amp is really something special and 5 more Z's later, guess what, they are all special. A friend has been asking me about Z amps for long time now, like which one to get, and then one day he asks me "what do you think about the Z-wreck jr"? I told him I've never heard or played it, but SW happens to have them in stock now, and if you don't like it, just return it". Also knowing they have a big back order list right now, so keep that in mind. Anyway, he called me the day he got it and told me it sounds unreal. I'm not suprised in any because all me Z's sound fantastic. Kind of like even if that wasn't exactly what you were looking for, it doesn't matter because it something tone wise that is above and beyond what you are probably use to, and it will be hard to part with.
Gilmore - to me, all the stuff one recording is really exceptionally processed and produced. If I look at Money for instance, there are at least 3 completely differently produced guitar tracks on that song alone. That could be different fenders, Vox's, di, whatever. Also in general, the amps are loud and what you hearing is bandwidth limited, meaning hi pass and low pass filter to make those guitars sit in the mix right. The consistent thing you hear is Strat and him first and foremost. I have an old BF Bassman I think I could get pretty close to a lot of those sounds with that amp and a lot of EQ, but it wouldn't sound at all like that in the room, and in general it would be blow your head off loud too.
Next thought is "which Gilmore sound"? There are tons of them, but that "sound" is really him and Strat. That's the constant thing that makes you think it's his sound.
I'd vote EZG from what I know about the lineup. There's nothing pokey about that amp, and Gilmore is never pokey. Lots of really warm, but thin bridge Strat tone on his tracks. Varying amounts of gain and compression with different volumes. 100 times easier to go after those sounds than say my old bassman. Hope that helps.
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Oct 2, 2021 18:51:04 GMT -7
I was thinking EZG50 as well. But, you’ll need lots of effects to really cop the Gilmore tone.
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Post by "Z" Steve on Oct 2, 2021 20:28:30 GMT -7
I was thinking EZG50 as well. But, you’ll need lots of effects to really cop the Gilmore tone. Along with that B.K. Butler original Tube Driver.
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Post by KeithA on Oct 3, 2021 3:24:15 GMT -7
I recall a few years ago a member posted a clip of him playing (live) a Pink Floyd solo. I think this is it. I think this answers your question
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Post by pinkie on Oct 3, 2021 3:24:34 GMT -7
Effects are not a problem, I have probably too many of them, including the Butler Tube Driver. Am I wrong or the EZG-50 is the Dr.Z take on Fender blackface era? Is there something close to a Fender Tweed (Bassman?) in the Dr.Z catologue?
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Post by adam on Oct 3, 2021 3:37:12 GMT -7
I recall a few years ago a member posted a clip of him playing (live) a Pink Floyd solo. I think this is it. I think this answers your question Well, that sounded fantastic. Maybe that one! (MAZ18)
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Post by adam on Oct 3, 2021 4:15:47 GMT -7
Effects are not a problem, I have probably too many of them, including the Butler Tube Driver. Am I wrong or the EZG-50 is the Dr.Z take on Fender blackface era? Is there something close to a Fender Tweed (Bassman?) in the Dr.Z catologue? I think the Nova is inspired by a tweed twin, zlux bf deluxe, ezg bf super reverb. Maybe also keep in mind Z amps aren't intended as being direct copies of amps, but are meant to be something unique, or at least have a neat twist. However, I'm with you, it's hard to get an idea what something might sound like without having those comparisons. The amp product descriptions usually give an idea about where the amp is coming from.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Oct 3, 2021 7:10:09 GMT -7
Galaxie - The output transformer is made by the venerable Triad company and is to the original spec found in classic tweed amps like the Super, Pro, and low powered Twin. Great care was taken to accurately reproduce this transformer.
JAZ 20/40 - Loaded with 4 x 6V6's for a classic "Deluxe Reverb on steroids" approach. The amp is definitely inspired by the Classic "Blackface" Fender tone but like always, it has DR Z's own unique twist on a classic design. There's definitely more mids available, along with a hefty amount of gain if you crank it.
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Post by LT on Oct 3, 2021 9:35:47 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum!
I have a Nova and when "tweed" was mentioned, that was going to be my answer. Such a great amp....and it has a very good OD channel. You can get it as a head or a combo.
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Post by sharkboy on Oct 7, 2021 7:06:26 GMT -7
This is a hard thing for a lot of us to admit, but I find that the louder we play through an amp, the more similar amps and guitars sound, assuming that the speakers and amp aren’t disintegrating.
I have gotten some gnarly Hiwatt sounds out of my Route66 at the edge of breakup.
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Post by dcarver on Oct 8, 2021 0:45:06 GMT -7
How bout the Z Master.
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Post by hikari on Oct 8, 2021 20:59:26 GMT -7
Iam a hiwatt fan too. I played a custom 50 combo next to a maz jr reverb 2x10 when I bought my maz.
They are different but not extremely different when clean. Probably closer than say a Princeton reverb or a tweed deluxe is to a hiwatt. Maz had a similar tightness and kept the low strings tight like a hiwatt. Both are stiff amps.
Maz is a little less glassy than a hiwatt and didn’t sound quite as big. But the stiffness and solid low end was similar.
When things get dirty they aren’t the same. But clean you can get the maz pretty close.
For hiwatt-like live at Leeds sounds a cranked Princeton might be closer. But the low end is not as tight.
I saw an interview with Gilmour at home and he was using a tweed deluxe. Which is not the amp I think of when I hear his tones.
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Post by hikari on Oct 8, 2021 21:02:03 GMT -7
Also, the kt45 is supposed to be the hiwatt-ish Z amp. But if you are looking for something lower wattage it’s gonna be too loud.
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Post by pinkie on Oct 25, 2021 12:53:33 GMT -7
Hi guys, thank you all for the replies! Lots of suggestions here!! Among the amps you listed, I found a used Dr Z Galaxie for 750€. It has been modded with master volume on the 2nd channel, send/return, and a Fender spring reverb. Unfortunately there's not a single professional video of this amp with microphone(s) and an audio card, just a couple of Youtube demos recorded with a smartphone. Is this rapresentative of how the amp sound? If I had to define the sound, I would say it falls somewhere between the blackface sound and the tweed sound. I am wrong? How does it take pedals, especially overdrive and fuzzes (bigmuff, powerboost, fuzzrite)?
Here's a couple of pics
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Oct 25, 2021 16:35:38 GMT -7
Here's a video from the Z-Fest where the Galaxie was originally demoed. Not a bad player 😉 Phil got some pretty good sound here. Another good sounding video here And finally, Doc's Ask Me Anything video in case you haven't found it yet. BTW - I have Joe Walsh's Galaxie - love that amp. It's one of the Z amps that got me interested in Doc's great amps! Here it is:
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Post by KeithA on Oct 26, 2021 3:21:45 GMT -7
If I had to define the sound, I would say it falls somewhere between the blackface sound and the tweed sound. I am wrong? How does it take pedals, especially overdrive and fuzzes (bigmuff, powerboost, fuzzrite)?
If I had to give a simple comparison, I’d say channel 1 is Tweed and channel 2 is Tweed/Marshall. Channel 2 has a fair bit of drive when cranked.
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Post by detuned on Oct 26, 2021 6:25:09 GMT -7
First: welcome to the forum!
Next: There are a lot fo great suggestions already, but consider one of the Maz amps. There are a ton of them out there, so they're relatively easy to find, and to my mind, one of the Doc's most versatile amps. Depending on how you have the tone controls set, you can get almost anything in the holy trinity of Fender-Vox-Marshall sounds. I used to call my Maz a reverse-modeling amp: any sound you want, just one at a time.
Depending on how much clean headroom you need, you can choose between the NR (non-reverb - less headroom) and reverb models, and 18 and 38 watts. My Maz 18 NR in a 2x10 combo never let me down in the practice room or onstage. Z watts are LOUD.
Good luck in your tone quest!
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Post by pinkie on Oct 26, 2021 7:10:20 GMT -7
First: welcome to the forum! Next: There are a lot fo great suggestions already, but consider one of the Maz amps. There are a ton of them out there, so they're relatively easy to find, and to my mind, one of the Doc's most versatile amps. Depending on how you have the tone controls set, you can get almost anything in the holy trinity of Fender-Vox-Marshall sounds. I used to call my Maz a reverse-modeling amp: any sound you want, just one at a time. Depending on how much clean headroom you need, you can choose between the NR (non-reverb - less headroom) and reverb models, and 18 and 38 watts. My Maz 18 NR in a 2x10 combo never let me down in the practice room or onstage. Z watts are LOUD. Good luck in your tone quest!
Thanks for the suggestion, I think I would need the Maz38. I have the impression that the Maz18 becomes crunchy quite soon, too soon even for a home-studio use.
Anyway, I think I found a good deal for a used Dr Z Galaxie with a couple of useful mods, and I'll probably go with that. I'll take a look in the Galaxie section of the forum to understand more of this amp.
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Post by pinkie on Oct 26, 2021 7:14:21 GMT -7
If I had to define the sound, I would say it falls somewhere between the blackface sound and the tweed sound. I am wrong? How does it take pedals, especially overdrive and fuzzes (bigmuff, powerboost, fuzzrite)?
If I had to give a simple comparison, I’d say channel 1 is Tweed and channel 2 is Tweed/Marshall. Channel 2 has a fair bit of drive when cranked.
When I think about what a Fender Tweed combo sounds like (the classic 5E3 circuit), I find the Galaxie has a little less mid presence and more body on highs and lows. This is why I said that it sits somewhere between the blackface and the tweed sound, while it's not a true blackface amp like the EZG 50. If this amp takes well pedals, it's my cup of tea, because I'd use it most of the time as a pedal platform.
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Post by KeithA on Oct 26, 2021 12:16:56 GMT -7
If I had to give a simple comparison, I’d say channel 1 is Tweed and channel 2 is Tweed/Marshall. Channel 2 has a fair bit of drive when cranked.
When I think about what a Fender Tweed combo sounds like (the classic 5E3 circuit), I find the Galaxie has a little less mid presence and more body on highs and lows. This is why I said that it sits somewhere between the blackface and the tweed sound, while it's not a true blackface amp like the EZG 50. If this amp takes well pedals, it's my cup of tea, because I'd use it most of the time as a pedal platform.
That's why I said simple comparison. I think you'll find the Galaxie has a little more slam potential than a classic Tweed combo. It's not meant to be a copy of any Tweed, I think, it just has that flavour...and then some. the Triode mode may get you some lower power Tweed sounds.
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Post by pinkie on Oct 26, 2021 12:35:41 GMT -7
When I think about what a Fender Tweed combo sounds like (the classic 5E3 circuit), I find the Galaxie has a little less mid presence and more body on highs and lows. This is why I said that it sits somewhere between the blackface and the tweed sound, while it's not a true blackface amp like the EZG 50. If this amp takes well pedals, it's my cup of tea, because I'd use it most of the time as a pedal platform.
That's why I said simple comparison. I think you'll find the Galaxie has a little more slam potential than a classic Tweed combo. It's not meant to be a copy of any Tweed, I think, it just has that flavour...and then some. the Triode mode may get you some lower power Tweed sounds. Have you ever had or played the Galaxie? Can I get Marshall plexi/JTM45 sounds on the second channel, if boosted with an overdrive or a booster? At home I have a DOD 250, MXR Distortion+, EHX Soul Food.
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Post by KeithA on Oct 27, 2021 1:44:46 GMT -7
That's why I said simple comparison. I think you'll find the Galaxie has a little more slam potential than a classic Tweed combo. It's not meant to be a copy of any Tweed, I think, it just has that flavour...and then some. the Triode mode may get you some lower power Tweed sounds. Have you ever had or played the Galaxie? Can I get Marshall plexi/JTM45 sounds on the second channel, if boosted with an overdrive or a booster? At home I have a DOD 250, MXR Distortion+, EHX Soul Food.
Yes, I tried one years ago but I’m not best to get into those details. There are not many regular Gal users posting in these parts these days. However, one of the long time members still posts from time to time. Here’s his take on the Gal from the days of past. ztalk.proboards.com/thread/12478/best-cg
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Post by detuned on Oct 27, 2021 5:25:31 GMT -7
Thanks for the suggestion, I think I would need the Maz38. I have the impression that the Maz18 becomes crunchy quite soon, too soon even for a home-studio use. Depends on how you have it set. Keep the gain down and the Master up, and it stays clean for quite a while. I used mine in a 9 piece funk band with a strat, and never had a problem staying clean or being heard. IT's much, much louder than you'd think. However! The Gal was a great amp - I really wanted one when they were in production, but I just couldn't swing it at the time. If it's even a little like the Nova (which I have heard in person at Z-Fest '18), you'll love it!
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Post by pinkie on Nov 25, 2021 14:38:13 GMT -7
I come back here after some time to give you the latest news. In the past few weeks I have tested a boutique ptp 50W head. The manufacturer had assured me that it was his reinterpretation of a 60's Fender, a Bandmaster in particular, but playing it I found more of the glorious Two Rock/Dumble tone than of the vintage Fender tone. It was an amp that shines on mid range, no sparkling highs, no thunderous bass like a good Fender should be. After several tests with different guitars and pedals, and a long exchange of messages, I decided to send it back to him. Not bad, he sent it to me as a free trial, so I didn't spend a buck. Dr Z Galazie then becomes my #1 choice again. I understand it's a kind of Tweed amp, with a Tweed/JTM45 inspired drive channel. I don't mind that at all, I like having a dedicated drive channel. Many amps, even very expensive ones, are single channels that do not distort even at volume 10. I just wanted to find out if the Treble and Bass controls work on both channels, or just one of the two. I checked the Dr Z website, it wasn't mentioned.
I would like to be able to make the sound more/less bright on the clean channel, in order to better suit my guitar and pedals. Do you know if it is possible? I post again a picture of the unit I'm interested in. It has been modded with the master volume on 2nd channel, following the post-2010 Dr Z specs, but the Bass and Treble controls are still there. In short: do they work on both channels?
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Post by doctorice on Nov 26, 2021 13:23:10 GMT -7
It has been modded with the master volume on 2nd channel, following the post-2010 Dr Z specs, but the Bass and Treble controls are still there. In short: do they work on both channels?
My Galaxie does not have the master volume, but the tone controls work on both channels. I don't think the addition of the master volume would change that. If you need to check, send an email to repairs@drzamps.com. It may take a couple days to get a reply -- the shop is quite busy -- but they always do respond.
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