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Post by phretbuzz on Mar 4, 2022 21:11:27 GMT -7
So I am looking for a new amp. I currently have a Carvin Legacy, which I do like, and Marshall JCM 2000. I mostly play the Marshall just because I love the LP running through the Marshall. Getting my driving tone at mid to lower volumes is convenient and my JCM 2000 also delivers that, the Legacy not so much. My style is mostly 80's (Van Halen, Skid Row, Ratt, Bon Jovi) or classic rock (Boston, Rush, Skynyrd, Floyd). I'm also mostly a jam player with buddies at home and go out every once in a while when time permits. That being said I pick up the guitar just about every day even if it's playing for 10 to 15 minutes. I've always been intrigued by boutique amps due to the quality behind the work and from what I've read Dr. Z is second to none. However listening to the Dr Z. amps I don't know if they are going to sit well with my style. I've also been looking at an EVH 5150 III but that may be just another Marshall with higher gain. Looking at guitar stores around me I haven't found where I can play a range of Dr. Z amps. Listening to the videos of the Wreck Jr. it sounds like a sweet amp. However I'm not sure how well the amp takes to overdrive or distortion pedals. I'm curious what input people have on my dilemma on what Dr. Z amp would fit my playing style.
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Post by nick0 on Mar 5, 2022 6:32:00 GMT -7
phretbuzz, welcome!! There's a lot of great people and information available here. We'll get you pointed in the right direction. You can't go wrong with a Dr Z amp. Just be warned, they are like potato chips. If you have one, your gonna want more! Couple questions.... Are you after a duel channel amp that's got a clean and a gain sound on tap, are you more of a pedalboard into a cleanish amp kind of player where your drive comes from pedals, or do you gain up your amp AND use pedals? If pedals, what are you running? Do you need an effects loop? Do you play primarily a les paul? What pickups do you prefer? What volume range are you looking for? Gig level to bedroom level, or do you just need something that's going to rock your face off and scare the drummer? Finally, what level of portability do you need? A little grab and go or we talking wall of Marshalls?
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Post by John on Mar 5, 2022 17:36:24 GMT -7
Personally, I would go with something different than a JCM 2000 flavor. Why spend money on duplication of what you already have?
Perhaps something in the not-so-high-gain department.
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Post by nicholas on Mar 5, 2022 19:17:42 GMT -7
I guess it depends on if you are replacing the JCM2000, or adding something different. The Z closest to what you have, and the styles you mentioned is the CAZ 45 for sure. That Marshall you have is pretty good. I had a bunch of those over the years, 50's and 100's. You should check out some of the CAZ demos. You might really like it.
If you're just looking for something different than what you already have, you really cant go wrong with any of them.
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Post by phretbuzz on Mar 5, 2022 20:32:49 GMT -7
Nick0, great questions. The Carvin Legacy has one of the best clean channels I've ever heard. I run a Line6 HD500X through that clean channel and it sounds great. I've had that amp for almost 20 years and believed for a long time give me sweet clean channel and I'll put whatever color I want in front of it. Over the years that has varied but currently it's an HD500X. The drive channel has great distortion, more like an aggressive Fender, but goes from 0 to 100 when turned up to 2. Way to loud to enjoy. The JCM 2000 I can plug directly into and love the tone, don't need anything else. However I do run a TC electronic delay in front as well as a Boss DS1 and\or Tube Screamer to give me a little over the top sometimes. That being said I love the drive channel on the Marshall and probably use it a little more then I should. But it give's me the tone I want when playing classic and hard rock. If I had to say what could it do better it would be maybe a little more definition and clarity on the drive.
You asked what guitars I play. I fall into the camp of Van Halen. I'm not a fan of the thin single coil sound or twangy Tele. I built a three humbucker strat with a Crunch Lab and Fast Tracks. I know a little much, but I love drive and power from what I'm playing that rings through. I also have a Les Paul standard and Jackson that I'll play, depends on the day.
As far as head or cabinet I could go either way. My Legacy is a combo with 2 12s and my Marshall is a head. Last night I actually heard a Dr Z EMS and thought it sounded great. However John makes a good point of should I just go with another JCM 2000 sound or find something different. Ultimately I have to go with an amp that is going to fit what I like to play and how I like to sound. That being the clean of my Legacy, drive of the Marshall but with even more clarity and definition so you hear the different notes and it doesn't sound muddy.
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Post by j4gitr (John) on Mar 6, 2022 7:29:40 GMT -7
As I read your posts it seems like you’re looking for similar, but not the same; maybe an improvement upon what you have. My guess is a CAZ 45 would provide you hours of enjoyment dialing different shades of gain, and then searching for its cleaner side that trips your trigger. I don’t own one, the high gain just isn’t my thing, but I appreciate its ability and am awed by the design. My $.02 is the CAZ should be in your crosshairs, not that you shouldn’t also consider the EMS.
You’ve probably seen this already but just in case.
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Post by bryan0418 on Mar 6, 2022 8:50:26 GMT -7
I echo what the others said about the CAZ. Also maybe have a look at the EMS?
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Post by doctorice on Mar 6, 2022 12:07:09 GMT -7
The CAZ really is an "all gain" amp, meaning it can do low and medium gain sounds in addition to its high-gain abilities. It is very different from a Z Wreck, though.
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Post by telejas on Mar 6, 2022 12:19:01 GMT -7
As much as I LOVE the Z-Wreck Jr. and am quick to recommend it to anyone looking for a great sounding amp (along with the Maz 18 mk.II).... I don't think the Z-Wreck Jr is going to be the amp you're looking for..... Really wish you could try it first, but I know a lot of people don't have access to Dr. Z dealers in their area.
the closest comparison I can point you to, to give you a general idea, would be an AC15 (more towards the Handwired serires). The Z-Wreck sounds like a really great sounding AC15, but a little more angry and with the top end rolled off just a little (Not a whole lot, I tend to like bright amps and this fits the bill for me there). So, if you think an AC15 would come close to working for you, then the Z-Wreck Jr would definitely work!
As for dirt pedals... That's how I mainly use mine in my cover band; here's the pedals I use with mine: > Friedman BE-OD Deluxe > Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe > Cusack Screamer > Wampler Tumnus Deluxe
Here's some of the "dirty" songs/groups we cover: SRV, Motely Crue, Poison, Warrent, Greenday, Blink 182, 38 Special, Loverboy, Bryan Adams, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, Metallica, AC/DC, Def Leppard, and more.... even the occasional Skynyrd song upon request.
Dirt pedals tend to blend in to the Z-Wreck circuit, making them sound a little more "classic" sounding, even modern sounding dirt pedals lean towards sounding more classic.... I think this is because of the strong mid-focus of the Wreck. Also, you're not going to get a good "chugging" sound with the Wreck (but can come close-ish).
It's a GREAT amp, but not for everybody. I'd probably recommend the CAZ-45, as mentioned above.
Now..... The EVH 5150 III you mentioned, is a hot-rodded Marshall, but it's a much more modern take on the Marshall type tone. Channel 1 is a GREAT clean channel, one of the best I've heard in a high gain amp. Channel 2 has enough gain for almost any of your needs, up through hard rock/metal. Channel 3 is just brutal and you probably won't ever get the gain up past half way. The whole amp is much tighter than any Marshall and more "in your face". It was almost "too modern" for my cover band and not really able to get that classic 70s or 80s vibe (does hair rock really, really good though). I ended up using it on the clean channel with my pedalboard, rarely touched the dirt channels, which was really a waste for my needs since I had a couple Z's that were better at doing just that.
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Post by phretbuzz on Mar 6, 2022 17:59:35 GMT -7
Thank you for all the input. This has absolutely helped me to target what I'm looking for. I found a Dr. Z dealer almost two hours from me. I'm going to contact them to find out what they have in stock and take a road trip. It's like when I buy a guitar. I can't buy one online, I need to feel it and hear it.
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Post by nick0 on Mar 7, 2022 10:11:33 GMT -7
There's some great information posted! phretbuzz I think you can go a couple different ways here. You really cannot loose with any of the Dr Z amps. They all sound great. However, it seems you have a pretty specific style/tone in mind. So, I will stick with a couple suggestions that I think will get you there. CAZ - I don't have one but everyone on here that does really seems to like it. Set it up dirty and roll the guitar volume back to clean it up. carrjimi seems to be a heavy user judging by his posts. I'm sure he can expand on it further for you. EMS - I do have one and it has Killer Marshall tones. It can be modified by Don in repairs at Dr Z to have an overall level control. This works great for getting a gained up tone at a more reasonable volume. It does great cleans to 80s hard rock. However, it takes manipulating the controls to get there, no channel switching. MAZ 18 NR mkII - If 18 watts is enough (its a loud 18 watts), the MAZ 18 can cover a lot of ground. It's great clean, it's got great drive as well. I don't think it'll get you as much grind as the CAZ or EMS. You could always goose the front end with a pedal like you do on the Marshall and you'll easily get the added grit that you need. Speaking of pedals, the cleans of the MAZ make for a nice pedal platform as well. Jetta - I honestly don't think the Jetta gets enough love. Before I got one, It's an amp that never looked impressive on paper and never sounded super special in YouTube demos to me. I got my hands on one regardless. Now it's the amp that comes with me! When at home, I play plugged straight into an amp 90% of the time. In a band setting however, I'll need to cover way more ground. So I use pedals. The Jetta is great to play straight in. Great clean tone and you can get some lighter drive out of it that sounds nice. It comes alive with pedals too. It does an amazing job of reproducing exactly what you put into it. The pickups, guitar, pedals, and playing style all come through very nicely. It doesn't color the tone a whole lot. It is extremely articulate. It's got 30 watts that gives you headroom and volume for days. So, take your delay and tube screamer, add a higher gain pedal, and your off to the races. I suggest something like a Wampler Gearbox . Friedman BE OD if you want to get really filthy. Things with a good level of eq control to sculp the driven sound work out nice. This is the most cost effective and lightest amp as well! See what Dr Z posted recently on the Jetta: ztalk.proboards.com/post/968125/threadLet us know what you decide!
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Post by paulorr8179 on Apr 24, 2022 7:30:27 GMT -7
I found this thread to be very helpful. But, I still have questions. I am a basement player who plays by myself except when I play bass in a band. I like to collect and own amps and I am on that never ending tone quest journey.
I have a Carmen Ghia 2x10 which I love and it is a keeper.
I am looking at another Dz Z but I am in analysis paralysis. My head is spinning. Can someone help me sort things out?
I like playing the blues because for me, that's real guitar playing. I do not like metal or that early 2000's sound (think DSL2000's and Mesa Recto's).
I have owned a Maz 18 Jr and a Maz 38 Sr. They were not MKII's and I did not think either had enough grit for me. I tried a Galaxie, but found it to be incredible heavy and too powerful for me. I love the Marshall sound so I thought EMS .... but, that toon will be too loud. Then I saw a YouTube on the Nova. Asked someone about it and was told 30 loud watts; it needs to be goosed up in order to open up.
I cam across a Youtube video from 5-Watt World featuring Trainwreck amps. See: Go to 15 min in and watch the sound Jeff McErlain gets out of a Z-Wreck Jr. I love it. Most of the Z-Wreck Jr. videos I have seen are just okay. Jeff is plugged into an OxBox, and as such I have no idea if the amp needs to be turned up to make it really open up.
My question is, should I stick to a Maz 18 JR but go MKII, or jump to the Z-Wreck Jr? Should I look at a Maz 8?
Best, Paul
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Post by frankie on Apr 26, 2022 11:21:41 GMT -7
If you can hang with a Carmen Ghia, then even with the master volume dimed, the Z Wreck Jr. is quieter as it gives up "the goods" sooner than a Ghia does. That is, it has less clean headroom. While I don't know exactly how high he had the master, Jeff McErlain used an OxBox for the speaker IR simulation because he lives in NYC and that's how he records his amps at home.
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Post by nick0 on Apr 27, 2022 2:56:40 GMT -7
paulorr8179 what are you looking for in a new amp that is different from the Ghia?
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Post by paulorr8179 on Apr 27, 2022 5:15:38 GMT -7
paulorr8179 what are you looking for in a new amp that is different from the Ghia? Let's face it. One of each Dr Z amp. Hard to sum it up: I want Marshall grit, I want singing blues. I want Fender clean. Does all this exist in one amp?
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Post by nick0 on Apr 27, 2022 6:03:43 GMT -7
paulorr8179 what are you looking for in a new amp that is different from the Ghia? Let's face it. One of each Dr Z amp. Hard to sum it up: I want Marshall grit, I want singing blues. I want Fender clean. Does all this exist in one amp? Sounds like the Maz18mkIINR will fit the bill. You can truly get convincing blackface cleans to hard rock British overdrive and everything in between. I have one and you can cover a lot of ground. Fender cleans = Z Plus, Cure, EZG-50. I have each and they are fantastic. Z Plus covers the cleanest territory in a small package and sounds brilliant. I like the Cure for that as well. The Cure sounds a little more gritty blues when gained up a bit in my opinion. EZG-50 is huge and great sounding. With mods it can be run at manageable volume and covers a lot of different Fender tones. Marshall.. go for a Remedy or EMS. Again, i have each. If volume is a concern, a Remedy with a ppimv is a nice amp in the 20 watt setting. EMS is like the EZG in that it's big and loud. Sounds great. Can cover a lot of different Marshall tones. With some of the mods it can be made more usable at lower volumes. Btw, the Ghia can be fitted with a ppimv circuit which opens up access to more tones without blowing the door off your house. Hope this helps.... just get them all!
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Post by paulorr8179 on Apr 27, 2022 18:54:15 GMT -7
Nick 0 -
Yes that is a big help. I think Remedy with master volume is what I want. Now finding one …. Oh boy.
I’ll crank the Ghia and see how it does …
Thanks man, Paul
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