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Post by takendal on Jan 7, 2023 21:32:50 GMT -7
Hey guys,
Been wanting a DR. Z for quite a while... sold off a few heads recently, and think I'm going to bite the bullet and re-invest that money with a Maz. I thought I'd drop in and ask a few questions before I made the final decision, though...
The first is one I have seen a few times in the search history... please don't crusify me, but I'm going to re-hash it just because I didn't really feel I found what I was looking for in those threads... and that is over the NR vs. reverb options.
There are people that hate reverb, people who use it when they need it, and people who never turn it off... and I'm in that last category. I can play a gig without it, but I can't stand to practice without it.. Maybe I'm damaged, but that's how it is... But my question is what do I lose by getting the Reverb? Such a big deal was made in the original line about how much better the overdrive sound was on the NR, an how it had a different growl to it. The only one I've been able to play is a combo with Reverb, and with the boost switch you can really get a nice thick overdrive sound out of it. Unfortunately I have nothing to compare it against, as I don't have a NR near me to try and I haven't seen any great side by side comparisons on youtube that really demonstrate the difference in tone between the two. I'm leaning towards getting the reverb, but I don't want to miss out on something by doing so... so specifically I guess I'm asking how big of a difference there is between the two tones in the MKii version of the amp?
The second question is on the visuals and sourcing... I want to get the Z best cab with the "zw" cloth (It's what's on the Sweetwater version of the cab... like a black-grey-white fade thing).. I've seen a matching Maz 18 head on Humbucker, but they only have the NR in that style. Likewise, the SW heads are all blacked out with a black Z and black knobs (which I also think is cool, but I really like the look of that cloth). Some on reverb are all white, or red with a salt & pepper grill. Any tips or tricks on how to go about finding the visual combo I like? Or at least a matching head and cab? Do certain sellers just get different styles? I'm sure to many it sounds silly to care that much, but this is a kind of my Corvette... if I'm going to make the investment, I really want to get all those options so I'm getting the "dream" when it shows up. Anyway, any wisdom there would also be appreciated.
I know that was a long post... my apologies. Thanks for any input. -T
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Post by j4gitr (John) on Jan 7, 2023 23:08:52 GMT -7
If you’ve found the aesthetics you prefer, go for it. If it doesn’t have reverb, then add a pedal either in the loop or in front. I had a Maz w/ reverb. I liked it My Z-Plus has reverb, I like it. I have a Therapy and Carmen Ghia that don’t have reverb. I like them both. If I need reverb, I add it with a pedal (more often a bit of delay.) I know it’s your proverbial “Corvette.” But in this case don’t over think it. Welcome to the forum.
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Post by John on Jan 8, 2023 4:04:51 GMT -7
Based on your avatar/picture, I would be concerned you need to age a few years to be able to move a Z-best. ha ha
If you like reverb...get reverb. The NR is supposed to have slightly more gain. But if your reverb model needs more gain, turn up the gain knob. Problem solved.
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Post by GuitarZ on Jan 8, 2023 8:22:17 GMT -7
I'm a non-reverb guitar player. I think it's because the Marshall that I used for 20+ years didn't have it. However, when I was buying my Maz Jr, I decided to go for reverb for a possible change. I ended up not using the reverb. If I had to do it again, I'd probably go NR because I do like gain. But, with my AirBrake, I can crank the Maz Jr up to get the gain I like. It delivers a great tone! Also, I'm not anti-reverb. I hear too many good tones out there with reverb. So, in your case, I'd rock the reverb since it's you. One last thing is I'm probably going to put together another three piece band. After some experimentation, I realized reverb can be a great tool to help fill the space. So, maybe I will be a reverb player.
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Post by Seńor Verde on Jan 8, 2023 10:09:06 GMT -7
I like reverb, a LOT. However, many of my amps don't have it. So, I went on a quest to find what I feel is the best reverb pedal. Catalinbread Talisman is on my pedalboard and when I play through an amp that has reverb, I use the Talisman. Even if it's my Maz 18 w/reverb.
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Post by lowbudget on Jan 8, 2023 12:45:17 GMT -7
There are thousands of members here and probably that many different answers to your question. If you were buying a used MK I head I’d suggest thinking about an NR and a Flint. Can’t go wrong. I currently have about 4 Maz Jrs. both MK Is and MKIIs and I personally find I prefer a pedal with the MK Is. The MK I NR just seems happier, quieter and easier to maintain than the Reverb model. Less circuit complexity and the reverb will be more pronounced with a pedal. But if you’re buying new as it sounds you’ll be getting a MK II and all that is fixed. You’d be GTG on either.
Having said that I have a MK I reverb that sounds great and I love it.
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Post by nicholas on Jan 8, 2023 13:24:34 GMT -7
I've had both the verb and NR models of the original MAZ amps. There was definitely a difference between the two, and it was talked about quite a bit here.
I'll ask a question that might help the original poster as it seems he's interested in a new MkII.
Is there still the same difference beteen the Reverb and NR MAZ amps now with the new MKII models? With the new master volume and variable boost, and whatever circuit tweaks that were implemented along the years? I'm asking because I don't know. I was thinking with all tue new tweaks, particularly the new master, they might be more similar.
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Jan 8, 2023 13:58:16 GMT -7
My Maz 18 mkii was NR. I used a pedal reverb and it was great. When I got my Maz 38 mkii it had reverb. I had given up on amp reverb a long time ago. But the reverb on the mkii converted me back. It’s special.
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Jan 8, 2023 16:11:23 GMT -7
You also might think about that ZBest cab depending on how you’ll play. That’s a long throw cab (it’s ported) for stages and some think it suffers if you’re in a smaller space - a Z 1x12 or back line 2x12 may be better.
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Post by takendal on Jan 8, 2023 23:05:50 GMT -7
Based on your avatar/picture, I would be concerned you need to age a few years to be able to move a Z-best. ha ha If you like reverb...get reverb. The NR is supposed to have slightly more gain. But if your reverb model needs more gain, turn up the gain knob. Problem solved. Hah! That's my son with his first guitar... I had got out of playing after having kids, but he asked for one for Christmas a couple years ago and that pulled me back in. He's 8 now, and is banging out Guns and Roses and AC/DC like a champ.. He'll probably get better use out of whatever I end up buying than I will eventually.
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Post by takendal on Jan 8, 2023 23:11:19 GMT -7
I like reverb, a LOT. However, many of my amps don't have it. So, I went on a quest to find what I feel is the best reverb pedal. Catalinbread Talisman is on my pedalboard and when I play through an amp that has reverb, I use the Talisman. Even if it's my Maz 18 w/reverb. I'm honestly not that different.. When I play out, I always use a pedal... easier to control, I guess. When I'm at the house, though, I tend to be lazy. Both of the heads I sold are heads that don't have reverb, and I sold them because when I'm hat home I never play them because I'm too lazy to move the pedal around. I guess I should just invest in more reverb pedals so I don't have to move them around... heh.
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Post by takendal on Jan 8, 2023 23:15:43 GMT -7
I've had both the verb and NR models of the original MAZ amps. There was definitely a difference between the two, and it was talked about quite a bit here. I'll ask a question that might help the original poster as it seems he's interested in a new MkII. Is there still the same difference beteen the Reverb and NR MAZ amps now with the new MKII models? With the new master volume and variable boost, and whatever circuit tweaks that were implemented along the years? I'm asking because I don't know. I was thinking with all tue new tweaks, particularly the new master, they might be more similar. Yeah, that's exactly the question I was trying to ask... It sounds like from what lowbudget is saying that there is a less of a difference, but that's exactly what what I was trying to get at when I wrote my wordy post.
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Post by takendal on Jan 8, 2023 23:21:40 GMT -7
You also might think about that ZBest cab depending on how you’ll play. That’s a long throw cab (it’s ported) for stages and some think it suffers if you’re in a smaller space - a Z 1x12 or back line 2x12 may be better. Good to know. I heard one years ago and loved it so much I swapped out the speakers in my closed-back cab to the same combo and I have loved it.. How much of that's mental is anyone's guess, obviously... But my fascination with the cab was from that original experience playing someone elses years ago. My music room is only 13'x14' or so, so it might sound horrible there. I wonder if bar venues are too small to take advantage?
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Post by John on Jan 9, 2023 4:41:57 GMT -7
You also might think about that ZBest cab depending on how you’ll play. That’s a long throw cab (it’s ported) for stages and some think it suffers if you’re in a smaller space - a Z 1x12 or back line 2x12 may be better.
Yeah, playing mostly at home, I don't see the need for a Z-best. If you play small stages, a Z-best can still be difficult, as it's directional and long throw. I think an open back 1x12 would be much better. More sonic options. Moving it around the room...especially experimenting inch by inch up against a wall, will create different tone. And effect your ability to hear yourself if you're playing with a band.
I had a Z-best. Great sounding cabinet. But most of the stages I played at the time were so small that I'm literally standing right next to it. So the sound would blast past my legs, but my ears would have difficulty hearing. When I got to play a larger stage, it was fantastic. It got to the point that I was rarely using it, so I sold it and used the 'small club amp' for everything.
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Jan 9, 2023 5:13:42 GMT -7
You also might think about that ZBest cab depending on how you’ll play. That’s a long throw cab (it’s ported) for stages and some think it suffers if you’re in a smaller space - a Z 1x12 or back line 2x12 may be better. Good to know. I heard one years ago and loved it so much I swapped out the speakers in my closed-back cab to the same combo and I have loved it.. How much of that's mental is anyone's guess, obviously... But my fascination with the cab was from that original experience playing someone elses years ago. My music room is only 13'x14' or so, so it might sound horrible there. I wonder if bar venues are too small to take advantage? I did the same … used the ZBest speaker configuration in a vertical slant 2x12 and it was great. But that was a non-ported cab so it worked in any space.
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Post by telejas on Jan 12, 2023 7:36:38 GMT -7
I didn't read all the reply's, but the main difference in the NR vs Reverb models is, the NR is a tad bit more aggressive. In other words, it has a little more grit on tap and maybe compresses just a little bit more.
If you were playing both amps sitting next to each other, using an A/B switch.... you *might* be able to hear the difference. But if you were to play one amp, then wait 10 minutes and play the other, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between them.
I fall in the category of: I don't need reverb, but I do find there are times a little verb is nice to have. I more or less use it like I would an overdrive pedal or chorus, just an effect to fit the song. In those cases, I prefer a good old spring reverb over some digital reverb pedal. I do find the Mk.II version of the Maz 18 to have one of the nicest sounding reverbs out there. The older, Mk.I model, isn't known for it's great reverb and can be a bit noisy when you turn it up.. The Mk.II fixed all those issues.
As for color scheme....I get it, 110%!
A cheap and nasty way to see how they'd look together, is (if you have a PC) use the Windows snippet tool and something like a word processor or photo editing software. Do some image searching on Google or a musicians website, snip what you want and paste the images together. It's not perfect, but it'll work.
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Post by takendal on Jan 19, 2023 0:09:26 GMT -7
Thanks Telejas, that's exactly the insight I was looking for. I was looking again tonight at a few sites, and thought I'd check back and see if there were any more responses. Based on some vendor feedback, it sounds like there should be some reverb heads available in Feb, so I'm thinking I'm going to hold out till then with my un-natural affinity for the 'verb.
Ironically I did exactly what you suggested with the copy/crop/compose thing like two days after I posted originally. I actually think I'm leaning towards the blackout look after that exercise. Glad to hear I'm not alone in my visual obsessions.
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Post by frankie on Jan 19, 2023 11:22:31 GMT -7
Thanks Telejas, that's exactly the insight I was looking for. I was looking again tonight at a few sites, and thought I'd check back and see if there were any more responses. Based on some vendor feedback, it sounds like there should be some reverb heads available in Feb, so I'm thinking I'm going to hold out till then with my un-natural affinity for the 'verb. Ironically I did exactly what you suggested with the copy/crop/compose thing like two days after I posted originally. I actually think I'm leaning towards the blackout look after that exercise. Glad to hear I'm not alone in my visual obsessions. If you are waiting on a Reverb head to come in stock, there's certainly some either on order from Sweetwater or Humbucker. If you get a hold of a sales rep there, you can ask for whatever grill cloth (that we stock) you want on the head to match the cabinet (at a small upcharge). We build the amps first, then grill the cabs, and if something isn't in stock currently and in our build queue, a call to a dealer who will then make the order with us can get you what you are looking for.
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Post by takendal on Feb 2, 2023 18:27:31 GMT -7
Frankie,
That's awesome!! I had no idea. In the end I picked up the blacked out version from Sweetwater because they had two come in stock. A part of me wishes they had told me that when I asked when they'd be getting more in, but I really like the blackout look so it's hard to be too upset. I feel like you guys should advertise that somehow, though... because that is an awesome selling point.
By the way, my new Maz18 is absolutely amazing! It's so crazy how good it feels to play on. I love the dynamic response, obviously... but the tones you get, and just how meaningful all of the knobs are compared to my more "modern" amps is crazy. Truly special stuff you guys are building over there.
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Post by adam on Feb 2, 2023 19:15:54 GMT -7
Frankie, Truly special stuff you guys are building over there. Ditto.
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