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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 12:38:22 GMT -7
Gentlemen,
Thanks for welcoming me to the forum. I have only been logging onto this sight for a couple of weeks now, and already I have obtained a lot of useful information. I also notice that it seems to be a friendly place, which I appreciate, as I am interested in learning and sharing, not arguing. I wish all music forums were like this one.
Kirk
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 8:27:07 GMT -7
The Remedy is a great amp! You will want an attenuator for it if you want the good stuff. You can choose the Airbrake or Brake Lite Standalone (or even the original Brake Lite) - they are all ok with the Remedy. What is the configuration of your new Bent Top Custom? Does it have a humbucker in the bridge? That's how mine is set up and it rocks - especially with the Remedy! Welcome to Z-Talk! Thanks Steve. Regarding the Bent Top, yes it has a humbucker in the bridge. The pickup configuration is BSmith's PU design, a Blown 59, for the neck PU, a Blown 59 for the bridge PU, and a 60s Fat single coil for the middle PU. Based on the discussions of the Blown 59 on the Grosh forum, I am confident it will give me what I want from a humbucker. What I am also hoping is that coil tapping the neck or bridge Blown 59 and setting the selector switch on positions 2 or 4, which combine the neck PU with the middle or the bridge PU with the middle, respectively, will give me the same scratchy sound that I get on my Strat when the selector is on position 2 or 4. If this works, I will have the best of both a humbucker config and a three single coil config. We will see. I made a wood change that will also affect the tone. Instead of maple over mahogany, my Bent Top will be koa over mahogany. This should give me more mids in my tone, which I like. I know there are times when scooped mids are in order, but generally that is not my cup of tea. Was it Tom Petty who sang, "The waiting is the hardest part." The waiting and anticipation is at a pretty high level here, with both the Remedy and the Bent Top pending. Again, thanks for your helpful posts here and on the Grosh forum. Kirk
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Post by cpa2guitar on Sept 18, 2010 3:23:37 GMT -7
I recently purchased a Bogner 20th Anniversary Shiva that I love, and have been looking for another amp to use with it in conjunction with an A/B footswitch I acquired from Lava Cable. I own a Maz 18, but because my two guitars - a '73 Les Paul Recording model with low impedence pickups and a 1980 maple neck Strat with the original pickups - have low output signals, I have not been able to achieve good rock or blues tone with the Maz 18, especially with the Strat.
Since I am waiting on a Grosh Bent Top that will be delivered in November, I posted my problem on the Grosh discussion forum seeking advice. One of the forum moderators, a Mr. Smith who also works at Grosh, adviced that by using the master volume I was only overdriving the preamp, and that the tone I was seeking required putting the amp's power tubes to work. He suggested I try an attenuator before giving up on the Maz 18. To that end, I ordered a Brake Lite from Fat Sound Guitars. What a revelation! Diming the Maz 18 preamp volume, setting the master volume at 3:00, and the Brake Lite on its lowest setting produced a huge difference in the amount of break up, or overdrive, or whatever it's called these days; bottom line is that I did not yet have the tone I am seeking, but using the Brake Lite moved me hard in the right direction.
So I called Fat Sound Guitars back to discuss this with Mike Gallo, and ended up trading my Maz 18 head for a Remedy head (I kept my Z-Best cab). I chose the Remedy based on what I have read on this forum, the advice from Fat Sound Guitars based on my description of the tone I am chasing, and some postings on the Grosh forum by a Dr Z enthusist with the handle "benttop." Don't know if he is the same "benttop" that posts on this forum or not.
Now I am waiting on both the Remedy and the Bent Top, and I feel like a kid waiting on Christmas. Given the scheduling, it appears they may both arrive in November.
If anyone is looking for a used Maz 18 head, mine will arrive at Fat Sound Guitars next Wednesday. Shortly after I purchased the Maz 18 a few years ago, life caught up with me and I ended up never gigging with it or any other amp over the last six years. I had to switch to fingerstyle acoustic since it became apparent that playing in a band was just not going to be possible for awhile. I've had fun with the acoustics, but I am ready to add some eccletic electric music to the mix, and I think our lives have settled down enough to permit it. The Remedy should see action, as I will be putting a band together with my youngest daughter. Getting back to the Maz 18, the point is this: From the time I bought the amp until I shipped it to Fat Sounds today, it stayed in my den. It has the blonde tolex, a maple front panel, and is in pristine condition. I hope it finds a good home.
My thanks to all who post their advice and share their experiences on this forum, as it helped me make a more informed decision regarding Dr. Z amps. Now that I have experienced a Dr Z with an attenuator, I have a feeling there is yet another Dr Z in my near future.
Kirk
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