Zac
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Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 18, 2005 16:30:04 GMT -7
Myles, Yes, I also played last years ACM awards show with Brad and Alison Kraus. The "mud" shirt was an Opry performance where Brad was using my blonde ES RX head and cab. I had to use one of the Opry's twins so Brad could use my amp! Zac
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Zac
Full Member
Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 18, 2005 16:43:59 GMT -7
Hey Zac, the Dr. mentioned something about a new overdrive pedal Brad was using...do tell. Its a Zendrive...You can hear it at the end of Alcohol. Zac
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Post by Bill on Aug 18, 2005 17:57:29 GMT -7
"Its a Zendrive...You can hear it at the end of Alcohol. Zac"
This is great...one more karma point for Zac!
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Post by JChance on Aug 18, 2005 21:07:04 GMT -7
Hey, Zac....Haven't had a chance to meet you yet....I'm sure we'll cross paths at some point! Just curious what you guys are doing in terms of mics and placements. I'm always tinkering, and of course usually end up with a 57 an inch or two off the grill, between the dust cap and cone edge.....blah blah....LOL When I was working with Gretchen, the FOH guy liked to use KSM 32's on my amps. Mixed results for me....Hated it at first and put a 57 on them just for *my* ear mix! Then I got used to the 32's over the course of the tour. Listening to the board mixes, I understood why *they* liked them....Lots of sparkly-ness that FOH guys seem to love....Just didn't have the balls of a 57 for my tastes. Just wonderin' what you guys have been happy with with your Z's.
Jayson
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Zac
Full Member
Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 19, 2005 10:22:08 GMT -7
Jayson, He is currently using a ksm 44, a ksm27 and a 57. These are positioned near the outermost edge of the speakers, right on the grill. The 44 and 27 on the RX ES, and the 57 on the Maz 38 cab. Before using the shure mics, we used to use senheiser 421's. Zac
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Post by myles on Aug 19, 2005 10:28:28 GMT -7
Myles, Yes, I also played last years ACM awards show with Brad and Alison Kraus. The "mud" shirt was an Opry performance where Brad was using my blonde ES RX head and cab. I had to use one of the Opry's twins so Brad could use my amp! Zac okay .... I knew I have seen you more than once on TV. and .... your blonde ES is the amp that I used as the example for you and I to pick on Brad! I still think yours is prettier even after his comments. The Opry Twin reverb .... when will somebody retube that amp and set the bias! Do I have to come all the way to Nashville!?
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Post by myles on Aug 19, 2005 10:30:33 GMT -7
Hey, Zac....Haven't had a chance to meet you yet....I'm sure we'll cross paths at some point! Just curious what you guys are doing in terms of mics and placements. I'm always tinkering, and of course usually end up with a 57 an inch or two off the grill, between the dust cap and cone edge.....blah blah....LOL When I was working with Gretchen, the FOH guy liked to use KSM 32's on my amps. Mixed results for me....Hated it at first and put a 57 on them just for *my* ear mix! Then I got used to the 32's over the course of the tour. Listening to the board mixes, I understood why *they* liked them....Lots of sparkly-ness that FOH guys seem to love....Just didn't have the balls of a 57 for my tastes. Just wonderin' what you guys have been happy with with your Z's. Jayson Jayson - sorry to jump in here but on the Loggins & Messina tour we use over $20,000 of Shure KSM-32's on the stage. They are everywhere and the sound is spectacular. Large diaphram condensor mics ... the only way to go!
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Post by myles on Aug 19, 2005 10:32:15 GMT -7
Zac
I am not sure if it will change your life but I just bumped your "Karma" on this forum by one!
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Post by JChance on Aug 19, 2005 10:47:05 GMT -7
Hey, Myles....I'm not doubting the KSM 32 at all, from a "full spectrum" perpective. They are wonderful mic's. And as I said, once I got used to hearing *ALL* of those frequencies of the guitar in my ear buds, I was fine. And I've also come to a *minor* conclusion that they are probably better live mics for guitar because of the options they give the FOH folks.
But in the studio.....LOL Seems like every session I've done lately, they've had the trusty old 57 on my amp, along with something else in the room to capture some space.
And a little off the subject, are you familiar with "matched mics?" Apparently, they make these 27's and 32's in "matched pairs," which I thought was a little odd. I ask becuase, with Gretchen, the audio folks had one of these "matched pairs" for my amps. Had one on my MAZ Jr, and one on the '66 Deluxe I had at the time. They had a black casing instead of the standard silver. I would think you'd want ALL of the mics of a certain brand/model to be matched!! LOL
Wonder what makes them "matched....."
And yeah, the Twins at the Opry can be brutal. Luckily, the last couple of times I've done it, they had a Matchless Lightning 15 comhbo with a single 12. In the same tonal ballaprk as the MAZ jr, so I was happy with it, and MUCH prefer it to the Twins or, even worse, Special 130's and Nashville 400's they have!! Only problem with the Matchless is that they had it on a tilted amp stand pointed right at my face....YIKES!
JC
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Zac
Full Member
Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 19, 2005 11:23:55 GMT -7
Myles, Some karma back at ya. Zac
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Post by jzguitar on Aug 19, 2005 16:58:08 GMT -7
I'll have to agree on the Opry amps! To compound the problem you've got about 30 seconds to get your stuff set up before they come back on the air. Every time I played there with Jo Dee I dreaded that part. I seem to remember that they took direct outs from the amps, too! Ouch.
jz
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Post by DirectionalShear on Aug 20, 2005 0:18:22 GMT -7
And yeah, the Twins at the Opry can be brutal. JC I am starting to realize (and certainly be humbled by) the what the level of membership on this board actually is in professional terms. I am currently only a bedroom player who after 20 years (of playing every day with passion) wants to move up a step and get out and play modest gigs locally and have made the investment in a Carmen Ghia to reach that goal (another six weeks 'til I get her). I think that I have a very touch sensitive style and a Z amp is right for me. Anyways it is a privilege to be in a forum with some folks who are gigging at the touring level and hope that folks will be open to answering the odd question here and there from the passionate hobbyists out here. May I ask what the issue is with the Opry Twins? My only guess they are just too dern loud on stage. Patrick, London, Ontario, Canada
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Zac
Full Member
Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 20, 2005 6:55:45 GMT -7
I'll let Jayson give his opinion, but here is mine. The Opry twins are good amps, they just aren't a Z. They have not been tweaked out at all, and twins are big loud amps without alot of mids. Z amps have lots of sweet mids. They are not bad amps, they just don't bring a smile to your face like your favorite Z does. Zac
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Post by JChance on Aug 20, 2005 13:35:01 GMT -7
I guess I should have clarified what I said a little more....LOL There is no doubt that a good Twin Reverb that's properly tuned up is one of the all time greats. I've had a few, and love them if they are *right.* I said the Opry amps can be brutal, just as many backline Twins can be, because you just don't know what you are going to get. If they aren't serviced, they will sound like poo (as will any amp.) True story- I got a '66 Twin on a fly date once, and it sounded so bad that I ended up opting for a Peavey Classic 50 they had, to do the show. Not that the Classics aren't useable, because they certainly are....But just goes to show that even a "real" blackface amp can sound bad if it isn't taken care of.
JC
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Post by teleking36 on Aug 21, 2005 16:08:11 GMT -7
Zac,
Great to see you on the forum! I had a question that I'm sure you could help me answer.
I'm stuck between getting a Mazerati and an ES. Considering that both you and Brad use (or have used at some time) both of these amps, is there any advice you can give me as to which Z would be better for me? I play all different kinds of music, but specifically I base my sound off of roots-rock/alt-country sounds like Counting Crows, Ryan Adams, Wilco, Wallflowers, etc. I do like to dig into some classic rock as well, like Led Zeppelin, etc. Is there a more versatile amp? Myles or anyone else please feel free to chime in!!
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Post by paisleytele on Aug 21, 2005 21:15:27 GMT -7
wow zac you really know your stuff!!!! can i ask a few questions ?
what track is the mini z on ?
on the tracxk she's everything what pickups is he using (front and middle) or bridge. and is that effect a tube screamer ?
what was james burtons gear setup on cornography ?
thank you very much zac
also i would like to say hi to myles and dr.z this is a great board you got here. thank you guys
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Zac
Full Member
Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 22, 2005 13:25:06 GMT -7
Zac, I'm stuck between getting a Mazerati and an ES. I have a Mazerati 2-12 combo with celestion blues, and my ES RX is head with a 2-12 open back cab with webers. A 50 watt silver alnico, and a 50 watt blue alnico. Mazerati: If you are looking for chime, I would get the Mazerati with celestion blues. I got my Mazerati before I went to work for Brad to replace a reissue ac30 that was continually breaking down. When I played my first gig with it, the steel player described it as a Matchless DC30, but with creamy highs. In other words not harsh. A great amp that I bought sight unseen from Willicut guitars back in 2002. I had never even seen let alone played through a Z amp at this point. I was hooked. This is a great all around amp for playing any type of "roots" music. I would describe this amp with celestion blues as DC 30 meets AC30 meets 18 watt Marshall. ES RX: It has more low end and compression. Its a more robust sounding amp to me. It also has more knobs for those that like to twiddle. The boost is a great feature, and the two different inputs are nice to have. This is also a louder amp than the Mazerati. In fact, we had to stop using celestion blues because we were blowing them left and right with this amp. I am a little bit jaded towards the ES RX because I was in on the development of it. I would describe this amp as AC30 meets Dumble. You can plug a 335 into this amp and get Robben Ford tones. With all of that, what speakers, and what kind of cabinet you plug it into make all the difference in the world. I prefer open back cabinets and alnico speakers, and tend to play tele and strat style instruments. I hope this helps in your decision making process. Zac
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Zac
Full Member
Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 22, 2005 13:35:40 GMT -7
wow zac you really know your stuff!!!! can i ask a few questions ? what track is the mini z on ? on the tracxk she's everything what pickups is he using (front and middle) or bridge. and is that effect a tube screamer ? what was james burtons gear setup on cornography ? thank you very much zac also i would like to say hi to myles and dr.z this is a great board you got here. thank you guys The mini z was actually used on almost every track. Most notable is its use as the distorted "Power chord" tracks on "The World." The mini z allowed us to have more guitar parts without them getting in the way of each other. The mini z was used both clean and distorted. She's everything is a stock 61 Strat on the middle pickup through a cranked ES RX. James Burton used his signature model tele through a 64 Fender deluxe reverb. This amp was on loan from Justin Niebank, who had let Albert Lee use the amp the week before. Zac
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Post by paisleytele on Aug 22, 2005 18:21:24 GMT -7
thanks for the input zac !
i'm trying to learn guitar.i can play alot of brads solos but i can keep rythem and i dont know scales. so what would bethe best way to learn guitar do you have any tips other than practice practice practice.... any books or cd's or dvd or online programs.. thank you
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Zac
Full Member
Posts: 135
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Post by Zac on Aug 22, 2005 20:43:42 GMT -7
Take lessons, practice, play with other people. Another good way to practice is to play along with cd's. Zac
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Aug 23, 2005 6:35:52 GMT -7
Pick up one of those Behringer V-amps. It's a portable amp modeler like the Line 6 POD, but it's only $100 and it has an auxilliary input for hooking up a cd player so you can play along with tunes. Granted you won't find anything close to our beloved Z amp tones in there, but it's PERFECT for practicing and really puts your rythym work on the fast track.
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Post by bluzsteel on Aug 23, 2005 7:04:06 GMT -7
thanks for the input zac ! i'm trying to learn guitar.i can play alot of brads solos but i can keep rythem and i dont know scales. so what would bethe best way to learn guitar do you have any tips other than practice practice practice.... any books or cd's or dvd or online programs.. thank you best tip is to play with other people, get together with some other guys and trade solos into the wee hours
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Aug 23, 2005 8:57:46 GMT -7
Agreed. There is no better practice than jamming with other musicians. When you have to listen and think about what's coming next, it's a totally different playing context than jamming with a recording. Jamming with a recording is a good way to build a foundation for launching into the jamming context though, as it helps you to form some ideas about what works where before you get thrown into the mix.
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Post by Curt on Aug 23, 2005 12:04:05 GMT -7
Yes sir, you can woodshed forever (and should) but when you start playing with live folks it's like the light comes on..you will grow VERY much faster no matter what level your at......and take it down a notch and leave that BP stuff alone awhile !!! LOL
Enjoy and keep it fun, learn from the mistakes and be humble.
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Post by Lefty on Aug 23, 2005 12:32:56 GMT -7
My playing has gotten to the point I get tired of hearing my self noodle after 10 minutes. I love to play with other people!!
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Post by myles on Aug 25, 2005 20:15:52 GMT -7
Hey, Myles....I'm not doubting the KSM 32 at all, from a "full spectrum" perpective. They are wonderful mic's. And as I said, once I got used to hearing *ALL* of those frequencies of the guitar in my ear buds, I was fine. And I've also come to a *minor* conclusion that they are probably better live mics for guitar because of the options they give the FOH folks. But in the studio.....LOL Seems like every session I've done lately, they've had the trusty old 57 on my amp, along with something else in the room to capture some space. And a little off the subject, are you familiar with "matched mics?" Apparently, they make these 27's and 32's in "matched pairs," which I thought was a little odd. I ask becuase, with Gretchen, the audio folks had one of these "matched pairs" for my amps. Had one on my MAZ Jr, and one on the '66 Deluxe I had at the time. They had a black casing instead of the standard silver. I would think you'd want ALL of the mics of a certain brand/model to be matched!! LOL Wonder what makes them "matched....." And yeah, the Twins at the Opry can be brutal. Luckily, the last couple of times I've done it, they had a Matchless Lightning 15 comhbo with a single 12. In the same tonal ballaprk as the MAZ jr, so I was happy with it, and MUCH prefer it to the Twins or, even worse, Special 130's and Nashville 400's they have!! Only problem with the Matchless is that they had it on a tilted amp stand pointed right at my face....YIKES! JC JC .... on the matched mic issue.... We do this at GT all the time. Consecutive serial number mics are matched to each other at no additional cost. They are generally held to +/- 1.5dB or maybe +/-1.0dB across the audio spectrum. Matched mics all the time would be nice but it is hard, especially with the capsules at 3 microns or less for the great mics, and then on the tube mics getting the tubes to be exactly the same or really close is hard.
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Post by paisleytele on Aug 28, 2005 10:04:49 GMT -7
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Post by Brian on Sept 16, 2005 20:58:07 GMT -7
Great forum here, guys. I play for a group called One Day Less, I just wanted to say thanks to Zac. You answered some questions on the Z's at a Paisley show about a year ago for me and I now have an ES RX that I use along with a couple of Crooks(thanks for that tip, also), an SG, and a PRS Custom 22.
By the way, I love the bottom end and compression on the ES. Plus, it's got a great mid response. I use it for modern rock, so don't anyone go thinking that these amps are just for country or blues. As far as speakers, I'm just using a stock Marshall 1960 A cab. Using a BB Preamp for distortion makes that thing sing.
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Post by pata320 on Sept 18, 2005 8:48:12 GMT -7
Hey Zac, I have a few questions about Brad Paisley's use of amps on the new album. As i am stuck on a rx es and a maz 38 sr. I was just wondering on what songs he uses what amp. I know you've said he uses the rx es cranked on she's everything for the solo. Mostly, what amp is he using for "the world" in the rhythm and solo sections because i'm pretty sure it's different amps. I can tell if it's a mini z but on songs like waitin' on a woman or alcohol or easy money, i just don't know what amp he is getting his clean tones from when he is not wailin' on a solo If ya know it would be a big help. Thank you much!!!
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Post by kerryprotools on Sept 29, 2005 4:23:26 GMT -7
Hey Zac, I really dig BP's dark crunchy tone -just like the promo soundbyte. I'm running a ES combo w/2 GB's wired for 4 ohms. Could one possibly replicate the frequency curve of his Webers through "creative compression" like a multiband w/ a high cut. Iv'e already swapped all the tubes for NOS Telefunkens(BIG difference) and I use a Hermida Zendrive to dirty things up. Alfonso tells me BP is also using the wonderful Zen also. I don't want to "copy" his tone-just capture the essence of that dark compressed grit. Also using the Keely comp. Any suggestions? Thanks Kerryprotools
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