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Post by thelastrebel on Mar 18, 2008 14:07:20 GMT -7
The Jr.'s really caught my eye, but I've got a few fairly basic questions about it. I want that Brad Paisley edge of break-up clean. Something like Ticks or Easy Money. For OD, I want something very nasty and dirty, ABB, ZZ Top, or The Derek Trucks Band is what I'm thinking.
Is it better to get the combo or head/cab? If head/cab is better, what cab should I get and with what speakers?
Thanks in advance, TLR
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Post by James on Mar 18, 2008 14:21:04 GMT -7
The Jr.'s really caught my eye, but I've got a few fairly basic questions about it. I want that Brad Paisley edge of break-up clean. Something like Ticks or Easy Money. For OD, I want something very nasty and dirty, ABB, ZZ Top, or The Derek Trucks Band is what I'm thinking. Is it better to get the combo or head/cab? If head/cab is better, what cab should I get and with what speakers? Thanks in advance, TLR The RXjr would fit your needs perfectly. The only decision would be JR or regular strength depending on how loud you wanna get. My vote always goes for heads vs combos. Nice to have the freedom to mix/match diff cabs and speakers easily. You could get a z best and be in tone heaven!
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Post by ruger9 on Mar 18, 2008 14:56:01 GMT -7
"Ticks" is exactly the tone I've been going for, and while the RxJR is a great amp, it's not getting me there. CLOSE, but I've been playing a long time, and am a "tone snob", so I guess I hear things other people don't. Or maybe I'm just insane. Who knows.
I am seriously contemplating selling the RxJR for a Stangray (or possibly a Ghia).
Don't get me wrong- brad's whole TWW album was done with an RXES- and it sounds great. But there's some kind of low-mids or something I want to hear that isn't happening. I'm running it thru a 1x12 cab Eminence Red Fang, I'm waiting until I have a Gold to try it with before I sell. (Almost enough money for a cab now.)
The RxJR is a very "hi-fi" sounding amp to me. It doesn't quite have the growl that "Ticks" has... that low-mids thing. Alot of people here love the RxJR, and will disagree with me, this is just what I've found in the last 6 months of owning this amp. As I said, I am going to try it with a Gold before I sell, but after that, it's going to be Stang, Ghia, or possibly Mazerati.
I could be wrong, but I think alot of Brad's new album was recorded with either his '62 Vox (which the Stang was designed from) or the Stang. He didn't have the Trainwrecks or Z-Wrecks yet (Doc correct me if I'm wrong.)
BTW- the tones on Easy Money were ALL a Mini-Z. !!!!!
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Post by ruger9 on Mar 18, 2008 15:09:55 GMT -7
I just noticed you are a nube here. Don't pay attention to me. Seriously... ANY of the EL84-powered Z's will get you to Paisleyville. They are all great amps. Just slightly different flavors. I don't mean to confuse your decision with my tone snob rantings. But if you want that Paisley tone AND nasty OD FROM THE AMP, the RxES/RxJR is the only way to go. Just decide on how much volume you need.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 18, 2008 17:50:24 GMT -7
All you have to do is refer back to the Doc's interview in Tonequest Report to see what is the most important piece of hardware in the tone equation - speakers. I don't know what Brad was using in the studio, but I bet it's not the same as what you're using. And, I bet the Gold is closer - you'll see when you try it. When I switched from my ceramics to alnicos, I was astonished. When I switched from my Webers to my Celestions, I was floored. Huge, HUGE difference in tone, especially in the mids and top end. As I said, you'll see what I mean when you try yours.
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Post by Curt on Mar 18, 2008 18:06:56 GMT -7
Without 'being Brad' you'll likely never achieve "that" tone.
Be you, you may get that tone on some abstract gear, it is SO much more than the amp, and pardon me here Steve, speaker. I feel it is down to how one holds and attackes the Guitar, how and where one picks, etc.
You could play Brads exact studio rig from "Ticks" and not have "that" tone in my opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it by the way.
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Post by Curt on Mar 18, 2008 18:07:57 GMT -7
Oh, BTW, the RXJr is a great amp.
Funny thing is....mine does not sound "Ticky" at all.
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Mar 18, 2008 19:34:12 GMT -7
Brad's used everything Z makes (plus a Bruno, Vibro King, Victoria, and others) at various times and it always sounds like Brad. Great players have "their" sound through everything they play. Having said that, I own a....er.... few Dr. Z EL84 amps, and the ones I hear "Brad" in are the RxES, RxJr, Stangray, and Maz Jr. The more percussive ones sound like Brad to me, especially with a Tele with Fralins, and played through an open back cab with either Celestion Blues or Golds.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 18, 2008 19:55:16 GMT -7
Yep. Same discussion takes place three times a day about SRV's tones over on TGP, and yet I've still not heard any new recordings and thought, "Holy cow, that sounds JUST LIKE SRV!" Still fun to try though - and buy more gear and try some more, and get closer still, and buy some more gear and try some more, and sell off a couple things so you can repeat one more time.
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Post by Curt on Mar 18, 2008 19:59:08 GMT -7
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
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Post by thelastrebel on Mar 18, 2008 20:54:36 GMT -7
One more tone I'd like to add, to make this even more complicated. I'd like to get something like a Nels Cline or Brian Setzer type clean. I know they're different, but they're very similar to me.
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Post by T-R☼CK ♫ on Mar 18, 2008 21:04:12 GMT -7
Galaxie bro..... Can't beat that 6L6 tone man....
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Post by bluzman on Mar 18, 2008 21:13:18 GMT -7
With the RxJrS you can get the ABB/Derek thing with a LP and even a Tele. This amp has PLENTY of bottom and top too. A Z-Best to me, turns it into a monster, which can be good or bad. I just started using a 1x12 convertible with a Gold and it be really nice! The Gold has under 10 hours on it, but it sounds great... can't wait until it breaks in. The amp does the chick'n pick'n and can scream the blues. It easily does clean too. It's plenty loud for me but some may need more power depending on the size of the places it's used. I love it!
Good luck!
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Post by thelastrebel on Mar 18, 2008 21:30:54 GMT -7
Galaxie bro..... Can't beat that 6L6 tone man.... Way more power than I need, but those Gal's sound awesome. I'm also considering the Z-28 for those rockabilly tones.
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Post by ruger9 on Mar 19, 2008 4:26:05 GMT -7
Even tho it's an EL84 amp (Brian Setzer uses a Bassman with 6L6's), I can get a GREAT Setzer tone out of my RxJR with my Ibanez Artcore Hollowbody (Gretsch-alike).
Going back to your original post, you mention getting "nasty OD" from the amp... the RxJR (or maybe the MazJR) is the only way to go. The Galaxie will do it (I've heard), but don't know about getting Brad's tones from 6L6's. The MazGT has amazing OD tones, but again... not much clean headroom for Brad's tones.
I was in your boat a couple years ago... looking for an amp that does everything reasonably well. I found that amp, (it's not a Z), but have since decided I want a few amps that do "their thing" exceptionally well. So right now, I have one amp for my cleaner/Brad/Setzer tones, and one for my rocking tones. And I'm not done yet! You may come to this conclusion yourself on down the line.
But for now... a "jack of all trades"...with OD FROM THE AMP? RxJR or MazJR. No question.
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Post by Fiestared69 on Mar 19, 2008 8:01:25 GMT -7
Without 'being Brad' you'll likely never achieve "that" tone. Be you, you may get that tone on some abstract gear, it is SO much more than the amp, and pardon me here Steve, speaker. I feel it is down to how one holds and attackes the Guitar, how and where one picks, etc. You could play Brads exact studio rig from "Ticks" and not have "that" tone in my opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it by the way. I know Brad Paisley uses Z-wrecks,bruno's, Rxes, ect. but you have to keep in mind all of these amps have been tweeked to Brads specifications they are not stock amps!!!! That being said I feel the older Mazerati with some nice Nos tubes and Weber Alnico Blue+ Celestion Greenback gets really close to that sound without a whole lot of tweeking. On the Time Well Wasted tour when Brad was here he was still using an older style Mazerati and he told me he felt that the Mazerati was still his tone. I feel that the Stangray, a very nice amp , if you took the EF86 out of the curcuit it would sound more like the Mazerati with a cut control . The Rxjr is a great amp ,Iwould like to have another, but it didn't get quite the tone I was looking for . Great blues amp though!
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Post by craigmccle on Mar 19, 2008 10:21:47 GMT -7
I'm sorry to hijack this thread, but I have started wondering if the Jr. is right for me and thought I'd just ask here rather than making a new thread on the same topic.
I am not a country player. I admire Brad (and even go to Belmont University where he went), but that is not my style. I play essentially blues and worship music. I'm looking for an amp that will do a John Mayer kind of tone with a strat, but also get the chime and AC-30 quality of the Ray.
I currently use my Maz Jr. to do both of these, but I'm not sure that it's the best amp for either one of those styles. I absolutely LOVE the Ray and would love to get those sounds out of a smaller box. I love the fact that the Ray is so Hi-fi in it's sound. The difference in it and my Maz is like VHS and Blueray to me. I read somewhere that the RxJr could be described as Hi-fi.
I was also wondering what speaker choice might be best for these sounds. I've got a 1x12 convertible with Gold and 2x12 open back with blues. Would I need something else to get those blues tones?
I would probably have to sell my Maz Jr. to get the RxJr and that's a sad thing for me. I want to make sure I'm making the right move before I get rid of my first Z. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
~Craig
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 19, 2008 11:42:07 GMT -7
Wow, before you sell the Maz, try some different speakers. I play a ton of blues based stuff here, and although I love my Alnico Golds, and my Alnico Blues, I settled on a Tone Tubby for the Maz because it helps me get closer to the Strat tones I expect for blues music. But for Brad Paisley type tones, you need the Alnico Gold or Alnico Blues in my view. Nothing else is going to sound like that. And I would think you could get pretty close to those tones with the Maz Jr or the RXJr. Come to think of it, both of those amps are quite good at blues tones too, so there you are.
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Post by craigmccle on Mar 19, 2008 12:03:01 GMT -7
I'm slowly learning about speakers. Would the Tone Tubby get me closer to Fender Territory with the Maz? That's kind of what I'm going for with the Maz as well as a lower powered Stangray (thus I have the Gold).
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 19, 2008 13:23:55 GMT -7
I'm slowly learning about speakers. Would the Tone Tubby get me closer to Fender Territory with the Maz? That's kind of what I'm going for with the Maz as well as a lower powered Stangray (thus I have the Gold). Well I think it does. Before I got to my Tone Tubby, I tried my Weber Alnico California (JBL D-120 replacement). Now THAT got me nearly all the way to Fender territory. But I like the top end on the Tone Tubby better. The Alnico California is pretty close to the sound of the Tone Tubby though - but bigger bottom and more Fender top end. I think the Alnico California could get to where I want to be if I had ordered it configured a little different - maybe different center dome, maybe more or less doping, or whatever all options Ted offers on it. All that said, I'm really digging the Tone Tubby in the Maz Jr.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Mar 19, 2008 20:27:34 GMT -7
I'm slowly learning about speakers. Would the Tone Tubby get me closer to Fender Territory with the Maz? That's kind of what I'm going for with the Maz as well as a lower powered Stangray (thus I have the Gold). For what you're talking about, I think you would LOVE an alnico tone tubby with your Maz Jr... ( might be the best speaker I've heard for the Maz Jr/ SR) and then have the Gold or Blues for the more paisley type/ voxy stuff... perfect and very versatile. I also really Like a Weber Silver bell for more of a bluesy/ marshally sound out of both the Maz SR and Jr... sounds GREAT with the RX ES and RX JS too! The Silver bell is all around my favorite speaker, with the alnico Tubby close behind it for the Maz JR and SR. But I'd try to find an RX JS to play ( Rock Block maybe?) before you get rid of the Maz Jr just to be on the safe side, and really either amp should be able to do what you're needing/ talking about with a speaker swap... the RX JS can probably get a little more of that hi-fi ness your talking about though... be nice to have both. .02
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Post by fastfrets (Bob) on Mar 19, 2008 23:08:35 GMT -7
I'm new here but I have been lurking for quite a while. I have been making trips to play Zs as there are no dealer near me. I have played the Stang Ray with a gold and was really blown away--I loved that amp but had anchored on the idea of a Maz 18 NR head. I tried a 2-10 Maz 18 combo following the Stang Ray and I like it a lot--but I love the Stang.
I wanted to try an RX Jr but when I went to True Tone in Santa Monica, they didn't have one. They did have everything else, however. I spent time playing an RX ES combo and Maz 18s and a 38. I really liked the percussiveness and immediacy of the RX ES and although I like the Maz's, i felt I bonded with the RX ES.
At this point, I think the great cleans of the Stang Ray and the RX are telling me that this is the direction I should go. I really don't need the volume of a Stang Ray or RX ES so I am considering an RX Jr even though I have yet to play one. I am thinking RX Jr with a J Designs cab with a C gold. But something from a practicality perspective tells me I should be getting a Maz 18.
Not being able to play the amps first is making this difficult, Is the RX Jr the amp for me?
BTW, thanks to all the participants on the forum who have given such great reviews, clips, and advice.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Mar 19, 2008 23:34:47 GMT -7
Hey, Fast frets... welcome to the forum. If any of you guy's like that RX ES sound... and you'd rather have that sound in more of the Maz Jr/ ghia type volume level... Then I think the RX JS would be just what you'd like... It's why we BEGGED doc to make it and it really nails the RX ES sound in a smaller package. One of the reasons why I wanted to go to the first Z-fest, and the MAIN thing I wanted to play was the Prototype RX JS I had heard about, but that we thought Doc was never gonna release cause he said he wasn't happy with it and that he was afraid it was too close to the Maz Jr NR. So... when I saw an opening at Z-fest and no one was a' looking... I sneakily plugged my strat into a Maz JR NR head through a Z-best and played it first, purposefully... Well, then my plan was coming together... so then I plugged my strat into that prototype RX JS head ( that Eric at Willcutts now has and we can all thank for being the main one REALLY pushing Doc to make this amp) and ran it through the same Z-best cab I had just played the Maz Jr NR through and I was like... this is just like my RX ES... except not nearly as loud. wow! really sweet sound. Exactly what I thought it could be. Then I think Doc thought I was kidding when I told him I'd buy the prototype, and I told him there ain't nothing wrong with that amp and it IS different than the Maz JR... So anyway, I think I basically told him I'd buy one and encouraged him to consider making them, as I thought a lot of guys would like and buy this amp. Now, I don't know how much influence or what small role if any, I had to play... but I like to think I helped in my own little way, if even only to encourage Doc to think about or even just consider making it. And I'm just Glad he did. It's where the Happy dance came from... I mean I LOVE my Maz JR... and I love the RX JS too. Would be really hard to choose between them but i could be happy with either one really. FWIW for reference, I don't think the RX JS is quite as loud as the MAZ JR, but to ME the way I set both, they are very very close volume wise... and with the right speaker choice ( more efficient or less efficient) for more or less volume you can cover a lot of ground. I think you're on the right track in that an RX JS with either a Z 1x12 convertible cab/ or a J-design with a Gold would be Perrrfect!! Jason
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 20, 2008 5:38:14 GMT -7
+1 - what Jason said. RX Jr and RXES sound virtually identical, but the Jr. is way lower volume. It would be hard for me to choose betwen the RX Jr. and the Maz Jr. as well. I'm glad I don't have to make that choice...
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Post by James on Mar 20, 2008 7:36:55 GMT -7
+1 - what Jason said. RX Jr and RXES sound virtually identical, but the Jr. is way lower volume. It would be hard for me to choose betwen the RX Jr. and the Maz Jr. as well. I'm glad I don't have to make that choice... Me too!
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Post by JebusCrebus on Mar 20, 2008 8:23:42 GMT -7
Thanks Jason and Steve,
Now I really got GAS for a RX Jr, I just ordered a 1X12 Cab for my Maz Jr head, and I'm already looking at something else.
Thanks for the great reviews, great job by both of you, it's really helped make my decision easier, now if I could only pay for one ...
[glow=limegreen,2,300]-J-[/glow]
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Post by jammergreg on Mar 20, 2008 8:47:00 GMT -7
If you want more mids out of a RX Jr. Try it with a V30 and you sould get the mids our of the Rx Jr or Sr. It a journey not a destination. I'll eventually have a Maz 18 head so I'll have the best of both worlds. The V30 is the midrange adder to both amps
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Post by fastfrets (Bob) on Mar 21, 2008 16:27:19 GMT -7
Hey, Fast frets... welcome to the forum. I think you're on the right track in that an RX JS with either a Z 1x12 convertible cab/ or a J-design with a Gold would be Perrrfect!! Jason Thanks for the detailed information, Jason. Also Kudos and K for influencing the Doc to offer the RX Jr. Based on what you (and others) have said, I'm going for the RX Jr with a Gold. Now I need to locate a red or tan head! Thanks again. Bob
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Post by thelastrebel on Mar 21, 2008 22:22:51 GMT -7
One more question. How do ya'll think the Jr. stacks up against a similar amp, like a Matchless Lightning, or Bad Cat Hot Cat 15?
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Post by Fiestared69 on Mar 22, 2008 7:36:07 GMT -7
One more question. How do ya'll think the Jr. stacks up against a similar amp, like a Matchless Lightning, or Bad Cat Hot Cat 15? For the money, the Rxjr wins hands down!!!!!
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