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Post by deacon on Oct 20, 2008 6:46:36 GMT -7
Well, my 4x10 Z-28 combo arrived last week. Do you folks feel the Z-28 is better suited to single coil guitars versus humbuckers? I tried it out for a little while at home using my Eric Johnson Strat, and I immediately got some amazing tones. I could dial it in very quickly so it would clean up and dirty up just by using the EJ's volume knob. Took the Z to band practice Thursday night along with my Gibson ES-137 Classic (stock 490 and 498 humbuckers). As I expected, The settings I had dialed in for my Strat sounded too overdriven w/ my ES-137. I tried briefly noodling around with the tone knobs, and was able to get the amp to stay pretty clean by rolling both back, but I never got quite the fantastic tone I got out of the EJ Strat. Any tips? Thanks.
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Post by ericcongdon on Oct 20, 2008 7:06:37 GMT -7
It's taken some noodling and adjusting, but I am getting some killer tones with my Les Paul now thru it. I usually roll off the bass knob some and nudge up the treble when I switch guitars, seems to clear up the tone.
Of course, I have some good OD & boost pedals and that really helps.
But yes, it does seem to LOVE strats on almost any setting!
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Post by deacon on Oct 20, 2008 7:12:31 GMT -7
Thanks for the feedback. I did pretty much exactly the same thing when I switched to my ES-137. For the Strat, I had volume at 12:00 and both EQ's set at 3:00. I plugged the ES-137 in and left the settings along, but it was obvious that it would be too compressed and overdriven for me with those settings. So I rolled the treble back to about 12:00 and the low back to about 10. I think I might have to roll those back a little more and the volume up a tad to get where I want to be. My two OD pedals are a Fulltone OCD and a Hermida Zendrive. I haven't even tried the amp with any pedals yet. I wanted to spend some time getting a feel for the amp before I added anything to the signal chain. Thanks again. It's taken some noodling and adjusting, but I am getting some killer tones with my Les Paul now thru it. I usually roll off the bass knob some and nudge up the treble when I switch guitars, seems to clear up the tone. Of course, I have some good OD & boost pedals and that really helps. But yes, it does seem to LOVE strats on almost any setting!
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Post by Joey Beverages on Oct 20, 2008 7:23:40 GMT -7
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Post by deacon on Oct 20, 2008 7:30:50 GMT -7
LOL ... I guess I could run my Fuchs ODS 50 for its clean sound and switch to a crunched up Z-28 setting for my OD tone. I read some of that other thread. Saw that you set everything at 3:00 for your humbucker guitar? You're sound must be pretty crunched up then? I didn't start getting at a clean sound til I had the tone knobs rolled back to 12:00 or so.
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Post by Joey Beverages on Oct 20, 2008 7:39:24 GMT -7
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Post by deacon on Oct 20, 2008 7:41:11 GMT -7
Cool Thanks for the advice and the link to that thread! yup, the sound can get nice'n'crunchy. usually, I have the guitar volume at 6 or 7 so there is room to move in terms of how the amp's gonna drive. about the only time I really get away with everything set @ 3:00 is when I've got the house to myself and the neighbours are away ..... or when competing un-mic'd with drums, bass, vox and another guitar
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Post by asattwanger on Oct 20, 2008 9:20:16 GMT -7
Well, my 4x10 Z-28 combo arrived last week. I never got quite the fantastic tone I got out of the EJ Strat. Any tips? Thanks. Here's a tip and I'll try to be as non-sharp as I can be, but honest. Don't try to make something be what it's not. You never gonna get that sweet strat tone from your Es. I have had a long and hard battle with this in the past and now still have to remind myself that my Les paul isn't a POS. It's sound is what it is and it's only good for heavey rock and metal. All the other stuff gets played on the real guitars, the Asats. DAVE
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Post by deacon on Oct 20, 2008 10:54:24 GMT -7
Yeah, I know what you're saying. But I go back and forth on my favorite tone flavor. I'll go for a while only playing my humbucker guitars, then I end up back with my Strats again. I started out playing only Strats back in my younger days (like 35 years ago now). That's kind of the sound that sticks in my head as the reference point, but I love how my 137, or my 335, or my Les Paul sound sometimes too. Well, my 4x10 Z-28 combo arrived last week. I never got quite the fantastic tone I got out of the EJ Strat. Any tips? Thanks. Here's a tip and I'll try to be as non-sharp as I can be, but honest. Don't try to make something be what it's not. You never gonna get that sweet strat tone from your Es. I have had a long and hard battle with this in the past and now still have to remind myself that my Les paul isn't a POS. It's sound is what it is and it's only good for heavey rock and metal. All the other stuff gets played on the real guitars, the Asats. DAVE
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Post by oldwoodak on Oct 20, 2008 12:18:28 GMT -7
I've been getting great tones from some unlikely knob positions. I tried the tone knobs near off, volume to taste then slowly raise the tone one by one. They told me to forget the old standard tone knob setting we grown to be accustom to, so I did and for my 335 and P-90 guitar its working out great.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2008 12:46:47 GMT -7
I'm new to the Z28 world, but I've been messing around with a friends 2x10 Z28 for a week, and I'm getting great tones with a Les Paul and my PRS Singlecut. Not at all dark - especially with the Singlecut. I've tried everything from T & B at 9:00 and the volume from 11:00 to 3:00, to T & B at 2:00 - 3:00 and V at 9:00, and everything in between!
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Post by deacon on Oct 20, 2008 12:54:02 GMT -7
The only thing I noticed when I had the Z-28 set at V = 12:00, B = 3:00, and T = 3:00 and was using my ES-137 was that it broke up pretty quickly. When I rolled the tone knobs back I could get considerably more headroom at louder volumes. I thought the Z-28 seemed to more easily get great tones with my Strat. I'm new to the Z28 world, but I've been messing around with a friends 2x10 Z28 for a week, and I'm getting great tones with a Les Paul and my PRS Singlecut. Not at all dark - especially with the Singlecut. I've tried everything from T & B at 9:00 and the volume from 11:00 to 3:00, to T & B at 2:00 - 3:00 and V at 9:00, and everything in between!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2008 13:25:08 GMT -7
The only thing I noticed when I had the Z-28 set at V = 12:00, B = 3:00, and T = 3:00 and was using my ES-137 was that it broke up pretty quickly. When I rolled the tone knobs back I could get considerably more headroom at louder volumes. I thought the Z-28 seemed to more easily get great tones with my Strat. I agree. Hummers definitely push the amp a lot quicker. I seemed to get a good clean tone with the tone knobs around 9:00 - 10:00 and the volume wherever I need it.
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Post by fishman on Oct 20, 2008 19:29:45 GMT -7
its a strat amp IMHO
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Post by deacon on Oct 21, 2008 6:06:04 GMT -7
Well, it does seem to get along really well with Strats. I'm still messing around with my Gibsons to find my favorites humbucker spots in the Z-28's settings. I'm taking a Strat to practice this week to see how the Z-28/Strat pairing sounding in my band's mix, but I'm just about 100% sure it'll be really great.
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Post by sudsysul on Nov 18, 2008 9:23:49 GMT -7
I've used my Z28 with Strats, Teles and LP's, all to good effect. Indeed, I think this amp, because of it's pure unfettered circuits really showcases the differences between guitars and cabs. It sounds like you also may have an issue with volume and finding the sweet spot, and it is true that a bucker will hit the crunch faster than a single coil.
I love the sweet sounds that humbuckers get with the '28, so I wouldn't say that the amp favors one guitar over another.
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Post by fishman on Nov 18, 2008 19:33:36 GMT -7
I am glad I am not alone in the LP-Strat area. I believe that the 28 is a strat amp all the way, perhaps the best strat amp I have ever played. However, and this is a little nuts, I can get a tele sound out of my LP in the middle position. Not exact, but pretty close to the tele middle position sound. That being said I am close to selling/trading my LP Standard RawPower. it is a great guitar one of the best LP's I have owned, have had like 4. but for whatever reason I keep coming back to the Strats...I guess I just love em;' and the sound is well, a strat. As was stated, the LP sounds like it sounds thats why its a LP. I had a PRS custom 22 10top, birds etc etc....the LP killed it tone wise. so I got rid of the PRS, don;t miss it at all. I am hanging on to the LP because I know I will want annother down the road if I get rid of it. But I haven;t played it in months....it may get an hour in the house and then away for months again...seems a waste of a great guitar but the tones I hear are strat tones......untill I hear someone wailing away on a LP and then I say...that sounds pretty good....and the dilema starts all over again.
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Post by asattwanger on Nov 19, 2008 3:42:51 GMT -7
that's funny because I can get a LP sound out of my ASAT. Of course overwound pickups and maple body doesn't hurt.
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greenz
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Post by greenz on Nov 25, 2008 15:29:55 GMT -7
Neck humbuckers sound awesome through my '28!
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Post by blackice on Nov 27, 2008 11:58:10 GMT -7
I've been wanting a Strat after hearing one on this You tube Video. Man hearing that I will own A Strat. I hope soon. ;D
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Post by jordanbunte on Nov 28, 2008 20:47:58 GMT -7
I've been wanting a Strat after hearing one on this You tube Video. Man hearing that I will own A Strat. I hope soon. ;D In response to the video...... I have no words.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2008 17:03:59 GMT -7
Ooops . . . edited by the Department of Redundancy Department.
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Post by zane on Dec 8, 2008 7:37:23 GMT -7
LP thru a 2x12 cab w/blues
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Post by mangoman on Dec 10, 2008 19:13:22 GMT -7
Just placed my order for a 2x12 w blues. DARN YOU!!!!
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Dec 20, 2008 6:47:30 GMT -7
The video reminds me of a group of senior citizen Deadheads at a Dead concert.
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Post by bustertheboy on Dec 21, 2008 13:28:45 GMT -7
re the original question of strat vs humbuckers - on Friday night I did a gig with the ghia with both types of guitars and last night one with the Z28 and both guitars (also a lap steel on both nights). Both amps handle both types of guitars very well. The biggest difference is that when you are starting with a dirty rhythm sound the 28 has louder solo sounds when kicking in an OCD and is a bit more dynamic. Having said that, a 12BH7 in v2 of the Ghia makes a big change to headroom and dynamics as do either a 5V4 rectifier or a Bendix 6106 brett
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2009 9:15:32 GMT -7
I took my Z28 to practice last night, and based on this thread, I thought I'd try my Strat instead of something with dual hummers. I cranked up the T & B to 3:00, plugged into a 2x12 cab, and was blown away by the tone. Full and fat. Really put a smile on my face.
The thing that struck me was that I could set the tone knobs just about anywhere and it sounded great. While both types of guitars sound good through this amp, I do prefer humbuckers through a pair of 10's as opposed to 12's - at least the 12's I currently have.
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Post by Joey Beverages on Jan 24, 2009 11:10:04 GMT -7
I took my Z28 to practice last night, and based on this thread, I thought I'd try my Strat instead of something with dual hummers. I cranked up the T & B to 3:00, plugged into a 2x12 cab, and was blown away by the tone. Full and fat. Really put a smile on my face.The thing that struck me was that I could set the tone knobs just about anywhere and it sounded great. While both types of guitars sound good through this amp, I do prefer humbuckers through a pair of 10's as opposed to 12's - at least the 12's I currently have. Thanks for the update. I have moved to an almost exclusively 'bucker based collection of geetars. And, love to use the '28 with 210 ..... (think maybe I've mentioned that once or twice before - more like every post I've done regards to the Z-28) btw, were you running any pedals or just goin' straight from guitar to amp? cheers always, eh Joel
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2009 15:35:14 GMT -7
I had the amp set with a touch of breakup, and rolled my guitar volume down to clean it up. I had a Fulltone FatBoost 2 for a touch of drive, and an OCD for heavy OD. I could get away with only the OCD if I had to, but where's the fun in that!
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fixed
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Post by fixed on Feb 18, 2009 14:22:36 GMT -7
I've always found it's easier to get my strat to sound good through it than a humbucking guitar
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