Post by gtrshow on May 21, 2009 5:31:36 GMT -7
This could just as easily be cross-posted to the Route 66 forum, but here goes...
I took delivery of my (used) Z-28 head last week. I anxiously plugged in, fired up, and was completely underwhelmed - not at all what I was expecting. Sensing (and hoping) that something must be amiss, it occured to me to check the bias. Sure enough, the amp was biased way cold. I installed a relatively fresh set of matched NOS 6V6's and, following some timely advice from the fine folks in the Ask the Experts forum, went to work. Properly biased, the amp opened up considerably but, despite the improvement, the magic just wasn't there. Resigned to the fact that the Z-28 simply wasn't my cup o' tea, I set it aside for eventual resale.
In the meantime, I raided the Z-28 for the NOS Brimar EF86 it came with and installed it in my newly acquired Route 66 (it was a big Z week!). While the 66 sounded much better to my ear, its response was similar to the 28. This came as no great surprise given the similarities in design. As I spent time with the 66 over the next couple of days, I was bothered by a honkiness in the mids and a hard, flat response that couldn't be dialed out - just like the Z-28. I was beginning to think I'd made TWO mistakes. Based on all the love for the 66, I resolved to give it one last shot to see if I could bond with it. I hadn't noticed before, but there was a fair bit of residual noise coming from the amp. Suspecting the EF86, I pulled it and popped in another. Not only did the noise disappear, but the amp sounded MUCH better. Hmmm... So I'm thinking if the EF86 from the Z-28 was the culprit, then that amp deserves another chance too.
With a fresh EF86 in place, the Z-28 REALLY came to life. It was like an entirely different amp. I gave both amps a pretty good run yesterday and now understand what all the fuss is about, especially the Z-28. The base tone of the Route 66 is a little dark for my taste, but a touch of pedal EQ resolves that nicely. There is much exploring left to be done, and time will tell whether or not it's a keeper. The tones emanating from the Z-28, OTOH, were shockingly good. I was running my G&L semi-hollow Bluesboy into it, then out to a THD 2x12 loaded with a G12H30 and Emi C-Rex. With volume at noon and bass/treble at 3:00, all manner of clean and dirty tones were at my fingertips. Pedals? Yes, please! ;D I think what surprised me most was the level of clean headroom on tap. I've owned many a 2x6V6 amp, but never one that could stay this clean (and tight!) at volume. Truly remarkable.
It's early days yet, and the honeymoon is just underway, but this little amp has a shot to muscle its way into the #1 slot in my lineup. In retrospect, with the cold bias and failing EF86, it's no wonder the previous owner decided to dump it! And to think I was so close to making the same mistake...
I took delivery of my (used) Z-28 head last week. I anxiously plugged in, fired up, and was completely underwhelmed - not at all what I was expecting. Sensing (and hoping) that something must be amiss, it occured to me to check the bias. Sure enough, the amp was biased way cold. I installed a relatively fresh set of matched NOS 6V6's and, following some timely advice from the fine folks in the Ask the Experts forum, went to work. Properly biased, the amp opened up considerably but, despite the improvement, the magic just wasn't there. Resigned to the fact that the Z-28 simply wasn't my cup o' tea, I set it aside for eventual resale.
In the meantime, I raided the Z-28 for the NOS Brimar EF86 it came with and installed it in my newly acquired Route 66 (it was a big Z week!). While the 66 sounded much better to my ear, its response was similar to the 28. This came as no great surprise given the similarities in design. As I spent time with the 66 over the next couple of days, I was bothered by a honkiness in the mids and a hard, flat response that couldn't be dialed out - just like the Z-28. I was beginning to think I'd made TWO mistakes. Based on all the love for the 66, I resolved to give it one last shot to see if I could bond with it. I hadn't noticed before, but there was a fair bit of residual noise coming from the amp. Suspecting the EF86, I pulled it and popped in another. Not only did the noise disappear, but the amp sounded MUCH better. Hmmm... So I'm thinking if the EF86 from the Z-28 was the culprit, then that amp deserves another chance too.
With a fresh EF86 in place, the Z-28 REALLY came to life. It was like an entirely different amp. I gave both amps a pretty good run yesterday and now understand what all the fuss is about, especially the Z-28. The base tone of the Route 66 is a little dark for my taste, but a touch of pedal EQ resolves that nicely. There is much exploring left to be done, and time will tell whether or not it's a keeper. The tones emanating from the Z-28, OTOH, were shockingly good. I was running my G&L semi-hollow Bluesboy into it, then out to a THD 2x12 loaded with a G12H30 and Emi C-Rex. With volume at noon and bass/treble at 3:00, all manner of clean and dirty tones were at my fingertips. Pedals? Yes, please! ;D I think what surprised me most was the level of clean headroom on tap. I've owned many a 2x6V6 amp, but never one that could stay this clean (and tight!) at volume. Truly remarkable.
It's early days yet, and the honeymoon is just underway, but this little amp has a shot to muscle its way into the #1 slot in my lineup. In retrospect, with the cold bias and failing EF86, it's no wonder the previous owner decided to dump it! And to think I was so close to making the same mistake...