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Post by patfont on Dec 13, 2005 6:57:03 GMT -7
Hi, Found a used RX from 1996, has a signed by Dr Z paper inside the tube cage on the Chassis. Looks a little dusty inside and tubes look original. Tolex is lifting on top around the cage, also midrange knob feels different then all the other knobs. Midrange knob has a nice smooth weighted feel to it all other knobs have no resisance at all, wondering if some pots were changed or if this is how it is supposed to be. Unit sounds and works fine/ They want 1,000.00 firm. Is this a decent deal? BTW it is Red. Thanks in advance for your input on this one. Pat
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Post by laurencer83 on Dec 13, 2005 23:53:02 GMT -7
is this on the net anywhere? i'd like to take a look just to see it.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Dec 14, 2005 0:13:47 GMT -7
If it's a 96......just be aware that it's almost 10 years old......and I would personally send one back to the DR if it was that old.... you may have a really good amp tech look at it before you buy it or just have him give it a once over after you buy it ...they may have serviced it latley or sent it back to the DR themselves but I have sent an amp back to the DR and it was worth it..... ......may cost you around $100.00 shipping and all, for him to go through it...re-tube and check things out....maybe they would give it to you for $900.00 if you put it to em that way but it's NOT a bad deal at 1000.00 if it hasn't been altered/ abused...great amp...!! ;D I have a 03 original strength RX and love it....bought it used for around the same price..... all the knobs should have that "resistance feel" to them.... mine all feel that way.... probably needs new tubes. and as new as mine is and well taken care of as it is, it's a little dusty in some places down in the grooves of the tolex in a few places....nothing a good wipe down couldn't fix... good luck, but with any used gear purchase....your taken some chance....BUT if your willin to send it to the DR...he MADE IT....he can get back to workin order! ;D
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Post by patfont on Dec 14, 2005 4:45:39 GMT -7
Believe it or not it is at my local Guitar Center, and they originally had it marker for 1800.00. I asked for the manager and told him a new one was 1499. He then disappeared for about 10 minutes and came out and told me the lowest he could go was 1000.00. I am in South Jersey if you want the location of the store let me know. Pat
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Post by billyguitar on Dec 14, 2005 5:56:39 GMT -7
If you buy it and ship it back to Z you can save some grief and just send back the chassis. If it was me I'd ask to take it home overnight so you can hear it in a familiar space, crank it up, turn it backdown, see if breaks up nice, cleans up nice and doesn't have any weird sounds. If it sounds okay it probably is. You would probably want new tubes since you don't know how much time is on them. Tubes don't need to be new to sound good but they do need to not have thousands of hours on them. If the tolex is not scarred and the back of the speakers aren't scratched up from pedals being thrown back there then it probably has mostly just sat and not abused. If you do have to do any work on it I'd pass because for a little more than the amp and repairs you could buy a new one. Maybe you'd prefer another model or configuration anyway? An old design like this is sometimes best left to a collector.
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Post by patfont on Dec 14, 2005 6:24:27 GMT -7
Thanks all, looks like we may just save up a little more and buy a new ES unless something very nice comes along. Pat
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Post by Laroosco!! on Dec 14, 2005 9:41:10 GMT -7
An old design like this is sometimes best left to a collector. LOL!! It's not a 53 Deluxe, it a Prescription.
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Post by billyguitar on Dec 14, 2005 11:51:20 GMT -7
By collector I meant someone who wants an example of all of the different circuits that Z uses, not a collector who expects a dollar increase. That's what I used to when I bought the old tweed Fenders. They're too expensive now for me. I just wanted the different sounding circuits. I never cared about the dollar value increasing. I still don't. I never thought an amp I bought for $75 or $100 would someday be worth $3,000 to $5,000. I'm more of an accidental collector or accumulator. So in that way an out of production design could be interesting to a weirdo like me!
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Post by Laroosco!! on Dec 14, 2005 21:13:31 GMT -7
I still believe that the original Rx is one of the Dr's best creations.
I regret selling my Rx more than any other I've owned
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Dec 14, 2005 22:50:10 GMT -7
......But I'm glad you did Laroosco.... ;D.....BTW I played our RX last night at practice....through my z-best 2x12 (airbreak) and my Maz 38 through the THD 2x12....(in low input w/ master dimed and volume used as non-master...) AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhAWSOME!!!! I'm gonna thank you for sellin it every time you mention it..........HA HA (unless it really bothers you that much then I won't mention it anymore)....and i'm really not rubbing it in...I really am glad you sold it to me...it has been a MAJOR part of my sound ever sense.
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Post by Laroosco!! on Dec 18, 2005 21:03:34 GMT -7
No worries!! I'll trade ya for a Z28 ;D......no?
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Dec 18, 2005 22:19:32 GMT -7
Ummmmmmmmmmm.... Nah....couldn't do without one RX...... Waitin on the RX ES to come in..... ;D
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Post by groovergeorge on Jan 8, 2006 4:41:03 GMT -7
Since you guys seemed to be very knowledgable having owned and gigged both the rx and new rx es I was wondering what the major difference in tone is between them? What cabs/speakers you were using at the time as well as what your main guitar you played through them was.
I own a Maz 38 invasion which has a quad of 84's and a gz34 rectifier and does a good british retro rock thing. My styles range from clean Mark Knopfleresque tones to Tom petty/Steve Miller/Steve Earl with a bit of prickly dirty blues thrown in and finishing at stuff like AC/DC and ZZ top. I have no need for huge amounts of high gain and love to play heaps of jangly chords and droning type lead passages. I considered buying a z28 as a second gigging amp but now I am having second thoughts as it seemed more suited to a Les Paul and sounds like it might not be all that suitable for my styles. The route 66 seemes like a killer of an amp with Strat/Tele or Les Paul but just could be a little too much amp so I am in a bit of a dilema. I really want a non master volume amp.So which one would be your pick, a mazerati/prescription rx/ orrx es and why?
"KEEP ON ROCKIN IN THE FREE WORLD"
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Post by billyguitar on Jan 8, 2006 9:50:16 GMT -7
By 'too much amp" do you mean volume? If so, and RX ES is louder so that might not be what you want. But if you want jangly it would be hard to beat a Maz or RX. A Maz can act like a non-master amp, just crank the master all the way up. There's no tone compromise that I can perceive, and turning the master down a bit let's you adjust to different rooms better. The master works great on the Maz amps.
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Post by groovergeorge on Jan 8, 2006 17:35:53 GMT -7
Yes volume is one factor but that "whole wall of sound" thing is another. I have heard that the 66' is a very big and full sounding amp.For harder electric blues and early British invasion stuff I suspect it would sound killer, I'm just not sure how versatile its going to be, pulling country rock licks and anything that requires a bright clear Fender type tone. I used to own an old vibrolux( 2 x 6l6gc's) and that was a beautiful clean amp that broke up nicely when I used to hit the front end of it with a modded ts9. I don't own that anymore but still love that sound. I bought a Maz invasion not long ago which is very nice as well, just a little different (4 x el84's). I mainly use my strat and tele although recently have purchased a p90 equiped Gibson LP TV Special which has both a great raucous blues tone and a sweet jazz type tone on the front pickup. I really want a second Dr Z for a backup and possibly a replacement to my Maz invasion. I am not a real knob tweaker so I am big on the minimalistic approach. Non master volume amps seemed to be the go as far as a pure rich signal path is concerned. I considered the Carman Ghia but after listening to it's tones it just wasn't me,the z28 sounded a little muddy and very southern rock,suited more toward a humbucker Les Paul. I really love the tone on my Maz,so I guess Im just really looking for more of the same thing in either a Prescription rx/rx es or Mazerati!
I'd love to be able to actually try these things out before purchase but since I live on the east coast of Australia about 450 miles from Sydney and the only way of buying a Z is on Ebay or direct from a dealer like Fat sound it can be a little costly buying something and not liking it after paying about $350 for shipping and a few hundred more for import taxes etc etc etc.......... I bought the Maz I own on sound bytes i'd heard on the DR Z site and reviews I'd read on harmony central but don't want to rely too much on those things as I'm sure most of you readers are aware has everything from a Peavey rage 158 and Gorilla whatever model getting scores of 10-10-10 and more 10's.
"KEEP ON ROCKIN IN THE FREE WORLD"
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Post by billyguitar on Jan 8, 2006 18:43:54 GMT -7
Peavys and Gorillas getting 10s! What do they give Esteban's amp, an 11!!!
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Jan 8, 2006 19:59:20 GMT -7
"Peavys and Gorillas getting 10s! What do they give Esteban's amp, an 11!!!".......the russian judge gives him an 11 but ONLY because of his "PIMPIN LID!!" "....... rx and new rx es I was wondering what the major difference in tone is between them? "If your looking for DIFFERENCE in tone....I'll probably get blasted for this but, in MY experience with BOTH......theres not MUCH difference between the RX and the RXES, they BOTH have THIS SOUND and a presence about the tone I LOVE and now feel I almost can't do without..... Both the RX and RX ES are very percussive!! ( I actually asked DR Z about this when the RX ES 1st came out before I had a chance to play one, I was looking for something a little different tone wise and HE told me there wasn't that much difference between them either and suggested a Mazerati or a Maz 38.....Played one, He was right and I got a Maz 38!! and now I'm getting a RX ES too but gonna keep the old RX ) but that being said, IMO the OLD RX is a little more compressed, less articulate, and Has a little more SAG ( but with THAT SOUND they have) than the RX ES and I love all of these things about this amp .....and the RX ES is EXTREMELY articulate yet at the same time very complex, little less compressed sounding (really OPEN) with bloom to the notes, and just has THAT SOUND the RX's have (i'm not gonna say dumble but) might be the best amp of the DR Z line I've played so far (...stingray???)...and I LOVE my OLD RX AND my MAZ 38 SR so thats saying something.... the Mazerati to me is very clean sounding to me, with that jangle... would think it was a double carmen ghia but it's not (would love it if it was which is why I can't wait to hear the STINGRAY)...the ghia gets dirty as you crank it and with the Mazerati you don't really quite get that... to me it's alot cleaner with a little bloom and jangle.... route 66 is really clean and SMOOTH...... takes pedals extremely well....to me the most 6L6 amp the DR makes other than maybe the Z-28 that sounds really american(probably cause of the kt 66's) it's NOT overdrive like you would think...it's more a thick TONE as opposed to a lot of break-up or the el-84 jangle... ALSO...I've heard people say different guitars or pick-ups go better with certain DR Z amps but it's been my experince that just about any guitar / pick-up you can throw at a DR Z sounds good, maybe different but still good.... anyway...if your looking for something similar to but a little different I think the RX ES would put a smile on your face 10,000 miles wide.....but all of these amps are great!! also ALL THESE AMPS ARE LOUD!! might get an air break along with one of these non- master volume amps...... I wish you could play them before you had to go through the hassle's YOU have to go through getting one..... ...and other than the Maz 38, RX, and RX ES...these are just my opinions based on playing them quite a bit at Elite Music's amp room in Montgomery AL. so I'm sure guy's who GIG with these OTHER amps can do a better job but I thought I'd share my thoughts the best I could since your 10,000 mi from a dealer....sorry so long but I hope it helps you some.
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Post by groovergeorge on Jan 9, 2006 3:20:57 GMT -7
Thanks jgleaton.
Your roundup of the mazerati/rx/ and rx es was exactly what I was after!
I figure that I'm probably going to go with the rx es. I think the fact that it uses a ef86 somewhere in the preamp stage instead of the maz 38,Mazeratis and older rx's 12ax7 setup contributes somewhat to its tone differences.
I hate to make a decision on the fact that an artist uses a certain product as I'm sur you are well aware most of them change there gear like the rest of us "as often as we change our underwear" but if it's good enough for Joe and Brad, it's cetainly seriously considering!!!!
BTW:I'd love to send you some KARMA but I'm a new member and don't know how to?
"KEEP ON ROCKIN IN THE FREE WORLD"
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Jan 9, 2006 8:54:36 GMT -7
Your very welcome,
"....I think the fact that it uses a ef86 somewhere in the preamp stage instead of the maz 38,Mazeratis and older rx's 12ax7 setup contributes somewhat to its tone differences. "
yep.....what I think,
"I hate to make a decision on the fact that an artist uses a certain product "
....it's a great amp, period......NOT just a great tele/ country amp....., doesn't matter who's using it, I'd buy one anyway....
let us know what you finally decide, get and how you like it!!
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