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Post by rcrecelius on Aug 18, 2006 7:29:46 GMT -7
BW was kind enough to let me borrow his rt66 for a spell...I actually played it some the night he played with us but I didn't really try to tweak it out that night...I was too busy watching BW and trying to keep up! Anyway, I have 3 nights at the same club this week(full PA and soundman too) so I'll have 2 more nights to try new settings but heres how night #1 went. I started with the V, T and B all around 1 o'clock and the RC Booster on with all knobs at 12 o'clock. I had the 66 plugged into Zane's 10/12 cab(Eminence Legend speakers, 1 10" and 1 12"). Within the first few songs I was reaching for the volume knob on the 66...this is one loud mutha! I ended up with the volume down to around 11-12 o'clock but bumped the Treble up to about 3 o'clock. I eventually lowered the volume on the RC too (did I mention this amp is LOUD?) The 66 is a thick amp but it is far from being dark...its actually quite bright and as you bring the vol up on the guitar, it gets very agressive...or maybe "immediate" might be a better word...and it stays bright too, that may be why it seems so aggressive to me because I'm used to the Z28 getting darker the more it saturates. I was afraid it was too bright but another guitar player in the audience assured me that it was not harsh...he did say it had a very clear sound though...hmmm, I wonder if that was his way of saying it was too bright? Anyway, I think I'll take my Z28 combo cab (minus chassis, its gone to the Dr to fix my mistake ) tonight and play through it...has a Private Jack single 12 in it.
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Post by taswegian on Aug 18, 2006 7:39:38 GMT -7
Ronnie, did you try it at all without the RC on? I've noticed extra brightness when using the fatboost even with the tone knob turned below 12 oclock on the pedal. My 66 doesn't get as "aggressive" as the Z28 I play, but it's definitely louder! Can't wait to hear your report of the next two gigs.
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Post by drew on Aug 18, 2006 8:22:25 GMT -7
Hey Ronnie, Thanks for the report out. I'm anxious to hear how it goes through the weekend. Since I've always gassed for a z28, you and taz have fueled the fire! I noticed that my 66 gets a little smoother with a tad less treble after a good 30 mins of playing. I use an airbrake which IMO adds a compressed feel, I prefer no airbrake with the 66 but it's a trade off. The group I'm with plays at low volumes. Others have reported that their 66 got brighter once warmed up. I chalk that up to the fact that different tubes (same type - different brand) and bias settings have a great influence in a well designed amp. Last but not least and it's purely subjective, so far I've liked the sound of a 66 in an open back cab as preferred to a closed back. However I don't own a Z-Best. Just the opposite for my ghia, I like the extra bass response from a closed back tuned cab. Sounds like a great weekend is in store.. man I gotta get to Tx!
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Post by rcrecelius on Aug 18, 2006 8:23:17 GMT -7
Ronnie, did you try it at all without the RC on? I've noticed extra brightness when using the fatboost even with the tone knob turned below 12 oclock on the pedal. My 66 doesn't get as "aggressive" as the Z28 I play, but it's definitely louder! Can't wait to hear your report of the next two gigs. Actually, no I didnt. I may try that tonight instead of luggin in another cabinet.
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Post by rcrecelius on Aug 18, 2006 8:52:15 GMT -7
My 66 doesn't get as "aggressive" as the Z28 I play, but it's definitely louder! I should probably define what I mean by aggressive...With the Z28 and RC booster, as I roll up on the guitar volume, the tone gradually goes into overdrive with the top end really smoothing out as I go up. With the 66, a small movement of the guitar vol makes a big difference and the tone is more of an "in your face" kinda tone that is still bright, punchy and almost stiff in comparison to the 28. Guitar volume pot...with the Z28 I use probably 50% of the volume pots travel from half to full...with the 66 Im only going from about 3/4 to full. Does that make sense?
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Post by rcrecelius on Aug 18, 2006 8:56:13 GMT -7
I noticed that my 66 gets a little smoother with a tad less treble after a good 30 mins of playing. Its hard to tell if this 66 got smoother or brighter because as the night went on, the club had more bodies in it to soak up the sound...so by the last set we were pretty darn loud. When its so loud that I can really hear the mains, the guitar always sounds too bright to me...so there could be some "ear confusion" going on here as well.
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Post by drew on Aug 18, 2006 15:11:48 GMT -7
That's what I'd call good confusion. It's a great thing when the club fills up and ya get to turn up the amp. Yeah Baby! (to quote Gene From Dixie's Bar-B-Q) Have fun this weekend Ronnie and turn it up! I'll be listening for ya from ID.
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Post by taswegian on Aug 18, 2006 15:35:06 GMT -7
I've really noticed speakers have a huge affect on this amp. It sounds quite different tonally, through a different range of cabs and speakers. Take the cab if you can be bothered.
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Post by rcrecelius on Aug 18, 2006 23:38:02 GMT -7
Here we go...night number two. I started with all knobs at 3 O'Clock and no pedals thru the same 10/12 cab...I figure thats about as good a starting place as any right? That was purty good right there...as the night progressed I dropped the bass back down to 12 O'Clock and was pretty much a happy camper. I took the RC out of the chain and put a Bad Bob in its place along with an old TS10. I used the Bad Bob once during the night and the TS10 a couple times...other than that I was getting everything I needed with the guitars volume knob. I did notice a few times when I dimed the guitar volume on the bridge pickup, it still got pretty bright but maybe not quite as much as last night when I was using the RC all the time. Overall I was happy with it. Now for a little "funny" from the evening... This scraggly fellow(reminded me of Darmas dad from Darma & Greg) comes up to me, claiming to be a guitarist and commented on my pedalboard. I told him that I wasn't using any of them 99% of the time but he was obviously on a mission. He tells me that I should get a Digitech RP8 and do away with all those pedals...he loves his RP8 and it can sound like anything, eliminating the need for anything else. I was nicely saying that I was happy with what I had but for everything I said he would come back and say something else great about his beloved RP8...thank goodness the DJ called us back to the stage before the "whipping" continued. But..there was another break coming... Sure nuff, he comes over to me again...this time he asks if we ever have any other bands open for us...he felt like we were playing a really long time(4-45min sets...not that long). I told him that 4 hours was the norm around here and that in Ft Worth you'd play even longer...besides...when we get hired to play a gig, they expect us to be on stage for the entire night...not some other band. He just wasn't giving up...I finally told him to talk to the other guy in the band about how to go about opening for us. I couldn't help but wonder where he was from cause around here, 4-5 hour gigs are common...and the thought of an opening band at a regular bar gig...weird...thank goodness that we only had 15 minute breaks...this guy was really a whip!
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Post by prowler on Aug 19, 2006 5:48:02 GMT -7
I'm with Tas on this one... speakers can make a huge difference with the 66. For my ears the Weber Silver Bell sounds best.
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Post by billyguitar on Aug 19, 2006 8:12:26 GMT -7
RC: What a loon!
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Post by rcrecelius on Aug 20, 2006 19:53:49 GMT -7
Now for the 3rd night report... I brought my combo cab with the Private Jack and used it for the first set...This might be a good combination for some things but for me, it was real "boxy" sounding...not nearly as open/airy as the Legends. I plugged back into the 10/12 Legends cab for the remainder of the evening. I wanted to unplug the 10 so I could hear the 12 Legend by itself but I didnt...I bet a lot of the extra high end can be attributed to the 10. But then again, those highs come in handy when using the neck pickup so its a tossup really.
Overall, Based on what I heard this weekend, if I had the money I'd be ordering a 66 this week. I absolutely loved the low end response of the 66...lows were tight and never flabby but they remained crisp as well...twump on that low open E with the guitars volume dimed and you knew you'd done something!
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Post by Curt on Aug 20, 2006 20:19:36 GMT -7
I know'd it !!! Told ya a 66 would work great for ya RC
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Post by drew on Aug 21, 2006 7:41:25 GMT -7
Nice to hear the 66 worked well. As Curt said, I know'd it. That dude was obviously impressed and just wanted to talk with greatness and get hooked with the band. Sounds like a compliment to me, however odd it may have seemed. And it did sound odd. If you get a chance it'd be nice to hear your thoughts on the differences between the Z28 and 66 response and tone.
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Post by Bill on Aug 21, 2006 18:25:22 GMT -7
Good luck acquiring the 66, rc. Truth be told, mine was bought with my son in mind...BUT...I've figured out it needs to be totally mine ;D ;D, so today I pulled the auction of the DSL 50 and stuck it on top of his Marshall 1936 cab. He'll keep the DSL, I'll add the 66 to sit beside the 'Ray. Don't ask me how I intend to pull this off with the wife!...because frankly I DON'T KNOW.
The 66 will make it's debut with the honky tonk band Wednesday at rehearsal...and I fully expect it to pass with flying colors. These boys have all said before they miss the grind/dirt my old Maz Jr had, SOOOOO, they should like the sound of the 66 the way I have it set up. Still digging the RC Booster bigtime, knobs all at noon...maybe my speaker is darker than yours?
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Post by rcrecelius on Aug 22, 2006 6:52:33 GMT -7
Still digging the RC Booster bigtime, knobs all at noon...maybe my speaker is darker than yours? You know, I did not try the RC Booster while I was playing thru the Private Jack speaker...that might have brought out some more clarity. I do like the idea of my base tone requiring no pedals though and thats where I was at with the Eminence Legends. Hopefully I can try the 66 through a mixture of the speakers I have and see what works the best...Im actually thinking about trying the Legend 12" along with the Weber California and see how they sound together.
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Post by Curt on Aug 22, 2006 7:16:44 GMT -7
I prefer to run my 66 with thr RC (all knobs at noon) with a Weber 30 watt Alnico Blue Dog. Bill we must be pulling similar tones ! I did play a straight in gig last week in a REALLY "hard" room with a new set up, Tele>66 >V-30, 66 T and B at 3:00 and volume down around 9:00. Nice grit and sustain. Got lots of tone compliments, funny thing is the Z fell off the 66 during sound check and the picker from the opening band came up and was like "what the hell kinda amp IS that?" "It's so thick " When I told him it was a Z he said "I thought so, those kill" .
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Post by Laroosco!! on Sept 6, 2006 13:22:08 GMT -7
The 66 is the greatest amp the Doctor makes and also the best amp for Tele's and effects(jmo of course)
It is a loud amp though. My settings were always V= 11:00 T= Full B= Noon
Beautiful!!
I went through a lot of diffferent speakers with My 66 G12H30 & Greenback G12H30 & Red Fang 2 G12H30's Red Fang and Greenback G12H & Tone Tubby Tone Tubby aand GreenbaCK. 2 Texas Heats.
The Texas Heats have been in the cab since December and aren't going anywhere.
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Post by rcrecelius on Sept 6, 2006 13:47:07 GMT -7
The 66 is the greatest amp the Doctor makes and also the best amp for Tele's and effects(jmo of course) It is a loud amp though. My settings were always V= 11:00 T= Full B= Noon Beautiful!! I went through a lot of diffferent speakers with My 66 G12H30 & Greenback G12H30 & Red Fang 2 G12H30's Red Fang and Greenback G12H & Tone Tubby Tone Tubby aand GreenbaCK. 2 Texas Heats. The Texas Heats have been in the cab since December and aren't going anywhere. Thats a lot of speaker swapping Laroosco...would you care to elaborate on what the Texas Heats do for you that the other various combinations didnt? BTW...it is official that Im buying one of Curts RT66's w matching 2/12 Greenback loaded cab...just waiting till he has a trip planned up this a way so we dont have to deal with shipping it
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Post by Curt on Sept 6, 2006 14:36:27 GMT -7
Should be able to make it happen next week Ronnie.
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Post by Laroosco!! on Sept 6, 2006 14:52:48 GMT -7
Well, The G12H30's were my favorite speaker for a long time but I started to hear a bit of shrill hiogh end that I couldn't dial out.
Drove me crazy. I tried pairing the G12H with different speakers hoping for an improvement. I've always loved GB too buty mostly when they're in a 4x12. The GB in my Z Best was too quiet compared to the G12H and seemed to break up too soon.
The Red Fang is a great sounding speaker and paired well with the G12H but I still wasn't getting the feel I 'm after. The Ceramic Tone Tubby didn't seem to sound much different than the GB IMO.
I did my research(a lot of it on this forum) and bought the Texas Heats. They were just what I was looking for. They are rated at 150watts so now my Z Best is a 300watt cab ;D At the same time the Heats are rated at 99db so while they are efficientand clear they aren't any louder than the Celestions. They sound to me like a great Jensen with beefed up low mids.
A friend of mine plays aa Marshall 50watt super lead through a Marshall 2x12 w/G12T75's. I let him plug his amp into my Z Best with the Heats and I thought he was gonna cry. My cab and speaker combo made his sound like a fubbby mess. The Marshall through the Heats and a Strat sounded like Wind Cries Mary/Castles of Sand.
He sold the his amp and cab 2 weeks later ;D
I'd would put my rig against a 4x12 anyday
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Post by drew on Sept 6, 2006 15:03:41 GMT -7
Congrat's to both of you tall texans! Ronnie, i'm running my 66 though a texas heat in a closed back ported cab. It's got plenty of low end punch, decent highs that aren't ice-picky and isn't as midrangy as the V30 but close. I keep bouncing between that cab and an open back with a g12h30. IMO the 2x12 greenback cab with the 66 is the bomb.
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Post by rcrecelius on Sept 6, 2006 15:20:47 GMT -7
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Post by groovergeorge on Sept 7, 2006 3:14:19 GMT -7
Here we go...night number two. I started with all knobs at 3 O'Clock and no pedals thru the same 10/12 cab...I figure thats about as good a starting place as any right? That was purty good right there...as the night progressed I dropped the bass back down to 12 O'Clock and was pretty much a happy camper. I took the RC out of the chain and put a Bad Bob in its place along with an old TS10. I used the Bad Bob once during the night and the TS10 a couple times...other than that I was getting everything I needed with the guitars volume knob. I did notice a few times when I dimed the guitar volume on the bridge pickup, it still got pretty bright but maybe not quite as much as last night when I was using the RC all the time. Overall I was happy with it. Now for a little "funny" from the evening... This scraggly fellow(reminded me of Darmas dad from Darma & Greg) comes up to me, claiming to be a guitarist and commented on my pedalboard. I told him that I wasn't using any of them 99% of the time but he was obviously on a mission. He tells me that I should get a Digitech RP8 and do away with all those pedals...he loves his RP8 and it can sound like anything, eliminating the need for anything else. I was nicely saying that I was happy with what I had but for everything I said he would come back and say something else great about his beloved RP8...thank goodness the DJ called us back to the stage before the "whipping" continued. But..there was another break coming... Sure nuff, he comes over to me again...this time he asks if we ever have any other bands open for us...he felt like we were playing a really long time(4-45min sets...not that long). I told him that 4 hours was the norm around here and that in Ft Worth you'd play even longer...besides...when we get hired to play a gig, they expect us to be on stage for the entire night...not some other band. He just wasn't giving up...I finally told him to talk to the other guy in the band about how to go about opening for us. I couldn't help but wonder where he was from cause around here, 4-5 hour gigs are common...and the thought of an opening band at a regular bar gig...weird...thank goodness that we only had 15 minute breaks...this guy was really a whip! Congradulations on keeping your patience with that guy. I would have cracked him over the head with my Telecaster. Nothing gets on my nerves more than some nerd coming up to you during the night and telling you that you should ditch your rig and use some junk piece of Zoom- RP- Digi piece of crap buzz saw tone un-processor. He sounds like a typical bedroom rocker. K ::)arma for keeping your patience.
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