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Post by wreckboy on Feb 6, 2010 22:01:59 GMT -7
Cleaner tones using the guitar volume to shade between lead and rhythm tones? Is anyone using the Monza as the single amp for lead and rhythm tones? Seems like a few guys mentioning using a two amp set up with the Monza as the lead amp. Thanks
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Post by bluzman on Feb 6, 2010 23:10:14 GMT -7
I posted something last week. For cleaner and my LP Volume 9:00 and not much higher drive off and tone to taste. I needed to ride the guitar controls more than I'm used to but it sounded great. The cleans aren't the typical Z chime, but still very nice. I could gig with this amp easily and will soon.
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Post by wreckboy on Feb 6, 2010 23:23:41 GMT -7
Thanks
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Post by dursitti on Feb 8, 2010 1:50:22 GMT -7
I was wondering the same thing. I have played a Mazerati GT and found I loved the cleans when I rolled off my guitar volume. I like the idea of the Monza but am unsure now that people are saying it doesn't clean up.
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Feb 8, 2010 6:55:08 GMT -7
I was wondering the same thing. I have played a Mazerati GT and found I loved the cleans when I rolled off my guitar volume. I like the idea of the Monza but am unsure now that people are saying it doesn't clean up. I gotta say that, listening to all the various sound clips around, there's "clean" and there's "clean"!! There's Maserati GT "clean, and then there's Stang Ray "clean" - very different sounds to my ears! My guess would be that the Monza in the little bro to the Maserati GT - Steve (benttop) would you agree? I'm guessing that if you use the GT and guitar volume only to move between rhythm and lead, then you could do the same on the Monza, just with less volume overall. Guesswork on my part only, but it's what I'm hearing..... Pete ;D
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Feb 8, 2010 7:06:50 GMT -7
I was wondering the same thing. I have played a Mazerati GT and found I loved the cleans when I rolled off my guitar volume. I like the idea of the Monza but am unsure now that people are saying it doesn't clean up. I gotta say that, listening to all the various sound clips around, there's "clean" and there's "clean"!! There's Maserati GT "clean, and then there's Stang Ray "clean" - very different sounds to my ears! My guess would be that the Monza in the little bro to the Maserati GT - Steve (benttop) would you agree? I'm guessing that if you use the GT and guitar volume only to move between rhythm and lead, then you could do the same on the Monza, just with less volume overall. Guesswork on my part only, but it's what I'm hearing..... Pete ;D Hard to comment since I've not played a Monza, but I did have the Mazerati GT and with your guitar wide open it just couldn't make clean tones at all. But with the guitar wound down, it made very useful "hairy cleans" that to me, sounded beautiful. I'm thinking like you, that this is probably how the Monza responds, but as I said, I'm just guessing.
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Feb 8, 2010 10:45:28 GMT -7
I'm wondering has Mike (doctorice) done this sort of comparison. I know he has a Monza, but don't know if he has/had a GT........ ?
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Post by mtlrecords on Feb 8, 2010 11:33:14 GMT -7
With a Nash Tele, volume cranked, the Monza is a full on gain machine. With the volume rolled back significantly, you can get some clean with hair sounds. Cool and very similar to the way the Mazerati GT works, in my opinion. I still prefer the cleans of my EZG to almost any of the cleans on the Monza, which is why the Monza will sit on top and be used for high gain stuff and leads. Can't wait...
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Post by doctorice on Feb 8, 2010 15:13:42 GMT -7
I'm wondering has Mike (doctorice) done this sort of comparison. I know he has a Monza, but don't know if he has/had a GT........ ? No GT here currently or in the past. In the future? I second Paul's (bluzman) note. If you keep the amp volume down and back off the guitar there are cleanish sounds to be had. (That's with an EC Strat, which has pretty high output pups.) I need to revisit this with the Brake Lite set to less attenuation to see if, as I suspect, there sufficient volume at "clean" for a gig without having the volume go through the stratosphere when the guitar vol is pushed up to move into the gain zone. Update: Well, I finally moved the BL from 3 to 1. Clean enough for my needs and loud. I'll probably start the gig with the BL at 2. (See tinnitus note above )
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Post by humbucker427 on Feb 8, 2010 18:55:28 GMT -7
Several people may disagree with me, but other than goofing off a bit around the house or the like, I just don't feel the cleans are worth mentioning. It *can* generate some clean, but don't expect much going on there that will get you all hot and bothered (like with an EZG-50). I think this amp was meant to roar, and it does roar in several different ways. I don't know... When people call the store we've been pretty much telling them to "fahgit about" cleans. It reminds me of a streetable drag car. Sure, it'll get you to the grocery store, but when the red light turns green and you slam the pedal down... That's when she *really* shines. As always, YMMV.
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Feb 9, 2010 0:56:26 GMT -7
Several people may disagree with me, but other than goofing off a bit around the house or the like, I just don't feel the cleans are worth mentioning. It *can* generate some clean, but don't expect much going on there that will get you all hot and bothered (like with an EZG-50). I think this amp was meant to roar, and it does roar in several different ways. I don't know... When people call the store we've been pretty much telling them to "fahgit about" cleans. It reminds me of a streetable drag car. Sure, it'll get you to the grocery store, but when the red light turns green and you slam the pedal down... That's when she *really* shines. As always, YMMV. Those of us who haven't seen or played one, just keep on talking about it - gives us something to do while we wait
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Post by kjv02 on Feb 9, 2010 14:56:37 GMT -7
as bluzman and doctorice have stated, it will clean up when you roll the volume knob on the guitar down and responds well to how hard you pick.
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Post by bluzman on Feb 9, 2010 15:37:27 GMT -7
as bluzman and doctorice have stated, it will clean up when you roll the volume knob on the guitar down and responds well to how hard you pick. That's right but that is not what the Monza is about. I'm having a great time using my guitar controls, and getting usable cleans, but when you get the volume and drive up by noon, THAT's what the Monza is all about! If you want more chimey cleans, this isn't the amp for that.
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Post by doctorice on Feb 9, 2010 18:24:48 GMT -7
as bluzman and doctorice have stated, it will clean up when you roll the volume knob on the guitar down and responds well to how hard you pick. That's right but that is not what the Monza is about. I'm having a great time using my guitar controls, and getting usable cleans, but when you get the volume and drive up by noon, THAT's what the Monza is all about! If you want more chimey cleans, this isn't the amp for that. +1
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Post by stratovarius on Feb 9, 2010 19:15:56 GMT -7
So this isn't the kind of amp you take home to meet your mother?
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Post by humbucker427 on Feb 9, 2010 20:22:14 GMT -7
This is the amp you take to the party!
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Feb 10, 2010 7:45:34 GMT -7
This is the amp you take to the party! Sounds like this amp IS the party!
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Post by Surreal McCoy on Feb 11, 2010 13:03:41 GMT -7
Just got mine this am from Stu. [THANKS STU!]
Spent 2 hours at home playing during lunch. Red 1x10 w/ Red Fang.
Drive off. Tone at noon. Nash Les Paul straight in. Volume at 9 o'clock [hardly on]. It's already quite fuzzy. Hairy. Sweet Sustain. Even more as you adjust the drive. The drive doesn't take it from clean to mean. It just kinda thickens and expands a already hairy tone. Well, it gets a little hairier.... You can't really find "chime" on this even with the guitar volume rolled back. I mean, there's use-able cleans, but not Clean cleans. Not like my old Stang or my Maz-38 clean.
I spent the 1st hour with the humbuckers. I'd heard Curt's comment so I baptized the amp with the opening riff to La Grange. I still can't figure out how they got Billy in there....
The second hour I spent with the coil tap in single coil mode. The way Bill does his Les Paul's the two DiMarzio buckers are coil tapped and when you go from 9 to 10 on your respective tone controls, the buckers tap into single coil. Cleaned up a little bit. Not alot. Still awesome tone. Awesome articulation when appegiating chords. Awesome sustain. Awesome pick dynamics.
I see the amp on the "B" end of an A/B switch with the Maz38 set clean. As my 11 year old son would say, "That tone from the Monza is just stupid "
I think that means really good.
And, as usual, he is right...
-Surreal
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Post by bluzman on Feb 11, 2010 13:43:55 GMT -7
RIDICULOUS!!!
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Post by doctorice on Feb 13, 2010 7:26:34 GMT -7
I'm really torn. I want so much to bring the Monza to a gig this week, but our other guitarist is n/a. As a result, I have to hold down both parts in some songs, which means I need some real cleans at volume. I'm thinking about bringing two amps, but we don't have much space to set up, even down one on personnel. I may have to opt for the MAZ 18.
Paul or anyone else, have you gigged your Monza yet? If so, observations please.
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Post by bluzman on Feb 13, 2010 7:49:46 GMT -7
I'm gigging with it tonight... 1x10 Monza. The other player is going to used my 1x10 Ghia. We're doing 1.5 hour set. I'll letcha know.
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Post by doctorice on Feb 13, 2010 9:07:40 GMT -7
I'm gigging with it tonight... 1x10 Monza. The other player is going to used my 1x10 Ghia. We're doing 1.5 hour set. I'll letcha know. Looking forward to the report. Have a great gig.
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Feb 14, 2010 2:15:08 GMT -7
I'm really torn. I want so much to bring the Monza to a gig this week, but our other guitarist is n/a. As a result, I have to hold down both parts in some songs, which means I need some real cleans at volume. I'm thinking about bringing two amps, but we don't have much space to set up, even down one on personnel. I may have to opt for the MAZ 18. Paul or anyone else, have you gigged your Monza yet? If so, observations please. Bummer Mike! Sounds like the Maz is needed this time round - I was really looking forward to hearing your feedback on the Monza live. Maybe next time Pete
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Feb 14, 2010 2:15:38 GMT -7
I'm gigging with it tonight... 1x10 Monza. The other player is going to used my 1x10 Ghia. We're doing 1.5 hour set. I'll letcha know. Looking forward to the report. Have a great gig. +1 on that !!! ;D
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Post by doctorice on Feb 14, 2010 6:34:04 GMT -7
I'm really torn. I want so much to bring the Monza to a gig this week, but our other guitarist is n/a. As a result, I have to hold down both parts in some songs, which means I need some real cleans at volume. I'm thinking about bringing two amps, but we don't have much space to set up, even down one on personnel. I may have to opt for the MAZ 18. Paul or anyone else, have you gigged your Monza yet? If so, observations please. Bummer Mike! Sounds like the Maz is needed this time round - I was really looking forward to hearing your feedback on the Monza live. Maybe next time Pete All my Zs were oozing tone yesterday, but I think the MAZ is getting the job this week. I'd like to try an A/B setup. Think it will have to be some other time, though. Gotta use my practice time this week to actually practice rather than mess with my toys -- I mean my tools ;D Bluzman's report could keep me wonderin'.....
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Feb 15, 2010 2:22:45 GMT -7
Yep, looking forward to Bluzman's report too Mike. Glad I'm not the only one who's practice time ends up as play time ;D Got so bad over the weekend learning new stuff, that I switched the Maz off, took my Standard Strat and my baby Fender Champ to the other room to practice, just so I wouldn't be tempted to mess around!
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Post by bluzman on Feb 15, 2010 5:50:27 GMT -7
OK... Monza at a gig. Good sized room. I had the Monza and the other player used a Ghia in a 1x10. Both performed great. We do Classic Rock, Jammy, Funk to Country. The Monza did fine but I found I needed to bypass the BrakeLite when using a LP to get the cleans I needed. With a Tele I could use the BrakeLite and still get some cleans. But the solos were sweet, thick and creamy. I'm not used to riding the guitar volume, but it gets easier each time. While the Monza is pedal friendly, I prefer to get the drive from using the guitar volume and the amp.
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Post by doctorice on Feb 15, 2010 11:12:20 GMT -7
OK... Monza at a gig. Good sized room. I had the Monza and the other player used a Ghia in a 1x10. Both performed great. We do Classic Rock, Jammy, Funk to Country. The Monza did fine but I found I needed to bypass the BrakeLite when using a LP to get the cleans I needed. With a Tele I could use the BrakeLite and still get some cleans. But the solos were sweet, thick and creamy. I'm not used to riding the guitar volume, but it gets easier each time. While the Monza is pedal friendly, I prefer to get the drive from using the guitar volume and the amp. Thanks, Paul. I too found that there was ample clean volume (for me at least most of the time) if I backed the BL out. Question is, how did you manage this at the gig? Were you reaching back into the cab a lot to change the BL setting, or did you just set it and use the gtr vol? (Perhaps adjusted BL when you switched guitars?) Also, how much, if any, knob tweaking on the fly took place and what settings did you end up liking? Appreciate your report.
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Post by bluzman on Feb 15, 2010 11:27:39 GMT -7
I used the LP for the beginning BL bypassed in the middle of the first song. Volume was about 9:30. Drive about 10. During the Allmans solos the drive went to noon+ and stayed there.
On the Tele, BL one click and volume up a tad. I had the Monza on a milk crate so I just reached for the BL twice.
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Post by doctorice on Feb 15, 2010 20:11:37 GMT -7
Thanks, Paul. Your initial settings are pretty similar to what I've been using. I infer that you did one guitar switch, and that meant one BL switch after the initial one.
I may have to reconsider and give the Monza a field trial this Friday.
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