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Post by ross6860 on Jan 8, 2011 9:25:25 GMT -7
This is my first post on this forum, so be kind.
My wife bought me a used Maz 18 for Christmas (what a woman...). I love the tone, but the amp appears to be very "noisy" when the guitar is plugged in but not being played.
I have tried both single-coil and humbucker equipped guitars, and I use high-quality cables (no pedals, just right into the amp). Also tried an extension cab, same thing.
Any ideas? I live near Cleveland, so I can always take it in, but I'm trying to rule out what I can.
I'm comparing this to three other tube amps (Blackheart Ant, Carvin Vintage 16 and a Peavey Delta Blues). Two of them are almost silent withhubuckers, one makes a little noise, but the MAZ is by far the "Most Noisy"
By the way, the Maz 18 has made me play my Strat and Tele a lot more. It seams to just love single coils, and you get very distinct tone differences in all switch positions.
Thanks, all...
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Post by BritInvasion on Jan 8, 2011 9:35:10 GMT -7
Try tightening the chassis screws , the large philips head screws that hold the chassis to the cabinet. (4 of them) They are critical components for the ground circuit path. If they get a little loose , you will experience noise.
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reky
Full Member
Posts: 122
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Post by reky on Jan 8, 2011 10:15:42 GMT -7
I also own a Maz Jr. since 2 weeks and it 's very quiet. My Carmen Ghia has some hum, the Maz has not......
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Post by "Z" Steve on Jan 8, 2011 18:12:45 GMT -7
First off welcome to the forum. You'll more than likely get any info you need here, or you can head over to ask the experts and Myles or someone else will help out. 2nd, that's way cool that your wife would know to get you a Z for Christmas (maybe you helped a bit but still). Re the noise, it being a used amp you may want to re-tube it anyway for your own reference and peace of mind and keep the current tubes as spares. Also, spraying some Deoxit on the pins of the tubes and reinserting them may help for now as well as spraying it in the effects loop in & out jacks if your amp has them. Since you have two other tube amps you could try replacing a few preamp tubes one at a time just to see if they could be the culprit. Good luck tracking it down - it shouldn't take long, and it is a great amp!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2011 19:49:44 GMT -7
all good points. Mine is dead quiet when nothing is played through it. I couldn't believe it when I first got it just how quiet it is. all the best with trouble shooting. Welcome to the forum!
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Post by tkroeger on Jan 9, 2011 7:06:54 GMT -7
Don't forget that you can plug your guitar/pedals straight into the effects 'return'.
Part-1: a.) Noisy after trying this? Yes...perhaps recto or power tubes need replaced. PI tube also suspect.
b.) Not noisy after trying this? No...perhaps V1 or V2 is noisy.
Part-2: (unplug from effects 'return')
If V1 or V2 is suspect (after trying the above), pull V1. Still noisy? Yes...perhaps V2 is noisy. No...perhaps V1 is the problem.
Good luck my Z-friend.
T
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Post by Albert on Jan 10, 2011 9:47:14 GMT -7
Start by cleaning all the input jacks also if there is reverb check those connections and if you have an effects loop clean those ...a liitle contact cleaner sprayed in while inserting a 1/4" jack in/out a few times should do the trick ..still have the noise? remove the V1 preamp tube and see if it goes away then V2 and so on until you get to the PI tube (next to the Power tubes ) if you get to this point then it may be a power tube if the noise persists after changing poweer tubes it may be a component or cold solder joint ..if this beyond the realm of you fixing it yourself take it to the Doc since he is close by to do surgery on it
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Post by donnie on Jan 10, 2011 11:33:20 GMT -7
If it's a grounding issue, I'd also suggest checking the tightness of the nuts securing all of the pots on the front of the chassis. (Remove the knobs and the nuts should be easily visible.) I had this problem with my Maz, and one of the pot's threads ended up being stripped enough to not allow it to be held securely. I removed the washer and that gave me enough thread to 'bite into' to hold the nut in place on the pot. I think I'm going to have to check this again, as the amp has a hissing, low level noise that is effected when I tap on some of the various front panel pots.
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Post by Chris NM on Jan 11, 2011 9:51:30 GMT -7
It looks like the MAZ was the gift to give this Christmas. I got one too and I love it!!
I had bad reverb noise issues at first and my tech was able to remedy it by relocating the reverb tank. It's the head version and he attached the tank to the rear of the front face of the amp and put it perpendicular to the rest of the circuitry.
I was surprised. It made the amp much, much quieter. Just a thought.
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Post by BritInvasion on Jan 11, 2011 17:16:27 GMT -7
It looks like the MAZ was the gift to give this Christmas. I got one too and I love it!! I had bad reverb noise issues at first and my tech was able to remedy it by relocating the reverb tank. It's the head version and he attached the tank to the rear of the front face of the amp and put it perpendicular to the rest of the circuitry. I was surprised. It made the amp much, much quieter. Just a thought. Where was it located prior to that?
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reky
Full Member
Posts: 122
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Post by reky on Jan 12, 2011 3:53:06 GMT -7
I saw some pictures of a Maz head with the reverb tank mounted on the top panel. It has a serial number that starts with S. BTW, there are lots of detail pictures of amps on www.proguitar.de/
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Post by Chris NM on Jan 12, 2011 8:44:14 GMT -7
That's exactly how it was before I had it moved and it's much, much better now. Things one bad amp.
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Post by BritInvasion on Jan 12, 2011 12:19:38 GMT -7
Interesting , I never saw a tank located on the top before. My 2008 head came new with it mounted against the inside of the front valance.
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Post by pintail78 on Jan 12, 2011 19:40:45 GMT -7
dude, what they said......good advice.
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Post by crxsh on Jan 12, 2011 20:48:59 GMT -7
The more I increase the 'cut' knob (and to a certain extent, the reverb), the more noise comes out. Same thing happens to a friend of mine's Maz18. I assume that's normal?
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Post by ironpaws on Jan 13, 2011 21:33:03 GMT -7
I am having the exact same problem with mine (bought used). The noise is always there unless I turn both the cut and reverb all the way down (even then it's still faint). I've ordered a new set of tubes (a wonderful addition in price) and hope that works. After that, it's off to the tech it goes.
If it's still noisy after that, I'm selling it. I have a mesa 2:50 that, while the tone isn't as nice, is dead quiet. If this is the way it's supposed to sound, it is unacceptable in an amp of this price range.
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mojoz
New Member
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Post by mojoz on Jan 21, 2011 12:43:39 GMT -7
I think it's a part of the natural characteristics of the amp... I have two (yes, I love them that much!) but there is a definite hum/hiss when the cut or reverb is turned up on both of them. It's not loud enough to interfere with your playing, even at bedroom levels, but it is definitely apparent when the amp is just sitting there doing nothing especially at higher reverb/cut settings. Accept it as character! Sure there are many quieter-at-idle amps but how many give you the glorious tone and response of the Maz?? :-) (My hum-free high-end amps get no love by the way!)
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