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Post by gitaryzt1985 on Jun 4, 2012 6:58:35 GMT -7
I'm considering selling my Two Rock SP22 and picking up a Dr Z Combo amp but am a little stumped as to what to buy. I really wanted a MAZ 18, but based on some complaints about it being too loud I'm wondering if the MAZ 8 would be a better option.
I know for a fact that I would never need 18 watts. It is just the security that it is there. I do have a Ghia already, but would like to have a Master Volume amp with reverb. Plus, the Ghia is a head and I want a combo for portability. The only thing that concerns me is headroom.
Will the Maz 8 have enough headroom to gig in most venues? Does the tone of the 8 differ from the 18 at all, or is it the same basic sound with different wattage?
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Post by bryan0418 on Jun 4, 2012 7:11:43 GMT -7
I own a MAZ 18 but never played through a MAZ 8. I would suggest you get a MAZ 18 and here is why. Yes the MAZ 18 is really loud and probably too loud for what you need right now. However you can lower the wattage slightly by using a 5V4 rectifier tube. You can also add an airbrake to lower the overall volume. And lastly, you could switch your speaker to a Celestion Greenback which is a little quieter than some of the others. You will retain the ability to have a loud amp in the future if you want it and also have the clean headroom if you ever need it.
See the thread about Tube rectifiers on the MAZ 18 page to see how it works from the Dr himself.
The MAZ 8 sounds like a great amp from all the demos. It does have the pentode/triode switch which if you are looking for that sound specifically, then maybe you should get the MAZ 8. The MAZ 8 is considerably more expensive than the MAZ 18 so the way I look at it, you can buy the airbrake and 5V4 rectifier along with the MAZ 18 and still spend less than a MAZ 8.
I have heard the MAZ 8 can keep up with a normal drummer. If you mic your amp live then it should be OK but you may run out of clean headroom. The MAZ 18 will have more than enough power and headroom if you need it live.
I saw recently that they make a MAZ 18 now in a "Studio Combo" size which is perfect for what you need if portability is your thing. I use a head/cab setup and find it works better for me. This way I can scale up or down depending on where I am playing. A 1x12 works for small places and the Z Best or 2x12 open work for bigger stages. Plus it keeps the weight down for each piece.
Both are fine amps and you can't go wrong with either one.
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Post by gitaryzt1985 on Jun 4, 2012 7:27:13 GMT -7
Thanks for the reply. I play mainly at church right now and I turn the volume on my Ghia up to 1 oclock, but the volume on my guitar is way down to like 6 or 7. I prefer to crank the amp and turn the guitar volume low because of the decrease in the treble frequencies. I've even gigged a Marshall Class 5 at the church before with no issues, so I know I'd be fine with 8 watts for 95% of what I do.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jun 4, 2012 10:12:01 GMT -7
You may want to wait and see what Doc's releasing this summer before deciding.
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Post by bryan0418 on Jun 4, 2012 10:45:16 GMT -7
I heard today from Humbucker Music that an announcement is coming this week so you may want to hold off just a bit longer.
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Post by fevzay on Jun 4, 2012 15:53:08 GMT -7
I'm considering selling my Two Rock SP22 and picking up a Dr Z Combo amp but am a little stumped as to what to buy. I really wanted a MAZ 18, but based on some complaints about it being too loud I'm wondering if the MAZ 8 would be a better option. I know for a fact that I would never need 18 watts. It is just the security that it is there. I do have a Ghia already, but would like to have a Master Volume amp with reverb. Plus, the Ghia is a head and I want a combo for portability. The only thing that concerns me is headroom. Will the Maz 8 have enough headroom to gig in most venues? Does the tone of the 8 differ from the 18 at all, or is it the same basic sound with different wattage? The thing that stands out to me in your post is 'headroom.' If you're on the fence, then I'd aim high rather than low. This will depend on your guitar and other things. I can only speculate (as I don't own a MAZ 8), but I would guess there is similar or less headroom than you have on the Ghia. I run things very similarly to you....I run the amp hot and turn down on the guitar to around 8 or so. I'll temper my remark with this: You have to decide what's best for your church. I've played at a few churches and the overall stage and PA system DB's have been vastly different. If you guys play even a little bit loudly, then I'd suggest the MAZ 18 over the MAZ 8. The Ghia isn't designed to give much headroom...atleast compared to the MAZ line. I play a R9 LP, and I have constantly used a MAZ 18 NR and Ghia at church (at different volumes as well). Neither of those amps gives me a GREAT clean in the neck pickup unless the volume is at 8 or below on the guitar (with the tone rolled back a bit). That is...if you're running the amp somewhat hot. I've recently acquired a MAZ 38 NR, and that seems to be just the ticket for me (given that I play a LP). It gives me enough cleans all around the guitar and can still be pushed into overdrive without being waaay louder than a MAZ 18 NR. Maybe I didn't answer your question, but it's something to think about.
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donh
Junior Member
Posts: 80
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Post by donh on Jun 5, 2012 23:10:20 GMT -7
I have owned both a Maz 18 and an 8. Where you have to push an 18 a bit to get it to go all lively, the 8 is Just There already. They are really quite different amps entirely.
My personal preference is for the 8 all day long, but I need a bit more time/experience with it to talk about headroom in group situations. I can tell you that the bulk of my church-group playing was through a Mesa Boogie Subway Blues, and the 18 can stomp all OVER that thang, and the 8 has at least as much clean headroom as that Mesa.
Here is my guess, for low-to-moderate-volume players: If you like to push things around with your fingers, get a Maz 8. If you like to push things around with pedals, get the Maz 18.
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Post by pcns on Jun 6, 2012 17:17:13 GMT -7
I play my Maz 8 with a drummer at church and a drummer in a band outside of church, no headroom problems but I do like to crunch a bit. The Maz 8 with the blue with volume rolled off just a bit is soooooo beautiful. Its round and warm and sustains Mmmmm, Mmmmmm good My Maz 18 sounded great but I like the dynamic of the 8 a bit more, especially since I can keep it quieter my 2 cents, Todd
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Post by pintail78 on Jun 11, 2012 16:40:40 GMT -7
Z-28 is the bomb for just about anything......my favorite.
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Post by jesslm02 on Jun 12, 2012 5:44:30 GMT -7
I play an 18 at church, no issues, and there's always more than enough headroom. If things get loud, I just reach over and turn it up a little. I have the 8 also. I haven't played it at church yet but that is the plan. I think it will be plenty loud for my setup. Also, my amp is mic'd up. Something to think about... the 18 can do everything the 8 can do (with the exception of the triode switch of course).
EDIT: I just re-read the OP and I think you'd be fine with the 8. I say that because you do have the ghia to back it up. I would say the 18 is the loudest, then the ghia, and then the 8. The 18 and ghia are close in loudness, but the 18 has a bit more headroom. You could get more headroom out of the ghia also by doing some small tweaks, such as, putting in a 5v4 rectifier and making sure you are using a really efficient speaker with it, like over 100db or so.
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Post by jkamp20 on Jun 24, 2012 18:08:19 GMT -7
I'm also looking for my first Z. I tend to use my amps as a clean/clean with growl platform for pedals. I'm leaning towards a maz18/air brake light combo with a gold. I love the vox sound but find it to have too much harshness on top end. I think the Maz is the right choice...am I missing any others?
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Post by markT on Jun 24, 2012 18:42:01 GMT -7
I'm also looking for my first Z. I tend to use my amps as a clean/clean with growl platform for pedals. I'm leaning towards a maz18/air brake light combo with a gold. I love the vox sound but find it to have too much harshness on top end. I think the Maz is the right choice...am I missing any others? +1 I think the Maz Jr with a brakelite installed w/ Gold is the desert island amp for me. All the Z's I've ever had have been great, but this combo tops the cake!
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Post by tjnies on Jun 25, 2012 17:44:58 GMT -7
Food for thought: you can use a 5Y3 rectifier, which drops the volume of the Maz 18 to about 10 watts. You can also use the JJ EL844 tubes which (used with the 5Y3) takes you to about 9 watts. And sounds pretty good. And gives you an option to increase with a quick tube change. Add a Brakelite to drop even further. And / or use Input 2. Personally I went w/o the EL844's but added a BL. And it's still loud for home!
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