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Post by gibsonlives on Dec 29, 2012 0:19:55 GMT -7
Okay, first off, I'm a forum newbie, and although I've read a lot here and elsewhere about the Maz 8, reviews and clips are my only means of getting a feel for this amp before pulling the trigger.
Just a few quick questions for those who have tried or own the Maz 8:
1. How would you classify the level of gain possible on the Maz? The clips I've heard make it sound as though you should have no problems attaining solid mid- to possibly verging on high-gain levels (Hendrix, AC/DC, etc.) just by turning the amp up and letting the preamp and power tubes do their thing, but so much is in the fingers, and there's obviously compression and other factors associated with web demos as opposed to the "amp in the room" experience. I play different styles, and obviously the examples I've used are to describe levels of gain, and not necessarily gain-sttructure, but I'd really rather be able to achieve old-school hard rock levels of dirt without having to goose the front end of my amp with pedals.
2. Related to the first question, I'm curious: what style(s) do the Maz 8 owners on this forum use this amp for? Do many people use an OD pedal with the amp, or does it do the trick on its own for a wide array of styles? I do a lot of blues and blues-rock as well as hard rock (EVH or YJM is about as heavy as I go generally, and I'm certainly not expecting the Maz to do those styles; I've got other amps for that).
3. Lastly, what guitars do you find complement the Maz 8 best? For the record, I've got a stock Dan Smith Strat, a '74 Les Paul Custom with DiMarzio Super3 pickups, and a stock (for now, at least) Ibanez RGXXV1; in other words, I've got a fairly representative group of solid body electrics.
Thanks so much in advance for any information anyone cares to share. This amp's got the feature-set I want, the tones (at least in clips!) sound stellar, and Dr. Z's build-quality and reputation is unquestionable. Now, the key is to figure out as best I can whether it might suit my personal needs.
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Post by doctorice on Dec 29, 2012 7:50:08 GMT -7
Welcome to Z Talk.
The MAZ 8 take pedals really well, as do all the Zs. To your point, though, there is enough gain, especially with the EQ bypass on, to get a great overdriven tone without using pedals. You can get preamp OD by pushing Volume, power tube OD by boosting Master, any combination of those, play with Hi Lo inputs, etc. Very flexible.
Are you planning to use this as a gigging amp or just home use? Are you considering getting a Brake Lite or other attenuator? (At home a cranked 8 can get pretty loud in a small room.)
What speaker(s) are you planning to use?
Other folks will chime in soon, I expect.
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Post by gibsonlives on Dec 29, 2012 13:36:52 GMT -7
Thanks, doctor. I'll just be using it at home for now, although who knows what the future may bring? I've got other amps, but I'd really like a single channel grab-n-go for jamming with friends or home enjoyment with a relatively low wattage and a small footprint...and tone, of course lol. I'm looking at the combo version, but I've also got an Avatar 212 cab with v30s if I want a "bigger" sound. Regarding attenuators, I may consider one at some point, since I know this is a loud 8 watts (I've heard it's louder than an SFPR, which I had at one point), but I'll try it first without. Basically, a single-channel amp with the EQ bypass via footswitch seems like just what I want this time around, as I should be able to plug in my Strat and get clean(ish) to full-on dirt tones just by using the footswitch and my guitar's volume knob. I hope others do chime in; I'd like to hear as many perspectives as I possibly can . Thanks again. Steve
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Post by doctorice on Dec 29, 2012 15:11:57 GMT -7
You're welcome, Steve.
The studio combo with a (12") Cel Blue is wonderful, but the Blue does command a premium price. Hard to beat the studio combo for a small footprint at home and grab 'n' go for jamming.
Mike
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Post by cpa2guitar on Dec 29, 2012 18:09:56 GMT -7
Hello gibsonlives, As doctorice said: Welcome to the forum! You will find a great bunch of folks here who are courteous and knowledgeable. I have learned a fair amount about gear from our Z Brethren here. Earlier this month I purchased a Maz 8 from Guitar Resurrection, but exchanged it specifically because I could not get enough growl and grit out of it. If you are looking for an amp to deliver Hendrix and AC/DC type tone, you cannot do better than a Remedy (I've owned one and loved it). I realize the Remedy is a far cry from a grab-n-go amp, but it will definitely deliver outstanding tone for the rock and hard rock genre. Based on my experience, unless you augment your rig with pedals, the Maz 8 will not deliver AC/DC type distortion. Since I don't use pedals, the Maz 8 was not right for me. Everyone approaches this differently, but IMO the very best tone comes from matching a great guitar to a great amp, with nothing but a top quality cord between them. This is just me, but I don't think you can put anything else in the signal path and improve the sound - change the sound, of course - but not improve it. I know a lot of guitarists disagree with me about this, and that's cool - to each his own. But if you plug your Strat or LP Custom straight into a Remedy and crank it, I submit the tone you will hear is d**n near perfect and will need no pedal enhancement.
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Post by gibsonlives on Dec 29, 2012 21:41:46 GMT -7
cpa, thanks for the welcome, and for the honest opinion. Problem is, I don't believe the Remedy has the feature-set I'm looking for (reverb, full tone stack, footswitchable bypass to add more gain). It's been awhile since I looked at the full Dr. Z range and settled on the Maz 8, so I'll look again. I'm guessing on its own, it can reasonably achieve mid-levels of gain at best? I mean, AC/DC is not exactly screaming amounts of saturation (though Hendrix certainly is at times). Anyway, thanks again; guess I've got yet MORE research and consideration to do now . Steve
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Post by skeets1640 on Jan 9, 2013 12:26:33 GMT -7
I haven't played the maz8 but the 18 had plenty of gain to do AC/DC . To me AC/DC isn't much distortion they have a clear driving tone that sounds like power tubes being pushed into saturation. I also think Hendrix tones would def be doable too he was mostly power tube distortion as well until he stepped on a fuzz box. Just my 2 cents doctorice is a great source of info as are many others on the forum.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2013 15:01:51 GMT -7
I haven't played the maz8 but the 18 had plenty of gain to do AC/DC . To me AC/DC isn't much distortion they have a clear driving tone that sounds like power tubes being pushed into saturation. I also think Hendrix tones would def be doable too he was mostly power tube distortion as well until he stepped on a fuzz box. Just my 2 cents doctorice is a great source of info as are many others on the forum. +1 on this. To me the most unique part of the Maz 8 is the ability to access the power tube side for it's grind.
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Post by informal on Jan 22, 2013 23:26:06 GMT -7
Hello gibsonlives, As doctorice said: Welcome to the forum! You will find a great bunch of folks here who are courteous and knowledgeable. I have learned a fair amount about gear from our Z Brethren here. Earlier this month I purchased a Maz 8 from Guitar Resurrection, but exchanged it specifically because I could not get enough growl and grit out of it. If you are looking for an amp to deliver Hendrix and AC/DC type tone, you cannot do better than a Remedy (I've owned one and loved it). I realize the Remedy is a far cry from a grab-n-go amp, but it will definitely deliver outstanding tone for the rock and hard rock genre. Based on my experience, unless you augment your rig with pedals, the Maz 8 will not deliver AC/DC type distortion. Since I don't use pedals, the Maz 8 was not right for me. Everyone approaches this differently, but IMO the very best tone comes from matching a great guitar to a great amp, with nothing but a top quality cord between them. This is just me, but I don't think you can put anything else in the signal path and improve the sound - change the sound, of course - but not improve it. I know a lot of guitarists disagree with me about this, and that's cool - to each his own. But if you plug your Strat or LP Custom straight into a Remedy and crank it, I submit the tone you will hear is d**n near perfect and will need no pedal enhancement. So was that your old Maz 8 I just bought from Guitar Resurrection? Red with Alnico and brake lite?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 25, 2013 19:35:30 GMT -7
Hello gibsonlives, As doctorice said: Welcome to the forum! You will find a great bunch of folks here who are courteous and knowledgeable. I have learned a fair amount about gear from our Z Brethren here. Earlier this month I purchased a Maz 8 from Guitar Resurrection, but exchanged it specifically because I could not get enough growl and grit out of it. If you are looking for an amp to deliver Hendrix and AC/DC type tone, you cannot do better than a Remedy (I've owned one and loved it). I realize the Remedy is a far cry from a grab-n-go amp, but it will definitely deliver outstanding tone for the rock and hard rock genre. Based on my experience, unless you augment your rig with pedals, the Maz 8 will not deliver AC/DC type distortion. Since I don't use pedals, the Maz 8 was not right for me. Everyone approaches this differently, but IMO the very best tone comes from matching a great guitar to a great amp, with nothing but a top quality cord between them. This is just me, but I don't think you can put anything else in the signal path and improve the sound - change the sound, of course - but not improve it. I know a lot of guitarists disagree with me about this, and that's cool - to each his own. But if you plug your Strat or LP Custom straight into a Remedy and crank it, I submit the tone you will hear is d**n near perfect and will need no pedal enhancement. So was that your old Maz 8 I just bought from Guitar Resurrection? Red with Alnico and brake lite? Hello informal,No - that Maz 8 was blonde with a G12-H30 speaker and an installed Brake Lite. I purchased it from Guitar Resurrection, but since I returned it within the trial period, I technically never owned it. After playing through it for three days I had to conclude it just wasn't the right amp for me. Of all the responses to gibsonlives on this thread, I seem to be the only one who thinks the Maz 8 does not produce enough distortion for Hendrix, AC/DC, or other heavy rock. Since you recently purchased a Maz 8, I am keen to know your impression of its ability to rock heavy. So, Informal, do you play rock or hard rock, and if so, do you find the Maz 8 gives you enough distortion for that style of music? I used to have a Remedy, and that was a rock 'n roll monster, but I sold it because I could not tame the Remedy's volume enough for my applications. That amp definitely rocked and I do miss its great tone. If the good doctor ever makes a lower powered version, a version with power scaling, or some other means of lowering the Remedy's volume without degrading its tone too much, I'll have to get out my checkbook. Lately I've also had some interest in the Monza. I've not had a chance to play through one, but I have heard it on You Tube and elsewhere and it sounds like it might be a fun rocker. It's a 20 watt amp, but using its master volume - which the Remedy does not have - in conjunction with a Brake Lite should address the loudness issue. I don't really need another amp (and my missus emphatically agrees that I don't need another amp ) since I currently own a Bogner and three different models of 65 Amps, but as much as I love these amps, the Dr. Z amps I have owned (a Maz 18, a Z-Wreck, and the Remedy) seem to convey the nuances of what my hands are doing better than any other amp I've ever owned or borrowed. The models from 65 Amps come close - they really are fantastic amps - but Dr. Z slightly edges out 65 Amps when it comes to articulation, and the Bogner doesn't even come close to Dr. Z amps in this regard.
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Post by informal on Jan 25, 2013 22:49:31 GMT -7
Hello informal,No - that Maz 8 was blonde with a G12-H30 speaker and an installed Brake Lite. I purchased it from Guitar Resurrection, but since I returned it within the trial period, I technically never owned it. After playing through it for three days I had to conclude it just wasn't the right amp for me. Of all the responses to gibsonlives on this thread, I seem to be the only one who thinks the Maz 8 does not produce enough distortion for Hendrix, AC/DC, or other heavy rock. Since you recently purchased a Maz 8, I am keen to know your impression of its ability to rock heavy. So, Informal, do you play rock or hard rock, and if so, do you find the Maz 8 gives you enough distortion for that style of music? I used to have a Remedy, and that was a rock 'n roll monster, but I sold it because I could not tame the Remedy's volume enough for my applications. That amp definitely rocked and I do miss its great tone. If the good doctor ever makes a lower powered version, a version with power scaling, or some other means of lowering the Remedy's volume without degrading its tone too much, I'll have to get out my checkbook. Lately I've also had some interest in the Monza. I've not had a chance to play through one, but I have heard it on You Tube and elsewhere and it sounds like it might be a fun rocker. It's a 20 watt amp, but using its master volume - which the Remedy does not have - in conjunction with a Brake Lite should address the loudness issue. I don't really need another amp (and my missus emphatically agrees that I don't need another amp ) since I currently own a Bogner and three different models of 65 Amps, but as much as I love these amps, the Dr. Z amps I have owned (a Maz 18, a Z-Wreck, and the Remedy) seem to convey the nuances of what my hands are doing better than any other amp I've ever owned or borrowed. The models from 65 Amps come close - they really are fantastic amps - but Dr. Z slightly edges out 65 Amps when it comes to articulation, and the Bogner doesn't even come close to Dr. Z amps in this regard. I bought it Tuesday, it was scheduled to arrive today.. but now it looks like Monday I play a little bit of everything, from hard rock to country/blues. The first guitar through it is going to be my new tele.. Then I'll run my B-bender tele through it for a bit.. move on to the strat, then give it a hard rock workout with a EMG equipped Jackson Soloist or the SG. I didn't purchase it with the intent to do high gain stuff, I have other amps for that, But I'll give it a good run with some of my favorite axes, and let you know after I've had it a day or so.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 26, 2013 17:32:17 GMT -7
I bought it Tuesday, it was scheduled to arrive today.. but now it looks like Monday I play a little bit of everything, from hard rock to country/blues. The first guitar through it is going to be my new tele.. Then I'll run my B-bender tele through it for a bit.. move on to the strat, then give it a hard rock workout with a EMG equipped Jackson Soloist or the SG. I didn't purchase it with the intent to do high gain stuff, I have other amps for that, But I'll give it a good run with some of my favorite axes, and let you know after I've had it a day or so. Bummer - it would have been great had it been delivered today so you could have played it over the weekend. The waiting is always the hardest part. I look forward to your post on how it works with your favorite guitars and your take on how it works for rock and hard rock. By the way, you mention that you use other amps for high gain work, so what amps are you using for the high gain stuff?
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Post by informal on Jan 26, 2013 23:53:09 GMT -7
For years It was through a very early Hiwatt 100 (Which I sold back to Hiwatt... how cool is that??) Since I haven't gigged in years, I found the new Fender Mustang gives me what I need to revisit my hair band days.
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Post by informal on Jan 28, 2013 16:04:22 GMT -7
Well cpa, I've had it for a few hours, and I can tell you it is more than capable of getting to AC/DC. The one caveat is... I don't think it will achieve that ballpark at nighttime bedroom levels, even with the brake fully engaged. It's pretty loud when it enters what I would describe as AC/DC territory.
Really digging it so far, I think a Wampler Sovereign in front of it would be amazing.. Just don't think I need it, but then again, I don't NEED any of my gear lol.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2013 18:31:20 GMT -7
I haven't played the maz8 but the 18 had plenty of gain to do AC/DC . To me AC/DC isn't much distortion they have a clear driving tone that sounds like power tubes being pushed into saturation. I also think Hendrix tones would def be doable too he was mostly power tube distortion as well until he stepped on a fuzz box. Just my 2 cents doctorice is a great source of info as are many others on the forum. case in point
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