maction
Full Member
SRZ for me
Posts: 227
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Post by maction on Nov 4, 2005 9:49:59 GMT -7
I had a chance to fire up my Rt. 66 and SRZ-65 with my Z-Best 2x12” and Dr. Z 2x10” cabs last night. I’ve had the 2x12” for a couple of years now, so the Celestions are well broken-in. The 2x10” is new to me, but used from a fellow forum-ite, so I don’t really know about the condition of those speakers. Both cabs run at 8 ohms. As I said in the title of this thread, these are initial reactions, as I see them, after a couple hours of A/B-ing. I played solo (no band) at gig volumes w/o use of the Airbrake. If you want to check out the guitars and effects I used, click on the links below. I may well edit this post later, after I use these cabs with the band. The 2x10 had bigger, thicker, more buttery mids, and a slightly rolled off high end. It really liked the single coil pickup in my Melody Maker. I have that guitar set up for slide, and the M.M. >Rt. 66 > 2x10 set up sounded great, fretted or bottle-neck. Singing, blues-y, and warm with no ice pick high end. Oh, and the bottom on this cab is amazing. Not quite as expansive as the Z-Best, but amazing considering its size. I also really like the way the 2x10 buttered up the mids on the leads when playing Les Paul R8 > SRZ-65 > 2x10. The SRZ-65 has that boutique, hi-fi, even feel in the mids, and the 2x10 really added some warmth. I could really see digging this for laying down rockin’ single note leads tracks. The 2x12 seemed to have more immediate impact in the lows and highs, and was more even-tempered through the middle. I really loved playing rhythm parts, both crunchy and clean (using the volume knob) through this cab using either amp and the Les Paul. As I said, the low end of the Z-best is simply amazing, and when using the neck pickup on the L.P., you can really feel your trouser legs flap standing in front of it, especially with the bass boost of the my Java Boost engaged. The Melody Maker > SRZ-65 > Z-Best seemed a little hollow in the mids after using the 2x10, but I’ve used this combo many times before without noticing anything missing. The 2x12” also sounded huge on leads, its high end allowed my pick attack to cluck through more clearly. If anyone else has compared these cabs, I’d love some more input. As I stated above, this is just one passable guitarist’s opinion after a couple hours of playing. Here are the links to the gear pics: i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Maction/stax.jpgi7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Maction/MelMkr.jpgi7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Maction/58RI.jpgi7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Maction/PedalB.jpg
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Post by johnnyl on Nov 4, 2005 10:19:28 GMT -7
Nice toys Maction.... I might have to pick me up on of those 2X10 cabs for my SRZ.. more GAS.... dammit..
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Post by prowler on Nov 4, 2005 10:41:52 GMT -7
Thanks for the review. I too got a Z 2x10 cab & I love the way it sounds with my 6545. Even though I have only played it for a couple of hours I am sure that it will sit nicely in the mix. It gives my tone a little more bite which I like. And the bass response of this cab is truly amazing.
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Post by prowler on Nov 4, 2005 19:50:39 GMT -7
I really got a chance to give the 2x10 a good workout tonight. This cab is all I hoped & expected it would be. I admit that I was a little reluctant to try any 2x10 cab. I have been a 1x12 user for years and every other 2x10 cab that I have played through always sounded thin and lifeless to me. The Z 2x10 however is a very different animal. It has a very balanced tone throughout the entire range. I especially like how it adds a nice "bite" to my guitars midrange without being overbearing. The highs are smooth without being ice-pick like. & The lows are tight without any boomy-ness. It took me a long, long time to find an amp that brought the tone I had in my head to reality. I found that amp in the 6545. With the addition of the Z 2x10 I have even more of that tone. I should have gone right to the Dr. when I needed a speaker cab. Z, thanks for the medication. I feel much better now.
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Post by travsbluz on Nov 27, 2005 12:08:12 GMT -7
How many watts is the Z 2-10 rated for?
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Post by Laroosco!! on Nov 30, 2005 16:08:23 GMT -7
How many watts is the Z 2-10 rated for? 140
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Post by taswegian on Nov 30, 2005 17:20:05 GMT -7
Was there a noticable volume difference using the 2-10 compared to the 2-12?
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Post by zane on Dec 25, 2005 6:11:42 GMT -7
How many watts is the Z 2-10 rated for? 140 aren"t the speakers rated at 75w each?
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Post by Chris_Ferreira on Mar 23, 2007 23:05:21 GMT -7
As a longtime Super Reverb owner/appreciater, I've always been a huge fan of 10" speakers, especially four of them. However, I generally can't hear the difference between 12' speakers (or maybe I'm just not paying attention), unless it's something really glaringly obvious like my RX through a single vindictive V30 (and I thought only my playing could make my amp sound that bad). So take these comments (if you choose to read them) for what they're worth: I've been playing music for a long time, and I know what sounds I like, but I'm pretty much ignorant about speakers and stuff like that, so reader beware. This post is also really really long. I recently became aware that my local Z-dealer had a 2x10 in stock, so I went down today to try it out with my RX ES. I was expecting a big drop-off in low-end compared to my current cab (a 2x12 with Celestion 75's), but it really wasn't that noticeable. Like everyone says, the bass response isn't huge, but it's very focused and clear, and it isn't a "small" or tinny sound at all. Clear, articulate, and well balanced. What did surprise me though, was how insanely efficient those speakers are with that amp, and how insanely loud it is. I was playing at noon or 1'o'clock with a 57 RI Les Paul (with and without overdose) and it felt louder than my 2x12. Furthermore, (and this was the part that disappointed me a little), it actually seemed markedly cleaner. Maybe 10" speakers just don't break up the same way that 12" speakers do, but I really couldn't get quite the 4xEL-84's-in-serious-distress tone that I can with 12"s. Maybe that was where I was missing the bass response the most: when I was pushing the speakers hard. Even with the overdose engaged it still felt "clean-ish." Not really clean, but not the crunch and roar that I was looking for, either. On the bright side though, that same store had a couple of Z-Best cabs in stock, and I made the fiscally-irresponsible choice of plugging into one. Definitely the best my RX has ever sounded, even when I was just playing quietly, there was a really nice dynamic response to my pick and fingers, and the bass response is perfect. I don't expect the RX to be a low-end monster and I don't really need or want it to, but every cab I've played it through left me thinking "Sounds great, but still a little lacking in the low end." With the Z-best, the balance is perfect, the RX with that cab is probably capable of more bass than you'd ever realistically need, but it's very easy to dial in a very punchy, percussive, and full-bottomed sound. Although the stock speakers are (I think) more efficient that my 75's, the break-up was immensely satisfactory from a classic-rock-sound point of view. When pushed hard, those speakers roar. Anyway, that's my opinion, and now I have to sell a bunch more stuff to get a Z-best. Definitely worth the price.
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 24, 2007 7:25:05 GMT -7
I've had a 2x10 for some time now. So far it sounds great with all four of my Z amps. Maction's description is right on. Chris's post above also has points. If you want speaker distortion you'll have a hard time getting it out of the 2x10. I'm the opposite on that point. I don't want speaker distortion and I can't gig at loud enough volumes to get it anyway. That brings up another point. If I can't gig loud enough to strain the speakers then I also can't gig loud enough to be worth the effort of hauling a Z Best 2x12. In my musical history that much bass will also interfere with the bass player setting up a volume war. The thing the 2x10 cab does that the 4x10 and the Z Best don't do is that thick, buttery mid range. Cutting through the band without overpowering volume is made easier. If I was able to gig loud anymore I'd have two 2x10 cabs! One 2x10 cab is 30 pounds. That is very pleasant to haul. I've been using my Ghia head with it on the last couple of gigs. The high efficiency of the 2x10 cab even allows the little Ghia to play loud enough and clean enough to be heard on jazz standards. Cranked to about 1:00 for bluesy stuff and it gets loud enough to be pushing it. 18 watts can get too loud pretty quick with my Lentz and the 2x10. I am a really big fan of the 2x10. I put Beam Blockers in mine also. The open back is handy for odds and ends when hauling. If I was a younger more rock oriented player with no volume limits I would go with the Z Best but for my world the 2x10 is perfect.
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Post by Mitch on Mar 24, 2007 10:06:14 GMT -7
I love the Z 2x10 cab just as it is. BUT, I also LOVE Weber speakers and am "this close" to putting a weber blue/silver 30 watt ceramic combination in the 2x10 cab. Anyone else running this Weber combo in their 2x10 cab ? - If so, what to do with the Z speakers ? Is their any resale value in them ?
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Post by BW on Mar 24, 2007 10:08:03 GMT -7
I'm gonna get me a creme 2X10 one of these days. That little cab reminds me of an ol' Tremolux.
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 24, 2007 18:39:52 GMT -7
Maybe that's another reason I like mine! The Z has a partially open back and is smaller than a Tremolux cab. I think the open back makes it a little more efficient. Side by side the 2x10 is more efficient and has stronger mids when a/b'd against the 12" alnico Tone Tubby in my Maz 38 combo.
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Post by Chris_Ferreira on Mar 25, 2007 2:28:17 GMT -7
I hope I didn't come across as if I were panning the 2x10. It sounded great, and I have no trouble believing that 18 or 22 watt amps would sound quite loud through those super-efficient speakers. Maybe I'm just too used to hearing my RX through a 2x12 cab, but I couldn't get the sound I've been chasing from the smaller cab. If I were playing jazz (wish I could), I think it would be perfect with a good clean amp, but I'm just not ready to play out yet.
I thought it was funny, Billy, that you used the phrase "worth the effort" in reference to dragging around a Z-best. It's actually substantially smaller (and maybe ten pounds lighter by feel) than the Green cab I've been using for the last four or five years, so it's pretty much all upside from that perspective. To top it off, the cab I played through was a perfect match for my head.
I just hope no one buys it before I can sell my Green.
Apropos of nothing, but Billy, what amp do you use most when you are playing out? Stangray?
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 25, 2007 8:34:34 GMT -7
I didn't think you were dissing the 2x10. I agree it's different horses for different courses. I tend to take different heads just for variety. I was using the Stangray all the thime but then switched to a blackface Vibroluxe Reverb then the Route 66 and then the Ghia for the last couple of gigs. The z heads always go with the Z 2x10 cab. I like the Ghia because it is so light and the rooms I usually play in don't need more power. I am definitely going to get an EZG-40 head when that's released. I have a blonde Maz 38 sr combo that I really like but I don't use it because I want a head to use with my 2x10. I'm seriously thinking about selling the combo.
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