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Post by limenine on Jan 23, 2013 18:37:32 GMT -7
Got home from work today to the new (to me- thanks Ben!) Mini. I have only played with it for a bit, but my first impressions are great! Very happy I purchased it
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Post by limenine on Jan 24, 2013 18:41:56 GMT -7
Took a peek at the tubes in the mini (and had actually ordered spare power tubes and a variety of preamp tubes to try out before receiving the amp) and found a JJ 12ax and an unbranded power tube.
Truth be told, I am really happy with the way it sounds as-is. But I'll try out some different combos and see how things shake out.
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Post by meanslide on Jan 25, 2013 12:10:15 GMT -7
Congrats! Now you're hooked...
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Post by club327 (aka Ben) on Jan 25, 2013 22:22:37 GMT -7
Let me know what you end up thinking sounds best. I have this monza thing which is just .... A monster. May be too much for me we shall see. I kind of miss the simplicity of havong a good sound no matter where the volume is set at.
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Post by limenine on Jan 26, 2013 12:52:07 GMT -7
Congrats! Now you're hooked... 'S true... I haven't had any time yet to play around with different tubes - well, that's not entirely true - but I've spent it just playing guitar instead of fiddling with the amp because it sounds really good the way it sits. I hope the Monza works out for you Ben. I was actually going back and forth between the Monza and Ghia for a long time. The Mini was kinda under the radar so to speak. Most of the clips on youtube don't really do it justice. I always thought it sounded kind of brash and grainy, and I took a little bit of a leap of faith in buying one knowing that youtube ain't exactly the way to audition an amp... Funny thing is, it was exactly what I wanted without realizing it. In fact, if the good Doc is listening, I think the Mini could benefit hugely from a Frankie Starr / Dave Baker / Greg V quality demo vid (especially now that the new ones have the updated tranny). I have to wonder how many like myself have overlooked it untill they've heard one in person.
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Post by limenine on Jan 26, 2013 18:22:46 GMT -7
Welp, I tried a few preamp tubes today (all JJ). I had ordered a 5751, a 12au7 and a 12ax7 (5751, ecc82 and ecc803s). It already had an ecc83 12ax7 in it. I wound up leaving the ecc83 in. Can't say I really had a clear favorite - none of them made me jump up and say *wow* that's the one... Actually, I didn't get to try the ecc82 'cause it was DOA . Made my heart rate go up a tad when I swapped it in and got nothing but hum and crackles! I swapped out the power tube just to see if it would make a difference, but the old one was fine.
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Post by LuckyBlackCat on Feb 4, 2013 13:32:35 GMT -7
Enjoy it! I just got my Mini back after a little tune up by the Doc. I absolutely love this thing. I don't know how I ever got along without it.
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Post by limenine on Feb 4, 2013 19:41:03 GMT -7
Thanks! Did you get the Maz tranny upgrade? I've tried out my modest selection of tubes and think I like the standard 12AX7 for most things - but it's nice to be able to change the amp's personality so easily
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Post by club327 (aka Ben) on Feb 4, 2013 21:22:01 GMT -7
Great glad to hear you like it. I was very afraid that the monza was going to be too much amp and i would regret giving up the mini. We only play in a garage. I finnally got to play it at practice this past friday instead of in the basement alone, and the monza was great. Never got the master past noon so i may be missing something in tone but not so i noticed. I must say i was happy witht the red fang. What i thought might be too harsh, ended up just perfect for being heard above the band.
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Post by LuckyBlackCat on Feb 5, 2013 6:54:30 GMT -7
Thanks! Did you get the Maz tranny upgrade? I've tried out my modest selection of tubes and think I like the standard 12AX7 for most things - but it's nice to be able to change the amp's personality so easily No, I didn't actually. I had to send it in because the volume pot turned out to be bad. They fixed me up, though, good as new now. (Side note: props to Don at Z for helping me very thoroughly in my troubleshooting.) I was debating on whether or not to get the new transformer installed as well, but I decided not to. Maybe I'm silly, but I like how it sounds so much that I was a little hesitant to do anything that could perhaps change it. With my tele and the Mini Z dimed, I get as close to Warren Haynes' Mule sound as I ever have with any rig before. It's the perfect amount of gain and touch sensitivity. From all accounts I've read, the new transformer really does sound good, but I just didn't want to risk a change. If it ain't broke...
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