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Post by 909one on Jun 10, 2006 13:42:54 GMT -7
So I just got a MAZ 38 and I am consistently blown away by the tone, but as everyone knows the Maz is an extremely revealing amp... every little nuance and detail is amplified. I have a Gretsch Tennessee Rose. I know Gretches are known for their twang, but the Maz really amplfies that 6-8khz bite to the point where I am actually starting to not like the Gretsch. I have been messing with the tone controls on the guitar and the amp, but I have not been able to come up with anything that helps to get rid of that harshness without dulling the whole sound. I use thicker flatwound strings too and the neck is set up pretty well to avoid excess buzzing. I started thinking about swapping out tubes to help smooth out some of the top end. Does any one have any suggestions for tubes to try in the preamp section that might help smooth out the top end, without loosing too much chime? I am pretty overwhelmed by all the tube choices out there. Right now I believe the amp just has the stock tubes from Dr. Z.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jun 10, 2006 13:49:45 GMT -7
So I just got a MAZ 38 and I am consistently blown away by the tone, but as everyone knows the Maz is an extremely revealing amp... every little nuance and detail is amplified. I have a Gretsch Tennessee Rose. I know Gretches are known for their twang, but the Maz really amplfies that 6-8khz bite to the point where I am actually starting to not like the Gretsch. I have been messing with the tone controls on the guitar and the amp, but I have not been able to come up with anything that helps to get rid of that harshness without dulling the whole sound. I use thicker flatwound strings too and the neck is set up pretty well to avoid excess buzzing. I started thinking about swapping out tubes to help smooth out some of the top end. Does any one have any suggestions for tubes to try in the preamp section that might help smooth out the top end, without loosing too much chime? I am pretty overwhelmed by all the tube choices out there. Right now I believe the amp just has the stock tubes from Dr. Z. JJs are usually a lot warmer from my experience...
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Post by hdahs143 on Jun 10, 2006 14:52:31 GMT -7
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Post by 909one on Jun 10, 2006 14:55:31 GMT -7
Thanks for all those reccomendations!!! Now I have some place to start looking.
Ps. Has anyone tried the 1st mod that Dr. Z posted? I would imagine this would help deal with my problem too.
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Post by myles on Jun 11, 2006 12:26:41 GMT -7
Is you stock V1 tube a JJ ECC83S?
If so .... then try a 12AX7R3 (12AX7EH) and if that is too bright a 12AX7C. Lots of folks love the C's as they are warm but also the most linear of the current 12AX7 types.
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 11, 2006 13:24:34 GMT -7
Is a GT-12AX7R2 the same as a Svetlana?
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Post by bustertheboy on Jun 11, 2006 18:37:17 GMT -7
v1 nos 12ax7 (i like GE) v2 nos jan 5751- again GE- this gave me a much more even yet detailed sound in my ghia other thing is less peaky speakers, such as greenbacks?
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Post by John on Jun 12, 2006 11:58:48 GMT -7
The tone controls are deceiving. Have you turned your CUT control almost all the way down/off?
I keep mine at 9:00....as do many other people in this forum. It slices off that top end. In my limited opinion, it will do much more than changing tubes. As others have said in this forum: Close your eyes and turn the tone controls.
We all have preconceived ideas about where tone controls should be. You have to throw those out the window.
Between completely off and 9:00, there is a hugh difference in tone change. After about 9:00, it's just increased brightness.
It should really knock out that 6-8k bite.
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Post by 909one on Jun 21, 2006 0:58:19 GMT -7
yeah. have tried adjusting the tone controls a million times. to be honest thats the one thing i don't like about the maz.. the tone controls seem very non linear. everything happens from like 6 to 9 o'clock. i know they are supposed to be a fender tone stack style but all of the vintage fenders i have played have had a much more linear response in the tone shaping. the cut knob does help with my problems, but its so touchy because everything happens in that small area too. last week i started looking and i found a few old preamp tubes in some other amps i own. i started switching things around. to my ears this RCA tube that i pulled out of my champ sounded much better than the stock JJ ECC83S that came with the amp. well i guess not better, but it worked better with my guitar. i definitely seemed to have a slower transient response which seemed to help with the high end harshness. a little bit more low mid presence too. it seems to have less head room too, which could be good for playing quiter shows. i can really see how it might be in your favor to have a small selection of tubes to switch out depending on what guitar you are playing and where you are playing. i could see how there could be a huge difference in response of the amp between something like a 335 and tele, and it would be nice to have different tubes to compliment each guitar.
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Post by myles on Jun 29, 2006 10:48:36 GMT -7
Is a GT-12AX7R2 the same as a Svetlana? No. The GT-12AX7R2 is the Sovtek 12AX7LPS.
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Post by billyguitar on Jun 29, 2006 10:53:28 GMT -7
Dang it! I got confused and bought the wrong one. It sounds good anyway.
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Post by Telemanic on Jun 29, 2006 22:52:57 GMT -7
Hi 909, i have wrestled with a similar thing with the maz. The cut control on its own could not, to my satisfaction, dial out some harshness in the upper mids/low highs. Set too low and the amp became kinda dull, but if i up'd the cut the harshness came back. I think maybe the Doc's mod may be the ticket ? If you dont go that route i'd definately keep playin with combinations of pre tubes,... AND dont forget about the power tubes. They're a little more subtle in the changes in tonality, but still there. Along with the pre's it will start to add up, cumulatively getting you to being dialed in. I found the JJ's that were stock, nice tubes for certain things, but a little aggressive in the upper mids, and i was looking for a bit warmer, smoother, tone and feel. I switched to a quad of Nos RCA's, and the amp was noticeably warmer, with a bit more clean on tap. Very nice, but a set of GE's is even a little warmer. I guess the down side to that is that depending on how hard and often you gig, you may find it troublesome to have enough Nos El84's around to last! They're not the most durable tube around, but the doc's design seems to be pretty easy on them! Best of luck !
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