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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jul 12, 2014 18:43:04 GMT -7
Since you don't care for it, send it over here and I'll make sure it gets taken care of.
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Post by gplayer1965 on Jul 12, 2014 19:41:25 GMT -7
Phil: After you PM your settings to me I tried them and got to say your Review addendum is right on. Yes, very quite amp. I am loving it
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Post by dock66 on Jul 12, 2014 20:34:23 GMT -7
WOW, awesome review Phil. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us. Greatly appreciate your review as always.
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Jul 12, 2014 22:32:47 GMT -7
NOW you're talking Phil...... I didn't comment on your original "kitten" comments, because where I Was at,, there were no kittens in my room...... tigers, yes, but not a kitten in sight! Tell me this isn't one of the most versatile amps the Doc has ever done, though?? Gigged it last night, and it was even more than I had wished for........ I got loads of compliments on my tone, from band and audience alike. Magical!
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Post by gotmojo on Jul 12, 2014 22:53:14 GMT -7
Thank Phil. That just about does it, then. I'm ordering one.
jj
what else can a poor boy do?
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jul 13, 2014 4:52:21 GMT -7
Yeah, I selfishly forget that not everyone lives close enough to get to a dealer (or the Z Shop!) to try out the amps before buying. At least you can get an idea of what a given amp sounds like with different guitars and how much gain it has. I hereby retract part (but not all) of my criticism of the demo concept No, no, no! Please don't misunderstand! I don't mean to knock your review at all Phil. I'm just saying that since I'm an amp geek and an amp snob, that I'll have to plug into and get a feel for this amp myself for me to really know if it's for me. And since there' no dealer nearby (like hundreds of miles), I'll just have to order one to try it out. It IS fun to get new gear in the mail, with all the anticipation fun of waiting for it to come in. Then I get to write my own review on the amp right here in the forum that still won't give any given reader the feel for the amp like pluggin' into it gives. Just the reality of being an amp geek. I did not see your writings as being selfish at all, quite the opposite - I absolutely appreciate you donating your time to write your reviews. Love 'em. jj It's all good James. I swore years ago that I would not buy a guitar or amp without playing it first. I came to this realization when I first went to Willcutt's years ago. That was the first store I had visited that had soooo many guitar amps...all of them "boutique". There were so many brands that I had heard of but had never played or had only briefly played. I was very familiar with Fender, Marshall, and Boogie (and of course Dr. Z), having played and worked on many of them. For a while there I think I even pushed the hospitality of Eric and Brandon. I'd drive down to Lexington and spend the entire day in Willcutt's little amp demo room shuttling amps in and out. I came to the realization pretty quickly that almost every one of them except the Z's had some aspect that just didn't jive with me. I imagined my disappointment if I would have ordered one of these amps based on a glowing Internet review only to find out it's not for me. Guitars are even (way) more personal than that for me. The only brand I've found 100% compatibility with is Grosh. I know a lot of guys buy a given model of Dr. Z's and don't bond with them. Sometimes it takes a few to find the one that's right for them. I understand that. I was thinking about the Therapy last night...as GREAT of an amp as it is I can see how some players wouldn't like it. I've observed many different player's styles over the years. A lot of guys like more compression and less dynamics on the pick attack. Some players like the ability to go from clean to distorted with just their right hand attack. I think some Z's like the Ghia, MAZ's, Z28, Route 66, etc. appeal to many different types of players...they kind of straddle the fence by offering comfort and a level of touch sensitivity at the same time. Amps like the Z-Wreck and Therapy leave you pretty naked and expose your chops more. I can see a lot of guys who prefer a more compressed amp ordering the Therapy based on a glowing review getting it and not liking it. A demo video on the 'net is not going to show you what type of dynamics an amp has or how it will react in your hands. It's like being a civilian aircraft pilot used to a Cesna 172...and watching a video of a pilot flying an F16. You're used to a forgiving stick that has relatively large amounts of travel...and you get in that F16 and suddenly realize that the stick barely even moves at all and the lightest pressure results in a high G turn A video sure can't convey that. I had the same experience flying model helicopters. You can set the sensitivity of the sticks to make a small amount of travel cause a huge change or not so much. I don't have the flying chops to run anywhere near maximum sensitivity like the pros. Maybe the answer for some guys playing an amp like the Wreck or Therapy is a compressor pedal. I like the dynamics so I've never done that but it would have the same effect as turning down the sensitivity on my RC transmitter. Actually come to think of it mastering it down does take some of the "edge" and add some compression (limiting?) as you are by definition bringing the available upper volume limit down.
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jul 13, 2014 5:10:42 GMT -7
NOW you're talking Phil...... I didn't comment on your original "kitten" comments, because where I Was at,, there were no kittens in my room...... tigers, yes, but not a kitten in sight! Tell me this isn't one of the most versatile amps the Doc has ever done, though?? Gigged it last night, and it was even more than I had wished for........ I got loads of compliments on my tone, from band and audience alike. Magical! Meow! I think that's what I was getting at in my initial impressions when I said it was one of the most usable amps Doc has made. If you run it wide open it's got all the dynamics and dripping harmonics of an "American" voiced Trainwreck. When you master it down it retains the high end and clarity (but you lose some of the dynamics, gain and harmonics as you cut the voltage). Amps like the MAZ's that have master volumes are also very versatile but they're not in the same league as the Wreck or Therapy with the master wide open...so with the Therapy you've kind of got the best of both worlds. Even the MAZ's or Remedy wide open don't have that 'Wreck like sparkle. The Therapy just has a few more "gears" available. The thing that still kills me about the Therapy is how well it likes different guitars and pickup outputs. It sounds killer with my Fralin-loaded Grosh Retro Classic...but switching to the Set Neck with the Lollar Imperial High Winds (11K ohms) does NOT result in an overdrive that does not clean up as well. This kitty cleans up even better with humbuckers than the Mazerati GT (yeah, I know the GT has a cascaded front end). Rolling back the guitar's volume and picking lightly with the bridge humbucker on the Set Neck results in one of the fattest cleans I've ever heard...then you twist the knob back to full and dig in and instantly you're way past Van Halen 1 territory. Scary. And insanely fun.
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Post by gplayer1965 on Jul 13, 2014 6:54:15 GMT -7
Gosh I am sure glad Phil is serving his reviews for I know my words would not give this amp any justice. Thanks again for sharing Phil. All I can say is that what Jaguar, Pete,PCNS and Phil have reported is true 100%. I am following Phils experience as he experiments and I try it...even without running it the way he explained was impressive,now I am even more impressed. Wide open MV is awesome.All the dynamics are even more expressive with my LP and my Gretch (humbuckers) then my single coils but it is spectacular with both types of guitars. Can't wait for Doctrice to get his and read his review.
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Post by Dan F"i"fe on Jul 13, 2014 7:56:46 GMT -7
Great report Phil, I can see one of these in my future...
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Post by rcrecelius on Jul 14, 2014 18:05:02 GMT -7
damn, after reading this review I think I need a cigarette...and I don't smoke!
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Post by gplayer1965 on Jul 15, 2014 11:56:21 GMT -7
damn, after reading this review I think I need a cigarette...and I don't smoke!
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Post by KeithA on Jul 19, 2014 12:28:35 GMT -7
Lol..I bought my Ghia unheard because of that Dean Parks video. I agree with you on the demo aspect, for sure. However, where I live, most amps I buy I'll never hear because local dealers don't stock (and I live on a island in the North Atlantic so a day trip somewhere to hear them cant even happen. So, with guitar amps (as with all audio gear I've bought over the years) a video demo that's reasonably done of a well written review (not unlike yours herein) is what most, if not all of my purchase decisions are based on. I've never demoed or heard one of my Zs before I ordered them and most I ordered based upon decent demoes. Its not an ideal situation, but it's worked out so far. The demo of Therapy intrigues me because I'm still not sure of the ballpark this will land in when I finally get to hear it. So, I'm really curious on this one ( and for full disclosure, I had a Therapy ordered and cancelled it yesterday (something I've never done before) since the user experiences I was seeing seemed to conflict with what I thought the amp would be based on early indications). There's a good chance I'll re-order, but for now I've decided to wait (my wife would be shocked!) But I agree completely that a demo video will never replace being able to play/fiddle with the amp in person. Keith Lol...a funny thing happened today ! Well, I had a Therapy ordered early on because I expected a D-style type amp based on early info. As more info came out and users' experiences crept in I got wobbly and cancelled my order since I thought it wasn't something I wanted right now. However, Phil's description peaked my interest since I love Trainwreck-style amps. I don't have the skill to do them justice, but I like them just the same. So, the Therapy began to intrigue me again...for different reasons than originally. Today I dropped by my dealer to get some strings and the guy I buy all my gear from says "By the way, I decided to bring the Therapy head in even thou you cancelled it. it should eventually sell"! So, who am I kidding and I should have never cancelled it in the first place. Deposit made and the Therapy is mine again when it comes in ! Keith
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jul 19, 2014 13:04:56 GMT -7
You know the thing about not having the skill to play a Wreck style amp? That comes after getting a capable amp and practicing your dynamics. I didn't have a very refined technique when I was playing metal through Boogies and Marshalls in the '80s. I'm still no David Grissom but I'm better than I was. The tunes I woodshedded were Castles Made of Sand and Little Wing (the SRV version). There's parts of both of those tunes where you can dig in or hit hard and parts where you can lay back and enjoy the shimmer.
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Post by KeithA on Jul 19, 2014 15:08:51 GMT -7
You know the thing about not having the skill to play a Wreck style amp? That comes after getting a capable amp and practicing your dynamics. I didn't have a very refined technique when I was playing metal through Boogies and Marshalls in the '80s. I'm still no David Grissom but I'm better than I was. The tunes I woodshedded were Castles Made of Sand and Little Wing (the SRV version). There's parts of both of those tunes where you can dig in or hit hard and parts where you can lay back and enjoy the shimmer. Lol...I've been trying to 'practce' for about 10 years (after an 18 year hiatus from guitar) but I cant seem to find time! I vow this winter will be different ,though. In the end, it doesn't matter since I love simply plugging in and having fun. You just may not see many video demos from me! Im looking forward to the Therapy...and the Stangray after that... Etc, (you know the drill)! Keith
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