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Post by guitarhero on Aug 23, 2006 19:03:13 GMT -7
Does anybody know if the Stang Ray likes boost pedals? How does it compare to the Z-28? I had pretty much decided on the Z-28 until I heard the clips of the stang ray. I use a pedal board with a fulltone boost, tube delay, prescription fuzz, boss reverb, clyde wah, and mxr phase shifter. I like to use the amps natural distortion and be able to boost it for extra gain. I like it when the amp does not compress the signal too much. The Z-28 likes to be pushed and does not squish the signal or stifle the lows. It kind of opens up and accepts the tones and the gain getting more distorted, lush, and sparkly. But two things appeal to me about the Stang Ray: It does not need biasing, and it appears to have a brighter gain, less mids, and more crisp even harmonics which I like.
I have tried the Z-28 and I like its power and headroom. It breaks up at the perfect volume level for me, but the sound may be a little too dark in the low mids compared to the Stang Ray. I am still waiting on my local music store to get one in and there's already a few people who want to buy it. I may not even be able to try it out before it leaves the store.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Mike
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Post by sultan59 (Tim) on Aug 23, 2006 19:40:25 GMT -7
You won't find much, if any, natural tube distortion in a Stang Ray. Crystal clean all the way up.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Aug 23, 2006 19:48:42 GMT -7
Well the Stingray gets a bit of crunch on the top if you drive the front end, but it's a pretty clean amp. Jump on a 6db boost and it gets quite hairy, but still way cleaner than my Flexi, that's for sure. As I said in another post, the 'ray responds really well to using a compressor's volume control as a boost.
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Post by guitarhero on Aug 23, 2006 21:59:10 GMT -7
That's very interesting. Less break up than a 66 and a bit brighter with more lows it sounds like? I listened to the clips of the Stang Ray and it sounds very good. Just the right amount of natural clear articulate break up, very harmonic sounding...but maybe too much headroom for me based on the comments so far.
I use another amp for crystal clear sounds, so I am definitely looking for some considerable break up in my next purchase. I still can't get over the clips though. They sound great.
My 66 is too loud for me. I have to crank it to get the desired effect, then my drummer gives me the stink eye to turn it down. Though it does sound amazing at high volumes, it has a touch too much midrange for my taste at lower levels and I refuse to drag an airbrake on stage.
One quick note: My Route 66 and Z 2x10 blows away every stage I have played so far! It is a powerful little devil. Sound men comment about it a lot. I think I could face it toward the back corner of the stage and it would still cut!
After reading more comments about the Stang Ray, it sounds like the Z-28 might be my best bet after all. Any more advice would be appreciated. I have never worked with a compressor before, so that seems alien to me. I only know three ways to get break up: 1) crank it. 2) use a stomp box. 3) boost it.
Mike
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Post by sultan59 (Tim) on Aug 23, 2006 22:39:56 GMT -7
Maybe you could try one of those ClearSonic baffles with your Rt. 66? Joe Bonamassa swears by them, and I'm pretty sure he plays extremely loud to get the kind of tone he does. Kinda funny getting the stinkeye from a drummer, though. I don't suppose he has any volume problems, does he? ;D
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Post by sultan59 (Tim) on Aug 23, 2006 22:42:39 GMT -7
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Post by billyguitar on Aug 24, 2006 4:50:37 GMT -7
Plugged into the hi input my S R breaks up a lot, approaching Fresh cream. Maybe it's just mine or what one guy says is a lot is what another calls 'not much'.
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Post by guitarhero on Aug 24, 2006 6:36:11 GMT -7
Hey thanks for the tip about the clearsonic. That would be great for certain stages, but I don't want to have to bring anything else on stage. I like to setup the 2x10, the head, put my pedalboard down, plug in, and go to the races! Also, I like to stand right in front of the amp if I can and the baffle would take away some of the pleasure of playing live for me.
kudos on the suggestion though.
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Post by guitarhero on Aug 24, 2006 6:39:45 GMT -7
Plugged into the hi input my S R breaks up a lot, approaching Fresh cream. Maybe it's just mine or what one guy says is a lot is what another calls 'not much'. Yeah, I think that sounds about right. Some of us think that a little break up is not enough, others of us think of it as too much. I guess I will have to wait and try it out for myself, but I love getting all this feedback to think about in the meantime. The "Fresh Cream" description is encouraging. That's what I am after...Thanks. Mike
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Aug 24, 2006 8:21:47 GMT -7
Mike,
The stingray is pretty beautifully clean, but with a good Boost or OD pedal it gets awesome.... it is loud, as loud as the 66... but to me, with the stingray you can turn the volume down and you don't really loose any magic... just add a boost... so if you don't mind using a pedal Stangray is fine...
but if you decide to go with the Z-28 because the volume level sounds about right, I don't think you'll go wrong either... you can solve the "darkness" problem you spoke of by some tube preamp swapping.... myles could help you with that I'm sure... should probably get the Z-28 to be pretty bright too, and get the overall sound to where you want it...
AND between using the different tubes and swapping/ using different speakers.... can make a world of difference with these amps... that 2x10 Z cab of yours should sound pretty bright and punchy with the Z-28...
I really don't think you could go wrong either way... and I don't know what "other" amp you use for your cleans... but if you go with the Stangray that other amp might loose it's job... Stingray has some of the most wonderous cleans I've ever heard... then you hit the boost and step back.... ;D ;D
Jason
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Post by dock66 on Aug 24, 2006 8:34:09 GMT -7
Mike, The stingray is pretty beautifully clean, but with a good Boost or OD pedal it gets awesome.... it is loud, as loud as the 66... but to me, with the stingray you can turn the volume down and you don't really loose any magic... just add a boost... so if you don't mind using a pedal Stangray is fine... but if you decide to go with the Z-28 because the volume level sounds about right, I don't think you'll go wrong either... you can solve the "darkness" problem you spoke of by some tube preamp swapping.... myles could help you with that I'm sure... should probably get the Z-28 to be pretty bright too, and get the overall sound to where you want it... AND between using the different tubes and swapping/ using different speakers.... can make a world of difference with these amps... that 2x10 Z cab of yours should sound pretty bright and punchy with the Z-28... I really don't think you could go wrong either way... and I don't know what "other" amp you use for your cleans... but if you go with the Stangray that other amp might loose it's job... Stingray has some of the most wonderous cleans I've ever heard... then you hit the boost and step back.... Jason Jason, Good suggestions,I totally agreed with you. dock66
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Post by sultan59 (Tim) on Aug 24, 2006 10:00:19 GMT -7
I like the Z28 better than the StangRay. If you're worried about volume, the 28 is probably a better choice for you. It has a beautiful, warm, tube breakup sound. One of the only amps I've heard that doesn't even need reverb. The StangRay, at least mine, anyway, is very trebly. But it does sound nice with the BK Butler Tube Driver.
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Post by guitarhero on Aug 24, 2006 13:43:55 GMT -7
Wow, those are killer suggestions! Thanks everyone. These amps have such distinct personalities, its important to get the right one for the right reasons. Yeah, I really like the idea of tube swapping with the Z-28. Great suggestion, and something I did not even think about. But I know I could just put that amp on any stage, turn it up and go! I really like the one I tried in the music store with the 2x10's. The Stang Ray sounds really great too. Look forward to trying it out. Mike
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Post by billyguitar on Aug 24, 2006 14:31:50 GMT -7
Don't be afraid to turn the cut very low on the stang ray to get the treble where you want it.
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Post by groovedr on Aug 25, 2006 23:31:30 GMT -7
I agree billyguitar. The Ray has such a spectrum of tone but you can't be shy about turning and experimenting with the knobs. I run the cut and tone at various positions depending on which guitar I'm on. And yes the cut run down low (which is where I like it) will take the edge down as far as it needs to. Plus, try using the tone and cut as a working pair. Man it's soooo sweet.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Aug 26, 2006 12:21:52 GMT -7
Last night I did something different. I was playing my last night with the blues band, and I've ALWAYS used the Flexi with that band. But I blew a speaker last week (watch for another thread on that bit of interesting trivia) on the THD 2x12 cab, so I reasoned that the Stingray and a pedal should be enough. So I put together a pedal board with all my favorite pedals on it - my compressor, the BB Preamp, my old Ibanez Tube Screamer, and the RC Booster. Holy moley! They all sounded great, but the BB Preamp completely floored me running into the Stingray. I found the secret for me is turning the treble control on the BB to about 9 o'clock. The volume on the BB was at about 10 o'clock or so, and the other two controls were at noon. The thing just smoked through the Stingray. I could totally replace the Flexi with that pedal and the Stingray! I'm going to use the exact same setup tonight with the rock band - I'm betting it will be perfect there too. I did use the other pedals a bit too. Having a compressor available on such a clean amp really helps when you need some sustain. Like the harmonics I play during Little Wing - I wanted that clean sound, but I wanted those harmonics to ring out the way they do on the Flexi with higher gain. Turn on the compressor - viola! And there were a couple tunes where I switched on the RC Booster. With some tweaking there, I think it will provide an alternative sound to the BB Preamp. The RC tends to be way cleaner, so you get the Stingray's preamp crunching up more using that method. Another great sound, but different from the BB Preamp. And I did try the Tube Screamer, and it did sound good. But the BB was way more addictive. The BB into the Stingray is a very addictive sound!
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Post by guitarstan on Aug 26, 2006 13:57:58 GMT -7
Thanks Steve , now you got me GASSIN again for a Ray, ugh .
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Post by billyguitar on Aug 26, 2006 15:17:51 GMT -7
And me for a BB!
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Post by guitarhero on Aug 27, 2006 7:29:14 GMT -7
Yeah, that's cool. The BB does not like my route 66 because of the mids, but I can see it sounding good with an amp that has more high end and clarity. Great suggestion. I know the guys at the music store will want to hear that because they are big fans of the BB.
Mike
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Aug 27, 2006 10:14:37 GMT -7
Played it again that way last night. The BB can get a bit too smooth if you crank the gain up too much. But if you work at the controls a bit, keep the gain in check, and use the volume to drive the front end of the 'ray, AND keep that treble turned back a bit, that pedal has serious potential. But I imagine it does sound way different on a variety of amps. Thus, YMMV!
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