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Post by digs57 on Jan 12, 2016 12:20:54 GMT -7
Playing around on zlux today starting hear the fender that everyone is saying this amp leans heavy on...I have had drri /deluxes...but nothing that sounds this spanky clean...I had twin reverbs too and I am kind of hearing that aspect too as well.
I previously thought that the maz 18 was louder than zlux at 20/half position...ahem...its quite a meaty 20 watts and im well..."let me get those crow feathers down"
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Post by Faze on Jan 12, 2016 14:59:06 GMT -7
Playing around on zlux today starting hear the fender that everyone is saying this amp leans heavy on...I have had drri /deluxes...but nothing that sounds this spanky clean...I had twin reverbs too and I am kind of hearing that aspect too as well.
I previously thought that the maz 18 was louder than zlux at 20/half position...ahem...its quite a meaty 20 watts and im well..."let me get those crow feathers down" Awesome I can't wait to get home and play mine. It's just waiting there for me all alone and lonely.
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Post by digs57 on Jan 12, 2016 15:15:37 GMT -7
don't forget to hug the wife when you get home though...
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Post by Faze on Jan 12, 2016 16:16:13 GMT -7
don't forget to hug the wife when you get home though... She's comin to get me hugs and kisses will be delivered!
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 13, 2016 8:15:47 GMT -7
Randy, that's great news. I bet you're going to be a very happy man for a bunch of reasons today!
About the Fender family resemblance, I've got a very clean 1967 Deluxe Reverb, and although the Z-Lux definitely comes from that tonal galaxy, it just seems to have more authority than the DR does. I've put the two amps side by side, and It's hard to put in words but the Z, at the same volume, seems larger and somehow sounds both smoother and punchier than the DR. That's at 20 watts. Switching to 40 watts makes it that much bigger...The tremolo is quiet and the envelope is perfect. The reverb is sweeter than the Deluxe Reverb. They both get real surfy but I prefer the Z. My DR is currently residing in a closet...patiently waiting for the right time to sell.
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Post by mickey on Jan 13, 2016 10:06:23 GMT -7
Interesting thread; I am drawn to the Lux, but from what I've read I wonder if it might be too clean and spanky for me. I do like that on-the-edge of breakup tone and I've been weighing up whether to sell some stuff and go for the Lux, or instead get a Maz Jr. head to partner my Maz Sr, and maybe get a studio cab to go with it for when I just need a small rig. Either would replace my Deluxe Reverb. I'm just thinking the Maz is so good at that kind of thing, (my Sr is going nowhere!) and most reports of the Lux tend to focus on the cleans. I need cleans too, but the Lux vs Maz Jr is a debate I'd be interested in reading more about.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jan 13, 2016 11:29:15 GMT -7
Interesting thread; I am drawn to the Lux, but from what I've read I wonder if it might be too clean and spanky for me. I do like that on-the-edge of breakup tone and I've been weighing up whether to sell some stuff and go for the Lux, or instead get a Maz Jr. head to partner my Maz Sr, and maybe get a studio cab to go with it for when I just need a small rig. Either would replace my Deluxe Reverb. I'm just thinking the Maz is so good at that kind of thing, (my Sr is going nowhere!) and most reports of the Lux tend to focus on the cleans. I need cleans too, but the Lux vs Maz Jr is a debate I'd be interested in reading more about. I played a Maz Jr. NR combo with an Alnico Gold in it for several years, and have recently acquired the Z-Lux. There is no question in my mind that the Maz is capable of more saturation, but a lot of that comes from the differences in power amp, and the focus of the amps themselves. The Maz definitely lives in Vox/Marshall territory, while the Z-Lux definitely lives in Fender territory. Naturally there is some overlap, as you can make a fairly convincing Fender sound from the Maz with the right speakers. Similarly, swap out the supplied speaker with an Alnico Gold or Cream and I'm sure the Lux will start leaning a little more heavily towards the British sounds. You have to get the preamp up, but you also need the power amp turned up, and the guitar's signal level is going to make a very large difference here. Humbuckers will push it a lot more than single coils. Even with my Strat though, there is the opportunity for some rewarding breakup on the edge...
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Post by mickey on Jan 13, 2016 11:44:08 GMT -7
Interesting thread; I am drawn to the Lux, but from what I've read I wonder if it might be too clean and spanky for me. I do like that on-the-edge of breakup tone and I've been weighing up whether to sell some stuff and go for the Lux, or instead get a Maz Jr. head to partner my Maz Sr, and maybe get a studio cab to go with it for when I just need a small rig. Either would replace my Deluxe Reverb. I'm just thinking the Maz is so good at that kind of thing, (my Sr is going nowhere!) and most reports of the Lux tend to focus on the cleans. I need cleans too, but the Lux vs Maz Jr is a debate I'd be interested in reading more about. I played a Maz Jr. NR combo with an Alnico Gold in it for several years, and have recently acquired the Z-Lux. There is no question in my mind that the Maz is capable of more saturation, but a lot of that comes from the differences in power amp, and the focus of the amps themselves. The Maz definitely lives in Vox/Marshall territory, while the Z-Lux definitely lives in Fender territory. Naturally there is some overlap, as you can make a fairly convincing Fender sound from the Maz with the right speakers. Similarly, swap out the supplied speaker with an Alnico Gold or Cream and I'm sure the Lux will start leaning a little more heavily towards the British sounds. You have to get the preamp up, but you also need the power amp turned up, and the guitar's signal level is going to make a very large difference here. Humbuckers will push it a lot more than single coils. Even with my Strat though, there is the opportunity for some rewarding breakup on the edge... Thanks Steve, the Gold has been my speaker of choice with my Maz Sr. for a few years now, though I've found it doesn't partner well with everything, and to me, for example, my old Deluxe Reverb sounds better with a G12H30 than it did with a Gold. Strangely, my Maz has enough of the Fender character for me when paired with that Gold. It would definitely be an interesting exercise to try one in a Lux, though I'm thinking the Doc has paired it with his own speaker for a reason, and I'd be reluctant to buy one with a view to changing speakers. I'm still interested in how guys here get along with the Lux though. Thanks again for your thoughts.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jan 13, 2016 19:16:15 GMT -7
I played a Maz Jr. NR combo with an Alnico Gold in it for several years, and have recently acquired the Z-Lux. There is no question in my mind that the Maz is capable of more saturation, but a lot of that comes from the differences in power amp, and the focus of the amps themselves. The Maz definitely lives in Vox/Marshall territory, while the Z-Lux definitely lives in Fender territory. Naturally there is some overlap, as you can make a fairly convincing Fender sound from the Maz with the right speakers. Similarly, swap out the supplied speaker with an Alnico Gold or Cream and I'm sure the Lux will start leaning a little more heavily towards the British sounds. You have to get the preamp up, but you also need the power amp turned up, and the guitar's signal level is going to make a very large difference here. Humbuckers will push it a lot more than single coils. Even with my Strat though, there is the opportunity for some rewarding breakup on the edge... Thanks Steve, the Gold has been my speaker of choice with my Maz Sr. for a few years now, though I've found it doesn't partner well with everything, and to me, for example, my old Deluxe Reverb sounds better with a G12H30 than it did with a Gold. Strangely, my Maz has enough of the Fender character for me when paired with that Gold. It would definitely be an interesting exercise to try one in a Lux, though I'm thinking the Doc has paired it with his own speaker for a reason, and I'd be reluctant to buy one with a view to changing speakers. I'm still interested in how guys here get along with the Lux though. Thanks again for your thoughts. If I get a chance, I'll throw a mic in front of my Z-Lux and then connect the amp to my 1x12 open back with Gold - it would be interesting to hear the difference.
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Post by mickey on Jan 14, 2016 2:26:49 GMT -7
That would be great, Steve.
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Post by Faze on Jan 17, 2016 20:24:25 GMT -7
That would be great, Steve. I would love to hear a clip of that Steve. Hint hint....
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Jan 18, 2016 8:05:20 GMT -7
That would be great, Steve. I would love to hear a clip of that Steve. Hint hint.... Yeah, I will do it soon. I had everything all splayed out all over the place here... Doing some fiddling with a new digital input for my Mac (Apogee Quartet) so I'm behind the eight ball.
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Post by Faze on Jan 18, 2016 22:08:10 GMT -7
It's def got the fender thing going. I compared it back to back with my Vibro King. I was able to get the Z-Lux to sound pretty close almost identical to the Vibro King with the Volume at 5 treble 4 mids 5 and the bass at 7 the master was like at 4. The key thing was cranking the bass. The Vibro King sounded more compressed compared to the Z-Lux. The Vibro King is my all time favorite amp. However the Z-Lux held its own with it. As a matter of fact the Z-Lux sounded fatter and cut through better. What I always liked about the VK was it has this huge 3D like tone it sounds real fat and warm. I feel the same way about the Z-Lux. It has that same thing going on. Some fenders get muddy when you crank them. That's where the VK and the Z-Lux have them beat. There was this old thread on the gear page called what's a alternative to the Fender Vibro King and I posted on it today and said its the Dr. Z Z-Lux. Not taking anything away from the Z-Lux either because it's way more versatile then the Vibro King. The Z-Lux really reminds me of a smaller version of the Vibro King. I bet a Z-Lux head through a Dr.Z 4/10 cab with some golds would sound incredible. It's the Fender factor with a little something extra. It's that Z factor.
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