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Post by benttop (Steve) on Sept 17, 2016 17:40:37 GMT -7
Congrats - looks fantastic!
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Post by pcns on Sept 18, 2016 6:27:51 GMT -7
Swweeeeet!
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 20, 2016 17:13:51 GMT -7
I haven't had a ton of time to spend with my Z Lux just yet. I have tried my LP with burst buckers, LP with P90's, stock Strat, and Tele, mostly on the 20 watt setting. So far, I"m having trouble getting a comfortable tone with any of my guitars. Weird. I had no problem at all dialing in a good useable tone with my Maz. That was an easy amp to quickly bond with.
So far, I just haven't bonded with the Lux. With all my guitars, (not as much with the Strat) it seems a bit harsh on the treble side - even with the treble turned way down. It also seems hard to keep the bass in check. The amp sounds HUGE, but I'm having a hard time getting it to find a happy place in the mix. BTW, I'm running it through a Z12, open-back.
I'll continue to experiment. After listening to so many great reviews, I'm thinking I must be doing something wrong. One thing Ill try is to move the amp further away from the wall. That might be part of the problem.
I'll post updates as I work my way through this.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Sept 20, 2016 20:19:15 GMT -7
I haven't had a ton of time to spend with my Z Lux just yet. I have tried my LP with burst buckers, LP with P90's, stock Strat, and Tele, mostly on the 20 watt setting. So far, I"m having trouble getting a comfortable tone with any of my guitars. Weird. I had no problem at all dialing in a good useable tone with my Maz. That was an easy amp to quickly bond with. So far, I just haven't bonded with the Lux. With all my guitars, (not as much with the Strat) it seems a bit harsh on the treble side - even with the treble turned way down. It also seems hard to keep the bass in check. The amp sounds HUGE, but I'm having a hard time getting it to find a happy place in the mix. BTW, I'm running it through a Z12, open-back. I'll continue to experiment. After listening to so many great reviews, I'm thinking I must be doing something wrong. One thing Ill try is to move the amp further away from the wall. That might be part of the problem. I'll post updates as I work my way through this. I don't think that cab is going to be your friend if it has the standard speakers in it. How's it loaded?
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Post by KeithA on Sept 21, 2016 3:11:04 GMT -7
I haven't had a ton of time to spend with my Z Lux just yet. I have tried my LP with burst buckers, LP with P90's, stock Strat, and Tele, mostly on the 20 watt setting. So far, I"m having trouble getting a comfortable tone with any of my guitars. Weird. I had no problem at all dialing in a good useable tone with my Maz. That was an easy amp to quickly bond with. So far, I just haven't bonded with the Lux. With all my guitars, (not as much with the Strat) it seems a bit harsh on the treble side - even with the treble turned way down. It also seems hard to keep the bass in check. The amp sounds HUGE, but I'm having a hard time getting it to find a happy place in the mix. BTW, I'm running it through a Z12, open-back. I'll continue to experiment. After listening to so many great reviews, I'm thinking I must be doing something wrong. One thing Ill try is to move the amp further away from the wall. That might be part of the problem. I'll post updates as I work my way through this. I don't think that cab is going to be your friend if it has the standard speakers in it. How's it loaded? I assumed that the reference above to a Z12 referees to Doc's new 12 inch speaker by Eminence....but I could be wrong.
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 21, 2016 5:02:45 GMT -7
Yep, it's Z's 12"in a Z open-back cab.
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Post by Rockerfeller on Sept 21, 2016 6:40:56 GMT -7
So far, I just haven't bonded with the Lux. I am curious: Is it the clean tone you are not bonding with or the dirt tone or both? I have owned two Dr. Z amps: The Remedy and the Z-Lux and have had two different bonding experiences with it. With the Remedy, I didn't really dig the tone I was getting from it at home. Not at all really. However, I bought it off my other guitar player and I had seen and heard it live so many times that I just KNEW it was an awesome amp. It turns out that the Remedy sounds better, at least to me, live. Much better. With the Z-lux I knew after the first 30 minutes that it was going to work for me. I have gigged her 8 times now, and where she really shines is in a live setting.
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 21, 2016 7:14:31 GMT -7
I'm mostly using it clean. It just seems either too muddy or the highs too harsh. At least to my ears. I'd like to take it to a different room, maybe even at the church to see what it sounds like there - and with a full band.
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Post by Rockerfeller on Sept 21, 2016 7:44:40 GMT -7
I'm mostly using it clean. It just seems either too muddy or the highs too harsh. At least to my ears. I'd like to take it to a different room, maybe even at the church to see what it sounds like there - and with a full band. I use it with a Tele, and I have the highs dialed down to about 9oclock, and I keep the bass around 10pm. Mid's are usully around 2ish. At those settings the Tele and the amp sound great. I do have to roll the tone knob back a bit on the bridge pup for clean stuff. Sometimes the harshness of the highs can be related to pickup height, so if you recently changed pups, you might want to check that.
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 21, 2016 7:51:00 GMT -7
Thanks for the tips! I'll do some more playing tonight.
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Post by Faze on Sept 21, 2016 8:03:23 GMT -7
I'm mostly using it clean. It just seems either too muddy or the highs too harsh. At least to my ears. I'd like to take it to a different room, maybe even at the church to see what it sounds like there - and with a full band. I set mine at church with the volume between 9 o'clock And 10 the treble at 10 bass at about 1and mids at 1 master volume at about 11-12 reverb at about 9. Also I use my guitar tone knobs to dial in or out the highs. I think once you play it live you will get a better feel for it.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Sept 21, 2016 10:45:35 GMT -7
I don't think that cab is going to be your friend if it has the standard speakers in it. How's it loaded? I assumed that the reference above to a Z12 referees to Doc's new 12 inch speaker by Eminence....but I could be wrong. Whoops, sorry, I mis-read it. I thought he said Z 2x12. Whole different animal. Carry on.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Sept 22, 2016 15:55:28 GMT -7
I've noticed that the bass response in different rooms can vary (as well as mids) to a surprising extent with combo amps. In my small studio the ceiling is vaulted and there are dead spots and other places where the bass is magnified a great deal. Just moving the amp 3 feet in one direction or the other can make a huge difference in the response and feel of the amp. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts when you try it at church or other rooms, and with a band. The Z-Lux is a commanding presence in any room and can overwhelm some.
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Post by doctorice on Sept 23, 2016 10:43:30 GMT -7
I've noticed that the bass response in different rooms can vary (as well as mids) to a surprising extent with combo amps. In my small studio the ceiling is vaulted and there are dead spots and other places where the bass is magnified a great deal. Just moving the amp 3 feet in one direction or the other can make a huge difference in the response and feel of the amp. Dave is spot on. "Too much" bass in my little music room becomes "not enough" at some gigs. I carry a couple cheap rubber door stops in my gig bag. Using them under the cab to get a slight tilt eases the coupling with the floor a bit and directs a little more sound up into the room. (I got the idea from Frank (britinvasion).)
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Sept 23, 2016 11:47:20 GMT -7
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 23, 2016 16:36:13 GMT -7
Cool idea Dave!
By the way.... I would pay admission to get into your guitar room!
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 23, 2016 20:12:58 GMT -7
Well, I'm still trying different things with my Z Lux. I've found some very cool tones along the way. Still not in love with it though. I'm not ready to give up on it yet. I'm still planning to try it in some different rooms to see if that does it for me.
If for some reason I just can't bond with this amp, I'm not sure where to go next. I'm thinking that maybe the Maz sound "ruined" me. My first Z was a Maz 38 2x10 combo. I just love what the Maz does. I still wish I could try a Maz 18 and 38 side by side. Just to satisfy my curiosity.
Anyway... back to the Lux. I'm going to try to get it to the church to see what it sounds like. Hopefully in the next week or so.
I'll post updates here.
Thanks for all the great input so far. Much appreciated!
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sam
Junior Member
Posts: 91
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Post by sam on Sept 23, 2016 21:47:44 GMT -7
Just a thought... The speaker is a really big part of the tone and feel. What speaker do you use with your Maz? Can you run the Z-lux into your Maz cab? Maybe you just aren't bonding with the speaker, or maybe it needs to break in?
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 24, 2016 5:25:56 GMT -7
Right now, I'm running it through Z's 12" speaker. I also tried it through a creamback. Those are the only two speakers I currently have on hand.
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Post by Rockerfeller on Sept 24, 2016 6:53:39 GMT -7
My advice, for what it is worth, is to gig with it once. My understanding is that Dr. Z amps are made for the stage, to be used live. My experience has been that this is where the mojo really comes out. I mentioned earlier that I couldn't make the Remedy sound good at home, but when I opened her up at the first gig I discovered OMG WHAT a great tone machine the Remedy is.
Try her live and then you will have a much better idea of what she can do.
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 24, 2016 7:03:37 GMT -7
I agree.. I had exactly the same experience with my Remedy. Really miss that amp!
If the Lux just doesn't work for me, I think I'll go back full-circle to a Maz 38NR. Maybe...
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Post by Faze on Sept 24, 2016 16:48:26 GMT -7
Once you gig with it you will get a better perspective of what the Z-lux can do. Right now I have the Z-lux and the Therapy I like them both. But at home I tend to play my Therapy more at bedroom levels then the Z-lux maybe because the therapy just sounds fat at any level Not sure really why but when I gig with the Z-Lux it blows my mind how awesome it sounds and I get compliments on the tone all the time. I should add that I always leave the boost on. My Vibro kings had a fat switch on them and I always kept that engaged. Much better fatter tone. Thats how I hear the Z-lux with that boost engaged. It just makes the Z-lux sound fatter.
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Post by redzsrock on Sept 25, 2016 19:15:28 GMT -7
Well, I got cleared to use the new church sanctuary for some amp time. I'll probably do it Friday. I'm thinking/hoping that I can finally get a good feel for the Z Lux in that room. Good acoustics.
Thanks for all the help guys!
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Post by redzsrock on Oct 1, 2016 10:12:30 GMT -7
OK... So I setup my complete rig at the church yesterday and go to spend a few hours of quality time with the Z's.
I was pleasantly surprised that the Z Lux sounded MUCH better in that room! The seemingly untamable highs were completely gone. In fact, I ended up turning UP the highs quite a bit. Also, much of the excessive bass I experienced at home was also all but gone. I really started to get a feel for what this amp really sounds like - and it's really sweet. It sounded good with all the guitars I tried through it: LP w/burstbuckers, LP w/P90's, stock Strat and Tele.
A couple things I'm still not loving though. 1) The Lux sounds great with single-note type lead playing. But on chord work, it sound a bit "muddy". Not sure why. I tried numerous settings, but just not happy with it yet. 2) The Lux doesn't seem to sound good at all with the same OD pedals (at the same settings) that I use with my Maz 8. This is the first Z I've experienced this with. Not a huge deal. I can always dedicate a pedal(s) to the Lux.
So overall, I'm liking the Z Lux. Not completely in love with it, but getting there. I still have not had a chance to play it with a full band. I have a feeling that will make up my mind.
On a side note... My Maz 8 sounded amazing! I couldn't get a bad sound out of it. Maybe I'm just more of a Maz guy.
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