hi guys, sorry for intruding - it is my first post at the moment - it happens every now and then - i feel the g.a.s. for a new amp and i decided it needs to be a Z. since 2 or so years i am the lucky owner of a suhr badger 30. since for now i am only playing at home at low levels with pedals it suits me very well. this is one of the reasons i ended up thinking about a Z since i read the newer models got great options for this purpose (level-control, PPIMV). but i still want to have the opportunity to take the amp out for a jam or even play in a band again. you never know. since the badger brings me in the marshall territory (with great cleans by the way) i want to add something a little different to it and was thinking of the cure (level-control) or therapy (PPIMV). over here in europe we have literally not the possibility to test the Z’s somewhere. that’s were you guys come in.
what is the sonic difference of the two? i know - 6V6 versus 6L6, 20 vs 35 watts and so on. but does anybody own or has experience with both and can compare them for me? can i use them at low levels at all? or is one better than the other in that department? (from the cure i hear so, not so much about the therapy) i am really torn between them
for context: i play mostly blues based and classic rock stuff…floyd, zeppelin, clash, gnr, clapton and so forth. and i love to have the possibility to go from clean to dirty (no high gain) with a turn of the volume knob on the guitar or just by flicking the pick up selector switch. but…since i am a guitar player a few pedals are at hand
Hello and welcome! I can't speak to the Cure but I've been gigging through a Therapy for some time. It's a great amp with a lot of versatility. I've played small venues with 1-12 open back and large outdoor stages with a 2-12 closed back, mic'ed. The Therapy is dynamic and works well with your guitar volume. I can tell you it does need to be turned up a bit and working the tubes to sound it's best. The Therapy takes most pedals well although I didn't care for my TC Electronic reverb and delay pedals with it. Speaker choice is important with the Therapy and my experience has been that the Celestion V30 works best for stage volume with the Therapy. The V30 would not be my first choice for bedroom and low volume playing. Some guys like a lower efficiency Creamback with the Therapy which would be a noticeable volume decrease. I'll let others speak to the Cure but the small size, grab and go would be awesome for jams.
First, welcome. You are not intruding. Talking about amps (and guitars and music and pedals, etc.) is what we do here!
I have both amps. If you were gigging regularly and didn't mind hauling a head plus cab, the Therapy is richer sounding and will punch above its weight class, meaning it can hold the stage with more powerful amps. It takes pedals well. It's also more expensive, especially with the need for a cab.
From what you've described, the Cure seems a better entry Z amp. The Level control is brilliant. On the Cure, you also have both volume (pre-amp) and master (power amp) controls, giving a huge amount of flexibility. As was stated above, the Therapy's master works fine, but I agree that it really comes into its own with the master up. At that point, unless attenuated, you're at gig volume, i.e., pretty loud.
Also, the Cure has an effects loop, which may facilitate using effects such as reverb and delay, and the eq bypass function.
I gig the Cure regularly at small clubs/bars. I've never had an issue with it not being loud enough.
I'd say, and this is my opinion only, that the Cure offers a slightly greater range of base tones that can be dialed in than the Therapy. That said, if I were choosing based only on tone, the Therapy has the edge.
Dr Z releases a new amp on Monday, the Z-Plus. It might also be worth your consideration. Obviously most of us haven't even played one yet, but there are some decent videos and testimonials from members who have visited the Z factory and tried the amp.
Mike
Gear piled high. Talent? Must be hidden in there somewhere.
Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Nov 4, 2017 11:03:36 GMT -7
I'd like to welcome you to the forum as well. It's a great place here and the people are the best. I'm also fortunate to have both amps. I've had my Therapy for a few years now and it's a great amp. It has this great throaty richness to it's tone that has to be heard to appreciate. Mike's right about the Master volume; it's great and it was one of the big selling points to me, but the amp really opens up and comes into it's own when the Master is above noon. I use an Air Brake at home with it. The Cure is my most recent Z purchase, I've had it for a couple of months now. In addition to my church Praise & Worship band, I gig regularly with a large swing/jazz/r&b group and I had the Cure out a couple of weeks ago for one of our larger venues. It was plenty of amp and I never worried about running out of gas. I got compliments on my tone (which rarely happened till I started playing Dr. Z amps) and I didn't have the Level control above noon. I still had a very good cushion of clean or dirty tone available at my request...and I'm considering selling my Therapy. Between the Cure, the Z-Lux, and my Maz 8 or Maz 18NR I have my bases covered for anything I foresee in the future. The more I play the Cure the more it is getting to be my favorite all around amp ever. This is my opinion, but I think it sounds better at low levels than any other amp I've played or owned. And it sounds great cranked as well. I never thought I would find both in one amp, but in my opinion, the Cure does it and does it well. Plus it loves pedals, and the triple punch of having Volume, Master Volume, and Level controls make it EXTREMELY versatile. I'm still finding new, good tone just by working those three knobs. That plus the three band EQ make for a simple but very adaptable amp. Add it's small size and lightweight cab with a floating baffle and it's just a winner on all fronts.
After all that bloviating, I guess I could have just said, "What doctorice (Mike) says!" But I couldn't agree more. The Cure is a terrific amplifier and it would be fair to say that I dig it!
PS, I'm not an employee or spokesman for Dr. Z Amplification. Just an enthusiastic owner and user.
"Tone, tone, tone, tone. Is there a substitute?" -Dr.Z
Love my Z amps: Z28 MKII, 35th Anni. Carmen Ghia, Z-Wreck, Z-Lux, EMS, Z-Plus, Carmen Ghia, Therapy, Maz-8 MKII, Maz 18/NR MKII, Nova, Monza, Mazerati 30th Anni, Cure (5881 mod), EZG-50 (w/all updates & MV), Mini-Z, M-12, Z28 MKII Proto, Z 1x12 Convertible Cab.
thanks for all the input. i go with the cure then since for now it will be only for home use. therapy would be overload then. and i think this time i want a combo thing. but i guess it may be worth to wait a couple more days/weeks to hear more clips and opinions on the Z-plus...i will see...i got an itchy finger
and buying one amp does not mean there won't be another already excited of joining the Z-team! cheers
thanks for all the input. i go with the cure then since for now it will be only for home use. therapy would be overload then. and i think this time i want a combo thing. but i guess it may be worth to wait a couple more days/weeks to hear more clips and opinions on the Z-plus...i will see...i got an itchy finger
and buying one amp does not mean there won't be another already excited of joining the Z-team! cheers
Good choice, I think you'll be very happy. Don't neglect to try different combinations of Vol, Master, and Level. There is a ton of different voices in there. And as far as getting other Z amps, I dunno man...there's something about Z amps that are like Lay's Potato Chips. Ya can't eat just one. Or in my case eight or nine (I'd have to count!). I love 'em.
"Tone, tone, tone, tone. Is there a substitute?" -Dr.Z
Love my Z amps: Z28 MKII, 35th Anni. Carmen Ghia, Z-Wreck, Z-Lux, EMS, Z-Plus, Carmen Ghia, Therapy, Maz-8 MKII, Maz 18/NR MKII, Nova, Monza, Mazerati 30th Anni, Cure (5881 mod), EZG-50 (w/all updates & MV), Mini-Z, M-12, Z28 MKII Proto, Z 1x12 Convertible Cab.
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