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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 28, 2018 7:19:03 GMT -7
Guys, I'm loving my Wreck. It gives me the tone that's in my head. But it's too loud for the band I'm in, I have to run my Air Brake at Bedroom setting to get it down to where I have to have it. So first, I'm converting it to a combo amp. I'll put a 12" Celestion Gold in there, and then I'm going to do one of two things, either send it to Doc and get the half power mod or buy a Power Station to reign it in a bit. My hope is that the half power switch mod will bring it down enough so I can go to one or two clicks on the Air Brake.
I've heard great things about the Power Station by Fryette too, though. What do you all think? Half Power Mod or Power Station?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2018 8:06:27 GMT -7
I say PS. I like having the half power switch on the DB4, but I never use it. It's always on full power. Same with the Z Plus, I'm on full power 90% of the time. Probably psychological, but still...
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Post by fishbeiner on May 28, 2018 8:21:54 GMT -7
That’s a tough question to answer.
Ultimately you could go either way, but in the end, you will be the only one able to make the right decision for you.
The Power Station works great and has a lot of options for manipulating the sound, which are really helpful if you are substantially lowering the volume. You also get the loop and line out AND the benefit of being able to use it on other amps that may come your way. Definitely handy.
I recently got a Z-Plus, and it seems to be the perfect level for me (7/15 watts), unattenuated that is. The half power is perfect for being able to crank the volume and master to really get everything going. and that is a REALLY nice sound. On full power, it is a bit louder when trying to create the same tone, but in that case, I am more apt to use a pedal to coax something I want out of the amp.
I have a Wreck and also a PS2. If I could, I’d keep them, but because of certain circumstances and out of necessity, they must go. At this point, reason and reality have overcome the urge to have everything. The Wreck IS an amazing amp, but ifnyoubwant that breakup and crunch, it is loud for a lot of situations.
I will say this, speakers seemed to make a HUGE difference, even when attenuating. You just don’t get that same feeling and sound out of speakers that aren’t pushed when that is part of the sound you are looking for, and I feel like that is what the Wreck needs.
Before getting the Z-Plus, I asked Z about a gold in it and he said there would be a difference because the amp would not be able to push the Gold as much as it would the Blue. I did my own test, and sure enough, Doc was right on the money. This may also be a factor and detract a bit from the overall sound of both an attenuated Wreck or a 1/2 powered Wreck. Only stating this as you may want to explore lower powered speaker options if you were to go either route. Just be careful not to put too much power through a lower powered speaker.
When all is said and done, I would say, before you mod the Wreck, think about getting a used PS, give it a whirl and see if you like it. That way you can check it out before altering the amp. Worst case scenario, you sell it for what you paid, or a few bucks less, then get the 1/2 power mod.
Hopefully that makes some sense and is somewhat helpful in trying to make a decision...
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 28, 2018 9:10:24 GMT -7
That's very helpful, thanks so much for a great description of the options. I hope you're healing well and everything is going to be okay with you with everything. Amps are just 'stuff' and they're replaceable. Your hands/wrists aren't! I broke my left wrist when I was a kid and it's not fun.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 28, 2018 10:20:01 GMT -7
Well this is the fastest poll in forum history. After exchanging lengthy messages with Joshua I decided to go for the Power Station. I've been on the fence for one for ever, since V1 was released. So I went for it, and got a fair deal online Memorial Day sale... Now I have another slot used up on my power strip, glad it's a 15 amp capable 14 gauge cord!!! Thanks guys...
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on May 28, 2018 15:32:06 GMT -7
Dave, are referring to the Joshua at Musicians Friend? He sold me a PS2 recently.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 28, 2018 16:23:52 GMT -7
Dave, are referring to the Joshua at Musicians Friend? He sold me a PS2 recently. No, it's Joshua here on Z-Talk, "fishbeiner". Great guy.
How are you diggin' your Power Station, Chilly?
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on May 28, 2018 17:01:20 GMT -7
I love it. I use it solely for attenuation and have to say it’s the best of the high wattage units I’ve tried (Weber Mass, Rock Crusher). The additional features like the loop are helpful, but the attenuation is where it’s at for me.
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Post by bryan0418 on May 28, 2018 18:38:25 GMT -7
+1 on the PowerStation 2. I have a Z Wreck and a PS2 and like the fact that I can have the Speed AND Comfort setting on the Wreck and be able to knock the volume down with the PS2. If you send the amp in for a 1/2 power mode, you lose one of the modes. I like having the option. I also like the fact that I can have another tube amp at a gig (PS2) in case there ever was an issue with the Z Wreck. I could easily plug into the PS2 to get me through the night.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jun 4, 2018 8:37:19 GMT -7
Thanks as always for the help, fellas. I've had my Power Station for a few days now and used it at church yesterday with my Z-Wreck. Worked really, really well. I'm really glad I got this thing, it's a game changer.
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Post by purpletele on Jun 4, 2018 15:13:15 GMT -7
Thanks as always for the help, fellas. I've had my Power Station for a few days now and used it at church yesterday with my Z-Wreck. Worked really, really well. I'm really glad I got this thing, it's a game changer. A Z-Wreck and Power Station @ Church? That sounds like an opening line of a stand up routine.
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Post by John James on Aug 20, 2021 21:20:02 GMT -7
Any update on this? Would love to know how you feel about the power station with the wreck after some extended time.
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Post by carrjimi on Aug 21, 2021 11:17:08 GMT -7
Half power mod here on speed. I actually use it with the airbrake as well. Volume at 1, I can cover any gig with a clean boost and volume control on guitar.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Aug 21, 2021 11:33:52 GMT -7
Any update on this? Would love to know how you feel about the power station with the wreck after some extended time. I've gigged with the PS and with a Brake Lite, and honestly in a live band I can't tell the difference. At home, playing alone, yes...there's a little difference in the feel and tone, but not very much. So I don't use the PS live anymore. I've got the Brake Lite set at "2" and it sounds (and feels) great.
I like the Power Station a lot, but it's more cables and trouble than I really think it is worth at a gig. It gets the most use at home.
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Post by John James on Aug 21, 2021 13:02:21 GMT -7
Any update on this? Would love to know how you feel about the power station with the wreck after some extended time. I've gigged with the PS and with a Brake Lite, and honestly in a live band I can't tell the difference. At home, playing alone, yes...there's a little difference in the feel and tone, but not very much. So I don't use the PS live anymore. I've got the Brake Lite set at "2" and it sounds (and feels) great.
I like the Power Station a lot, but it's more cables and trouble than I really think it is worth at a gig. It gets the most use at home.
Thank you for the heads up. Does the PS accomplish bedroom volumes with the the wreck while still maintaining the awesome tone? That’s my biggest question
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Aug 21, 2021 15:52:40 GMT -7
Yeah, it does a great job. It maintains the tone really well. But you have to realize at the same time that our ears interpret relative loudness with "good tone". And the Fletcher Munson curves on human hearing response come into play too, so our ears respond differently to different frequencies and harmonics at different volume levels. A lot of tone is generated by the speaker moving a good amount of air also, and when that gets throttled back, harmonics change as well.
I've seen real time analzyers (RTAs) show that the tone is the same at different volume, but we perceive it as a different sound. It's a fascinating subject and volumes have been written on it.
In summary the PS is a fine piece of equipment, it has a very good active attenuator that lets the amp respond and react as if it were driving a real speaker instead of a load, and it has a very nice tube re-amp section.
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oowl
Full Member
Posts: 154
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Post by oowl on Dec 21, 2021 15:54:32 GMT -7
In my experience a haf power switch doesn't really do what people might think/want. Although it seems to make more difference with higher wattage amps. In my 15 watter it's difficult to tell a difference. In my ac30 clone I had a while back you could hear a difference but it was still pretty subtle and usually sounded better on the full power setting so i mostly just left out there.
I've had much more successes with Z's Brake-Lite. Seems like OP made their choice here but me thinks a Wreck Jr would have been a good fit, as the Brake-Lite wasn't cutting it. MV on the Jr is fantastic! ... no need for attenuator at all.
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