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Post by ineedtherapy (Stuart) on Dec 3, 2018 21:31:34 GMT -7
Whether I messed up or not is to be seen. I sold my Remedy head and cab over the weekend and have a Z28 head incoming along with a 212 open back I’m getting from a friend. Both are blondes.
Was the Z28 first released in 2000? The serial number is K15008. I didn’t know if this meant the 8th ever made or the 8th of 2000.
Either way, my next move will likely be new speakers as the 212 cab is loaded with a pair of Mojotone BW30H (heritage 30 types). I don’t imagine this will be an ideal speaker complement.
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Post by bigben55 on Dec 4, 2018 7:57:08 GMT -7
Email Dr Z and theyll tell you the year it was made.
Those speakers should be good actually. I had one in a Savage Macht 12x once and they ARE good speakers. Dr Z pretty much shipped the Z28 1x12's with either a Celestion Greenback or a G12H30 Anniversary, which the Mojo's are clones of. I currently have a WGS Reaper HP in my combo. Its GOOD, but maybe a tad too much bass. I say give them a go before swapping speakers, you may dig them.
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Post by Ridgeback on Dec 4, 2018 8:17:12 GMT -7
Congratulations. The Z-28 is a great amp and the blonde tolex is my favorite (unless it's one of those few years where the glue turned the tolex pink). My Z-28 is a blonde head and I run it through a blonde 2x12 open back 90% of the time. No experience with those speakers. There are several threads here that will line up the letter with the year. A quick search should do the trick. Enjoy.
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Post by Joey Beverages on Dec 4, 2018 9:25:53 GMT -7
Great amp! Congrats. I'm sure you're gonna have fun with it running thru 212 cab. I had a Remedy (and a coupla other Z Amps) a few years ago. I like it a lot. Great sounds and plenty strong .... however, had to make a decision about gear and stuff .... The Z-28 has stayed with me as it always seems to have the sound and strength that make me happy That said, I'd add a Remedy in a heartbeat if the gear budget re-aligns .... 'course, I'd like a Route 66 just as much cheers always, Joel
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Post by Faze on Dec 4, 2018 11:39:16 GMT -7
Congrats on the new amp. I actually bought a used remedy and then saw Bluesmans Z-28 combo in the buy a sell on this forum and ended up returning the remedy and buying his combo. No regrets at all I put an alnico cream speaker in the combo and it just sounds fantastic. I really like the fender/ Marshall tones this amp puts out. Speaker choice is always a process. The greenback sounded good in it but the alnico cream just sounded better to me. If you have a 2/12 cab you can try many different speakers I’m sure you will find something that will sound great.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Dec 4, 2018 11:44:50 GMT -7
Whether I messed up or not is to be seen. I sold my Remedy head and cab over the weekend and have a Z28 head incoming along with a 212 open back I’m getting from a friend. Both are blondes. Was the Z28 first released in 2000? The serial number is K15008. I didn’t know if this meant the 8th ever made or the 8th of 2000. Either way, my next move will likely be new speakers as the 212 cab is loaded with a pair of Mojotone BW30H (heritage 30 types). I don’t imagine this will be an ideal speaker complement. Your serial number tells me it was the 8th Z28 ever made. It was made/released in 2000. Congrats on a great amp!
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Post by trojanhov on Dec 4, 2018 13:30:31 GMT -7
Pretty cool!!
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Post by bigben55 on Dec 6, 2018 8:57:32 GMT -7
Tell me about the alnico cream back in the Z28. I'm thinking about swapping speakers again. I'm finding the WGS Reaper HP a bit too bass heavy. I like it, it's a great speaker, just want to try something different, and I'm cool spending the cash. Right now, based on internet research, the frontrunner is a Scumback H75-LD, if I wanna stay with a British voiced speaker. Traditionally, I prefer American voices speakers but dont know which to try. Maybe a WGS G12C though I worry it's not the best fit for the Z28s EQ. Congrats on the new amp. I actually bought a used remedy and then saw Bluesmans Z-28 combo in the buy a sell on this forum and ended up returning the remedy and buying his combo. No regrets at all I put an alnico cream speaker in the combo and it just sounds fantastic. I really like the fender/ Marshall tones this amp puts out. Speaker choice is always a process. The greenback sounded good in it but the alnico cream just sounded better to me. If you have a 2/12 cab you can try many different speakers I’m sure you will find something that will sound great.
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Post by Faze on Dec 6, 2018 11:51:34 GMT -7
Hey Ben the alnico cream is different then the creamback.The alnico cream is rated at 90 watts so you get a great tone out of it at lower volumes and it don’t break up as quick as the 25 watt greenback. It’s very vintage sounding warm articulate and organic. That’s the best way I can describe it. I had originally bought it and had it in my mesa boogie 1/12 cab that I sold. I ended up selling the cab without the speaker that’s how good the alnico cream is there was no way I was going to let that speaker go. It has a very nice treble and bass response and it’s not overly mid heavy it’s real fat sounding clean and overdriven. It does not have that high end shimmer like the gold. And it also does not have that flubby bass of the blue. It’s voiced Just right it’s almost like they took the best quality’s of the blue and the gold and combined them into the alnico cream. I have also had the creamback M-65 and that’s also a nice speaker I used that with a few of these Z Amps as well as the alnico Gold. I was torn between the gold and the cream but then I read a post here on the forum from Mark T who is a huge fan of he gold and he was raving about the cream. And he was right its really a great speaker. I would say its one of the best speakers I have tried and it does pair up well with the Z-28.
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Post by bigben55 on Dec 6, 2018 13:20:41 GMT -7
Thanks Randy. Great summation. With the Reaper HP, I literally NEVER turn my bass control past 10 o'clock. Years ago when I had a 2x10 combo with Z10s, I would 3-3-3 it often. I cant with this one, even with my thinnest sounding lowest output guitar(strat). And since the bass control affects gain, I'm finding the Reaper HP not ideal. At first I loved it(compared to the Greenback it replaced, which I hated cranked). Still definitely prefer the HP to the Greenback. The HP has good highs, about the right mids, but too much low end. Its loud enough, clean headroom is good too, and I dont want to take a step back with those qualities. Not big on speaker breakup. I DO use the Z Brake Lite all the time(on 2, a 5dB reduction), but bypassed on 0 it's still much too woofy on 333, so I'm betting it's the speaker. I'm using Dr Zs recommended tube compliment too(Shuguang 5AR4, JJ 6V6s, Tung Sol ri 12AX7, Winged C EF86).
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Post by Faze on Dec 6, 2018 15:01:05 GMT -7
Thanks Randy. Great summation. With the Reaper HP, I literally NEVER turn my bass control past 10 o'clock. Years ago when I had a 2x10 combo with Z10s, I would 3-3-3 it often. I cant with this one, even with my thinnest sounding lowest output guitar(strat). And since the bass control affects gain, I'm finding the Reaper HP not ideal. At first I loved it(compared to the Greenback it replaced, which I hated cranked). Still definitely prefer the HP to the Greenback. The HP has good highs, about the right mids, but too much low end. Its loud enough, clean headroom is good too, and I dont want to take a step back with those qualities. Not big on speaker breakup. I DO use the Z Brake Lite all the time(on 2, a 5dB reduction), but bypassed on 0 it's still much too woofy on 333, so I'm betting it's the speaker. I'm using Dr Zs recommended tube compliment too(Shuguang 5AR4, JJ 6V6s, Tung Sol ri 12AX7, Winged C EF86). I have the original tubes that came straight from Dr Z as well. I keep my bass at 9 o'clock. Treble at about 1 o'clock. Volume anywhere from 8-12 depending on home or live use. and I never use a brake lite or attenuator. With these settings I can get a very nice clean and overdriven tone with pedals. I also did not like the greenback cranked it was too fizzy. The alncio cream cranked sounds warm and fat. Even without pedals at about Noon on the volume I get a real good blues slightly broken up tone. I have a Fender Vibro King to compare it to and it has the blue frame alncio speakers in it. And with these settings I can get pretty close to that fender/marshall tone I like and get with the Vibro King. The Alnico cream with its 90 watt rating may be a speaker for you to consider it sounds great at lower volumes. I have no need for a brake lite. It also needs to be really pushed to break up. The overdrive on it is real buttery. Plus If you get it and decide that its not your cup of tea you will have no problem selling it for pretty close to what you paid for it especially If you take advantage of like a 15 or 20 per cent coupon or deal with some of these company's. Thats what I always do I look for the deals. Anyway keep me posted on how you make out.
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Post by bigben55 on Dec 6, 2018 15:16:34 GMT -7
Do I "need" the Brake Lite? No, but I'll tell you, the reason I sold the 2x10 I had years ago was because it was too loud to crank and gig and I didnt want to spend the jack for a Brake Lite. I should have! It makes the amp any room giggable for me, and on 2 is perfect with my band. No BL would be too loud. I use pedals a lot, but do crank and plug straight in often too. THATS where the BL shines.
I'm also considering the Neo Creamback, along with the Alnico Cream and ScumbackH75-LD. I'll keep you posted.
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Post by trojanhov on Dec 7, 2018 0:55:51 GMT -7
1. Brake-Lite is a must! Helps tame the beast and has been invaluable live and at home. I got the stand alone one.
2. As far as speakers go, i recently had a revelation. My Z-28 has been in a 1x10 combo since I got it about 7-8 years ago. It started with a red fang alnico 10 inch speaker which had way too much mids and was too loud. After a few years i switched it out for a 10 inch alnico gold. I've been loving this 1x10 gold setup for almost 2 years now.
I recently purchased an empty 1x12 convertible z-cab. I had NEVER played the Z-28 with anything but a single 10 inch speaker since i've had it (and it's my only amp). The only 12 inch speaker i have is an eminence cannabis rex that i had purchased for a blues JR i used to play (made the blues jr sound MUCH better). I put the CR in the 1x12 convertible cab and ran it together with the 10 inch gold since. I always thought it sounded great but it never got much louder. I thought that maybe there was a phase issue, so i messed with the wiring a bit but nothing really changed. This led me to do an A/B comparison between the 10 inch gold and the 12 inch cannabis rex.
My conclusions: The Z-28 sounds UNBELIEVABLE with a 12 inch speaker, and the cannabis rex. Now I can't figure out why i like the CR so much more than the 10 inch gold. I can't figure out if it's because i prefer a more "american" voiced speaker as opposed to British (my other speakers were both British voiced), a ceramic speaker vs alnico, or if it's just the fact that a 12 inch speaker sounds better than a 10 inch speaker.
Cannabis Rex: 50 watts, 101.8 dB Celeistion Gold: 40 watts, 98 dB
I noticed when playing clean that the CR sounded way more lush, full, and creamy. Strong lows, and a smooth (not harsh or fizzy) high end. Drive tones were very smooth. Overall tended to be a bit on the darker side, but i didn't feel it lacked any highs. I could easily coax a brighter sound with my forest green comp EQ (i run it at 18 volts and the EQ is more powerful this way) and the Chase tone secret preamp if needed live. i also keep the bass around 9 and the treble around 11-1 to account for this.
The 10 inch gold in comparison sounds more thin/brittle/fizzy especially when driven. Just didn't sound as full. I still love the gold and will likely keep it in this configuration in case I just want to grab my amp quick and go, but the best sound i've heard with the Z-28 to this day is the single 1x12 in the convertible cab with the middle panel off using the CR.
I'm well aware that there are other factors that contribute to this (the fact that the 1x12 cab itself is bigger, etc), but it has me wondering if I will like another 12 inch speaker even more than the CR (maybe another american voiced ceramic speaker?). Just feel like i'll be chasing my tail and spending a lot of money buying new speakers.
Good thing is i will be strictly playing this 1x12 set up for now with my 1x10 z-28 sitting on top. This will help preserve and extend the life of my tubes (esp the Dario Miniwatt EF-86).
Would love to hear more from you guys. The Alnico Cream 12 has me intrigued, but i wonder if i should be focusing more on american voiced speakers.
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Post by bigben55 on Dec 7, 2018 5:40:07 GMT -7
I never really liked 1x10" amps. Had a Princeton Reverb once, thought sounded small and boxy, upgraded to a 1x12" with a new baffle, didnt think that dramatically helped. But really DO like 2x10" amps. I think a bigger cabinet matters right along with a bigger speaker. Case in point, my 66 Super Reverb. Four 30 watt 10" alnico speakers, huge cab, HUGE sound.
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Post by Faze on Dec 7, 2018 9:56:32 GMT -7
My Vibro King with the 3 10 inch alnico blues sounds huge.I’m also not a huge fan of 1/10 combos. I prefer a 1/12 combo. Just a bigger fuller sound. When I had the Z-Lux I was really impressed with its 3D tone that combo sounded huge.
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Post by ineedtherapy (Stuart) on Dec 7, 2018 22:21:18 GMT -7
I think this setup looks great. Now I need to do some jamming and tweaking to discover its offerings!!! My first inclination is that I wish I still had my Remedy. But I think I may end up liking it better as I adjust.
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Post by Faze on Dec 8, 2018 10:20:16 GMT -7
Very cool looking set up. Congrats.
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Post by trojanhov on Dec 8, 2018 14:50:24 GMT -7
The more you play this amp, the more you learn. I’ve had it for almost 7 years and there are settings that still surprise and catch me off guard to this day. Add some verb, harmonic trem and a slapback delay and get lost for a few hours. Get the volume close to noon and treble bass to taste before noon....clean tones to die for.
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Post by ineedtherapy (Stuart) on Dec 8, 2018 20:44:53 GMT -7
trojanhov I sure hope so! I don’t doubt this amp is awesome, but I think I’m now experiencing separation anxiety from the Remedy I sold.
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Post by ineedtherapy (Stuart) on Dec 22, 2018 11:32:53 GMT -7
Separation anxiety hasn’t gone away after selling the Remedy, but the Z28 has shockingly become favored over my Wreck... what a great amp.
I couldn’t get along with the Mojotone speakers that came in the 212. They’ve been replaced with a Gold and a Vintage 30.
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Post by markT on Dec 22, 2018 11:42:09 GMT -7
Z28 is a monster little amp....as you know know! Congrats!~
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Post by Don on Jan 11, 2019 8:32:04 GMT -7
Did you get this amp as a blonde? There was a guy here on the forum who said he owned that amp and it used to be black with black chicken knobs.
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Post by ineedtherapy (Stuart) on Jan 14, 2019 7:30:40 GMT -7
Did you get this amp as a blonde? It used to be black with black chicken knobs. Hey Don, sorry it took me a while before I saw this. Yes. Mine is a blonde with a Vox grill cloth baffle. Is this not stock?
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Post by pcns on Jan 14, 2019 8:16:08 GMT -7
Thats a cool looking rig. Z28 is a great sounding amp, I am sure you are enjoying it!! Todd
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Post by ineedtherapy (Stuart) on Jan 14, 2019 9:46:41 GMT -7
Thats a cool looking rig. Z28 is a great sounding amp, I am sure you are enjoying it!! Todd Very much so! I have the z28 listed locally though on Craigslist because I got a Therapy for a really good price ($850). The z28 and the Wreck are both great diet machines, but I’ve gotta let go of either the SG or Z28 to pay for the Therapy.
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Post by DRZ on Jan 16, 2019 9:34:07 GMT -7
Did you get this amp as a blonde? It used to be black with black chicken knobs. No your not correct Don ! That Z 28 Blonde head w/ VOX grille s/n 15008 was built and sent to Ultrasound Studio in 2000. It was part of Ultrasounds initial order . What records are you checking ? DR.Z
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Post by Don on Jan 16, 2019 12:29:26 GMT -7
Did you get this amp as a blonde? It used to be black with black chicken knobs. No your not correct Don ! That Z 28 Blonde head w/ VOX grille s/n 15008 was built and sent to Ultrasound Studio in 2000. It was part of Ultrasounds initial order . What records are you checking ? DR.Z Ah, okay. PM sent to you Doc.
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Post by dcarver on Jan 16, 2019 14:04:30 GMT -7
<< .... I’ve gotta let go of either the SG or Z28 to pay for the Therapy. >>
That Z28 with the Vox grill is really cool. Like rare collector's item cool. So ... I'm going to have to completely contradict what I said up thread. I'd let the SG go.
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Post by tylerfromeverett on Jan 16, 2019 15:39:39 GMT -7
Did you get this amp as a blonde? It used to be black with black chicken knobs. No your not correct Don ! That Z 28 Blonde head w/ VOX grille s/n 15008 was built and sent to Ultrasound Studio in 2000. It was part of Ultrasounds initial order . What records are you checking ? DR.Z @doc, It's funny following this thread. I literally just picked up a Z 28 head last night in Seattle with SN K15021. I've been on the hunt for awhile.It looks like it was recovered in red tolex because it's it's not the rough Z (Nubtex?) style. Any history lessons on this are MUCH appreciated. Your fan, Tyler From Everett
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Post by tylerfromeverett on Jan 17, 2019 15:07:15 GMT -7
No your not correct Don ! That Z 28 Blonde head w/ VOX grille s/n 15008 was built and sent to Ultrasound Studio in 2000. It was part of Ultrasounds initial order . What records are you checking ? DR.Z @doc, It's funny following this thread. I literally just picked up a Z 28 head last night in Seattle with SN K15021. I've been on the hunt for awhile.It looks like it was recovered in red tolex because it's it's not the rough Z (Nubtex?) style. Any history lessons on this are MUCH appreciated. Your fan, Tyler From Everett After some research, it looks like red amps from this era had different tolex than the current red amps.
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