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Post by justjoshinya on Dec 20, 2018 16:39:04 GMT -7
Having owned a LOT of Z’s and knowing what a cranked Z could sound like I was always disappointed because I could never get to that sound without being too loud! Tried many attenuators didn’t love any of them! Went to Kemper love it I could get the sound at reasonable volumes through my Xitone 110 cab. Seen a Maz 8 pop up and sit on the forums for 1 day too many and had to give it a shot! I was afraid it would still be too loud, or sound small, be overly bright etc... BUT I am extremely happy to say I was WRONG! This amp is fantastic, it gets to the edge of breakup at a very good volume, the EQ bypass pushes it just enough to get into a great overdriven sound! I honestly think I could use this amp anywhere without being too loud, and not need an overdrive pedal! Now I have to pick up a delay and Trem pedal and I’ll be set!
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Post by Dan F"i"fe on Dec 20, 2018 16:53:15 GMT -7
Congrats, great amp!
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Post by "Z" Steve on Dec 20, 2018 17:06:15 GMT -7
I sat in with some old friends last Monday night and took my Z28 because I was told they play loud. I didn't get that beauty past 9 oclock. So, I took my Maz 8 this last Monday, switched it from Triode to Pentode, and criminy that little amp sang ( loaded with a G12h). I had my McCarty hollow body, and when "needed" I hit the amp with a Timmy or J Rockett Animal and I was in Fresh Disraeli Cream territory. I was getting the looks, but it was the tone - not the volume! Love my 8!
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Post by 195db on Dec 20, 2018 20:22:41 GMT -7
I use an EP Booster with my 8. Also experimenting with a treble booster.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Dec 20, 2018 20:51:25 GMT -7
It's a great amp, and mine is going NOWHERE unless I go with it!
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Post by purpletele on Dec 20, 2018 21:06:55 GMT -7
I felt mine was about 92 watts shy so I bought a 100 Watt Marshall type amp with a great MV.
I settled in on the Z-Plus as my low wattage amp.
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Dec 21, 2018 2:44:05 GMT -7
Big fan of the 8. The absolute top of the heap for SE EL84 designs.
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Post by heynewguy (Ol’ Bill) on Dec 21, 2018 5:10:53 GMT -7
Love my Maz 8’s!
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Post by justjoshinya on Jan 19, 2019 18:21:13 GMT -7
Decided to try the Z12 I had laying around, I really like it! The g12h30 seemed a bit brittle/harsh on the top end, the Z12 smooths it out quite a bit, very nice sound!
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Post by zpilot on Jan 20, 2019 4:10:00 GMT -7
Absolutely. It is a great speaker for the price. My MAZ 8 is my favorite amp too.
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Post by doctorice on Jan 20, 2019 6:10:50 GMT -7
I love my MAZ 8 combo. Big fan of triode mode.
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Post by lowbudget on Jan 20, 2019 6:15:08 GMT -7
I love my MAZ 8 combo. Big fan of triode mode. Yep, this right here is for sure. One amp can get shockingly loud or shockingly quiet, your call. Seems to me to be genius design, but who is surprised?
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Post by justjoshinya on Jan 20, 2019 6:49:33 GMT -7
The Z-Plus is really similar for volume options, but with it I find the half power sounds exactly like the full power just quieter! Both modes of the Maz 8 are great, triode has that old school feel, pentode is Maz through an through!
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Post by justjoshinya on Jan 22, 2019 19:38:14 GMT -7
I love this amp more every day I have it! I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long to try one, after trying a few 5w amps I was afraid the 8 wouldn’t sound big and clean up enough. With my tele it gets that Paisley tone at a great volume, with my Gretsch’s I can play soft and it’s a beautiful clean dig in a bit and the amp breaks up into a sweet overdrive! I bought my Z-Plus after my Maz and I’m not sure which one I like more, both are fantastic! I know I sound like a broken record singing the praises of these amps, but I have not spent so much time just playing since I was in high school, no need for pedals, just a guitar, cable and a Z!!!!
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Post by dcarver on Jan 23, 2019 0:24:14 GMT -7
justjoshinya, have you tried a good quality 5751 in V1 yet. I put a TAD 5751 in my Maz 8 with excellent results.
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Post by justjoshinya on Jan 25, 2019 14:30:55 GMT -7
I have not what did it do for the sound?
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Post by dcarver on Jan 25, 2019 22:56:33 GMT -7
I wrote a pretty extensive post about my tube rolling experiences with the Maz 8 in this thread: ztalk.proboards.com/thread/80485/tube-rolling-maz-8To sum up the part about the 5751 in V1, I would say: First, it's quieter. I play a strat most of the time. As you probably already know, if you crank up the knobs on a single ended amp, you can make it hum pretty good, especially with single coils. The TAD 5751 is noticeably quieter than other 12AX7 tubes. Second, it gives you more clean headroom. You can crank the Volume knob up more before it starts distorting. Third, when you do push it into clipping, it's not a harsh sound. It distorts in a more pleasant way than the 12AX7's I've tried. Overall, for me at least, I like the amp better with the 5751 in V1. It's a bit cleaner in Pentode mode at a higher volume than with a 12AX7 in V1. I can get a real nice glassy clean tone with the strat on the neck pickup. If I want a great amp based overdrive, just flip to Triode mode and crank the V, MV or both. With the 12AX7's I've tried in V1, I didn't really like the overdrive tones when I pushed them into clipping. I would usually keep the Volume below clipping and use the Master V to push the output tube (6P14p from Perry R.) into overdrive. Now I can get really nice amp overdrive from the pre amp stage or the output stage, or both.
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Post by zpilot on Jan 28, 2019 8:56:11 GMT -7
I have an RCA Command Series 5751 in my MAZ 8. It is a bit of overkill in a guitar amp I suppose. It is noticeably quieter and I like the way it does not get harsh when pushed. Very nice with pedals. They are expensive when you can find them, but since V1 is the most important tube in an amp (my opinion) I see the logic in spending half as much on one as I would on another OD pedal. They are supposed to be very rugged and long-lived too so it will probably out live me. A good quality REAL NOS 5751 is probably sufficient to see a noticeable improvement though.
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Post by justjoshinya on Jan 28, 2019 18:20:32 GMT -7
I’m gonna try to pick one up! Im really impressed with it already if it gets better.... oh my!
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Post by jhen86 (jordan) on Jan 28, 2019 22:08:49 GMT -7
Has anyone ever tried the 6n14n's in their Maz 8? I know Doc uses them in the 18 now. I have a pair of these that I recently got from theTubestore. 7189's/6n14n-EB...The more ruggedized versions. Sadly, the matched pair has drifted and is causing a hum in my M12. If any of you would like to try one in a Maz 8, I'd be happy to let them go for cheap. Created a thread in BST. I figure mismatched tubes are not an issue in Maz 8 since there is only one power tube. My loss is your gain
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Post by dcarver on Jan 28, 2019 23:45:30 GMT -7
They have been the stock output tube in the Maz 8 for a couple years. Forum member Perry R. is the aftermarket source for the one Doc has been using. Here's his Reverb page : reverb.com/shop/rogue-8The one that came stock in my Maz 8, and the ones I've gotten from Perry don't have any letters after the 6n14n. So I guess that means they're rated for 3000 hrs.
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Post by baldeagle on Apr 5, 2019 9:40:55 GMT -7
I too am a recent Maz 8 owner and I love it. I like my Maz 18 NR but volume was an issue. Even with a Weber MiniMass attenuator at near-full attenuation I get complaints from band mates (V=1:30, MV = 2:30). If I increase the attenuation even slightly it cuts out altogether. That said, I have no complaints with the tone of the MiniMass. The MiniMass is rated for a 50W amp.
I tried the Z Plus and Cure, but to my ears they lacked the bite of the Maz platform. The Maz 8 combo is perfect for my needs. I play P90s almost exclusively, my main guitar being a Warmoth VIP, and I prefer it thru the Low input. I switch between Triode and Pentode modes depending on my volume needs. I find that with a little tweaking I can get them to sound close enough in tone.
The Maz 8 came with a Greenback. I tried it with the G12H30 from my Maz 18, but it sounded too midrangey and had a flabby low-end. I prefer the Greenback in the 8 and the G12H30 in the 18.
To my ears, the Maz 8 has a bit more 'depth' ('richness' might be a better description) than the 18, which I assume is due to the single-ended design not cancelling out the even harmonics.
This weekend I will spend time tube rolling per dcarver's recommendations. I have a fresh set of Perry's NOS 6n14n's in the 15mA range to install. I have the same tubes in my Maz 18 and am very happy with them. I also have dcarver's recommended V1 and rectifier tubes to install.
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Post by dcarver on Apr 5, 2019 14:57:26 GMT -7
Baldeagle, glad to hear you're giving the 5751 a try.
If you're using a 6n14n in Pentode mode with a transconductance # of 15, check where the Master V knob is when it starts to break up (with the Volume knob at a low setting). For my Maz 8, it was around 12:00 or 1:00.
With a 6n14n (Tc # 25) I didn't get output tube breakup until the Master V was up around 4:00.
Of course, in Triode mode you should get really nice amp based OD tone at quite a bit lower volume levels.
Looking forward to your results.
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