Mk.II Upgrade - Bedroom review (live review to follow)
Jan 4, 2019 19:37:56 GMT -7
Buzz Fretwear (Ignatius), heynewguy (Ol’ Bill), and 7 more like this
Post by telejas on Jan 4, 2019 19:37:56 GMT -7
A little over a month with the Dr, UPS was dropping off my updated Maz 18 Mk.II as I was pulling in the drive way after work...... PERFECT TIMING!!
After putting the chassis back inside my combo cab (with a Celestion Blue), I've been playing it for the past 2 hours.......Here's my immediate findings (most, if not all, are pretty well covered here already).
1. Master Volume - WOW!! In the past, with the gain (volume) at about 10:00, the Master Volume was really loud at about 10:00 and not much louder after about 11:00 or 12:00. Sometimes, just touching it a hair it would jump almost double.... Now, it's a smooth, constant volume increase all the way up to about 3:00. At about 9:00, it's bedroom quiet.. By 12:00, it's small to medium gig volume.
2. Reverb - If you like reverb, this alone is worth the upgrade! Think about it... A good reverb pedal is about $200, this reverb update is above and beyond what I expected! At about 8:30, it's just there enough to enhance the tone (maybe just a hint too much)... Around 12:00, it's pretty wet and you can hear that "Poing" that we all love. At 3:00-full up, it's legit surf territory. It's not quite as "wet" as a Fender Deluxe or Twin reverb, but those are too wet IMO when cranked. I normally don't like reverb when playing live....But, I'm going to use it when I play my Maz 18.
**In comparison, the reverb (now), turned up to about 10:00, is about the same as it would have been turned up all the way, before the Mk.II update.
3. The Voicing - It's different, but it's still basically sounds like a Maz 18. The mid-range frequency seems to be set at a lower registry. This could be the tubes, or the component changes.....Or both? To me, it sets a little closer to the Fender camp now.... But, not necessarily "Fender" sounding. I used to say, the Maz 18 was 40% Vox, 40% Fender, and about 20% Marshall 18w......Now, I'm saying it's 45% Fender, 35% Vox, and 20% Marshall 18w. But, if you kick in the bypass (all the way), that Marshall part takes over to about 50%. You can still get really close to an AC15/AC30, and really close to a Fender Deluxe by adjusting the mid's and cut. (*actual percentages may vary )
The cleans are still pure bliss....Tons of chime or a glassy top end, depending on how you have the cut & treble set. It is still one of my favorite clean amps.... I actually like the clean tone, so far, better than before.
There seems to also be less of a noticeable line between the clean and dirty tone.... You'll be playing, and can't really tell if it's clean or dirty, but it sounds amazing! There is still perfect note separation when playing, and it's not muddy at all.. Very clean (even when dirty).
Like I said, it's still a Maz 18......Just different. Do I dare say I like it better right now?... I really won't know until tomorrow night when I take it to it's first gig in Branson, MO. But, my initial impressions are 100% positive.
After putting the chassis back inside my combo cab (with a Celestion Blue), I've been playing it for the past 2 hours.......Here's my immediate findings (most, if not all, are pretty well covered here already).
1. Master Volume - WOW!! In the past, with the gain (volume) at about 10:00, the Master Volume was really loud at about 10:00 and not much louder after about 11:00 or 12:00. Sometimes, just touching it a hair it would jump almost double.... Now, it's a smooth, constant volume increase all the way up to about 3:00. At about 9:00, it's bedroom quiet.. By 12:00, it's small to medium gig volume.
2. Reverb - If you like reverb, this alone is worth the upgrade! Think about it... A good reverb pedal is about $200, this reverb update is above and beyond what I expected! At about 8:30, it's just there enough to enhance the tone (maybe just a hint too much)... Around 12:00, it's pretty wet and you can hear that "Poing" that we all love. At 3:00-full up, it's legit surf territory. It's not quite as "wet" as a Fender Deluxe or Twin reverb, but those are too wet IMO when cranked. I normally don't like reverb when playing live....But, I'm going to use it when I play my Maz 18.
**In comparison, the reverb (now), turned up to about 10:00, is about the same as it would have been turned up all the way, before the Mk.II update.
3. The Voicing - It's different, but it's still basically sounds like a Maz 18. The mid-range frequency seems to be set at a lower registry. This could be the tubes, or the component changes.....Or both? To me, it sets a little closer to the Fender camp now.... But, not necessarily "Fender" sounding. I used to say, the Maz 18 was 40% Vox, 40% Fender, and about 20% Marshall 18w......Now, I'm saying it's 45% Fender, 35% Vox, and 20% Marshall 18w. But, if you kick in the bypass (all the way), that Marshall part takes over to about 50%. You can still get really close to an AC15/AC30, and really close to a Fender Deluxe by adjusting the mid's and cut. (*actual percentages may vary )
The cleans are still pure bliss....Tons of chime or a glassy top end, depending on how you have the cut & treble set. It is still one of my favorite clean amps.... I actually like the clean tone, so far, better than before.
There seems to also be less of a noticeable line between the clean and dirty tone.... You'll be playing, and can't really tell if it's clean or dirty, but it sounds amazing! There is still perfect note separation when playing, and it's not muddy at all.. Very clean (even when dirty).
Like I said, it's still a Maz 18......Just different. Do I dare say I like it better right now?... I really won't know until tomorrow night when I take it to it's first gig in Branson, MO. But, my initial impressions are 100% positive.