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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Sept 27, 2019 16:14:29 GMT -7
Hey guys! As most of you know, Doc sent me the prototype Jetta that Adrian Raso used in his video (re-cabbed since it was pretty worn down) for Mini-ZFest. I've had it here since then and all I can say is wow! This nails the mid-late 60s Ampeg. That Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street tone is definitely there! Tumbling Dice? It's there! Stop breaking down - yep. Happy?? Yep! Mark my words guys - This will be another hit, especially given the $1,399 intro price! This is another Cure in the making!! Here's a few pics of the prototype.   |
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Post by KeithA on Sept 27, 2019 16:27:03 GMT -7
Yeah, Humbucker Music has the pre-order page up.
If it comes out as a head I'll most likely be in.
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Post by ineedtherapy (Stuart) on Sept 27, 2019 17:38:32 GMT -7
🤦♂️ It’s killing me!
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Post by pcns on Sept 28, 2019 6:57:03 GMT -7
I had a chance to listen to the Jetta at mini Z fest too. The I liked best about it was that its voice was very different from the other amps in the room. Even the way it went into over drive break up sounded different. This amp has a chunkier sound to it. Some amps sizzle while heading into overdrive this amp is chunkier with more texture to it I love amps that do their own thing while sounding great and thr Jetta does that very well. my 2 cents, Todd  |
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Post by KeithA on Sept 28, 2019 8:03:26 GMT -7
The I liked best about it was that its voice was very different from the other amps in the room. Even the way it went into over drive break up sounded different. This amp has a chunkier sound to it. Some amps sizzle while heading into overdrive this amp is chunkier with more texture to it my 2 cents, Todd Yeah, that's the first impression I got even from the teaser demo posted in July. Simple and different. Hopefully it becomes popular enough in combo form that it eventually gets offered in head form. |
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Sept 28, 2019 8:30:46 GMT -7
The I liked best about it was that its voice was very different from the other amps in the room. Even the way it went into over drive break up sounded different. This amp has a chunkier sound to it. Some amps sizzle while heading into overdrive this amp is chunkier with more texture to it my 2 cents, Todd Yeah, that's the first impression I got even from the teaser demo posted in July. Simple and different. Hopefully it becomes popular enough in combo form that it eventually gets offered in head form. Wonder what speaker I’d pair with it??? Gold or greenback?? Z best? 1x15??? Someone’s gonna have to come over for a speaker shoot out! 😱 |
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Post by KeithA on Sept 28, 2019 9:11:47 GMT -7
Yeah, that's the first impression I got even from the teaser demo posted in July. Simple and different. Hopefully it becomes popular enough in combo form that it eventually gets offered in head form. Wonder what speaker I’d pair with it??? Gold or greenback?? Z best? 1x15??? Someone’s gonna have to come over for a speaker shoot out! 😱 I’d start with my 212 with Blues, then my 212 with Golds, then my ZWreck cab 😎 |
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Post by John on Sept 28, 2019 12:27:59 GMT -7
Wonder what speaker I’d pair with it??? Gold or greenback?? Z best? 1x15??? Someone’s gonna have to come over for a speaker shoot out! 😱
I dunno Mike...You might have a limited amount of speakers and cabinets to choose from. (I'll be here all week...don't forget to tip your waitresses)
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Post by helmi on Sept 28, 2019 12:34:22 GMT -7
Hopefully it becomes popular enough in combo form that it eventually gets offered in head form. I hear you. even doing a small introductory run of heads, with maybe a 30-60 day pre-order period would be nice for people who want them. that way Doc wouldn't have to order more head cabs than he needed, and not get stuck with any. just my 2 cents! |
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Sept 28, 2019 13:44:38 GMT -7
Hopefully it becomes popular enough in combo form that it eventually gets offered in head form. I hear you. even doing a small introductory run of heads, with maybe a 30-60 day pre-order period would be nice for people who want them. that way Doc wouldn't have to order more head cabs than he needed, and not get stuck with any. just my 2 cents! The problem is that people say they want something but when it comes to shelling out cash they are nowhere to be found. That happened with the Anniversary Mazerati. Many people said they wanted one but it took a while to move them. Not sure Doc would want to play that game again. |
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Post by DRZ on Sept 28, 2019 13:50:08 GMT -7
I hear you. even doing a small introductory run of heads, with maybe a 30-60 day pre-order period would be nice for people who want them. that way Doc wouldn't have to order more head cabs than he needed, and not get stuck with any. just my 2 cents! The problem is that people say they want something but when it comes to shelling out cash they are nowhere to be found. That happened with the Anniversary Mazerati. Many people said they wanted one but it took a while to move them. Not sure Doc would want to play that game again. +1000 |
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Post by helmi on Sept 28, 2019 17:15:31 GMT -7
I hear you. even doing a small introductory run of heads, with maybe a 30-60 day pre-order period would be nice for people who want them. that way Doc wouldn't have to order more head cabs than he needed, and not get stuck with any. just my 2 cents! The problem is that people say they want something but when it comes to shelling out cash they are nowhere to be found. That happened with the Anniversary Mazerati. Many people said they wanted one but it took a while to move them. Not sure Doc would want to play that game again. Sorry. just a thought. |
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Sept 28, 2019 18:40:44 GMT -7
The problem is that people say they want something but when it comes to shelling out cash they are nowhere to be found. That happened with the Anniversary Mazerati. Many people said they wanted one but it took a while to move them. Not sure Doc would want to play that game again. Sorry. just a thought. Nothing to be sorry about - it's a good thought just not a good business decision. |
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Post by KeithA on Sept 29, 2019 5:15:18 GMT -7
I hear you. even doing a small introductory run of heads, with maybe a 30-60 day pre-order period would be nice for people who want them. that way Doc wouldn't have to order more head cabs than he needed, and not get stuck with any. just my 2 cents! The problem is that people say they want something but when it comes to shelling out cash they are nowhere to be found. That happened with the Anniversary Mazerati. Many people said they wanted one but it took a while to move them. Not sure Doc would want to play that game again. For sure. I'm not suggesting Doc do anything outside his normal business model. If the head ever becomes available (no different than the current Maz 18/38 head & combo offerings) it would be great. If it's not in the cards, it's no biggie. Actually, if I want one bad enough, with the introductory pricing it may make sense to look at getting a custom red head cab made by Mather (Matchless-style, in Dr Z measurements, with the chassis inverted just like the combo offering so that the Jetta chassis could just slide right in). I'd also have a spare studio combo cab and speaker that I could toss in the storage room or use with my Z-Plus if I ever wanted. Plus, I'd have a 'Z' emblem for the head cabinet. Looking forward to a proper demo of the Jetta  |
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Post by nicholas on Sept 29, 2019 8:56:00 GMT -7
I'm no Ampeg expert. But I do have a '64 Ampeg Superbreverb. If the Jetta sounds anything like that, I'll have to grab one.
For you guys that played the Jetta, how much clean volume does it have with humbuckers? Is it somewhere in the ballpark of a JAZ or Zlux?
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Post by freddieg on Sept 29, 2019 10:43:19 GMT -7
And if anybody can speak to the tonal difference between
the Jetta and the Cure. That would be awesome.
Hopefully there is a Dave Baker demo coming soon?
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Post by doctorice on Sept 29, 2019 13:32:09 GMT -7
I'm curious where the transitions from clean to hair to dirt occur on the Volume knob. Or, put another way, with the master at, say, small-gig level, where on the volume knob does the amp mostly just compress more rather than get louder? Seems like a super-cool little amp, especially with the Metro FX loop.
Added: Humbucker Music has pics of what looks like a production version.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Sept 30, 2019 14:20:43 GMT -7
I'm no Ampeg expert. But I do have a '64 Ampeg Superbreverb. If the Jetta sounds anything like that, I'll have to grab one. For you guys that played the Jetta, how much clean volume does it have with humbuckers? Is it somewhere in the ballpark of a JAZ or Zlux? We all know that headroom is a subjective thing - my idea of headroom will be different than yours. If you really need clean headroom, check out the Surgical Steel. To me, this amp isn't about clean headroom - it's more a vintage rock type of sound - think Rolling Stones late 60s early 70s. Keef's tone was definitely not a clean sound (unless he was playing his acoustics but even then it had hair to it). I've got a '64 Reverborocket - it's kinda in that vein but not quite. Definitely a new sound for Zs though. |
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Sept 30, 2019 14:31:22 GMT -7
And if anybody can speak to the tonal difference between the Jetta and the Cure. That would be awesome. Hopefully there is a Dave Baker demo coming soon? I had a discussion with Doc today on this question. Comparing the Jetta to the Cure is like comparing the Ghia to the Maz 18. They can both be fiddled with to come up with the same approximate sound but why would you do that? The Jetta is a fun little amp with a raw sound to it. Like the Ghia, it is only two knobs - volume and tone (with a Master Vol thrown in for good measure). The Cure, like the Maz 18, has a lot more (knobs) features - treble, middle, bass, and level. To my ears the has a more "refined" sound like the Z-Lux (which was its starting point if you weren't aware) - of course, YMMV when it comes to sound descriptions. My recommendation - play them together to see which is the right one for you. If you're near S.E. Mich I know a place you can test them both at  Did someone mention demo? http://instagram.com/p/B3CtJNIBPiG www.instagram.com/p/B3CtJNIBPiG/ |
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Post by The Bad Poodle Experience on Sept 30, 2019 16:09:38 GMT -7
How is the Jetta at handling "tube rattle"??  |
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Post by DRZ on Sept 30, 2019 16:29:10 GMT -7
How is the Jetta at handling "tube rattle"?? Jetta has nothing to do with tube rattle. The tubes them self caused by poor construction display tube rattle. The first Jetta's used JJ 7591's slightly warmer lower output 7591, but like all JJ output tubes are suseptable to tube rattle. It is a shame because JJ are very long lasting Output tubes with a nice tone, but that rattle will cause SOME to lose their mind, you will never detect Tube Rattle while playing with a band on stage. Since the JJ's were so problematic I switched to better constructed Russian Tung-Sol 7591's in the production Jetta's. The Tung-Sol is a richer sounding more powerful tube, and compares more favorably to NOS 7591"s For long term reliability I do add high temp tube dampeners to all 7591's used in Jetta's. |
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Post by KeithA on Sept 30, 2019 17:28:54 GMT -7
And if anybody can speak to the tonal difference between the Jetta and the Cure. That would be awesome. Hopefully there is a Dave Baker demo coming soon? I had a discussion with Doc today on this question. Comparing the Jetta to the Cure is like comparing the Ghia to the Maz 18. They can both be fiddled with to come up with the same approximate sound but why would you do that? The Jetta is a fun little amp with a raw sound to it. Like the Ghia, it is only two knobs - volume and tone (with a Master Vol thrown in for good measure). The Cure, like the Maz 18, has a lot more (knobs) features - treble, middle, bass, and level. To my ears the has a more "refined" sound like the Z-Lux (which was its starting point if you weren't aware) - of course, YMMV when it comes to sound descriptions. My recommendation - play them together to see which is the right one for you. If you're near S.E. Mich I know a place you can test them both at Did someone mention demo? http://instagr.am/p/B3CtJNIBPiG www.instagram.com/p/B3CtJNIBPiG/ Have to admit I like the Adrian Raso single coil demo better than the humbucker sounds in this teaser demo. I think this amp will shine with single coils. Looking forward to a full demo. |
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Post by KeithA on Sept 30, 2019 17:38:29 GMT -7
How is the Jetta at handling "tube rattle"?? Jetta has nothing to do with tube rattle. The tubes them self caused by poor construction display tube rattle. The first Jetta's used JJ 7591's slightly warmer lower output 7591, but like all JJ output tubes are suseptable to tube rattle. It is a shame because JJ are very long lasting Output tubes with a nice tone, but that rattle will cause SOME to lose their mind, you will never detect Tube Rattle while playing with a band on stage. Since the JJ's were so problematic I switched to better constructed Russian Tung-Sol 7591's in the production Jetta's. The Tung-Sol is a richer sounding more powerful tube, and compares more favorably to NOS 7591"s For long term reliability I do add high temp tube dampeners to all 7591's used in Jetta's. Doc I assume one can get a Jetta with an upgraded speaker (i.e., Celestion Cream AlNiCo) by paying the $279 upgrade on the price list? Keith |
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Post by DRZ on Sept 30, 2019 17:41:10 GMT -7
Jetta has nothing to do with tube rattle. The tubes them self caused by poor construction display tube rattle. The first Jetta's used JJ 7591's slightly warmer lower output 7591, but like all JJ output tubes are suseptable to tube rattle. It is a shame because JJ are very long lasting Output tubes with a nice tone, but that rattle will cause SOME to lose their mind, you will never detect Tube Rattle while playing with a band on stage. Since the JJ's were so problematic I switched to better constructed Russian Tung-Sol 7591's in the production Jetta's. The Tung-Sol is a richer sounding more powerful tube, and compares more favorably to NOS 7591"s For long term reliability I do add high temp tube dampeners to all 7591's used in Jetta's. Doc I assume one can get a Jetta with an upgraded speaker (i.e., Celestion Cream AlNiCo) by paying the $279 upgrade on the price list? Keith Sure |
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Post by KeithA on Sept 30, 2019 17:42:01 GMT -7
Doc I assume one can get a Jetta with an upgraded speaker (i.e., Celestion Cream AlNiCo) by paying the $279 upgrade on the price list? Keith Sure Great. |
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Post by DRZ on Oct 1, 2019 7:32:35 GMT -7
I hear you. even doing a small introductory run of heads, with maybe a 30-60 day pre-order period would be nice for people who want them. that way Doc wouldn't have to order more head cabs than he needed, and not get stuck with any. just my 2 cents! Exactly! That could be done with color too LOL! It's not cabs that's the logistic issue, it's the reverse Panel set which must be ordered 100 front and 100 back . Great if I use them all but sucks if only 5 get ordered. The Jetta is my interpretation of the Ampeg Jet which was a compact 1x12 combo. My ratio of heads to combos is 1 One head to Nine combos for every 10 amps sold. I'm looking into a printer that would print my panels for me , that would eliminate tons of costly inventory. Z |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2019 7:49:25 GMT -7
How is the Jetta at handling "tube rattle"?? Jetta has nothing to do with tube rattle. The tubes them self caused by poor construction display tube rattle. The first Jetta's used JJ 7591's slightly warmer lower output 7591, but like all JJ output tubes are suseptable to tube rattle. It is a shame because JJ are very long lasting Output tubes with a nice tone, but that rattle will cause SOME to lose their mind, you will never detect Tube Rattle while playing with a band on stage.Since the JJ's were so problematic I switched to better constructed Russian Tung-Sol 7591's in the production Jetta's. The Tung-Sol is a richer sounding more powerful tube, and compares more favorably to NOS 7591"s For long term reliability I do add high temp tube dampeners to all 7591's used in Jetta's. Copied for emphasis! |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2019 9:07:18 GMT -7
Exactly! That could be done with color too LOL! It's not cabs that's the logistic issue, it's the reverse Panel set which must be ordered 100 front and 100 back . Great if I use them all but sucks if only 5 get ordered. The Jetta is my interpretation of the Ampeg Jet which was a compact 1x12 combo. My ratio of heads to combos is 1 One head to Nine combos for every 10 amps sold. I'm looking into a printer that would print my panels for me , that would eliminate tons of costly inventory. Z Am I just discovering the magic of a portable combo amp. That ratio surprises me! |
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Oct 1, 2019 10:24:57 GMT -7
It's not cabs that's the logistic issue, it's the reverse Panel set which must be ordered 100 front and 100 back . Great if I use them all but sucks if only 5 get ordered. The Jetta is my interpretation of the Ampeg Jet which was a compact 1x12 combo. My ratio of heads to combos is 1 One head to Nine combos for every 10 amps sold. I'm looking into a printer that would print my panels for me , that would eliminate tons of costly inventory. Z Am I just discovering the magic of a portable combo amp. That ratio surprises me! I think the advent of the light-weight, truly portable combo has really changed things. Weighing in at around a real 40 pounds they truly are portable. I have older combos that weigh almost twice that (Super Z, Z-28 4x10 combo, Super Reverb ... ) that sound great but aren't going anywhere. Doc's new combos sound great and a literally grab and go. As people get older they look for light-weight solutions and Doc has them. |
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Post by KeithA on Oct 1, 2019 10:34:06 GMT -7
Am I just discovering the magic of a portable combo amp. That ratio surprises me! I think the advent of the light-weight, truly portable combo has really changed things. Weighing in at around a real 40 pounds they truly are portable. I have older combos that weigh almost twice that (Super Z, Z-28 4x10 combo, Super Reverb ... ) that sound great but aren't going anywhere. Doc's new combos sound great and a literally grab and go. As people get older they look for light-weight solutions and Doc has them. Lol, sounds like Doc could get a great sales bump if the amps were eligible under AARP |
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