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Post by twentyfourfps on Aug 20, 2020 17:53:24 GMT -7
Howdy folks!
I'm hoping to get some expert guidance from the forum on how best to address some possible issues I'm having with my amp. I've spent some time reading various enlightening threads on speakers, tubes, EQ settings, etc., so I feel reasonably well informed, but I'm not sure my exact "issue" has been addressed.
A bit of background: I've had my Z-Lux for about a year now. I've used it at home, in rehearsal and in the studio. I've played extensively with my MIJ Strat, MIM Tele, 2018 Gold Top Les Paul (with P-90s) and my '89 Rickenbacker 330 6-string. I use a pretty standard array of "classic" effects--Klon KTR, Ibanez Tubescreamer, MXR Phase 90, Carbon Copy, Dyna Comp, as well as a Vox Wah. I like classic rock, country, blues and soul sounds. I bought my Dr. Z to replace my '65 DRRI, which I worked hard to improve (removing the bright cap, retubing/rebiasing, etc.) but was never entirely happy with, primarily because it was too "ice-pick" bright, and the headroom was insufficient playing with a loud drummer in a club.
But, as you all know, the Z-Lux isn't a DRRI on steroids. It's capable of so much more, from an almost 50's Tweed style Deluxe vibe, to a more hi-fi clarity, to an outrageous early Marshall/Bassman tone. And if I just start twiddling knobs, I can find an iconic tone in pretty short order.
But lately I've been using the amp as a clean pedal platform--V at 9 o'clock, MV from 11-2, treble from 8-12 o'clock, and mid from 7-10 o'clock (depending on the guitar.) And in this scenario, I am finding the tone sometimes unforgivingly trebly (especially with my Fenders on the bridge pickup), but, even more noticeably, the bass is flabby and virtually useless. I literally keep it on "0" (yes, ZERO!) in almost every scenario, with any guitar and any tone/pedal combo. Does this seem right to you folks? Never had an amp that sounded best with the bass all the way down.
If not, I'm wondering what needs attention. Tubes? I've never changed the power tubes (I'm reluctant because they're a weird mix of curated NOS goodness), but my dealer did have me swap a microphonic preamp tube early on when I caught a ringing issue. Or is it maybe the speaker? Most people seem to love the stock Eminence Z 12", but I'm wondering if anyone has tried the Alessandro Eminence GA-SC64 Signature 12"?
Or is there something else I'm missing? Any thoughts are appreciated.
Many thanks for reading this and weighing in.
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Post by Rockerfeller on Aug 20, 2020 18:58:05 GMT -7
Have you been having this issue since the beginning? Or has it started recently?
The ZLux doesn't come with NOS tubes. My understanding is that the only current production tubes that can handle the plate voltage are the JJ's.
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Aug 21, 2020 4:17:40 GMT -7
My first thought is power tubes are on the way out and need to be replaced. As mentioned earlier, JJ 6v6 or Tung Sol 5881 are the best replacements out there. Anything else will have a shortened lifespan to include NOS.
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Post by meanslide on Aug 21, 2020 8:14:06 GMT -7
Power tubes and a speaker swap could be useful. Go with what the Dr. recommends for tubes, he knows his stuff. I swapped the Z12 for a WGS ET65 in mine and I really liked it.
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Post by Seńor Verde on Aug 21, 2020 8:44:28 GMT -7
I didn't have the GA-SC64 when I had my Z-Lux, but use one with my Cure and Allen Encore. I think it is a good move to try one.
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Post by twentyfourfps on Aug 21, 2020 8:46:08 GMT -7
Have you been having this issue since the beginning? Or has it started recently? The ZLux doesn't come with NOS tubes. My understanding is that the only current production tubes that can handle the plate voltage are the JJ's. My mistake--you're absolutely right. The power tubes in my Z-Lux are all JJ 6V6s. The dealer I bought it from does a lot of NOS tube business and I incorrectly assumed he'd put them in my amp. As far as when the issue started, well, I'm like most guitar players in that things sound different to me from day to day, even hour to hour, ha ha, but I feel like I didn't notice the bass being so unusable until recently. That's not a definitive yes, however. Many thanks for your response! --David
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Post by twentyfourfps on Aug 21, 2020 8:56:53 GMT -7
My first thought is power tubes are on the way out and need to be replaced. As mentioned earlier, JJ 6v6 or Tung Sol 5881 are the best replacements out there. Anything else will have a shortened lifespan to include NOS. Thanks for the reply and the recommendations. I bought my amp in September of '18, and the production date on it is 6/16. The amp was literally in a box on a shelf when I went to try it, and the dealer is by appointment only, so I doubt it got much (if any) use at the shop. So I'm not sure if the power tubes (JJ 6V6s, not NOS as I incorrectly stated in my original post) would already be losing their oomph? I had JJs in my DRRI and they seemed to last for years even with regular gigging, and I've put relatively little strain on the Z-Lux...
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Post by ksquared on Aug 22, 2020 15:20:47 GMT -7
Here's my 2 cents as a ZLux user: Before playing with tubes or speakers, read what PerryR says in this thread about the Maz 18 (which has a similar tone stack): ztalk.proboards.com/thread/83168/setting-tonesEssentially, the tone knobs are all cut filters and they are interactive with each other. Having T low and M really low can effect the B control a lot, and you'll need more B to get rid of the icepick. You also have the preamp V pretty low. I know you're going for a clean pedal platform but turning V up a bit will likely improve things. Perhaps try something like V at 10pm, Mids at 10 o'clock, and raise both T and B to say 2 o'clock. That should be a very clean punchy tone. More Mid could help too if you're on the bridge pickup. Changing the speaker would change tone, obviously, but the stock speaker is a good one and on the warm side; it isn't likely to be causing the issue you're describing.
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Post by twentyfourfps on Aug 23, 2020 7:53:57 GMT -7
Here's my 2 cents as a ZLux user: Before playing with tubes or speakers, read what PerryR says in this thread about the Maz 18 (which has a similar tone stack): ztalk.proboards.com/thread/83168/setting-tonesEssentially, the tone knobs are all cut filters and they are interactive with each other. Having T low and M really low can effect the B control a lot, and you'll need more B to get rid of the icepick. You also have the preamp V pretty low. I know you're going for a clean pedal platform but turning V up a bit will likely improve things. Perhaps try something like V at 10pm, Mids at 10 o'clock, and raise both T and B to say 2 o'clock. That should be a very clean punchy tone. More Mid could help too if you're on the bridge pickup. Changing the speaker would change tone, obviously, but the stock speaker is a good one and on the warm side; it isn't likely to be causing the issue you're describing. Thanks--this is really good advice. I'd actually started playing around with the preamp and tone controls yesterday and did find that my tone improved when I did a few of the things you mentioned, but I'm going to try that V at 10 o'clock, Mids at 10 and Bass at 2 o'clock setting. Makes a lot of sense.
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Aug 23, 2020 7:58:49 GMT -7
As for speakers, I’ve tried several in a Z 1x12 cab with my Lux head to include the GA- SC64 and found the stock z12 to be superior. Not by a large margin as to me they are very similar speakers. The z12 is just a perfect match for the Lux, which by the way, is the perfect amp.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Aug 23, 2020 12:39:34 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum. I'd lean toward suspecting the power tubes too. Today's tubes can last a long time but some don't. I've had my Z-Lux for about 4 years and I went through a couple of sets of power tubes before I got some that have settled in and are doing it right. JJ6V6s are the only ones that will survive the plate voltage. A few years ago they had some issues with rattles and quality, but they seem to have sorted out the problems. Mine are sounding great after a couple of years hard use. The speaker I found to sound the best is the original Z-12 that comes in the amp. I tried 6 or 8 different speakers and ended up back with the Z-12. I always end up doing that with Dr.Z amps. I try different tubes and speakers and 95% of the time I end up back at the stock configuration. Doc's got a great, great ear.
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Post by twentyfourfps on Aug 24, 2020 6:26:37 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum. I'd lean toward suspecting the power tubes too. Today's tubes can last a long time but some don't. I've had my Z-Lux for about 4 years and I went through a couple of sets of power tubes before I got some that have settled in and are doing it right. JJ6V6s are the only ones that will survive the plate voltage. A few years ago they had some issues with rattles and quality, but they seem to have sorted out the problems. Mine are sounding great after a couple of years hard use. The speaker I found to sound the best is the original Z-12 that comes in the amp. I tried 6 or 8 different speakers and ended up back with the Z-12. I always end up doing that with Dr.Z amps. I try different tubes and speakers and 95% of the time I end up back at the stock configuration. Doc's got a great, great ear. Thanks for this reply and the wisdom. It's really helpful to hear from someone who has tried a number of different speakers and always come back to the Z-12. I bought this amp precisely for the reason you say--to have something "curated" and built by a guy who really knows what he's doing. Not to mod it. That said, based on the advice of the forum I swapped out my power tubes over the weekend with some fresh JJ6V6s, and I have to say I immediately noticed a difference. The overall tone did NOT change radically, but the bass response improved significantly. I was able to run it up to half way and it has a tighter more, musical response. I think one other thing that I am struggling with is the response of the Z-Lux (primarily due to the solid state rectifier and increased headroom, I suppose?) is a bit less spongy than, say, a DRRI. I could run my Deluxe at 4-5 and with my guitar volume knob control the amount of grit pretty easily. I struggle a bit with the Z-Lux to find that same sweet spot, but right now the dramatically louder clean tones (and overall ability to compete with a drummer and really cut through the mix!) makes the Z-Lux vastly superior. And of course, the Z-Lux gets a range of pretty insane British style tones with the Z-boost engaged and the preamp and mid pushed--tones that a DRRI is simply not capable of getting anywhere near.
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Post by trojanhov on Aug 25, 2020 8:22:44 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum. I'd lean toward suspecting the power tubes too. Today's tubes can last a long time but some don't. I've had my Z-Lux for about 4 years and I went through a couple of sets of power tubes before I got some that have settled in and are doing it right. JJ6V6s are the only ones that will survive the plate voltage. A few years ago they had some issues with rattles and quality, but they seem to have sorted out the problems. Mine are sounding great after a couple of years hard use. The speaker I found to sound the best is the original Z-12 that comes in the amp. I tried 6 or 8 different speakers and ended up back with the Z-12. I always end up doing that with Dr.Z amps. I try different tubes and speakers and 95% of the time I end up back at the stock configuration. Doc's got a great, great ear. Thanks for this reply and the wisdom. It's really helpful to hear from someone who has tried a number of different speakers and always come back to the Z-12. I bought this amp precisely for the reason you say--to have something "curated" and built by a guy who really knows what he's doing. Not to mod it. That said, based on the advice of the forum I swapped out my power tubes over the weekend with some fresh JJ6V6s, and I have to say I immediately noticed a difference. The overall tone did NOT change radically, but the bass response improved significantly. I was able to run it up to half way and it has a tighter more, musical response. I think one other thing that I am struggling with is the response of the Z-Lux (primarily due to the solid state rectifier and increased headroom, I suppose?) is a bit less spongy than, say, a DRRI. I could run my Deluxe at 4-5 and with my guitar volume knob control the amount of grit pretty easily. I struggle a bit with the Z-Lux to find that same sweet spot, but right now the dramatically louder clean tones (and overall ability to compete with a drummer and really cut through the mix!) makes the Z-Lux vastly superior. And of course, the Z-Lux gets a range of pretty insane British style tones with the Z-boost engaged and the preamp and mid pushed--tones that a DRRI is simply not capable of getting anywhere near. Going from a z-28 to a z lux , the big difference for me was adjusting to the solid state rectifier and playing with an amp that has more headroom. Just had to get used to it. The z-lux covers so much sonic territory for me that I don’t imagine I’d ever let it go. Set the eq controls with your ears, not your eyes. I do that all the time and it frustrates me. When I just adjust with my ears I always find great sounds. I also love presence and love treble especially in the mix.
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