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Post by mule43 on Nov 28, 2020 17:36:57 GMT -7
The wife was gone today so I took the opportunity to hook up both my Maz and Z-Lux with an AB switch to do a side by side listen. The one problem with my setup is that I was using my 1x12 cab with a vintage 30 with the Maz and my Z-Best with the standard speaker setup with the Z-Lux. I found that while I could get the tone close that the Z-Lux had a smoother sound than the Maz. The Maz seemed to have tighter bass and was just a little brighter. What I am wondering is if anyone has a feel for how big a difference the my cabs will make with my sound? Does the H30 smooth out the v30 alot and loosen up the bass? Or is it differences between the output tubes in the heads or just overall differences with the heads? Either way they both sound fantastic!
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Post by headshrinker (Marc) on Nov 28, 2020 18:47:24 GMT -7
I'd swap the cabs between the two amps and see what you hear.
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Post by mule43 on Nov 28, 2020 19:02:22 GMT -7
Next time I have a few hours with an empty house! I have been asking some questions like these because I am trying to train my ear to know if what I am hearing is from say a v30 or is it from 6v6 tubes or el84s.
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Post by bubs42 on Nov 29, 2020 8:39:32 GMT -7
It is both, once you swap cabs you’ll recognize the difference. I love trying different cabs and speakers. Beware of the Rabbit Hole.
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Post by big ( Al Z. ) on Nov 29, 2020 9:06:13 GMT -7
bubs42 - He's well on his way down that hole ! ! Amps will always sound different but the wrong speaker/cab combo can destroy the way an amp sounds. Ya gotta cut off the rabbit hole sometime but I think ya gotta go there for a little bit to find out what works for you. For me cab depth was a big factor. I also tried a speaker that I didn't think would work but afterwards it was a keeper (Doc's Z-12). So good luck with the cab collection ! ! !
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Post by bigben55 on Nov 30, 2020 15:31:00 GMT -7
In my experience, an H30 will have more bass, about the same treble, but less mids especially the high mids, when compared to a V30. In some amps, the H30 bass can be too much, but its a better choice for a very mid heavy amp. Ive never had great luck with V30s unless in a 4x12 Marshall cab with a head set to RAWK! For that, they're great. For everything else, not my fav.
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Post by GuitarZ on Nov 30, 2020 16:01:13 GMT -7
Don't forget to tune in your volume and tone for each cabinet before judging.
I have my UA Ox. I find myself just dialing across different cabinets/speakers. Some really don't work for me. I scratch my head because they might be a classic design. And, maybe they don't work. But, it finally dawned on me that my sound is set for a Celestion Greenback type cabinet. If I really want to see if something else works, I need to tune up the tone controls and volume to try to find the sweet spot for that cabinet.
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Post by 6stringroy on Dec 2, 2020 11:06:25 GMT -7
The wife was gone today so I took the opportunity to hook up both my Maz and Z-Lux with an AB switch to do a side by side listen. The one problem with my setup is that I was using my 1x12 cab with a vintage 30 with the Maz and my Z-Best with the standard speaker setup with the Z-Lux. I found that while I could get the tone close that the Z-Lux had a smoother sound than the Maz. The Maz seemed to have tighter bass and was just a little brighter. What I am wondering is if anyone has a feel for how big a difference the my cabs will make with my sound? Does the H30 smooth out the v30 alot and loosen up the bass? Or is it differences between the output tubes in the heads or just overall differences with the heads? Either way they both sound fantastic! Which Maz were you using for this compare - 38 or 18, reverb or NR, Mk I or II? I'm curious because I have a Z-Lux combo with the Z-12 which I like, but I'm thinking about going Maz 38 Mk II (still thinking through cab/speaker setup). Sounds like you're using the Maz head. Thx.
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Post by mule43 on Dec 2, 2020 11:20:45 GMT -7
I have the Maz 38 NR MKII head that Dr. Z made for me this past Oct.. I wanted to go with heads, my Z-Lux is a head also, since it is easy to switch cabs/speakers that way. I think that I might be able to setup with the heads swapped tonight to see what difference the head makes. My next thing to try after that is to run both cabs in parallel with each head. I have been having fun going down this rabbit hole!
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Post by mule43 on Dec 4, 2020 18:06:49 GMT -7
I was able to try switching the cabs last night an I think the answer to my question is both the speakers and the amp. I left the eq settings the same for both tests and found the the 1x12 is brighter than the Z-Best though I could hear both speakers in the Z-Best and how they contributed to the sound.. The 70th Anniversary definitely darkens the tone of the Z-Best. I am thinking that it would be fun to have another of the 1x12 cabs to do a true AB test of the heads.
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Post by steiner on Dec 4, 2020 19:29:35 GMT -7
I was able to try switching the cabs last night an I think the answer to my question is both the speakers and the amp. I left the eq settings the same for both tests and found the the 1x12 is brighter than the Z-Best though I could hear both speakers in the Z-Best and how they contributed to the sound.. The 70th Anniversary definitely darkens the tone of the Z-Best. I am thinking that it would be fun to have another of the 1x12 cabs to do a true AB test of the heads. Radial has a Cab Bone and Tone Bone that will get you there.
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Post by digs57 on Feb 2, 2021 16:17:32 GMT -7
Have both maz 18's reverb and nr...had put a new (2 yrs old) cream alnico in reverb maz and it sounded good...Also I had just bought a used blue and placed it in the nr maz...today I was thinking the lower pre on the maz 18 verb would work better with the lower rating blue alnico...ho man does it sound good with the verb model...Some magic happening there,boom.As doe's the 90 watt cream with the punchier nr/mrk II...That's a better match as well,can never stop trying sh!t I guess till it sticks.Its both imho.
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Post by steiner on Feb 2, 2021 17:06:07 GMT -7
To your original question: "Is it the speakers or the amp?" I've put premium speakers on POS amps and found it's not worth the money. Another factor you may consider; speaker cabs have resonate frequencies. They influence the feel. I enjoy the thump of a 4x12 but my ears prefer the sound of certain 2x12s. Speakers are not a rabbit hole, they are quagmires!
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