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Post by davecarb on Jan 2, 2021 21:10:49 GMT -7
Hello all, New to the forum but had my dr z for about 5 years. For most of that time I have played it through a Celestion gold. Now I am exclusively a tele player, so my main guitar is tele with a p90 in the neck. While I was getting great neck and middle sounds, on the tele bridge pickup I was getting more ice pick highs than I was used to. All I had ever heard was use a gold with this amp. Anyway, got a new cab with a eminence cannabis Rex in it, and my maz suddenly is useable for so much more. So now I have a couple options. I could sell my Celestion gold cab (boring) or buy a second z that will respond better to the gold with my tele. I was thinking a Route 66, but open to suggestions. I do a lot of recording, so a z with a different sound might be just what the dr ordered. Would love to hear your thoughts.
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Jan 2, 2021 21:23:24 GMT -7
Welcome Dave. I have something that is a perfect marriage of your two speakers in my Maz. It's an alnico close to what used to go in the original AC30's with a hemp cone. My Maz loves it. Glad you smoothed it out for your use. I have experience with a handful of Z's, but none with a Tele and I don't record. I'll let others come at you with what will be good advice. By the way, good advice can end up being expensive for you around here. ;-)
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Post by davecarb on Jan 3, 2021 4:08:41 GMT -7
Hey Big Kahuna, Wow that speaker does sound amazing. I bet the hemp cone takes just enough sizzle away to make that much more useable in the maz. It is a fantastic sounding amp. Thank you for the warm welcome!
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 3, 2021 5:18:03 GMT -7
Welcome to the group, there are a lot of great people here and a ton of knowledge. Best kept secret on the internet. Have you tried a Carmen Ghia? Don't let the lack of more than two knobs fool you. That amp is really a tone machine and pairs well with Celestion Golds.
The Route 66 is a great amp, but not currently in production.
More info about what kind of music you play will help us a lot in guiding you, but meanwhile there are a lot of good demo videos on the Dr. Z website. Click Here to go there.
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Post by KeithA on Jan 3, 2021 5:42:00 GMT -7
The Route 66 is a great amp, but not currently in production.
I think Doc was planning to start legacy model builds again after the New Year. I think you can get a new ‘66 from Doc in 2021.
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Post by digs57 on Jan 3, 2021 7:05:43 GMT -7
I was on track with gold and maz 18 nr but aborted for some reason...wanted something softer/lower volume...I have been using the Ruby in my reverb 18.some feel its to dark?I like it's vibe a lot...live it's really nice,yet to try creamback,blue. I am getting a blue sometime newyear to try.
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Post by davecarb on Jan 3, 2021 8:00:20 GMT -7
Hi Dave. Yes I have thought about a Carmen ghia, but not sure how different it would be from my maz. With the tele not sure that the gold would work in the amp, and if it will be different enough of a sound. But man it is tempting for sure, and a little easier to find on the used market.
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Post by davecarb on Jan 3, 2021 8:03:09 GMT -7
I am also probably going to be looking used at whatever amp I get. Lots of amazing amps out there. As far as music we are talking about 90s rock, alt country, classic rock type tones.
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Jan 3, 2021 8:42:52 GMT -7
I had used a Celestion Gold in a 1x12 for a long time with my MAZ 18 NR (also mostly a strat with that amp) however a couple years ago moved away from it simply because the Gold is such an intensely-loud speaker.
I backed down to a Scumback J75 (sort of a medium-volume Greenback clone) which was more neutral but also awesome with the MAZ. I also found that the much-cheaper Celestion V-Type works amazingly-well with the MAZ, as sort of a half-Gold/half-Greenback blend; but with the V-Type's smaller magnet, it's also not nearly as loud/intense as the Gold. I love this speaker.
For your case, though--looking to make the Tele bridge work better with the MAZ--I'd recommend that Scumback J75. Jim from Scumback Speakers even contributes here on this forum, you might be able to converse with directly.
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Post by davecarb on Jan 3, 2021 9:16:48 GMT -7
Thanks Mark, seems like you have been on a journey with this amp also. It really is an amazing sounding amp. Will definitely check out that speaker in the future as my journey evolves.
Been listening to the ghia all morning. damn. I think this might sound great with a gold. Seems like a different sound to me than the maz. Another thing to consider for sure.
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Post by davecarb on Jan 3, 2021 9:19:37 GMT -7
Digs57, I am sure the ruby sounds amazing with the maz. An alnico without the crazy top end I think would be ideal.
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Post by digs57 on Jan 3, 2021 9:31:52 GMT -7
Thanks Mark, seems like you have been on a journey with this amp also. It really is an amazing sounding amp. Will definitely check out that speaker in the future as my journey evolves. Been listening to the ghia all morning. damn. I think this might sound great with a gold. Seems like a different sound to me than the maz. Another thing to consider for sure. Ghia and gold works well...cant hurt to have both
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Post by Seńor Verde on Jan 3, 2021 12:41:26 GMT -7
I have too many speakers and cabinets. I have my Maz Jr where our band practices and brought what I thought was a 1x12 with 65 watt Creamback. It sounded great! Even my bandmates commented how good it sounded. Turns out it was a 2013 Vintage 30. I've since tried it with a 2019 Vintage 30 and it still sounds great. Beware though, not all Vintage 30's sound good. I have a 2017 and a 2005 tht sound different and not as good.
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Post by davecarb on Jan 3, 2021 14:25:44 GMT -7
Yeah I was down playing at a pretty decent volume today and really loving the cannabis Rex with this amp. Getting some seriously amazing tones from all three positions. I haven’t played a vintage 30 with this amp, but a well broken in vintage 30 can be magic with the right amp. I am amazed how different the amp sounds with different cabs. Now Carmen ghia with the gold or Route 66? Or something different like the z-28? Good problems to have.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 3, 2021 14:51:04 GMT -7
Both the Ghia and the Maz react very well to different speakers. The tone control on the Ghia is pure magic, it's so usable. Very effective at getting the voice right, and a lot of fun to play. It's a great amp. That's the thing...ALL Doc's amps are great. That's why I have so many!
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Post by davecarb on Jan 5, 2021 4:41:57 GMT -7
All this Ghia talk has gotten a ghia in my head! Still interested in a rt 66, as a different tube type might be a different sound, and that could be useful in recording. So Ghia, monza, rt 66, anything else I just must check out? There are so many amazing doc amps.
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Post by headshrinker (Marc) on Jan 5, 2021 8:27:38 GMT -7
Therapy!
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cmrharvey
Full Member
Greater Atlanta
Posts: 103
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Post by cmrharvey on Jan 5, 2021 8:54:39 GMT -7
Dave,
I have the NR MkII, other than the eq boost and used to have the gold for quite a while,(when it was still MK I) anyhow, when the gold became similar to what you describe, as I play an ASAT special - MFD Single coils and a Collings with P-90s, so the brightness of the Gold needed taming. I put a 5751 in V-1 for head room and more "squishiness" but the biggest change was to go to the G12 Anniversary, and it provided more balanced smoothness, if thats a description. the highs are more pleasing, more lows than the gold, and less harshness with trebley frequencies. Also had a Z-12, more american voiced speaker for a spell, but it wasn't quite there for me. (I play mostly worship music and classic rock) Anyhow, good luck with your search, and don't forget the knobs.... move the knobs to adjust. I think the hemp cone speakers sound interesting too. Would be interesting to hear what you come up with. Cheers.
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Jan 5, 2021 15:08:22 GMT -7
All this Ghia talk has gotten a ghia in my head! Still interested in a rt 66, as a different tube type might be a different sound, and that could be useful in recording. So Ghia, monza, rt 66, anything else I just must check out? There are so many amazing doc amps. Ghia's are great, but when I had one along with my Maz 18 it didn't do as much as my Maz and Swartz together. I love Ghia's don't get me wrong, but the way I was running things I felt like I needed that as my main tone and adjusted the Maz to come along side of it. I did the other way around with the Swartz and liked the outcome a lot better. If you're talking recording in a studio setting you would have more control over the tone shaping than what I was doing, and the Ghia certainly wasn't bad. I don't think you would be disappointed.
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Post by davecarb on Jan 5, 2021 19:42:44 GMT -7
Cmrharvey, Oh thank you for the validation. My main guitar is a G&l bluesboy that now has alnico pickups and humbucker sized p90 in the neck. The hemp cone of the cannabis Rex is definitely helping me feel this amp. This morning I plugged back into the gold, and it just doesn’t work for me at all. So it’s either getting a new head or will be sold for a new combo or something. We will see if I miss a little of the chime of the other speaker, but for now, not missing it all, even with the p90.
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Post by davecarb on Jan 5, 2021 19:45:23 GMT -7
All this Ghia talk has gotten a ghia in my head! Still interested in a rt 66, as a different tube type might be a different sound, and that could be useful in recording. So Ghia, monza, rt 66, anything else I just must check out? There are so many amazing doc amps. Ghia's are great, but when I had one along with my Maz 18 it didn't do as much as my Maz and Swartz together. I love Ghia's don't get me wrong, but the way I was running things I felt like I needed that as my main tone and adjusted the Maz to come along side of it. I did the other way around with the Swartz and liked the outcome a lot better. If you're talking recording in a studio setting you would have more control over the tone shaping than what I was doing, and the Ghia certainly wasn't bad. I don't think you would be disappointed. Yeah I am sort of starting to feel like the ghia may be too similar to the maz for this situation. If I keep the cab it might get a Route 66, but if I sell it I am thinking something like a cure. We will see how it all pans out. Either way the maz is going nowhere now!
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Post by John on Jan 6, 2021 18:29:38 GMT -7
The Maz is a little more chimey Vox The Ghia is a little more Marshall (4 input vintage style)
The maz, as said above has a lot of noticeable voxy chime....so perhaps you would want an amp that doesn't. The route 66 is a very different amp than the Maz. But what about the Z-28? They're similar (66 & Z28)...sharing the same preamp...just different power tubes. The route66/Z28 are VERY midrange oriented amps. They also have an EF86 preamp tube which has a completely different feel and dynamic than the maz's 12ax7.
Also, if you do a lot of recording, what about the Z-plus? A low wattage single ended amp would be great for recording.
But even though I've written all the above nonsense...the ghia is an awesome amp!
I've had 1)Route66 2)Z-28 3)mazJr 4)Ghia (I have NOT had a Z-plus)...the one that grabbed me most?...Ghia. Even though the ghia is an el84 amp, it lacks the chime of the Maz jr. (and for me, that's a good thing)
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Post by davecarb on Jan 15, 2021 17:55:31 GMT -7
Thanks for all the great posts guys. Definitely looking for a second amp head to go with my gold cab. Looking at Route 66, or Mazerati or maybe a ghia. Also might consider an ezg 50 too. Think I would like something that will have a little more headroom than the maz. That is what makes the maz special, but would like to have clean cleans if possible. Thanks for all the great comments, and can’t wait to try a different flavor of Z!
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jan 15, 2021 20:39:11 GMT -7
If you want something with more headroom than the Maz Jr. you might want to consider the Maz 38 with a 1/2 power mod. That would give you the equivalent of a Maz 18 and the greater headroom of a 38 in one package.
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Post by lostbirds on May 20, 2021 17:01:34 GMT -7
My favorite speaker so far with the maz is the Fane A60. G12H30 are good as well but the Fane just adds something somehow. Part might be the open back cab though.
I don’t have any problems with the maz being overly bright but I did have this ice picky thing with another el84 amp. Switching the speaker to a WGS Blackhawk made a night and day difference.
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