Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Feel?
Jan 16, 2021 12:27:14 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2021 12:27:14 GMT -7
I'm interested in hearing from CAZ owners as to how they like the "feel" of the amp? One of the things I read about the Therapy that drew me to it was all of the comments about how it had a great "feel." After buying one I agree. I love the smooth sustain and compression you get even on clean settings.
Is the CAZ similar? I understand that about the only similarities these two amps have is that they both have 6L6 power tubes and are cathode biased, but I did read a comment from Alan on Gear Page that said the original prototype he got from Dr Z was a on a 6L6 chassis? Was that the Therapy chassis or maybe the EZG chassis?
I've never owned a modern high gain amp but I'm interested.
|
|
|
Post by adam on Jan 16, 2021 15:15:14 GMT -7
It would be cool if Alan or Z chimed in on this one. There's something with "feel" where tubes kind of "give" or "bend" a little, kind of compress, but it's different than any compressor. Like a compressor clamps volume, but tubes kind of compress and add harmonic complexity at the same time. I'd kind of say all my tube amps feel great, and my transistor amps or distortion pedals just don't. The CAZ is a little different from anything I've played before. It has the general tube goodness going on, but there are a couple things going on that are just different to me and I don't know why. When you turn it up, and maybe play a little cleaner, there's something going on with maybe the cathode bias part that is just really pleasing. On the more preamp side of the equation and higher gain settings, you can really sound or feel high gain if you play harder, but if you pick lighter, there's a different dimension there from any amp with a lot of gain that I've tried. It's like you can be high gain and not high gain even if the gain is set high whereas most amps when they are high gain, they are just that monotone high gain no matter how you play it. A friend came over the other day and put the gain on 10 and sensitivity way high to that point where the gain covers all the slop in your playing and for him, that "felt" great. For me, it feels great when I can have all that gain and also pick lighter and have another thing under my fingers. In general, the amp really excels in the high gain end, but particularly when the amp is loud and cleaner with say a tele, there's a whole another world of tones to be had there too. I wish I had this amp when I played in a Rush tribute for years. And remember it has that magic transformer in there too. It's a unique amp. Hope this helps a little.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Feel?
Jan 16, 2021 20:11:18 GMT -7
adam likes this
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2021 20:11:18 GMT -7
That's great information. We need some Z dealers here in the southwest.
|
|
|
Post by Russell B on Jan 16, 2021 20:49:07 GMT -7
I have a Therapy and a CAZ and others. Most of my amps have a tube rectifier which, to me, softens the feel. Once I got the CAZ, which has a SS rectifier, I had to get used to it, which didn’t take long. The CAZ is tight and fast with incredible pick attack.
The drive is smoother than the Therapy too and has a ton more gain on tap. Yet, it is still a very versatile amp and can get incredibly clean for such a high gain amp.
Like Adam, I’ve never played anything like it.
|
|
|
Post by Russell B on Jan 16, 2021 20:55:14 GMT -7
The early prototypes may have been on a Therapy size chassis. Jaguar Mike may know. He has one. I think Doc and Alan went with the larger chassis because of the tube buffered loop and the Level control. This amp has mojo.
|
|
|
Post by notscottagain on Jan 16, 2021 22:54:33 GMT -7
The CAZ is the only Dr Z I own and am familiar with but I do have a Carol-Ann Tucana 3r, a Komet 60 and a Trainwreck type with Ken Fischer designed trannies.
The CAZ is not as compressed as any of the previously mentioned amps. You can get very close to the feel of the Tucana by keeping the Aggression low, but it won't have that squishy feel of the tube-rectified Komet or Wreck, which you really don't want in a high-gain amp anyway, unless you like mud.
The CAZ has a very fast and dynamic attack like the Komet, that allows you to really control the amount of drive with your picking technique. If you are one of those guys that likes to plug straight in to an amp and let your playing do the talking, you will LOVE this feature of the amp more than any other.
Obviously, there is no free lunch and the fast attack and dynamics of the amp make for a very unforgiving amp that will reveal the slightest flaws in your playing. As Adam mentioned, if you crank up the gain, you can get a more forgiving sound but at the expense of clarity. Better players will find themselves using less gain than they think they need.
For overall responsiveness to my guitars and my playing, I would put the CAZ up against my Komet and 73 Marshall any day. Considering the Komet and Marshall require an attenuator for most applications which tends to tame them a bit no matter how transparent the attenuator, the excellent master volume on the CAZ makes it an easy choice for most gigs.
|
|
|
Post by adam on Jan 17, 2021 8:05:58 GMT -7
Lots of neat comments here. If feel somehow equates to "forgiving", I think it's a great balance of forgiving yet dynamic. Only reference I can think of there is I have a Splawn QuickRod that is extremely unforgiving, but it's also really rewarding at the same time too. Problem with that amp is it's about 3x too loud when it sounds right. Not a problem at all with the CAZ.
|
|
|
Post by doctorice on Jan 17, 2021 9:11:58 GMT -7
I never feel like I'm fighting the amp when I play the CAZ, unlike some other amps, so that aspect of "feel" is there. For me, part of feel also is being able to get to the point where the rig seems to come alive and blossom, which generally means a bit of volume, not just gain. With the Level control and the flexibility of the gain structure, you can get there without having to be at sound pressure levels that leave your ears ringing.
I have a Therapy, but have not used it much lately. The CAZ is giving me pretty much everything I want, including lovely sustaining clean sound just by using the guitar volume and tone. I mucked around briefly with a few pedals, but they didn't seem to be additive, and I wasn't inclined to spend time tweaking. Much more fun to just play!
Finally, I am not a high-gain player, but I can easily see using the CAZ for most of my gigs, whenever they come back.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2021 9:42:36 GMT -7
Doctorice's post is exactly what I wanted to read. What I like about the Therapy is it gives you that turned up amp feel at moderate volume levels. I have to turn my Z Wreck up to a much louder level to get that same feel and response. I've had an SLO and Rectifier in the past and those were some amps I had to fight.
|
|
|
Feel?
Jan 17, 2021 12:51:14 GMT -7
Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 17, 2021 12:51:14 GMT -7
I agree with what Mike said about high gain. I don't play truly "high gain metal" but the CAZ is easy to control. I've found the only pedal I like with it is a little delay in the loop. It's a tight, fast, full, gripping tone that is different from the Therapy in terms of feel; I like it a lot.
|
|
|
Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Jan 26, 2021 18:31:06 GMT -7
This is a helpful thread, lots to chew on. Thanks for sharing all.
|
|