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Post by curiouz on Aug 23, 2021 10:00:50 GMT -7
Hi all—
First time poster here and someone thinking about taking the plunge with my first Dr. Z amp. The Z-Lux sounds like the right choice, but I'm honestly confused about all this Mk II talk, and maybe somebody can help me out.
Do current production Z-Lux amps come with the Mk II design upgrades as standard—or must I buy a new one and then ship it to Dr. Z to receive the Mk II specs (EQ tweaks, post-phase inverter master, black/silver switch, etc.) as a special mod package with an additional add-on fee?
None of the retailers of new Z-Lux amps list any of the upgrades in their spec sheets, but is that an oversight?
I'm thinking about pre-ordering from Humbucker Music, and I'd like to know what I'm getting!
Thanks in advance to everybody. I appreciate your help!
-M
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Post by doctorice on Aug 23, 2021 10:25:08 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum. The Z-Lux is a great amp.
From The Z website:
Current Production Update (serial numbers before 4/19-DD.38457)
So an amp built April 2019 or later has all the new stuff. Check with your dealer, but it's unlikely you'd be getting old stock at this time.
The serial number DD-38457 breaks down as: "DD" means the amp was built in 2019, "38" is the Z-Lux's model number (ZA-38 also marked elsewhere on the chassis), and 457 indicates the 457th Z-Lux produced.
Hope this helps.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Aug 23, 2021 10:28:25 GMT -7
Welcome to the Forum! A lot of great people and information here. If you are ordering from Humbucker, call them and specify that you want the MKII version. They will know what you are talking about and you shouldn't have any issues. Mike is most likely correct, most amps made before April 2019 are not sitting in the stores now.
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Post by KeithA on Aug 23, 2021 10:32:17 GMT -7
Welcome to the Forum! A lot of great people and information here. If you are ordering from Humbucker, call them and specify that you want the MKII version. They will know what you are talking about and you shouldn't have any issues. Mike is most likely correct, most amps made before April 2019 are not sitting in the stores now. So, the newest version of the Z-Lux has the "Black/Silver" switch on the back as well?
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Post by swingtime on Aug 25, 2021 15:00:43 GMT -7
Hey guys, new to the forum and appreciating all the shared knowledge here! I’ve been looking at getting a Z-Lux myself and was wondering the same things with the mkII updates. I’ve been emailing with Don and confirmed that new production models come with all the updates except the black/silver switch. They’re figuring out a price for getting just the switch installed on newer production models that already have all the other updates and I imagine they’ll have that figured out soon.
As an aside, Don has been a pleasure to work with and it’s incredible that you can email Dr. Z and get a response the same day by the head of repairs. Truly amazing customer service and I’m not even a customer yet! It’s definitely one of the things that has edged Dr. Z ahead compared to the other boutique amps I’d been looking at. Combined with all the knowledge and support here, it makes me feel secure in the fact that my amp will be good for life. Can’t wait to join the family!
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Aug 25, 2021 15:28:44 GMT -7
The Lux is an awesome amp for sure. To my knowledge, the switch removes the choke from the power supply which will soften the amp up a bit for more of a Blackface feel. One of the things I love about the amp is it’s strident punch so I keep mine on Silver. I guess if it were tube rectified one could swap rectos to soften it, but l like the full power option best, especially with the new master volume. And yes, Don and Doc are a pleasure to do business with and time permitting Doc will lurk here on the forum, answering questions and solving problems.
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Post by adam on Aug 25, 2021 15:53:26 GMT -7
As an aside, Don has been a pleasure to work with and it’s incredible that you can email Dr. Z and get a response the same day by the head of repairs. Truly amazing customer service and I’m not even a customer yet! It’s definitely one of the things that has edged Dr. Z ahead compared to the other boutique amps I’d been looking at. Combined with all the knowledge and support here, it makes me feel secure in the fact that my amp will be good for life. Can’t wait to join the family! Welcome! We all love Don! He's more than repairs, he has ears and contributes to tone and design of the amps too. I'm sure the other guys do too, but a lot of people know Don because he's a point of contact for the company. If you are like a lot of the rest of us, you kind of start by trying to figure out which amp to try, which is kind of daunting in itself and thank god this forum exists. Then you get one and realize there's something special about the amps and the company. Then you start wondering about other models and get one of those and find it's totally different from the other one, but it has it's own special sauce and mojo, but there's some kind of congruency in quality or authenticity of tone or something. Just as important, the company will have your back if you have a problem. If they decide they've come up with an update that makes your 15 year old amp better in some way, they'll provide you with a way to update it to that at a reasonable cost while also giving the amp an overhall by the experts. Try that with Marshall. That's basically my take on the Z "brand". It's a special thing, IMHO.
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oowl
Full Member
Posts: 154
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Post by oowl on Jun 16, 2022 9:50:18 GMT -7
So, the newest version of the Z-Lux has the "Black/Silver" switch on the back as well? It does not. Just got mine yesterday, last one in stock at Sweetwater, manufacture date 5/22. Has all the mkii mods but NO bf/sf SWITCH. My thought is Maybe the switch is an extra treat for those sending their amps back??? I bought the original version around 2015 and sent it back. But wow, w/ mkii updates it is just phenomenal! Very happy.
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Post by scottunzicker on Jun 16, 2022 10:50:17 GMT -7
So, the newest version of the Z-Lux has the "Black/Silver" switch on the back as well? It does not. Just got mine yesterday, last one in stock at Sweetwater, manufacture date 5/22. Has all the mkii mods but NO bf/sf SWITCH. My thought is Maybe the switch is an extra treat for those sending their amps back. I bought the original version around 2015 and sent it back. But wow, w/ mkii updates it is just phenomenal! Very happy. Congrats, and glad to hear you're digging the mk ii! And yeah, I believe the black/silver switch can only be found on mk i amps that have been updated (such as mine). What color did you get? How would you characterize the differences in the mk i vs. mk ii, and why does the mk ii tickle your fancy so much more than the mk i? Also, what tubes did yours have in it?
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oowl
Full Member
Posts: 154
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Post by oowl on Jun 17, 2022 20:07:32 GMT -7
It does not. Just got mine yesterday, last one in stock at Sweetwater, manufacture date 5/22. Has all the mkii mods but NO bf/sf SWITCH. My thought is Maybe the switch is an extra treat for those sending their amps back. I bought the original version around 2015 and sent it back. But wow, w/ mkii updates it is just phenomenal! Very happy. Congrats, and glad to hear you're digging the mk ii! And yeah, I believe the black/silver switch can only be found on mk i amps that have been updated (such as mine). What color did you get? How would you characterize the differences in the mk i vs. mk ii, and why does the mk ii tickle your fancy so much more than the mk i? Also, what tubes did yours have in it? Black w/ wreck grill and stock 6v6s. Its been way too long to make a reliable comparison and my needs have changed a bit so keep that in mind. The mki maybe seemed a bit stiff and bright. But I think it was mainly that the MV didn't sound that great at low volumes and my band at that time was not too loud. I play in two bands now and i have been in situations were I ran out of clean headroom with both. I was hesitant to try the Z-Lux again but it really had the features I wanted (verb and trem both footswitchable, PPIMV, 20/40 watts) and figured Id give it a shot with what I read about mkii. I haven't had a chance to play it with a band yet but have ran it through its paces pretty good at home. I immediately connected with the tones I was getting, starting out dry and just tweaking the eq a little. I play mostly dirty/clean and was won over by it's juiciness and chime. Today I played quite a bit at low volume and the MV was very impressive, delivering that same juicy tone at a comfortable at-home practice level that wouldn't irritate my wife and daughter in nearby rooms. Don't remember how the reverb was w/ the old one but w/ mkii it can be quite powerful at high settings! I usually run mine pretty low though but love the way it sits in the mix. It sort of hits with a bit of a delay, like a swell, and then decays fairly quickly so it becomes part of what Im playing instead of a constant indistinguishable wall of sound like a lot of on-board reverbs. It's probably my favorite amp reverb, or at least amoung the best! Hope that makes sense Im not a 'verb on all the time' guy though and fortunately the amp sounds fantastic dry too, but Im looking forward to trying it with a slapback and longer delays. Havent messed with the verb much other than to make sure I could cover the sounds I need for my band. Great too! Main guitar is Gretsch 53 DuoJet RI but also tried Tele and Collings CL. Would like to run a CD loop through that speaker for a couple days to break it in, but Im pretty busy right now and it already sounds great. You said 5881s have a bit scoped sound, with the Dr saying sorry of like a Twin. You feel they add a bit of clarity too?
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