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Post by johnnada on Apr 8, 2023 9:57:40 GMT -7
A few months ago I traded my Maz 18 head for a Z-Wreck Jr, which I also posted about here. At that point I also had a Marshall Studio Vintage head and combo, and I wanted to compare the three of them. So if you ever wondered how close a Z-Wreck Jr can come to that Marshall sound, this might answer a few questions.
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Post by helmi on Apr 9, 2023 4:36:48 GMT -7
First of all, always nice to hear from people across the pond. are you using the same exact tubes in the Marshall head as the combo? your also comparing el34’s in the Marshall’s, against el84’s in the Z-wreck. It might be my imagination, or I’m losing whats left of my mind, but i liked the Marshall head better then the combo. Cant put my finger on it, but thought the head sounded a liitle fuller. I thought the Z-wreck jr sounded great, especially with the les paul, but excellent with all 3 guitars. I cant pick between the Wreck jr or Marshall head. both were excellent. nice video.
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Zed
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Post by Zed on Apr 9, 2023 18:34:33 GMT -7
Very cool man. I think I’m going to trade my maz for a zwreck jr.
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Post by johnnada on Apr 11, 2023 8:47:55 GMT -7
First of all, always nice to hear from people across the pond. are you using the same exact tubes in the Marshall head as the combo? your also comparing el34’s in the Marshall’s, against el84’s in the Z-wreck. It might be my imagination, or I’m losing whats left of my mind, but i liked the Marshall head better then the combo. Cant put my finger on it, but thought the head sounded a liitle fuller. I thought the Z-wreck jr sounded great, especially with the les paul, but excellent with all 3 guitars. I cant pick between the Wreck jr or Marshall head. both were excellent. nice video. Both Marshalls have the same tubes as far as I know, though I also thought they sounded a little bit different. Strange enough I heard it the other way around, as I thought the combo seemed a bit fuller. And I'm aware that the Z-Wreck Jr is actually a different animal altogether. I just had the amp new and I thought one had to go, so this comparison made sense to me. I was actually really surprised how close the Z-Wreck Jr could get. But to be fair: this is the one sound I use with that kind of Marshall, and the Z-Wreck has a bigger range of sounds. |
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Post by johnnada on Apr 11, 2023 8:49:02 GMT -7
Very cool man. I think I’m going to trade my maz for a zwreck jr. I'm happy with the trade as it suits my needs and style better. Just make sure you know why you trade it so you don't regret it. |
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Zed
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Post by Zed on Apr 11, 2023 14:27:19 GMT -7
Very cool man. I think I’m going to trade my maz for a zwreck jr. I'm happy with the trade as it suits my needs and style better. Just make sure you know why you trade it so you don't regret it. great point and thank you. I think I would buy a zwreck jr to play side by side the maz and decide after that. Or, I’ll keep one of each lol |
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Post by johnnada on Apr 12, 2023 23:29:20 GMT -7
I'm happy with the trade as it suits my needs and style better. Just make sure you know why you trade it so you don't regret it. great point and thank you. I think I would buy a zwreck jr to play side by side the maz and decide after that. Or, I’ll keep one of each lol I really think some people might be happier with the Maz. It's more versatile and a better pedal platform. The issue for me was I could never dial it in exactly how I like it in terms of sound and feel. The Z-Wreck Jr has a more distinct character to me and I found settings I love for single coils as well as humbuckers. They're different enough to have both, but I don't regret the trade.
On that note I can also chime in on one of the reasons I made this video. I've used my Maz for session work, but each time I tried it with my own band it didn't feel or sound right and I would switch back to my Marshall. That means I often brought along a bigger rig just because I couldn't get the Maz to work in my own band. So when I got the Z-Wreck Jr I wanted to know if it would be the same experience, but far from it.
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Post by big ( Al Z. ) on Apr 13, 2023 13:48:08 GMT -7
I ran across the YouTube demo earlier today and this thread now. I know the goal was to get that Marshall tone but the Jr sounded like the tone I would go for every time.
Then again I think my ears are tuned to a Z. Nice demo.
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Post by John on Apr 14, 2023 4:21:28 GMT -7
I watched the video on my home computer with average speakers. (there's a subwoofer too) My point is, I wasn't listening on a cell phone or a laptop.
And I have to say, I could barely tell any difference in tone. I bet the guy could tell a difference in dynamics and feel. But for me as a listener of a youtube video, it all sounded the same. This is neither a compliment or cut on Z amps or Marshall. It's more of a comment that we players tend to split hairs. (overdrive pedals anyone?) I do realize if I were in the room, I think I'd hear more of a difference.
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Post by johnnada on Apr 17, 2023 6:07:19 GMT -7
I watched the video on my home computer with average speakers. (there's a subwoofer too) My point is, I wasn't listening on a cell phone or a laptop. And I have to say, I could barely tell any difference in tone. I bet the guy could tell a difference in dynamics and feel. But for me as a listener of a youtube video, it all sounded the same. This is neither a compliment or cut on Z amps or Marshall. It's more of a comment that we players tend to split hairs. (overdrive pedals anyone?) I do realize if I were in the room, I think I'd hear more of a difference. With good speakers there's a little bit of difference. The Marshalls have more high end sparkle and a looser low-end, while the Z-Wreck has more low-mids and less presence. At least with how they were set in this video. Even the two Marshalls sound just very slighty different. But in my experience, the biggest difference is in the feel and response. I highly prefer single coils and P90's through the Z-Wreck Jr, but like humbuckers more through the Marshall. But overall the Marshall is just that specific sound to me, that I really do like. The Z-Wreck is more flexible. I could easily get the Z-Wreck Jr really close to that specific Marshall sound I like, but I couldn't get the Marshall tuned in to sound like my Z-Wreck Jr. |
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Post by frankie on Apr 17, 2023 10:04:17 GMT -7
Something I've always found with Marshall's is they all have that signature upper mid into treble sound where you either like it or you don't. It's a great sound, it sits in the mix excellently, and it's sort of unmistakable. Whenever I play a plexi or good 800, I always think "there it is." But whenever I end up playing my music through on, it feels like I'm playing with someone else's sound. Like all the guitar heroes, Page, Angus, etc. I just never end up sticking with that sound. It's like visiting your favorite city, it's fun to visit, but then it's time to go home because I feel like I'm overstaying my welcome.
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Post by sharkboy on Apr 18, 2023 19:34:32 GMT -7
Something I've always found with Marshall's is they all have that signature upper mid into treble sound where you either like it or you don't. It's a great sound, it sits in the mix excellently, and it's sort of unmistakable. Whenever I play a plexi or good 800, I always think "there it is." But whenever I end up playing my music through on, it feels like I'm playing with someone else's sound. Like all the guitar heroes, Page, Angus, etc. I just never end up sticking with that sound. It's like visiting your favorite city, it's fun to visit, but then it's time to go home because I feel like I'm overstaying my welcome. Man, I couldn’t agree more. I sound more like “me” with almost any other amp. I’ve also often struggled with the amount of upper mids and treble hash when I tried them- with all those knobs, I just couldn’t get the sound I needed. |
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Post by johnnada on Apr 21, 2023 3:25:02 GMT -7
Something I've always found with Marshall's is they all have that signature upper mid into treble sound where you either like it or you don't. It's a great sound, it sits in the mix excellently, and it's sort of unmistakable. Whenever I play a plexi or good 800, I always think "there it is." But whenever I end up playing my music through on, it feels like I'm playing with someone else's sound. Like all the guitar heroes, Page, Angus, etc. I just never end up sticking with that sound. It's like visiting your favorite city, it's fun to visit, but then it's time to go home because I feel like I'm overstaying my welcome. I have a similar thing with Fender amps. In a lot of cases I love the sound other people get, but it doesn't sound like me. That goes to show that everyone has a different tone in their hands and their heads. What kind of response and feel you want from an amp also comes in to play. For years I had (vintage) Fenders and I thought I didn't like Marshall or Vox (style) amps. Now I can't play anything else than those old British amps, because they suit my playing the best and give me the sound, feel and response I like most. But what works best for me, is something totally different than what works for someone else. |
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matte
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Post by matte on May 16, 2023 20:51:25 GMT -7
The way they're set up the Z-wreck is definitely fuller in the low end, and has a little less bite and clarity. The SV head is has more cut and bit and less low mids. The SV combo is right in the middle. It definitely has a little more low mids than the head.
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