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Post by cpa2guitar on Apr 9, 2022 8:22:55 GMT -7
Thanks for the speaker suggestions gentlemen.
It's not that the Z-Plus is too heavy; it's just that as I have grown older, I have come to appreciate lighter things... lol. Generally, separate heads and cabinets are easier for me to lug out to the trailer than a combo. Even though I do use 4 X 12 cabinets, these have casters so they are easy to roll out.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Apr 8, 2022 21:15:14 GMT -7
My new Z-Plus that I ordered from The Guitar Sanctuary arrived late yesterday afternoon. I've only been able to spend a couple of hours with it so far, but thought I would post my initial impressions, based on using the Z-Plus with my Thorn S/S with single-coil pickups and my Grosh Set Neck with humbuckers.
This is a great amp! Reasonably quiet and this amp delivers great tone. The treble, middle, and bass controls, in conjunction with the cut control, work well for dialing in the amp to accommodate different guitars.
I have read some reviews that state the reverb could be stronger - you can't play surf music with the Z-Plus - but I find the reverb in this amp to be one of its strengths. Not sure how to put this into words, but the reverb in the Z-Plus sounds right to me. Is it subtle? Yes, in some ways, but it sounds very, very good.
The master volume works well, and dialing it down to reasonable levels when playing at home does not suck out the tone.
The variable-boost foot switch is a real kick and will be extremely useful for gigging.
If I could change anything about the Z-Plus, I can only think of two things:
1. The variable-boost foot switch allows you to adjust the extent to which the tone controls are bypassed, and that is very useful. It would be even more useful if there was a separate master volume control for when the boost is engaged. I don't know if this is even possible, but it would make this amp even more useful for gigs than it already is. An alternative, and this applies to all amps with master volumes, would be to make the master volume adjustable with a pedal (like a volume pedal, but instead of the volume pedal adjusting the line-in signal, it would adjust the master volume; and
2. Oh I wish this amp was 10 pounds lighter; that would make it just about perfect. I realize that really is likely impossible, but I can dream... lol
But that's it. This amp really is great just as it is, and even though I have only been able to spend a couple of hours with it so far, I already know it is a keeper.
I bought a Z Wreck shortly after that model was released, and it blew me away; however, I traded it after a few months because I could only get clean tones out of the amp without it being extremely loud. [This was before Freyette released the Power Station; if I had a Power Station back when I had the Z Wreck, I never would have traded the Z Wreck.] Now that I have plugged into a Z-Plus, I would love to see Dr. Z add a master volume and variable boost to the Z Wreck. If the Z wreck were offered with those features, I would be selling a couple of my amps to buy one!
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Post by cpa2guitar on Apr 4, 2022 17:05:42 GMT -7
All I can offer is congratulations as I don’t have a Plus. Although I am a Blue fan and use one with my Maz 18 and had one in my Cure. Also use one in the Maz 8. Thanks!
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Post by cpa2guitar on Apr 4, 2022 16:49:34 GMT -7
A few years ago I owned a Remedy and a Z Wreck. I seriously liked both of these amps, especially the Z Wreck, but I ultimately traded in the Z Wreck and sold the Remedy to a close friend because the amps were loud and did not have master volumes. [Six months after my friend bought my Remedy, Dr. Z came out with a master volume for the Remedy and my friend sent his to the good doctor to have one installed. He periodically still teases me about this.] Had there been a Fryette Power Station back when I owned the Remedy and Z Wreck, I would never have sold/traded either of those great amps.
I have some nice amps, but what I don't have is a grab-and-go. The Z-Plus seemed like the perfect answer, and I have been wanting one since this model was first announced. For various reasons, I have had to delay purchasing one - until today.
Today I ordered one, with the Celestion Blue speaker, from Guitar Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas. The stores from which I usually order, Guitar Resurrection in Austin and Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, did not have a Z-Plus in stock, neither did several other Dr. Z dealers that I checked. So I was pretty jazzed when I found that Guitar Sanctuary not only had one, but they also had it with the speaker that I wanted.
I have a few cabinets, including a Z Best, that I am looking forward to trying with it.
I'll post my thoughts about the Z-Plus once it arrives and I've had a couple of days with it. Until then, I have a question:
For those who have heard the Z-Plus with a Celestion Blue, and have also heard it with a Creamback M65, would you please compare and contrast the sound of the Z-Plus with these two different speakers. Thanks.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Apr 4, 2022 16:02:09 GMT -7
To cabkab and daddyelmis: Thanks for the info. I am not sure what happened that I did not thank you almost three years ago, although I can say life became pretty crazy about that time. Anyway, thanks again.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 27, 2019 20:06:04 GMT -7
Thanks, gentlemen. I appreciate the info!
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 27, 2019 13:20:03 GMT -7
Was talking to Chris at The Amp House in November about trading one of my amps for a Z-Plus, but then some issues arose and I had to defer working out a deal with Chris (funny how Life has a way of doing that to us from time to time). Things have now settled down and I am again interested in getting a Z-Plus from Chris. Before I pull the trigger, I have a couple of questions that I hope some of you gentlemen who already own a Z-Plus can answer.
QUESTION 1 I own a couple of acoustics with K&K Pure Mini pickups installed. Never purchased an acoustic guitar amp because both guitars sound great plugged into my Bogner 20th Anniversary Shiva, which I run through a 4 X 12 Ubercab. Suspect the KT88s in that amp are at least partly responsible for this. Problem is: That amp is a monster to haul around.
Someone posted here that their acoustic sounds great through their Z-Plus. If the Z-Plus can amplify an acoustic without significant coloration, having a grab-and-go amp for my acoustic guitars would just about justify buying it, without even considering how good it apparently sounds with electric guitars.
So I would appreciate information from any Z-Plus owners who have used their Z-Plus to amplify their acoustic guitars, including the pros and cons of using the Z-Plus for this and how neutral sounding it can be dialed in.
QUESTION 2 Regarding the sound of the Z-Plus with your electric guitars, what differences in sound and feel do you notice from this Class A amp, when compared with other amps you have owned that were Class A/B. I am guessing that a Class A amp better conveys the nuances of what your hands are doing than a Class A/B amp, but I may be wrong. Would really appreciate your observations and thoughts about this, as well as any other differences you have noticed about playing through a Class A design.
I live on the Oklahoma Prairie, which is why I have not had the opportunity to audition a Z-Plus and answer these two questions with my own ears. Auditioning Dr. Z amps involves a considerable drive to a music store that has these in stock.
Thanks
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Post by cpa2guitar on Mar 24, 2013 12:17:26 GMT -7
On a February thread, brayks shared his pedal setup with us, in which he reported that he uses a Lehle A/B/C footswitch. Based on his recommendation, I ordered a Lehle Dual SGoS, and can report that brayks advice was dead on. This thing is extremely well designed, easy to use, and is as transparent of a pedal as good be hoped for.
Thanks brayks! This kind of great advice is just one more reason to hang out on Z-Talk.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Mar 10, 2013 16:03:54 GMT -7
Todd, Since you were able to audition the Antidote, would you please compare and contrast it to the Remedy, both tone wise and volume wise. Thanks, I did this in another thread awhile back. I'll look around and see if I can find it Okay - thanks. I guess I missed that post.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Mar 9, 2013 17:36:24 GMT -7
Got to play one today. Those who have on order you are very lucky! Those who don't have one on order you will want one! I was impressed by how good it sounded at a reasonable volume level. It was loud but not as blistering as I remember the prototype being from last summer. This is going to be a great spring around here! Todd Todd, Since you were able to audition the Antidote, would you please compare and contrast it to the Remedy, both tone wise and volume wise. Thanks,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Mar 9, 2013 17:31:01 GMT -7
I sold my Remedy to a close friend last fall because I could not tame the volume enough for my use. I love the three 65 Amps that I bought last year, but I do miss the Remedy, even more than I miss the Z-Wreck that I owned. With the addition of the PPIMV, I will be jumping back in later this year. But regarding the question posed in this thread: I can understand why someone might not be interested in the PPIMV, but how could you not want the tone stack bypass? I cannot imagine how that makes the Remedy sound, but I am looking forward to finding out later this year.
To the Z-Talk brethren who already have the by-pass mod: Does engaging the by-pass boost the volume? If so, by how much? Also, would you please describe what it does to the tone? As much as I liked the tone of the Remedy I owned, I have to believe the by-pass makes that great Remedy tone even better.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Mar 3, 2013 14:43:13 GMT -7
^^^ I have the EQ mod on mine, but not the MV. Will be giggin' with it for the first time tmo nite since the mod was added. Lookin forward to movin' some smoky air! Cool - who did the mod for you? Please give us a report on how it sounded.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 26, 2013 20:15:42 GMT -7
Some of you may have read in my posts that I love the tone of Dr. Z amps, but the volume of those amps have proven to be too loud for my applications. I posted about this several times in the hopes that Mike Zaite would come out with an amp that both: 1) had that great Dr. Z tone; and 2) could be played at a volume that would work for small clubs, rehearsals, and other situations where you just have to turn down... whether you want to or not . I was not the only one in this situation, as other Z brethren posted that they too could use a quieter tone machine. Well, I have to acknowledge that apparently the good doctor heard us and responded. And he responded by dropping the volume on what is arguably THE rock 'n roll amp in the Dr. Z lineup. I'm in. I will be ordering one of the new Remedys later this year (have to recover from an unscheduled guitar purchase first). And since I shot my mouth off, I will post here when I place the order with Guitar Resurrection (Jim is going to think I am a hopeless amp junkie... he may be right). So, has anyone heard this great beast yet? If so, how about posting a short summary? On second thought, how about posting a detailed full report. Kudos Doc!
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 26, 2013 19:41:49 GMT -7
Keith, No - I have not been on the Remedy thread for awhile. I'll check it out; thanks for the heads up.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 25, 2013 19:54:30 GMT -7
So I will be releaseing the Orginal version of the Antidote, (you'll need to put on your BIG BOY PANTS to play this one), mid March, with a retail price of $1899.00. It will be in a head form in all three basic Z-Colors. Now I also tested the Power Scaling curcuit on this amp was very disapointed with it's results. Just like PPIMV, Power Scaling has it's place on other amp models just not the Antidote. No this isn't an amp you'll play in your bedroom in your underpants while your daughter is sleeping in the next room, no no no my friend. This is the biggest most genuine sounding amp I have released to date, you'll need to play it to understand. It's not for everyone but thats OK as it will fit on some of the largest stages and venues. DR.Z BIG BOY PANTS? Hhmmm... not sure about that. I just want great tone AND my hearing. Still, I appreicate that you experimented with PPIMV and Power Scaling to see if the volume could be tamed. I mean that, and like you say, some players need that volume because they actually play nice venues, not small clubs like some us. I happen to be in love with the tone of the Remedy, so I have to ask. Could PPIMV or Power Scaling work on the Remedy? Thanks,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 23, 2013 11:20:23 GMT -7
jrudder,
I agree with the posts of others here: If you like everything about the guitar other than the sound, you should at least try changing the pickups before you give up on her. Grosh Guitars makes their own pickups and may be able to help you.
The sound of my mid-70s Strat had grown thin over the years, and I was really disappointed as I had expected the sound to improve with age as the copper in the pickups became brittle over time. Nice theory, but it did not happen. Since I love the Grosh pickups in my Bent Top, I decided to replace the stock pickups in my Strat with Grosh Fat 60s, and now she sings again. My Bent Top was custom made for me by Grosh, and they were great to work with, listening to what I wanted and making helpful recommendations. If you call them and explain the sound you would like to obtain from your Telecaster, I bet they can hook you up with some of their hand wound pickups that will deliver what you are seeking. If you drop Grosh pickups into her and it still does not change your opinion of the guitar, at least you will be able to sell it without regrets or second guessing your sell decision, since you will have made a good effort to make her sing with a voice you like.
On the other hand, if there are other things you don't like about this guitar, then selling it and redeploying the money to another axe that you will love is probably the right thing to do.
Good luck,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 23, 2013 11:06:41 GMT -7
Nice guitar, Jon - given that Collings started by making really fine acoustics, I am not surprised that applying that luthier skill to making electrics has resulted in some great instruments. I have not had the pleasure of playing a Collings electric, but would like to try one.
If possible, please consider posting some sound clips so we can hear how she sounds.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 22, 2013 21:25:28 GMT -7
Its pretty sturdy I never tried it with the z-best. It is easy on the tolex. The only thing is its so light it as slipped out of my hands a few times pulling it. Thanks Revrand. I'll have to check it out.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 21, 2013 17:39:05 GMT -7
This is the coolest little dolly I have ever used. For all you Z brothers who like me are sick of lugging around gear this little gadget has helped me big time. I can fit my 1/12 cab and head on it and my effects bag and roll in and out of places with ease. Even for your grab and go it works great I got mine at Sams club. Work smarter not harder. www.samsclub.com/sams/magna-cart-dolly/prod3800002.ipThat sounds great. Is this thing large enough to handle a Z-Best cabinet. Also, is it easy on the tolex? Thanks,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 17, 2013 12:24:34 GMT -7
Revrand and John,
Thanks for the good info. I currently have Classic Greenbacks in my Z-Best and like the sound quite a bit, but have been curious how this cabinet would sound if I replaced the Greenbacks with Creambacks.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 13, 2013 22:25:15 GMT -7
I went from the gold in a 1/12 cab open back to the creamback in the 1/12 cab. The amp I play through is the remedy. I really love the gold what a beautiful sounding speaker however it needs to be pushed to get the best out of it. I could never get the remedy past 20 watts. Since I went with the creamback I have been able to play at 40 watts no problem. It is a different tone then the gold though. I would describe it as woody and warm with a crispy top end. My speaker is not fully broken in yet either. Last week I was playing my strat through it an got some of the most blooming 3D like tones ever just loved what I heard and felt. Really sweet sounding cleans and nice slightly broken up tones all the way to crunchy overdrive/distortion. It takes pedals very well too and that is also a plus with the creamback its a great all around speaker for classic rock,funk,blues. Put it this way I don't miss the Gold. I can now get more out of the amps tone more so then the speakers tone. Don't get me wrong the gold is the bomb. The creamback just works better for me overall. It will def tame things down the gold is a loud speaker. The creamback is rated much lower and that is the key. What are your thoughts about how the creamback would perform in a closed back (e.g., droping a pair into a Z-Best)?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Feb 13, 2013 22:21:30 GMT -7
the prototype sounded killer and was a real fire breather, I had it up at church and Patty was out in the lobby and had to move to another part of the church to finish the conversation she was having. PPIV MV would be very welcome. To Keiths comments, ya, its Marshally but its not a SRZ or a Remedy . . . it was very tastey indeed! Hey pcns, Since you've had a chance to audition it, would you please compare and constrast it to the Remedy? Thanks,
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 28, 2013 21:54:15 GMT -7
defining fashion, too..... Much of the credit for the overall guitar tone in this band should go to Angus' brother, Malcolm. Yeah, love those white sox... Well I realize that Angus has not acquired the middle age spread, but even so, it's a good universal rule that middle aged men should keep their shirts on.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 28, 2013 21:45:37 GMT -7
Can't cast a vote as what I will suggest is not listed for voting. Before you make a final decision, try to listen to Grosh 60s and Grosh Fat 60s. The Fat 60s have a bit more umph than the regular 60s. I have a Fat 60 as the middle pickup of my Bent Neck and love it. Don Grosh designed both of these pickups after listening to a fair number of circa '50s and '60s Statocasters.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 26, 2013 17:32:17 GMT -7
I bought it Tuesday, it was scheduled to arrive today.. but now it looks like Monday I play a little bit of everything, from hard rock to country/blues. The first guitar through it is going to be my new tele.. Then I'll run my B-bender tele through it for a bit.. move on to the strat, then give it a hard rock workout with a EMG equipped Jackson Soloist or the SG. I didn't purchase it with the intent to do high gain stuff, I have other amps for that, But I'll give it a good run with some of my favorite axes, and let you know after I've had it a day or so. Bummer - it would have been great had it been delivered today so you could have played it over the weekend. The waiting is always the hardest part. I look forward to your post on how it works with your favorite guitars and your take on how it works for rock and hard rock. By the way, you mention that you use other amps for high gain work, so what amps are you using for the high gain stuff?
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 25, 2013 20:52:48 GMT -7
THANKS, GREAT QUESTION I FORGOT TO STATE: NO PEDALS. LES PAULs STRAIGHT INTO AMP. +1,000!!!
Rockinroll, musically you are a man after my own heart. I understand using a pedal or rack mount for echo, flanging, or reverb, but I don't understand using pedals for distortion when your amp should be producing great distortion for you. Further, the best articulation (and by that I mean the way your rig conveys all the subtle nuances of what your hands are doing) obtainable comes from plugging your guitar straight into your amp, with nothing in between. From what I read, though, you and I appear to be in the minority. A lot of folks like using pedals and some of them seem as serious about their pedal selections as they are about their guitar and amp selections. These folks probably scratch their heads and wonder about us "purists" in the same way we scratch our heads and wonder why someone would spend two or three thousand dollars for an amp and then override its tone with a $100 stomp box. Oh well... And by the way, welcome to the forum. Read more: ztalk.proboards.com/user/4695/recent#ixzz2J3Ae2oUJ
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 25, 2013 20:23:08 GMT -7
+1,000!!! Rockinroll, musically you are a man after my own heart. I understand using a pedal or rack mount for echo, flanging, or reverb, but I don't understand using pedals for distortion when your amp should be producing great distortion for you. Further, the best articulation (and by that I mean the way your rig conveys all the subtle nuances of what your hands are doing) obtainable comes from plugging your guitar straight into your amp, with nothing in between. From what I read, though, you and I appear to be in the minority. A lot of folks like using pedals and some of them seem as serious about their pedal selections as they are about their guitar and amp selections. These folks probably scratch their heads and wonder about us "purists" in the same way we scratch our heads and wonder why someone would spend two or three thousand dollars for an amp and then override its tone with a $100 stomp box. Oh well... And by the way, welcome to the forum.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 25, 2013 19:35:30 GMT -7
Hello gibsonlives, As doctorice said: Welcome to the forum! You will find a great bunch of folks here who are courteous and knowledgeable. I have learned a fair amount about gear from our Z Brethren here. Earlier this month I purchased a Maz 8 from Guitar Resurrection, but exchanged it specifically because I could not get enough growl and grit out of it. If you are looking for an amp to deliver Hendrix and AC/DC type tone, you cannot do better than a Remedy (I've owned one and loved it). I realize the Remedy is a far cry from a grab-n-go amp, but it will definitely deliver outstanding tone for the rock and hard rock genre. Based on my experience, unless you augment your rig with pedals, the Maz 8 will not deliver AC/DC type distortion. Since I don't use pedals, the Maz 8 was not right for me. Everyone approaches this differently, but IMO the very best tone comes from matching a great guitar to a great amp, with nothing but a top quality cord between them. This is just me, but I don't think you can put anything else in the signal path and improve the sound - change the sound, of course - but not improve it. I know a lot of guitarists disagree with me about this, and that's cool - to each his own. But if you plug your Strat or LP Custom straight into a Remedy and crank it, I submit the tone you will hear is d**n near perfect and will need no pedal enhancement. So was that your old Maz 8 I just bought from Guitar Resurrection? Red with Alnico and brake lite? Hello informal,No - that Maz 8 was blonde with a G12-H30 speaker and an installed Brake Lite. I purchased it from Guitar Resurrection, but since I returned it within the trial period, I technically never owned it. After playing through it for three days I had to conclude it just wasn't the right amp for me. Of all the responses to gibsonlives on this thread, I seem to be the only one who thinks the Maz 8 does not produce enough distortion for Hendrix, AC/DC, or other heavy rock. Since you recently purchased a Maz 8, I am keen to know your impression of its ability to rock heavy. So, Informal, do you play rock or hard rock, and if so, do you find the Maz 8 gives you enough distortion for that style of music? I used to have a Remedy, and that was a rock 'n roll monster, but I sold it because I could not tame the Remedy's volume enough for my applications. That amp definitely rocked and I do miss its great tone. If the good doctor ever makes a lower powered version, a version with power scaling, or some other means of lowering the Remedy's volume without degrading its tone too much, I'll have to get out my checkbook. Lately I've also had some interest in the Monza. I've not had a chance to play through one, but I have heard it on You Tube and elsewhere and it sounds like it might be a fun rocker. It's a 20 watt amp, but using its master volume - which the Remedy does not have - in conjunction with a Brake Lite should address the loudness issue. I don't really need another amp (and my missus emphatically agrees that I don't need another amp ) since I currently own a Bogner and three different models of 65 Amps, but as much as I love these amps, the Dr. Z amps I have owned (a Maz 18, a Z-Wreck, and the Remedy) seem to convey the nuances of what my hands are doing better than any other amp I've ever owned or borrowed. The models from 65 Amps come close - they really are fantastic amps - but Dr. Z slightly edges out 65 Amps when it comes to articulation, and the Bogner doesn't even come close to Dr. Z amps in this regard.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 24, 2013 23:31:20 GMT -7
Got a chance to play my Remedy out for the first time last night. Killer edge of breakup tones at 1/2 power with a Tele at Hi-Vol 11:30 through a 1x12 closedback with a WGS Invader, but thank goodness for the AirBrake. Even at half-power, I had her braked down pretty hard all night. Most of that was a gig-dependent, but it got me wondering if there had ever been any talk about what would amount to the Remedy Jr., I suppose. There are 4 6v6s in there now doing just fine at even 1/2 power. What about a 10w/20w version with just 2 6v6s? I know that the volume difference between 10w and 40w or 10w and 20w isn't that much, but would it even be worth the effort for Dr. Z to explore making something like that? AirBrake or BL get the job done with aplomb, but it'd be nice to not have to worry about that, considering that most of my gigs are not the type to let me open this beast up to roar (and that's all I really want to do). ;D I hear you. I have posted elsewhere on this forum along the same lines as yours. I owned a Remedy and loved it, but I had to sell it because it was just too loud for my purposes, and I was using it with a Brake Lite. One of my good friends bought it, and he loves it, though he concedes he has to wrestle with the volume. If something could be done to tame the volume (e.g., a 10/20 version, or a power scaling version), I would buy one again in a hearbeat, as the tone was that good. In the meantime, I have switched to 65 Amps. Their master voltage works really well and I love the sound of these amps. Even so, I'd still buy another Remedy if the volume issue ever gets sorted out, as the Remedy's tone is awesome and it does a great job of articulating what your hands are doing.
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Post by cpa2guitar on Jan 17, 2013 22:24:53 GMT -7
...cant wait to use this at our next "Bluegrass Sunday" church gig... So jrudder, did you make the deal and bring her home?
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