It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 3:32 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 17 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Latest addition to the Family... (amp family, that is)
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 8:00 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:49 am
Posts: 1153
Location: South Bay, CA
After being a Fender/Music Man amp guy for 25 years, I finally broke down and got something outside the family:
Image

The Dr. Z Mini Z head is about as simple as it gets: 1 12AX7, 1 EL84. Volume and Attenuation controls. 5 watts down to 1/2 watt with the attenuator. It's built to scream, but at bedroom levels. Great for recording! Have had it since Monday and it's been a ton of fun.

Not pictured - my Princeton Reverb.

After the Hilgen Basso Grande I got in 6th grade to learn bass on, this is now the 2nd non-Fender amp I've ever owned.

_________________
Image
'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

Our band: http://www.facebook.com/thetoysband


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 9:23 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:37 pm
Posts: 4750
Location: My Piece Of Red Dirt
Great addition, I only hear raves about the tone from a Z - Amp.........enjoy brother................ 8) Mike

_________________
The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 9:32 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:49 am
Posts: 1153
Location: South Bay, CA
thanks Mike. May have to pick up an A/B/Y switch this weekend...

_________________
Image
'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

Our band: http://www.facebook.com/thetoysband


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:41 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:59 am
Posts: 1250
Location: Mississippi
Nice rigs man!

_________________
"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 1:01 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Great choice. I always liked Dr Z amps. Lots of luck with it. :D


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 1:38 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:49 am
Posts: 1153
Location: South Bay, CA
Thanks Supro - it's been fun so far.

Now has me thinking of one of their Z-Best 1x12 cabs, loaded either with a Vintage 30 or a Celestion Blue.

Amp heads - may have to save up for a Maz Jr. head, but that's 2011...

_________________
Image
'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

Our band: http://www.facebook.com/thetoysband


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 1:48 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Given a choice, I'd go with the Blue for that amp. That's just me though. It's only rated at 15 watts so you could get a little of that sweet speaker Mojo working for you. The 30 might be a little stiff with a low wattage amp. It depends on what you're looking for. I was thinking blues for my Egnater but I'd probably blow it out and then be sick about it.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 4:00 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Pretty neat, Nedorama!

My problem has always been, as soon as I get something home I wanna tear it apart, see what makes it go, and then hot-rod it. I wouldn't know where to start with something like this!

:lol:

Looks like a solid little amp -- you might try wiring it up to a Weber Blue Pup.

Enjoy!

Arjay


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 9:39 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:49 am
Posts: 1153
Location: South Bay, CA
Thanks Arjay - I may look at a few different speakers.

The extension cab was one I bought online and it's very light pine, pretty resonant, and has a Celestion I can't remember inside. May want to look to reinforce that and play with different speakers - Weber, or maybe the Scumbacks, since their shop is 20 minutes away from me.

_________________
Image
'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

Our band: http://www.facebook.com/thetoysband


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 11:42 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
The first thing that always comes to my mind when I think of EL84s is "british". Hence, my immediate association with the Blue Pup. But Scumbacks, Celestions, or even a Fane would probably work superbly as well.

Let us know how it goes.

Arjay


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 11:57 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:30 pm
Posts: 378
Location: melbourne 'rock city' australia
Ooh, that's gonna sound wiiiiiiiiide in stereo with the Bandmaster 8)

-1 on the Vintage 30, definitely get a blue. I'm not a fan of the 30s, they take a lot of work to loosen up and are a bit too middy for me.

_________________
"...Compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees, I am an Apeman."


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:26 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Indeed they are a skosh on the "middy" side. But my thinking was, they'd help tame some of the bite out of the EL84 -- which has always struck me as a pretty bright and sparkly tone, especially in single-ended mode.

Perhaps not though.

Arjay


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:28 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:53 pm
Posts: 2252
Location: Harvard IL
Cool amp Ned ! Bet that guy just growls out the tones. I would definately go with the Celestion Alnico Blue. The alnico should smooth out any rough edges, that tough guy might have. As much as I like Webers, they don't seem to do the British sound justice(IMO). Oh yeah, can you tell us about that guitar? Is that your main squeeze? Art

_________________
None of Us are free, if One of Us is chained !


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:40 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:49 am
Posts: 1153
Location: South Bay, CA
I've started saving for the Blue, which is an upcharge in the Z-Best Cabinet.

the Gumby Guitar - yes, Art, that's my main squeeze. Built it back in 1994. Definitely a Partscaster, and way before Fender had anything of that type or quality - otherwise I wouldn't have gone to the trouble!

Body - Alder body from Warmoth. Painted by a guy named Mark Scime in Chicago who had painted guitars for Urge Overkill and others; it's a lacquer acrylic PPG automotive paint I just call Gumby Green.

Neck - Stew Mac Vintage Tele Neck in birdseye maple with compound radius and jumbo Dunlop frets.

Hardware - Schaller M6 Mini Tuners, Graphtech graphite nut, Graphtech graphite saddles.

Pickups - Duncan 59 front, Duncan JB rear. Volume and Tone knobs are push-pull for coil tapping setup so I can have humbuckers or single coils.

It's what I play at home and live as my main guitar, and it's fantastic. since then, the only thing I've had to replace was the rear JB pickup, which shorted out from corrosion due to my sweating while playing live (yeah, that much!).

Backup is a '85 Squier Tele that's had pretty much everything replaced on it, including a refret job. I also own a '90s MIM Strat with Duckbuckers and an old Electra MPC Les Paul copy with the effects modules that would go in the back...

_________________
Image
'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

Our band: http://www.facebook.com/thetoysband


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 9:57 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:03 am
Posts: 9449
Location: NL Canada
I have yet to hear anything negative about Dr. Z amps,all reviewI have read sing it's praises.That's a great choice for a non Fender amp.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 17 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: