Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

[Gearjoneser]

Dr. Z seems to have a lot of models, and even upgraded older models.
I've heard a few of them, but definitely not all of them.

So far the standout for me is the Rt. 66, which is the king of power tube gain, and superior tone.....although it's pretty loud by the time it's fully distorted.
The Maz 38 Sr. is primarily a clean toned amp, and it's beautiful sounding.....not quite as aggressive sounding as a Bad Cat with similar specs.

Some of the others I've tried nail a particular sound, but maybe not a sound I'm willing to pay for. Dr. Z amps are killer, but I've found that you really need to know what you're getting, by playing it. I'd never buy one without hearing it first. Some companies....maybe. Dr. Z has too many tones and models for that.

What are your faves? Have you owned any, or use one as your main amp?

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

I have a Dr. Z Maz 18 that I'm picking up in the middle of this month (making my last payment here in a week or so). It's an amazing amp that I played for hours in the store. It's a head through a 2x12 Z Best cab (vertical, but can be horizontal as well). It's the greatest amp I've ever played (I've owned early 100 watt marshalls, played 50's, 60's, and early 70's fenders, Bad Cats, Matchless, etc. (I got friends with gear, what can I say) and this amp fit me and had such an amazing tone that I had to have it and put money on it immediately, no waiting to see what other people said about them. I knew it was it.

It will be my main amp as soon as I get it

 

[mrfjones]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

GJ, you know i love my rt 66. it is my primary amp, but i have also liked the kt45 and the z28 a lot. the kt 45 has more of a marshall feel to me while the rt 66 sounds like the very best 57 or 58 bassman I have ever heard. the z28 is similar to both because it has the same preamp but sounds very different in the power stage, it is like a deluxe reverb on steroids, everything you could want out of an amp running 6v6's.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

Joe, it really depends on what you are looking for from a Z.

Are you looking for a specific voicing or power tube?

As I'm sure you've noted the Dr. is known for his use of the EF86 in the preamp. The Z28, Rt. 66 and Delta 88 are all the same EF 86 preamp with different power amps, and thus different output ratings. The Z28 can get a Brown Fender JTM45 kind of Vibe going on. The Rt. 66 is going to be in a definite JTM45/Bassman vein. The KT-88 seems to be a unique type of sound, but I imagine it wil get pretty gritty too.

The Maz Sr and Jr are (nowadays) the same amp in different power ratings. The Jr was released and folks, including the Dr., seemed to like the preamp circuit and tonestack better than the one in the Sr. So as it states on the website the younger shaped the elder. The Maz-es have the most in depth EQ and they are the only ones with reverb. They don't have a tone of gain and grind on their own...but I CAN tell you that they sound heavenly with a Centaur beating in their preamp. In fact that specific tone made me want a Centaur. Another thing about the Maz-es is that the unlike the Fenders with reverb vs. the Fenders without reverb the non-reverb Zs have MORE gain.

The Prescription, and Prescription ES are two very different amps. The ES is voiced darker, specifically for a Tele Christian said. Being it was built with recommendations from Paisley I don't doubt it.

The Carmen Ghia is based off an old Hammond Organ amp and it's foolproof interface has made it a goto amp for a lot of guys. Supposedly Joe Walsh wanted the same amp in a 100 watt package, Z came up with the Mazerati.

I'm not familiar with the Stang Ray, but guys on the Z forum really seem to like it. It has transformers designed by Ken Fischer so that speaks highly for it as well. He went for an early Vox sound, which is pretty appealing IMO.

Christian played 6545 last week and I'll let him chime in on it. I do remember him saying that the 65 side isn't super high gain, but high-er gain. Also the KT-45 gets some other more Hiwatt-ish tones. He said it isn't like a typical 1clean 1 dirty channel. It's more like a rhythm and lead channel.

The thing to know about a Z is that the tone stacks are VERY interactive. You can play with a few knobs and end up with a completely different sound.

Luke

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

One more thing worth mentioning.

Go on and get a Z best cab. They sound killer. My 2x10 projects like a regular 2x12...of course it DOES have speakers he designed.

Luke

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

Last Saturday, I went to all the best amp stores in Los Angeles...Amp Shop, Westwood Music, and True Tone Music, and got to try dozens of killer amps.
At True Tone, they have a soundproof room dedicated to nothing but Dr. Z, so I went in and plugged into all of them. I'd say the Rt. 66, KT-45, and Maz 38 were my favorites, while the rest sounded a little more ragged in the breakup, especially the Carmen Ghia. I'm not looking to buy a Dr. Z right now, but if I came across a Rt 66 at a good price, I'd ponder it. I love how the treble and bass knobs are interactive with shaping the gain.......moreso than any other amp I've plugged into.

Other notable amps I played on Saturday were the Divided by 13's, Tone King, Fuchs, and a Phil Jamison prototype (non Matchless). I swear that Jamison amp was the best non master combo amp I've ever heard in my life.

I also tried the Stiletto Ace combo at the Mesa store. It's one of the best Mesas I've heard and has a lot of versatility. Still has that underlying Mesa signature sound......can't fault them for that.

I finally got to play through the Peavey Windsor too. I must say it's a pretty decent amp, especially for $400 or less. It reminds me of a 70's MKII 50W Marshall with more gain on tap. It's 100W, but had the same volume as a Marshall 50W.

 

[Skoora]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

I tried a Stang Ray and thought it was an awesome plug and play rock/blues amp. Very much like a kick ass Vox. It didn't get as dirty as a Vox CC30 but I bet it sounds fantastic with pedals pushing it.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

Last Saturday, I went to all the best amp stores in Los Angeles...Amp Shop, Westwood Music, and True Tone Music, and got to try dozens of killer amps.
At True Tone, they have a soundproof room dedicated to nothing but Dr. Z, so I went in and plugged into all of them. I'd say the Rt. 66, KT-88, and Maz 38 were my favorites, while the rest sounded a little more ragged in the breakup, especially the Carmen Ghia. I'm not looking to buy a Dr. Z right now, but if I came across a Rt 66 at a good price, I'd ponder it. I love how the treble and bass knobs are interactive with shaping the gain.......moreso than any other amp I've plugged into.

What cab/s were you using?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

What cab/s were you using?

Mostly 2-10 and 2-12 Dr. Z cabs, which were the matching cabs for all the heads I plugged into. I'm much more of a fan of 12's than 10's.

You're absolutely right about EQ knobs shaping the overall sound and gain structure. Other amps sorta do this, but nothing like Dr. Z. On the Rt 66, turning up the treble is almost like turning up the gain.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

I happen to dig a few Z amps and I must say...the Route 66 is a great amp but it's just too loud for most use, the the Z Best cabs don't help...those cabs are loud as all get out.

 

[Gunny47]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

I happen to dig a few Z amps and I must say...the Route 66 is a great amp but it's just too loud for most use, the the Z Best cabs don't help...those cabs are loud as all get out.

+7 and a half.....

I tried the Route 66 and it was very great sounding amp, but I cannot stress how loud it is. For 32 watts, it could blow a typical tweed amp out of the water as far as volume goes. It's a very unique departure from the normal boo-teek amps. Very thick tones, and has some nice clean sounds too. Similar to a Bluesbreaker combo, but sorta has a tweed edge to it and richer cleans. Hard to explain, definitely worth checking out. And if you want a lower headroom cab, I say go with a NON Z BEST cab, cuz those things are designed for low breakup and high headroom. According to what Ive read on the Dr. Z forums, go with a smaller greenback loaded cab. Im probably not the best one to ask, but from playing it once, I thought it was a very good amp.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Which Dr. Z Amps do you like?

The deal with Z Best cabs are that they project like a mutha not to mention that have a big bottom for a 2x12 cab...ythe loud factor comes from the choice of speakers...one Vintage 30 and one G12H30...both are 100db speakers and just plain loud...add 2 nice lud speakers to a well designed box and couple that to a Dr. Z (FWIW, all Z's are loud as all get out) and you have a hella loud amp...