Dr. Z Maz Jr. NR VS. Hayseed 30

[thirsty one]

Well I think I would love both of these as somepoint. I need a lower watt amp than I have now. Which do you prefer?

I play classic rock, blues, & praise and worship.

I have an M13 and want to buy a Dirty Little Secret + a Zendrive/Ethos.

 

[Huckleberry]

I have the MAZ 18 NR. It is a LOUD 18 watts, and is a pretty versatile amp. It'll jangle, grunt, chime & scream. Seems to like dirt boxes, too.

 

[LowWatt]

In two years with my band I have run 3 different amps. 2 of them being the ones in your poll.

I sold the Maz Jr. NR and stuck with the Hayseed 30, but I could see many situations where someone would be better off with the Maz.

Hayseed 30
- that sweet vintage style vox tone
- not very flexible in tone (brighter/darker, but it is what it is)
- good with pedals
- great headroom if set up for it
- easy to get dirty at low levels with the half power switch and master volume. Really wide window of volumes where you can sound good

Maz Jr.
- flexible quality tone. It doesn't get a sound that is as good as my Hayseed tone, but the Maz can get you many phenomenal tones.
- great with pedals
- good master volume, but it lacked the headroom and punch when playing against a loud drummer that I needed.

Basically I needed one great tone and over the top flexibility on volume and headroom, so the Hayseed was the choice for me. If I needed a variety of quality tones and always wanted to be pushing my amp at the edge of what it can handle, I probably would have stuck with the Maz.

 

[thiscalltoarms]

i completely agree with LowWatt's assessment- if you are looking for Vox tone the hayseed may be what the doctor ordered, but if you are looking for a variety of tones from Fender to vox to marshall crunch with the amp dimed, the Z is a way better choice. The Z is the most versatile amp I have- and that comes in really handy during writing sessions and demoing where I need a variety of tones to be dialed in off one setup.

I also play in P&W settings alot of the time, and the Z holds its own there as well, although the darker tones I get from my Budda is typically my live go to tone. I would love to get a Hayseed if I had the spare cash, but I am not a headroom feed so I have a DST Enginneering AC15 clone for when I get the Vox itch.

Also worthy of note is that the non-reverb Z sounds way better to my ear than the reverb version, so if you need reverb, the edge goes to the Hayseed for sure.

 

[The Whiz]

Also, if you don't need the headroom of the Hayseed 30, the Hayseed 15 is very nice indeedio. Haven't tried the Maz Jr but used to have a Z28 which was a great amp too.

 

[thirsty one]

Thanks for the comments gentlemen.

Anyone else have experience with either of these fine amps?

 

[Trotter]

I've owned both and the Hayseed kills the Maz NR... No contest.

 

[Uncle Pat]

I own both and love 'em both for different reasons. Played a gig New Year's with the Maz, and played again this past Friday night with the Hayseed (on the 15 watt setting), same venue.
I couldn't get the Maz dialed down enough to get where I needed to be for this small room, prompting me to bring the Hayseed Friday.
I don't think I've ever sounded better in this room.
If I can crank up the Maz a little (at least with the master volume at noon) it works fine. But, the Hayseed ruled the roost this time out.

 

[thirsty one]

Thank you, a couple of questions for you guys.

I've owned both and the Hayseed kills the Maz NR... No contest.

I noticed you have an AxeFx Ultra. I had a Standard & in a fit of desire for a nice guitar I traded it. Big mistake! I love the Vox pushed clean tone and the OD sound as well. I could not get that tone very well with the AxeFx. I had versions 6.11 through 8.0 or 8.01. Does the newer firmware get a better Vox tone?

Would you save up for the Ultra or stop off and pick up the Hayseed and get the Ultra later?

I know this is like comparing a knife with a candle, but which do you prefer the Ultra or the Hayseed?

I own both and love 'em both for different reasons. Played a gig New Year's with the Maz, and played again this past Friday night with the Hayseed (on the 15 watt setting), same venue.
I couldn't get the Maz dialed down enough to get where I needed to be for this small room, prompting me to bring the Hayseed Friday.
I don't think I've ever sounded better in this room.
If I can crank up the Maz a little (at least with the master volume at noon) it works fine. But, the Hayseed ruled the roost this time out.

So did the Hayseed get to the sweet spot at a lower volume at the 15 watt setting than the Maz Jr.? That is one concern I have of the Maz is that it is so loud. I would assume the following but at the 30 watt setting does the Hayseed have a lot of headroom and does it make a good platform for pedals?

Particularly the Zendrive/Ethos type pedal?

 

[Uncle Pat]

It's possible I didn't take the time to tweak the Maz (NR head and 2x10 cab) as I should have, but when the master is at 9-9:30 AM and the input around 1PM or so I think it's simply overpowered for the room. It just does what I want it to do with the master around noon or better.
What the Hayseed (2x10 combo) had going for it is that EF86 bypass channel. I had the two channels jumpered together, both volumes around 1PM and the master wide open at 15 watts.
I use an OCD and both amps do great with it. No experience with the ones you mentioned...sorry.

Forgot to add, yes..at 30 watts the Hayseed does have some nice usable clean headroom at loud volumes, but I play a LOT with the guitar volume knob and pick attack to do a lot of that. Speaker choice is also huge in determining how much clean sound you'll have at any given time. I use Eminence Ramrods, and the Dr Z 10's are also great for my purposes, but I'm probably in the minority of these amp users that like a loud clean speaker.

 

[tele_jas]

I've had many Dr Z amps..... Never a Maz jr, but I had a Maz Sr. I now have a Hayseed and believe that amp was the better choice for me. The Z is a GREAT amp, as are all Z's, but the Hayseed just does "it" for me. It also has a nice defeatable master volume....... The Dr. Z has a MV too, so you really can't go wrong either way it all depends on what your ears want.

 

[Trotter]

Would you save up for the Ultra or stop off and pick up the Hayseed and get the Ultra later?

I know this is like comparing a knife with a candle, but which do you prefer the Ultra or the Hayseed?

Great questions!

They are both amazing pieces of gear... both are unique in their own way and hard to compare. It kinda depends on personal preference and how you plan to use it, but I would say get the Hayseed if you want the end-all Vox tube amp solution. It can even do the Marshall Plexi thing if you dial it in right and hit it with an overdrive pedal. The best overdrive pedals I've found for it are the Red Snapper and OCD. The Hayseed is a killer amp at a bargain price in my opinion. Just be sure to match it up with some good speakers (Blues, Golds, Silver alnicos).

The Axe Ultra (firmware V.9) can do some nifty Vox tones (plus a whole lot more as you know). It really is one of the most impressive pieces of gear I've ever owned since you can be get Voxy tone one second and high gain Mesa Triple Rec sounds the next. Not to mention it has killer effects!

The Dr. Z Maz Jr NR 2x10 I owned was really not very Voxy or Marshally sounding. It was just a uncomfortably loud, bold amp that hated 1/2 the guitars and pedals I plugged into it. I've read the countless praises on this amp but sadly I had the opposite experience. If you can't tell I didn't bond with the amp at all and I certainly tried! I'm glad so many other people have had positive experiences with it.