Hey there, I am looking for another amp to compliment my Dr. Z Maz 38. I love the clean tones, (open, chimey, articulate) but I don't like it as much when its driven hard, (too brittle in the top end and raspy). I think since owning this amp I have realized I am not a Marshall guy when it comes to overdrive. I am looking for Fender voiced amp that distorts at lower or mid volumes but still retains some chime in the upper midrange/ high end too. I don't like it when things get muddy or flabby in the low end. Any recommendations? I was thinking Victoria as a place to start looking but there are so many models.
If your MAZ has brittle or raspy overdriven tones, you may want to experiment with some different tubes. They don't necessarily have to be new old stock. Some brands of current production tubes work better with that amp than others. I owned a MAZ for years, and its tone was very sensitive to tube selection. There is a forum member here that is an expert on tube upgrades for Z amps, perhaps he will chime in.
Yeah I have messed around with the tubes a little. Tried a Jan 5751 in V1. That helped some. A vintage GE 12ax7 helped too. Much better than the stock ecc83's. Changed the rectifier to a NOS 5v4a (I think). That helped too. Also Changed the phase inverter to cv4024 (I think), that helped too. I was thinking of changing the speaker (1x12 gh30 in there now) to weber blue dog, but after all this changing I think maybe I just realized that I don't like Marshall - Vox style distortion. That's why the thought of Fender Amp came up. But if the tube expert has some different ideas, that'd be great.
Try these settings on your Maz: Volume: As much as you want Bass: Full Mid: Off Treble: Full Master: Full Cut: between 9 and 11 o'clock (your pref) I think those are the "Blackface" settings. Here are the "tweed" settings: Volume: Full Bass: Full Mid: Full Treble: Full Master: As much as you want Cut: 9 or 10 oclock (your pref)
Try a Z28. I also have a Maz38 - and between those two amps I get alot of versitility. Distorting at the lower and mid volumes isn't an issue with a Z28. Go to the Z site and read up on them.
