We get a lot of questions as to why our amps sound so big compared to similarly rated competitors. Dr. Z explains the "Z-Watt Phenomenon." ww.drzamps.com
Thank you for giving candid and open feedback and not trying to hide your trade secrets. They really help the little guys understand all this. Love the series!
i am a budding amp designer ( after decades of just studding ) ....but speaking of OTs, i Really Lucked Out spec-ing mine ... it's like you said " you don't want it to be Hi-Fi" and it's just looking for that guitar range efficiency bubble, where the high and low "out of band" efficiency is dropping off ... then getting the impedance, and power through it, up tight to spec; so getting just a touch of core saturation....and i found one like that, And along with my S.E.40% tap, Amazingly ...there is Only ONE currently manufactured OT for my circuit, and that's it.
Love this channel! Just found it a few days ago... very interesting to hear about this stuff directly from the source! Not that I know a lot about circuits and wiring but still very interesting
Thanks Mike I have my Old 02 Mazerati Head & To me it sounds like a Marshall Plexie in Ways I pair it with 2- 12 Old 70s D120 JBL Speakers & it was so Sweet & Loud as it can be,Treble & Volume thats all I Need
Thats another great AMA Doc, and your thoughts on sharing knowledge are admirable - not that I build amps myself ! Regarding your comments about speaker efficiency - I've been running my early Maz 18 NR head into a Mesa Boogie 1x10 LoneStar cab. Its a light, easy to transport rig and more than capable of handling pub/small club gigs. My guitar partner runs a Hot Rod Deluxe (I sold it to him !) and I easily keep up. I recently scored a Jensen P10R. Been using it in an old USA made Pro Junior (15W), sounds great. The Jensen spec is Rated Power 25W (Musical Power 50W). Question is, will it be safe running the P10R with the Maz 18 ? I have one of the older white/red box Brake Lites so I can attenuate if necessary. Thx again Doc Jamie
My Max 18 is epic loud. My Z Wreck is appreciably louder, but make no mistake Z’s lower wattage amps kick hard. The BMW comparison is spot on. A 300 hp BMW feels like a 400hp American make.
to all interested in z amps, I havent heard a better PPIV Master volume than dr z's its really good, i play a 20 watt maz in my house and i get it really low without loos of tone.
That's interesting. I find that I prefer the way my amps sound with the foam packaging feet still on them I do see products that look a bit more pro from "isocabs" I think that do the same thing
I remember Ken was always complaining about transformers, and played hell trying to find decent substitutes for the Stancor he used in the Express and Liverpool 30. It's also why he never built the "Metal" amp he talked about making back around 1989-90. "Nobody knows how to build a proper transformer" he would always say.
Hi Mike. I hate to bother you with a stupid question. You make amps with the KT66 valves. I wanted to ask you if the JJ KT66 VALVES be used in a Fender Blackface Bandmaster 1965 amp that is 40 watts . I normally uses 6L6's. Thanks from Michael Newell from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
I just acquired a Mark V25 with a Lonestar 2x12 open back, it’s not very quite at all, but I get options paralysis and can’t find that sound, I wanted it to be more Rock n Roll gain like 🤟🏼 But I keep getting this weird midrange thing that I can’t get out??? And it sounds boxy at times, weird for a 2x12???? Wondering if I should’ve went with a Maz 18 or a Remedy or a therapy? Maybe a Pink Taco? Which amp has that standard tuning also drop D tuning rock n roll 0-🤟🏼-0-🤟🏼-0-🤟🏼-0- 0-🤟🏼-0-🤟🏼-0-🤟🏼-0-
Frank Munafo I tried an EMS at toneshop guitars here in dfw, I like it but it sounded kinda warm, but didn’t have reverb or effects loop, and I gotta have one or the other, I hate putting reverb in the guitar input
I need a Dr. Second opinion lol . I have a 59 bassman reissue. It's wired direct to the speaker so can't use an attenuator with it. I called a amp repair guy here in Austin and he told me he could modify so I could use one but attenuators can ruin my amp. I have a hard time understanding why this would be if there are so many companies using them now. If I have it modified would the air brake be safe with my amp? Hope ya'll see this I would love to be able to crank my bassman with the DR. Z air break.
Depending on your speaker load this would be fine. I don't know what the bassman reissue is wired to, but if your amp tech means that this will increase wear on the tubes, he's correct, as this is the nature of what an attenuator does, by allowing output tube distortion. If he means it will ruin the amp as a whole, there's no veracity to this, thousands of attentuators are sold by various manufacturers every year.
@@DrZAmplification Thank you so much. Yeh what he told me was that they will ruin the power transformer. I figured that he was mistaken due to how many amps now have them. Thanks again for taking the time. I will be purchasing one of your Air brakes. My Bassman is 45 watts do you reccomend the Air break or Break lite?
The Brake Lite will handle up to 45 watts. It is best for a 3-9dBs of attenuation. The Air Brake will allow for a wider range of attenuation. The power transformer is not a factor her. He may have meant the output transformer, which will be saturated with an attenuator, but this would indicate a faulty output transformer.
