I am sure they will! Thanks for your help along the way. You make great amps and we are among the many happy customers. I hope this video helps others torwards your amps as well :)
Hey Mike I contacted your daughter maybe about a year ago. I have a Route 66 somebody converted to a 210 combo. I would like to put it back in its original head form. I tried to purchase a empty cabinet but I was told that wasn't possible to purchase from you guys. Could you help me out with this or get me in contact with somebody that maybe has one. Thanks Mike any help would be greatly appreciated.
Even though I only play at home I really want a Maz 18 NR as my next amp. I played the Mk1 version through a 4X12 cab before and it kinda blew me away honestly.
Definitely a Dr. Z aficionado since I purchased my 1st Dr. Z, a MAZ 38 Senior NR Mk II (head) in August of 2022. Case in point; this past Friday, I was playing at household volume levels when the Z just crapped out- no sound at all. I employed some of the troubleshooting techniques that Dr. Z offers in one of his many RU-vid videos to no avail. Those are mainly dealing with a nuisance blown fuse, which was not my problem. Long story short, I called the service no. and when Don saw the area code he suggested I just bring the amp in. I jumped at the opportunity of course and drove it over (a ten minute trip from my house!!) straight away. Within 20 minutes I had a perfectly functioning amp for the cost of an hour bench time and a 12AX7 no. 1 tube. They are unbelievably accommodating, accessible and friendly, it's really a dream come true!
Same here, I love their amps ever since I got my Maz 18 mk II, which I actually traded at my dealer for a Z-Wreck Jr a year ago. I've been in touch with them a few times, recently also with Don, and they are extremely helpful. Great company and I hope to try and own more of their amps in the future!
As a proud owner of a Maz 18 mk II, I can say this - oh heck yeah a Z is worth the price of admission! I also play a wide variety of music - pretty much every style except metal - and the Maz does it all. The support experience is truly amazing as well. Thanks for sharing your journey! PS - great playing, sir!
Yes they are worth the price of admission…and even the re entry fee. Love my Red Maz 18MK ii Head, Maz 18 NR combo, and Red Monza head. Great amps. Great community. Great service. Great company and owner.
Yes indeed, I bought a MAZ 18 as well. It is perfect for what I need and yes very well built. I am blown away with how it sounds every time I sit and play with it I get lost for hours. Love it!!
I’ve been using a JAZ for years and just cannot say enough good things about the product and the company. Great sounding, versatile amps that are very well made and a friendly and helpful team to help you if there is ever an issue. Dr. Z is a good egg!
Thank you for sharing your experience with Dr Z amps. I live in Zurich and wanted a Fender Deluxe Reverb, but due to reliability issues, I did research and bought a 2015 Dr Z Z-Lux in Dec '21. I couldn't find any newer at the time. I love my Z. I've had a lot of amps and this one just blows me away sometimes because it sounds incredible. And the build quality is impeccable. It's a masterpiece.
Wanted to try one of those as well, but haven't had the chance yet. But I've been recording with the Maz and Remedy lately, which was a great experience!
Steven, I have the same experience. I've owned a Man 18 in my amp collection for the past 12 years. I bought it for the same reason you did. Needed and amp to cover a lot of ground and handles pedals well. When my Max 18 started to behave poorly, partially due to my tube experimentation, I reached out to Dr Z, sent the amp back and Don Depew worked very closely with me to voice the amp per my musical style. Its hard to know how an amp will come back sonically based on words in email, but Don nailed it. I dont know if he is with the company anymore, but its one of the best customer service experiences I have ever had. Mike Zaite has created a modern icon in the amp industry. Very hard to do and quite an accomplishment. Its an amp that will be bought, sold and traded long after we are gone. You can't do better than that.
Great story! And I hope you're right, because their amps are great, they should be classics. I just wish I lived a bit closer to their headquarters in case I ever need anything serviced or repaired.
I started out down that same road, first a Maz 18, then a Remedy, next a KT 45, finally (last, but not least!!!!) a Z Wreck, the best amp I've ever played. Keep on keeping on, and don't quit on your tone quest!
@@MOAB-UT well, eventually I traded my Maz 18 for a Z-Wreck Jr this year. The Maz is a versatile amp, but I could never fully find my sweet spot. But most of all: the Z-Wreck simply has a character that's more my taste.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Thanks. What about low volume, sparkly cleans? Which amp head can you recommend? Reverb is nice but I suppose I can get a Blue Sky. I play at home only around level 2. Ringing ear thing.
@@MOAB-UT if you play low volume you'd need an attenuator with either of these amps, because they're loud and the master thins out the sound if you go too low. I'd say the Maz is nicer for cleans, the Z-Wreck for edge of breakup and beyond.
Amps like the Mesa Boogie TC 50 watt head run in a 2 X12 cab can cover just about any tone I can think of. The FX can be accessed through the footswitch, the list goes on. The price for the stack under 4,000. - Some if not most of the "Boutique amplifiers. I can not say the same for. I like RD Z. I can not afford 10 different amps. Do you think people can? I doubt it.
@@ShawnShipstad I don't really get your point? Mesa Boogie is (or used to be) a boutique brand itself and Dr. Z's are a totally different thing... but also on average less expensive. Both heads and the 2x12" cabinet were all ubder 4000 bucks as well 😉
Awesome video! My main amp is a Dr. Z Maz 18 nr head and cab (seafoam/black tolex from humbucker music). I love the amp, and I bought it because of a band I was really into at the time. There’s not enough out there on these amps, so thanks for sharing your experience! Very cool and very quality amps.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar How does the Z Wreck compare to the MAZ 18 Mr. Anthony? In other words....why do you like the Z Wreck better than the MAZ ? The reason I ask is because I also have a MAZ 18 combo.
@@charlesrawlinson429 the Maz is very versatile, but I could never find a sweet spot. To me it could sometimes be too bright and too bassy at the same time and feel a bit stiff and clinical. The Z-Wreck Jr has a more vintage/British sounding gain structure I like better and I think it has more character. I've got a video comparing the Z-Wreck Jr to a plexi and a full review on the Z-Wreck Jr is in the queue! 🙂
My experience with Dr. Z amps is that they were created to be played on stage. Until you've played one on stage, with a band, you might not get it. They're the best amps I've ever performed with and I love the company.
I have owned 11 Dr Zs through the years and loved them all. Our stages are amp-less now unfortunately so the only time I play real tube amps is when we are home and I play some local shows. I have had my eye on a Z Wreck Jr and at some point will grab one.
Yeah they prefer less tube wattage more and more everywhere it seems, but I can't imagine playing without a real amp personally. Luckily there are good attenuators out there now, so I'll just bring my Marshall plexi 4x12" when I can ;)
I doubt that they are the best amps out there, but they are an incredible used value. The sound of my SRZ65 (basically JCM800) is out of this world, and I paid $1200 for it.
All that matters is that you love that amp! I don't think there's is such a thing as a best amp out there, because whatever one person consider to be the best, might be the worst fit for someone else. How an amp sounds and feels is so subjective, based on so many factors. Dr. Z makes great amps, but so are a lot of companies these days 🙂
Cool! The Jetta has always seemed like a nice amp as well. A year ago I traded my Maz for a Z-Wreck Jr head with the dealer I've got all my Z's from, and that's the best one so far for me. Got a video on that one as well, but it has also been my main and for the channel this year. Anyway, thanks for chiming in, enjoy the Jetta... and don't stop there 😉
Thanks very informative..I had a mazarati...sold it during a move I miss it now thinking of a wreck jr..or a marshall...I see a supro behind u..I was thinking of that for small gigs u should do a review on it..thanks I really appreciate your Sincerity and genuineness.. I'm mostly a church musician but I play a lot of country rock and even bluegrass.. I sure am interested in a super twelve also for small gigs
Therr already is a video about that Supro on my channel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1eGwisLOGl4.htmlsi=2n8LKpJ1zuDUYScn I own the Z-Wreck Jr and three Marshalls these days, love all of them. Wouldn't get the Supro again.
Hey man! I'm a little late to the party on this one but thanks for making this video! I'm literally in the same exact predicament you were in except as opposed to plexi style amps, it's tweed amps for me and I'm having an issue deciding between the new Z28 mkii and the Maz18 mkii. I don't really have much that covers that British style sound. Which I see the Maz18 does cover and then some, but it is awfully hard for me to get away from that Americana/rock and roll sound the Z28 seems to cover not to mention with how well they take pedals. (Or so I've read lol) anyway, thanks again for making this video! I've watched just about all of the peach guitars vids myself but this one has definitely helped me out a lot!
Those Peach videos helped me out a lot too, but I'm glad my video was helpful to you as well! I also have a video on the Z-Wreck Jr, which is another Dr. Z worth checking out.
hi Steven! great video. agree with your comments re: Dr. Z, Z community, and Z amps (patiently waiting for my 4th). One comment / suggestion is that i love my Maz 18 (v.1) played into Z 2x12 open back with 2 Golds. Really gets that Voxy / Marshally / vintage UK sound out of the amp, particularly played with lp HB styled guitars. Maybe you could find more of what you gave up that way. cheers!
Thanks! I still have to try Golds, since I've never played them. I'm really into Greenbacks, but the Maz even sounds great with V-Type speakers. Just a great amp.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar hey again! yes both great speakers: the GBs will obviously take you closer to the Plexi / 70s sound that you had; the V type will bring a more 'balanced' sound. The Golds really help bring out the preamp / Vox style of the Maz 18. i bought Maz 18 as a pedal platform. Now with the Golds, hardly use pedals other than to boost, fatten tone. Mostly just let the amp do its thing, which it does very well! Peace!
Thank you very much! The Z's are great. Can't imagine how loud the Maz 38 must be, the 18 with reverb can already be very loud clean, and I play in a loud band.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar I have played a Maz 18 but never maxed it out… no issues getting over a drummer? I mostly looked into the 38 for the head room for pushing it with some fuzz
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar 38 won't be too much louder than 18, maybe 10% louder, the feel will be slightly different. The cabinet and speakers will make a vastly bigger difference than extra wattage
@@ilmisxx2 I bet the 38 has more clean headroom, but that's something that I personally do not need. I like edge of breakup and with single coils I can turn the gain at three o'clock to overdrive it.
Thank you for the great Joe Walsh cover! I have always had beef with Strats -- even though I've heard them sound amazing on many records, I've never been able to get a good sound out of them myself without a bunch of pedals and crap I don't want to depend on. I decided the only way to make a Strat sound good is either the distasteful pedal way, or the right amp, so I figured I can't own a Strat until I can also afford a Fender Deluxe or Princeton or whatever. Well anyway, the Dr. Z makes that Strat of yours sound awesome! If I ever own another Strat, Dr. Z will be where I look first for an amp. What was that outro music? I loved it!
Glad you liked the Joe Walsh cover. That man is highly underrated, so one can never spread the word enough. Funny enough I used to be a strat guy for years, but I have a hard time getting along with strats recently. Though I like them through Dr. Z's and my wife has a 50's Vintera strat which is actually great. That outro song is called 'Much For Your Wings', which is from my former band Reckless Pilots. That song is about 15 years old and I'm currently finishing remixing a previously unreleased album we recorded in 2008, so I tried dusting of that solo again. Not the best I've played this one though, younger me did that one better back in the day, but ofcourse back then I played it almost everyday.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar Underrated indeed, especially the early stuff. The playing was great in my unsolicited opinion lol We seem to share quite a lot in terms of musical taste (and tone and gear). I'll be watching your channel :)
@@frankenspecies James Gang and all his solo/Barnstorm albums up until 'There Goes The Neighborhood' are amazing in my opinion. We even named our latest cat after him. And thanks, I'm glad you like what I'm doing and subbed. I guess we'll talk more as my videos continue then 😎✌️
Thanks for those very kind words! I wouldn't say no to an endorsement, but I'm sure the doctor has plenty of people more talented than me in line 😉 Doesn't make me enjoy the amps any less ofcourse 🙂
I am very interested in demo-ing a Dr. Z; people like Brad Paisley and Joe Walsh know what they like. It was, however, a bit disconcerting to hear that one amp you tried was DOA and the Maz18 had a bad tube affecting the reverb. I know things go wrong with tube amps, having owned a Mesa Dual Rectifier since the 1990's, but new out of the box with issues? I'll still try one but I'm wary.
I wouldn't worry about that, these amps are very well made. You have to imagine that I live in Europe. The Maz was shipped from the US to the distributor in the Netherlands, who shipped it to me in Germany. It's not strange for a tube to go bad in so much shipping and it was resolved without extra costs. I bought the Therapy from a store in Austria, who had no longer been a Dr. Z distributor for 6 or 7 years at the point I bought the amp, so it was a new old stock that had been in their warehouse without maintenance in who knows what kind of conditions. I have just been unlucky in that regard, but I have owned and gigged with three Dr. Z's for the past 2,5 years without issues or extra costs. These amps just aren't as easily available here in Europe, so you get those kind of issues a bit quicker that way.
Very helpful video. What do you think is the difference between the Maz 18 reverb and non reverb version other than the reverb? Can’t decide if I should go for the reverb version or other one.
The reverb version is a bit cleaner and has less overdrive. That means you would need to turn the volume up a bit more if you want more gain from the amp and from what I heard it's a bit less raw. But I'm not missing anything and for rawer tones I've got my Marshalls.
Can I assume for each of the playing segments where you list the Morning Glory that it is on and you're using that for your gain? So, do you have the Maz18 set pretty clean and then apply OD/Morning Glory? Any reason you don't prefer the gain from the Maz18 - - volume up with Master just down a little to tame overall volume? I'm exploring Maz18 mk2, Cure and Z-Plus. All master volume amps, and Cure also has a further global Level knob too...
I'm mixing it, so the Maz 18 is on the edge of breakup and the Morning Glory is pushing it just a little bit further. I like the gain from the Maz, but it takes pedals so well that I like to use it with different overdrives from time to time. The Morning Glory loosens things up in the way that I'm used from my Marshalls, that's why I like to use it. More of a feel thing rather than sound.
@@keithbriscoe99 yes, the boost is a great addition. I really think you can't go wrong with the Maz 18. It's a great gateway Dr. Z Amp and the longer I have it, the more I love it. Can honestly recommend it.
Do you ever find the maz to be too bright or are you always able to dial it to get the tone you won’t without compromise? I just ordered a maz18mk2 with reverb to try out. Been playing a hand wired bluesbreaker for a while so I am very anxious to see how it compares. I will only be keeping one of the two.
As I usually play plexi style amps, I don't quickly find the Maz bright. It is bassier than I need, so I do have the bass low. It will be up to taste how it compares for you to the Bluesbreaker, I think they're pretty different. I mostly have the Maz set to the same settings and I use it when I need a different sound. Works best for me with a telecaster.
@@StevenAnthonyGuitar thanks! How does it compare to your plexis? I won’t be getting it for a few more days so im very curious how it will compare to the bluesbreaker. Thanks
@@DistrictSoundLab it feels a bit stiffer to play than my plexis and sounds a bit fuller and creamier. Easier to get a clean sound with the Maz, not as greasy as the plexis, but a bit more versatile.
That's the opposite of my experience. They've always been extremely helpful and responsive ever since I started this journey. Never experienced customer support like this!
Not sure where that comes from. I’ve had Dr Z amps for years, including Maz Jr MKII. I’ve have a few interactions with the company and found them to be quick to respond and help!
