Anyone tried those Dr Z amps at SV Guitars?
- Thread starter edgie
- Start date
MadWerewolfBoy
New member
check out glenn delaune's videos for some slick tones! he uses maz 38s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ9c1LCtDW4&hd=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ9c1LCtDW4&hd=1
chungmun77
New member
Hi guys,
I'm keen on the Carmen Ghia but because I can't play it at a volume that would bring out the tone, I would need to use the attenuator in order to get the tones out of it. I've not had any experience with an attenuator, and I'm worried I might defeat the purpose of a great amp by literally putting the (air) brakes on it. Any thoughts, guys?
Thanks!
I'm keen on the Carmen Ghia but because I can't play it at a volume that would bring out the tone, I would need to use the attenuator in order to get the tones out of it. I've not had any experience with an attenuator, and I'm worried I might defeat the purpose of a great amp by literally putting the (air) brakes on it. Any thoughts, guys?
Thanks!
Edgie: Haha, at least it wasn't too late man..
chungmun77: From what I know.. Its crank it or use an attenuator (Or something thats similar) haha. I haven't had experience with attenuators but from what I hear they won't sound the same as the amp without one, call it tone suck if you will. Edgie had a hotplate once, I'm sure he knows better.
chungmun77: From what I know.. Its crank it or use an attenuator (Or something thats similar) haha. I haven't had experience with attenuators but from what I hear they won't sound the same as the amp without one, call it tone suck if you will. Edgie had a hotplate once, I'm sure he knows better.
chungmun77
New member
Thanks for your input, wck. I was afraid of that, using a great amp in a compromised manner, plus potentially getting an altered tone with the Airbrake too. I'm using a HT-5s now, but am looking for an amp that plays clean and bright tones. I have a Sound Drive 30R tube but that also requires cranking up, which I can't really do at home. Any low-wattage heads/combo to recommend for a clean bright tone? Thanks again, guys!
Godspeed64
Active member
Anything Vox-related. Heck even the highly underrated Pathfinder 15R can hold it's ground against an AC30 Heritage in the cleans department (not talking about speakers and their sizes).
chungmun77
New member
Thanks, Godspeed. I was just browsing through the Vox website. The AC15 with the Wharfdale might be interesting. I'll go pop by City Music when I'm back. Or maybe I'll get an attenuator for my SD 30w and see how it goes.
@Chungmun: I'm not sure if you will like what an attenuator does to your tone. Upon researching about them, I found out the 2nd generation of attenuators(Alex, Aracom, Rivera Rock Crusher, etc.) are superior to the ones using diode resistors(?) like THD, Dr Z, Weber in terms of sound, feel and response. I honestly didn't like the THD's high-attenuation settings(-16db) as it's too compressed and the feel is different than the original sound even if you compensate with the additional controls. I even have a feeling that my THD's master volume is better than the attenuator.
Incidentally, I'm selling my Port City Twelve if you're interested since you're looking for a lower wattage amp. : )
Incidentally, I'm selling my Port City Twelve if you're interested since you're looking for a lower wattage amp. : )
chungmun77
New member
Hey, thanks for the info edgie! I'll pm you once I get back from Auckland tmr. Cheers and good night!
Dongara
New member
The only attenuator I can recommend is Ken Fischer's Airbrake. Almost completely neutral and doen't affect tone or response of the amp - even if it is one of the resistor based designs. You can buy the Trainwreck licensed ones from Komet amps (kometamps.com) or Dr. Z (I think) or even on eBay where they go for around 200US. Heard them on Marshall Super leads and Fender amps and they really sound good.
cheers,
Mark.
cheers,
Mark.
Thanks for the info Mark.
Just to clarify to chungmun, it actually depends on how much attenuation you would use. I think the THD is still very much ok if you are only attenuating from the volume of a live gig to a volume where it's like your average TV-watching volume. What I'm referring to on the excessive compression issue are bedroom volumes. If you attenuate down to -12db, that's still acceptable. But down to -16db, you lose a considerable amount of dynamics. I'm fortunate that the Flexi-50 has such a wide-ranging set of EQ controls that I can somehow compensate for it but I think it will be totally horrible for other amps.
Just to clarify to chungmun, it actually depends on how much attenuation you would use. I think the THD is still very much ok if you are only attenuating from the volume of a live gig to a volume where it's like your average TV-watching volume. What I'm referring to on the excessive compression issue are bedroom volumes. If you attenuate down to -12db, that's still acceptable. But down to -16db, you lose a considerable amount of dynamics. I'm fortunate that the Flexi-50 has such a wide-ranging set of EQ controls that I can somehow compensate for it but I think it will be totally horrible for other amps.
chungmun77
New member
Hi guys,
Went down to Woodlands and sold my Rally to theunknown (thanks for the smooth and quick deal!), had a bit of time before my next appointment and so asked Mike about the Dr Z, and he demo-ed it for me again and that was it. The clean tone after the tubes warmed up was great, the amp took the overdrive pedal well and even at the lowest audible volume, the tone was "complete". It had the treble, the mids and the bass, everything at the low levels. I guess that answered my doubts about using an attenuator.
After a bit of consideration, I decided on the 2x10 Carmen Ghia combo. As Mike explained, the Z-Best 2x12 would be great for "long throw", and since I'm a bedroom noodler, the 2x10 would suffice. And SUFFICE it does! I'm lovin' IT!
The tone knob belies its simplicity; I've yet to fully explore the tonal sweep but so far with most of my guitars, the 11 o'clock position seems the best. It gets thinner as you go counter-clockwise and beefier clockwise. As I get more time with it, I'll try to review it as accurately as possible.
Meanwhile, enjoy the long weekend!
Went down to Woodlands and sold my Rally to theunknown (thanks for the smooth and quick deal!), had a bit of time before my next appointment and so asked Mike about the Dr Z, and he demo-ed it for me again and that was it. The clean tone after the tubes warmed up was great, the amp took the overdrive pedal well and even at the lowest audible volume, the tone was "complete". It had the treble, the mids and the bass, everything at the low levels. I guess that answered my doubts about using an attenuator.
After a bit of consideration, I decided on the 2x10 Carmen Ghia combo. As Mike explained, the Z-Best 2x12 would be great for "long throw", and since I'm a bedroom noodler, the 2x10 would suffice. And SUFFICE it does! I'm lovin' IT!
The tone knob belies its simplicity; I've yet to fully explore the tonal sweep but so far with most of my guitars, the 11 o'clock position seems the best. It gets thinner as you go counter-clockwise and beefier clockwise. As I get more time with it, I'll try to review it as accurately as possible.
Meanwhile, enjoy the long weekend!
chungmun77
New member
Thanks edgie, sorry I decided to plonk for the Dr Z instead. Hope I didn't cause you any inconvenience!
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