112 Combo?

[Casper]

Not happy anymore with my Fender 65 DRRI. (Geez, really?):rolleyes: Its okay, but not pedal friendly and frankly, doesn't sound (to me) much better than my Classic 30 Peavey. I played my friends' before I bought this and I guess I pictured something different. Looking at a DR Z Maz 18 or 38, but the price may be a bit much and may not be what I need. I am not above looking into Mesa, Marshall, Koch or any other suggestions you guys may have.

The amp needs to 1st be road worthy, versatile, fairly lightweight. Most of my sound goes FOH so wattage isn't much of a factor, but would like to have enough for a rainy day. Separate EQ is a must if its a two channel and effect loop would be nice. It needs to have a small footprint too (for roadcase and stage space reasons)I play oldies/top 40/funk and motown and some country and jazz,..so it will need to be pretty versatile.
Soooo...for you folks that use a 112 combo, let me know what you like and don't or recommendations, please.

Thanks-Shaun

[dannopelli]

Not happy anymore with my Fender 65 DRRI. (Geez, really?):rolleyes: Its okay, but not pedal friendly and frankly, doesn't sound (to me) much better than my Classic 30 Peavey. I played my friends' before I bought this and I guess I pictured something different. Looking at a DR Z Maz 18 or 38, but the price may be a bit much and may not be what I need. I am not above looking into Mesa, Marshall, Koch or any other suggestions you guys may have.

The amp needs to 1st be road worthy, versatile, fairly lightweight. Most of my sound goes FOH so wattage isn't much of a factor, but would like to have enough for a rainy day. Separate EQ is a must if its a two channel and effect loop would be nice. It needs to have a small footprint too (for roadcase and stage space reasons)I play oldies/top 40/funk and motown and some country and jazz,..so it will need to be pretty versatile.
Soooo...for you folks that use a 112 combo, let me know what you like and don't or recommendations, please.

Thanks-Shaun

MAZ 18 2x10. Get a used on on Ebay for $1100. be sure to get one with an FX loop. Set a nice clean sound, then used your pedals for distortion and such.

[Casper]

Whay 210 instead of 112? What do you have?
SL

[Mystroe]

I really like my swart atomic space tone. Super simple one channel, turn it on and go. Gets loud enough for use in sencible combo setting.A little pricey,but a legitamate amp with character.

[dannopelli]

Whay 210 instead of 112? What do you have?
SL
Both. I have a Maz 38 with 1x12 and a Maz 18 with 2x10. I think the 2x10 is warmer sounding.

But you know, now that I think of it, for what you are playing you probaly need more smack and a more compact sound. There is a lot going on in your shows, and the 2x10 might get lost. Maybe go with a Maz 18 with 1x12 V30. Will give you the best of both worlds. It is very loud, but low powered enough to grumble up as you'll have to push it a bit. Which is why I switched to miking that for live work. You really use the amp as it is designed.

If you need more power get the 38, and just go to input 2 for low volume situations.

[Casper]

thanks for the tips Danno. I will discuss it with our friend. I am also looking hard at the Marshall DSL401 combo and possibly the Mesa Express 5-25?
SL

[guitarzan]

thanks for the tips Danno. I will discuss it with our friend. I am also looking hard at the Marshall DSL401 combo and possibly the Mesa Express 5-25?
SL


I was gonna tell you to check out the Mesa Expres series. I haven't played one personally, but they seem like they got a good thing going. Also, I had great luck with the Mesa Lone Star Special. And the 1x12 combo is compact enough to be a grab-n-go.

[Casper]

GZ--

I have never owned a Boogie, are they road worthy?

[guitarzan]

absolutely. Their history as touring amps is really impressive. You could roll one off a loading dock and still play it in the show that night.

[Casper]

Will look into these...am on the website now...
Thanks-Shaun

[Ray K.]

I too would recommend a Dr. Z Maz 18Jr. I have a 210 combo as well, and love it. If you don't need onboard Reverb, go for a NR (Non Reverb) model if you can.

You weren't specific, but I'm assuming you are running DI to FOH? If true , and you're mainly using the amp at lower volumes for monitoring and/or sonic coupling, then the Loud 18 watts of the "Z" amp would be plenty. At least it is for me. I rarely run the Master Volume past 9:00 (DI) in a live situation. I also use IEM's too.

But, if you just can't swing the small change for one, I'd suggest you take another look at a Peavey Classic 30. These are great little amps, but I ditched the stock speaker and re-tubed it right up front. JJ Electronics tubes happen to be my favorites for this amp. Makes for a totally different amp. They can be easily modified to taste also. I have one that is now backup/practice amp since the Dr. Z is my main amp.

Either amp is very pedal friendly too.

Good luck,
Ray K.

[Casper]

Ray, I have a hotrodded Classic 30 with a Celestion V30 and JJs. It is now my side gig amp and I love it..however, I guess I was looking for a warmer/bloomier sound when I bought the fender (lower wattage too). the fender is too spanky and I have a hard time coaxing the mids. the reverb is obnoxious after "2" on the dial. Bob at eurotubes send me a mod sheet, but I already have $950.00 in the amp...why spend more?The peavey doesn't have separate eq and though the dirty channel is great, its limited to what you dial in for clean.
I was initially thinking of the Z 18 because I have the pedal board I was lookng for and wanted it to have a good backend to go to, the Fender isn't pedal friendly (to me)..
My dealer represents several lines, so I'll check some things out. Z's are expensive, I just want to be sure I have all info and try as many as I can..
thanks for your input-Shaun

[bud]

Not happy anymore with my Fender 65 DRRI. (Geez, really?):rolleyes:
Thanks-Shaun

I have a 69 DR and had the same issue. Great with just a guitar into the front end, but unpleasant with pedals. I unsoldered the hard-wired bright cap and replaced the stock speaker with a C-rex. Like it much better now.

[guitarzan]

I have a 69 DR and had the same issue. Great with just a guitar into the front end, but unpleasant with pedals. I unsoldered the hard-wired bright cap and replaced the stock speaker with a C-rex. Like it much better now.

Amp Night! I wanna play through that one, Bud.

[StudioRat]

And now to muddy the waters further, I'd suggest a Bogner Duende. It's a 1 x12, and the size you are looking for. It has an effects loop plus a record out for FOH that works great. The clean channel sounds like Fender, but much better because it has a gain control. Dial in just a little bit of grit, and it LOVES pedals. Put a FD2, or Sprkle Drive, or TS, or Blues Driver in front and the clean channel smokes. The drive channel has a similiar voiceing to a hot rodded tweed and can get very swampy. And it has an A and B channel combined, which is super cool for a boost to the drive channel. A nice reverb and a very smooth photocell tremelo. The only thing it doesn't have that you're looking for is separate EQ for the two channels. The clean channel has it's own, and the dirty channel has a master EQ, but really you can make this work separately by tweeking both.

Check out the samples on their website. I don't normally pay attention to this kind of stuff because a good player can make an average amp sound great. But having owned and gigged with this amp for a few months now I listen to these samples and say "yup, that's what it sounds like"

http://www.bogneramplification.com/

It's gonna set you back though. $2500 at least. At that price you could get an Egnater too.

Oh what to do, what to do. If you were looking to save $ you came to the wrong place!

[wodka]

+1 for the Mesa Express series. I've tried the 5:50 and I'm seriously considering it. The clean is a bit more compressed than the Lonestart but I actually like it more.

[kurt1981]

Hey, I have a couple ideas here,
Mesa mark I reissue, one channel, but it does a great clean thing, and it's the smallest amp boogie makes. I had one for a long time, and miss it quite a bit, though it can be a tad dark if you want a really nice fender type clean, this is more of a jazz type clean
Mesa lonestar, I used that up until last week, it's a fantastic amp, heavy as all get-out, but it sounds huge. It can almost be a bit too large sounding, but it's great with a band,
ow, to my newest purchase, my rivera fandango, it's a great amp, two channels, fantastic cleans, and a good dirty channel, if that's your thing. It's light, and not too big, much smaller than the boogie. I absolutely love mine, and I think I'm going to sell my lonestar because of it.
Just my opinions, and by the way, all three love pedals, I use only the clean channel of any amp I own,
Kurt

[Casper]

Went to my shop yesterday and (didn't have my axe), but played some different guitars off the rack (Including a brand new Jack's Blue HDTC!!:eek:
a stock Strat, Relic Strat and HSS Strat. Checked out the Maz 18 112, the 210 and the Mesa Express 5:50 112. All sounded good, the Mesa has more character, more power, more choices (the 5watt switch is SA-WEEET!!), plus the footprint isn't as big (its also 350.00 cheaper than the Z).

My tech is pushing me toward the Z 210, (for build quality, class A, pedal friendliness)-but frankly the Mesa with the 5 watt switch has as much tonality, just not as powerful. Don't know that I could gig with the 5 watt?, but full strength it is a beautiful clean. The dirty channel could take some tweaking, (didn't explore it much). I don't understand the Mesa effects loop thing, I understand I will have to adjust/route my pedal board to it if I get this amp. The Z stuff sounds good, but I'm not floored like I was the first time I played one. I brought my Classic with me today and will revisit them this afternoon and possibly take one home for a night. Never owned a Boogie..
Never spent 1700 on and amp either. Id' say this is a bit scary for me..

BTW, is it me or do you guys hate playing in a music store trying axes and amps out with all of these people around??? I feel like a beginner when I'm in there...Paranoia-selfdestroyaaaa:p
Shaun

[tom]

did they have a 5:25 to try? wondered about that one. playing in a store is no fun, and usually such a different environment that nothing ever sounds "normal" there.
i visit to your home would help a lot.

[StudioRat]

BTW, is it me or do you guys hate playing in a music store trying axes and amps out with all of these people around??? I feel like a beginner when I'm in there...Paranoia-selfdestroyaaaa:p
Shaun

Oh YEAH. I don't even play em in the store anymore. So many offer a 30 day money back guarantee, if I'm interested at all I lay down the plastic and live with it for a week or two. Time is the great decider.

[guitarzan]

BTW, is it me or do you guys hate playing in a music store trying axes and amps out with all of these people around??? I feel like a beginner when I'm in there...Paranoia-selfdestroyaaaa:p
Shaun

This, to me, is empirical evidence that our aptitude is in our heads. I fancy myself a pretty good guitarist, but as soon as I get to the big box music store, I start to wonder if I can compare to the other guitar players there, and inevitably, I sound amateurish. (For that reason, I usually take gear for a test drive in the "vintage" room because it's separated from the rest of the store. And before I lived next to a store with a vintage room, I would take stuff into the acoustic room.)

It's hard to play well when your hands are wrapped around your own neck!!!

[Casper]

I saw a 5:25, but didn't try it...yet. I kept bouncing back and forth between the Z 18 210, 112 and the 5:50 112 Boogie. They say that the 5:25 has a tone all its own? its a 110 though. I LOVE the 58 watt switch , but probably won't be practical in a gig situation..I just called Mesa and left a message. I think the channel switching may be a problem after reading the manual online, I think you can only use one mode at a time...not a big deal, since I have a nice pedal board, but versatility is the thing...
I am gonna read up on the Class A and A/B thing some more, I need some schooling on why a particular amp will favor what I play for a living..
S

[Ray K.]

Hey Shaun, well you definitely know all about the Classic 30 amps then! And yes, Bob is my "go to" guy for anything tube related. Known him for years.

At least you were able to get out and try a few, and will be going back. And yes, I really dislike playing gear in music stores. Even if they have a "demo" room and I'm locked in there all by myself. :rolleyes:

Please don't think I'm pushing a Dr. Z on you, but here is just some more information. Take it and use it as you like.

When I decided to bite the bullet and order a "Z". Notice I had to order one without playing one first. Nearest dealer was 2 1/2 hours away. So, I took delivery of a brand new one. I don't use Reverb, btw, so I bought a NR combo which is around $1400 retail.

Anyway, I plugged in, set the knobs about where I thought they should be from prior experience with other amps, started to play and...my heart sunk! I seriously thought I'd made a huge mistake, and almost sent it back.

After talking with others I came to learn that these amps are not voiced like other amps, per se. They have their own characteristics and it can sometimes take a little longer to dial them in to your liking.

After a few nights, things started coming around and it didn't take too long to find what was pleasing to my ears. Except for the Master Volume, I rarely touch anything else - don't need too. I love the tone of the amp, running it "cleanish" with some slight breakup when pushed hard. My other tones come from my carefully selected pedals.

The 10" speakers are Dr. Z's own special blend and I happen to love them, so they are staying. But, the tubes...this is one case where I don't care for JJ's in the preamp section! Yep, I happen to use Svetlana's, and it makes a huge difference. I do run JJ EL84's though.

I'm not the only one that has discovered the tube issue. In fact, the Svetlana's were Dr. Z's own personal recommendation. There's a ton of helpful folks and information on the Z-Talk forums.

Btw, I was like you about spending so much on a piece of gear when I started looking at TA guitars. But now that I have one... :)

Ray K.

[dannopelli]

Tubes do make a difference in that amp. I use all Groove, andI put Chinese in the Maz 38 to warm it up a bit. And I switched to Russian 2's in the Maz 18 to tighten it a bit, but just in 1 and 2. The rest are all Groove C's.

Oh and Grove 6's for the power tubes on all my amps.

[kurt1981]

I hear you guys on the music store thing, I was trying a fuchs out today, and when I walked in the amp room, there was this older gentleman in there, just ripping some Larry Carlton type stuff on the very amp I wanted to try. After hearing him play, I was a bit dismayed, and he hands me his 335 and says, here, you check it out, I pretty much froze. I always enjoy being humbled, and there's a ton of incredible talent just lurking around Tucson, and I pretty much made a fool of myself. I just wish someday I was the guy that someone thought was playing some really cool stuff!
Kurt

[Ray K.]

Shaun,

This might be another one to add to your list. Let me say first that I've never played one. But, I just saw a Rivera Pubster 25 listed at Chris' Guitars web site. It's Mint and he's selling it for $599, plus shipping.

If you're not familiar with Chris, he's an upright guy and will treat you very well. I've bought from him, and know other's that speak highly of him also. If you are serious, the best way to reach him is by phone. He gets swamped and behind on his e-mails.

There are some tone samples on Rivera's web site. Of course, take them for what they're worth. But, the description of the amp sounds really nice and might possibly be right up your alley. That's for you to decide though, of course.

Ray K.

[Casper]

Thanks for looking out for me, Ray. I will look into it, Rivera is good stuff, I had a 5512 Combo back in the 90's and it was a great amp, I got rid of it on a whim and kick myself. Paul really stands behind his work too. My mind may be almost made up, but things have to fall in place first (story at 11):rolleyes: , but ya never know..
Thanks to you and everyone in this thread for the advice.
Shaun

PS> Talking to a friend and very accomplished guitarist yestrday while demoing amps, I was complaining about the choices/tones/gear we guitarists have to buy/try to get the whole "tone in your head thing"..he quipped
"When you figure it out..call me, we'll make a million";)

[crash]

I hear you guys on the music store thing, I was trying a fuchs out today, and when I walked in the amp room, there was this older gentleman in there, just ripping some Larry Carlton type stuff on the very amp I wanted to try. After hearing him play, I was a bit dismayed, and he hands me his 335 and says, here, you check it out, I pretty much froze. I always enjoy being humbled, and there's a ton of incredible talent just lurking around Tucson, and I pretty much made a fool of myself. I just wish someday I was the guy that someone thought was playing some really cool stuff!
Kurt

The problem here is that you didn't grab a big lemon Eegee on the way. (It's a Tucson thing...)
Last time I had that experience, it was some devotee of Randy Rhoads. I deliberately played blues stuff so as not to suffer too much by
comparison.

Thread-wise, the Z stuff is great, but I still haven't heard a 112 that I like better than the Lone Star Special.

[tunacaster]

Shaun, Dave Lennon plays a Z MAZ 18 1-12 V30 in our church band and uses the Xoctic pedals (RC,AC & BB) and gets fantastic tone with his Strat or Tele. It really sounds great. For the money, you can not beat the dollar vs build quality that Dr Z offers. Good Luck.

Tommy

[Janine Doubly]

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Dr. Z 112 combo amps. Either the MAZ 18 (more British/Voxy), MAZ 38 (Slightly more refined and punchy) or the Prescription ES 112 (with a Weber 12") will give you an incredible amp toen to build from. The RXES is especially cool for clean and overdrive. Even though it is a 40 watt amp, its "turn down" ability on clean stuff is the best Z makes. I personally use the RXES and usually have to run it on "1" when I play at my church, yet its tone is the best I have heard in a low volume situation. Even better than most lower wattage amps. AND the best thing about Z's are their ability to take pedals well. Very friendly.

[picnic]

Have you done any upgrades to the DRRI? I had a Weber Cali (2" cap) and JJ's in mine. Cheap upgrades $125 or so. They made the DRRI" really come alive.

There's an Mesa LSS on TGP right now for a great price IMO. I don't know the seller. I had an LSS a few years ago and have been jonesing for one again. Real versatile amp.

Bogner Duende It will set you back a big chunk, but I know FOGG is loving his

[mullenski]

Can't say enough good things about the Budda Superdrive 18. Two channels and covers a ton of territory. Light and loud. Loves pedals. Lots of eq options with a bright switch and vintage or "modern" mid voicing.

[Casper]

Haven't done the mod, am probably going to sell it and get something else, just have sooo many choices and some demoing to do. theres a red Bogner combo for sale on Andy Alley that I may look into (probably way out of my price range though) , trouble is, I have drive 2 hours to demo one and some of the Rivera stuff I am interested in
Am going to put the trusty ol Classic 30 Peavey back on the road for awhile.
The DRRI is a great amp for someone else, I also feel like it is being under utilized for me and my gig..
Just need time to sit with my tech at the music store and demo some things.
thanks for the tips everybody, will advise on what's shakin soon..
Shaun

[Tremendo]

I know I'm a little late, but I also was looking for a new 1x12 a couple months ago. I have a 1989 Mesa Boogie Mark III Simulclass. I recently did a big gig in LA with an EL34 amp, and I was able to pull back on my volume control and get really neat sounds while the amp was in overdrive. That was the main thing I wanted that my Mark III can't do well, it doesn't seem voiced for it.

I tried the Maz18 and MAZ38, and loved the tone. Slightly broken, but warm and full with nice bite. I almost bought one out of pure love for the tone. However, that amp wouldn't fullfill my needs. I'm not big on pedals, and have used only tube amp distortion for 18 years now. I needed something that could go high gain and that I could crank out a bit more harder rock.

I tried Matchless, as well, and a couple months ago ended up getting a Lonestar Special 1x12 with the EL84's. I love the warm/low clean and the overdrive of the EL84's when cranked up and the LSS seemed to be the right package for me.

When I got home to compare it with the Mark III, I realized it was better suited for my needs, but I wanted it fuller. So I now use it with my Marshall 1960AHW cabinet (Reissue G30's that rock). It's an 8 ohm output on the amp, but a 16 ohm cabinet. It won't cause any problems (according to Mesa) and might not be "optimized", but the tone absolutely rocks for me. I mic it that way as well, it's a better sound overall.

[spitalny]

Before you give up on your Deluxe Reverb I'd like to recommend you try a different speaker. I have an old Princeton Reverb that I thought never really sounded great. Then I got a new speaker. Holy Cow - what an amazing difference in tone and volume! So, for $100 (for the speaker) I got an amplifier that now sounds outstanding, and is quite a bit louder too!

The Fender DRRI has a so-so speaker. If you replace it with a better speaker you'd be amazed, and might not have to fork out the $$ (and the time spent) in getting a new amplifier.ALso, you can probably double your volume if you get a highly efficient speaker. A 22W amp using a speaker with 103dB sensitivy is quite like a 44W amplifier with a speaker that has 100dB sensitivty!

I have tried the follwing speakers in my PR with great success:

1) Weber 12F150
2) Weber 12F150b (a little more mids than "A" and more volume)
3) Eminence Red Fang (a very efficient speaker. So, it's like getting a 40W deluxe Reverb!)

Also, if you tend to use the reverb channel of the amp: Look into geting areally good preamp tube for position 1 in the reverb channel of the amp. I did this with my Princeton and it made a huge difference!

What I have learned is that many amps would not be sold or traded away by their owners if they had first tried a new speaker for better tone (and possible more volume if the speaker is more efficient) and a new preamp tube. Not to mention outpu ttubes, but a single preamp tube is a good (and relatively inexpensive) way to start. The first tube in the signal chain has a high influence on yourtone!


Best of luck!

BTW, I play a TA classic (Va's) and TA Cobra (three M's).

Paul

[bud]

I really like my swart atomic space tone. Super simple one channel, turn it on and go. Gets loud enough for use in sencible combo setting.A little pricey,but a legitamate amp with character.

Missed your post and just found out about these today. Congrats on having an amazing sounding amp. Greg V demoing the amp doesn't hurt their sales effort. (http://swartamps.com/sounds-AST_greg_v.htm)

We are living in one of the golden ages of guitar amps.

[enr1co]

Hi Dave,

Ive a minty Bogner Shiva 1x12 w/ reverb in the FS section- its not exactly light but does fit in the versatile category :) Cant personally testify for road worthiness as this one has been a bedroom princess for the bedroom player:p but Im certain others may be able to speak to this quality first hand.
http://andersonforum.com/board/showthread.php?t=4193

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