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Post by LM on Aug 30, 2020 19:47:47 GMT -5
I've had this amp for several months now and it has never disappointed. The controls are incredibly versatile. Turn up the treble and bass while turning down the mids and it will produce a Fender 65/HRDX impersonation. Turn down the treble and bass while turning up the mids and you'll get Vox AC30 tones.
Our sound guy is also a guitar player and he told me I've never had a bad tone day since I got this amp.
The only thing about it I would change is the reverb. It goes into surf territory very quickly, which is unusable to me.
I could send my chassis to DR Z in Cleveland and, for $350, get the MK II upgrade. It's supposed to smooth the reverb and make the amp more quiet, but some complain it kills the 'it' factor of this amp. Still debating... Unless this thing explodes, I've found the amp for the rest of my life.
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pdf64
Wholenote
Posts: 556
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Post by pdf64 on Aug 31, 2020 9:25:09 GMT -5
Nice looking circuit, a tweed bassman ish preamp into a blackface type reverb and then a Vox ish power amp. To tame the reverb, it may be as simple as replacing the pot; it’s probably a linear taper, same as a Fender, so changing it to an audio taper type (of the same value) is all that’s needed to sort out that hair trigger effect as it’s turned up. DrZ puts together great amps, but for some unknown reason uses a hot switching standby, which puts enormous stress on the rectifier tube (if used) when it’s flipped into operate mode. To avoid a lightning storm happening inside the rectifier tube, just don’t use standby mode, ever. The tube rectifier provides a lovely slow smooth ramp up of the HT voltage, all by itself.
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Post by LM on Aug 31, 2020 9:39:51 GMT -5
Interesting info! Thanks!
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Aug 31, 2020 9:56:18 GMT -5
I had the head version of this amp, in red too. Yeah, reverb was it's weak point but really, it'd take an effort to get crappy sound out of this amp.
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Post by Stinger22 on Aug 31, 2020 12:18:53 GMT -5
Unless this thing explodes, I've found the amp for the rest of my life. How many times have I heard that HA!
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Post by LM on Sept 1, 2020 20:44:11 GMT -5
Here's video the Doc made about his standby switches.
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Post by LM on Sept 1, 2020 20:44:44 GMT -5
How many times have I heard that HA! At 60, I can say that with more confidence.
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pdf64
Wholenote
Posts: 556
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Post by pdf64 on Sept 2, 2020 13:23:02 GMT -5
Here's video the Doc made about his standby switches.
I don't think much of that video, it seems a wasted opportunity for a respected builder to provide some fact and clarity on the topic. Unfortunately he waffles around the subject, correctly says standby isn't actually necessary, but then closes off by making veiled but unspecified reference to longevity and even safety benefits that using standby provides!? Seems like he wants it both ways, and the suggestion that standby makes an amp safer for the user seems bizarre, completely unfounded From his blog page that he makes reference to, he states - As I mentioned in a previous post, in the various archives of tube technical literature now easily available on the internet, eg www.tubebooks.org/technical_books_online.htm there is no reference to the above. The concept that The immediate surge of high voltage on a tube isn’t the best for its long-term life would therefore seem to be unsubstantiated nonsense, a total invention. An excellent reference book on tube failure modes, and how to mitigate them, is ' Getting The Most Out Of Vacuum Tubes' by Robert Tomer Notable by its absence is any mention of standby, ie any benefit that may accrue from a delayed application of high voltage to a tube; we may find that to be significant, ie perhaps there is none No credible sources are ever cited to justify standby; we may take from that they don't exist. Again, other than other guitar guys repeating the standby myth, there's nothing to support that this is of benefit, anywhere. Fine, but there's no benefit over just turning off the amp at its regular power switch, then turning it back on after making the adjustment, as you would for any other item of electrical equipment. See above. I can't argue with the advice to not use the standby switch but I query the suggestion that having charged caps in the amp is hazardous to the user. The only person that would be hazardous to is a tech working inside the amp chassis but a competent tech, as part of good workshop practice, would have dealt with that and discharged the caps. Also he gets himself into a muddle on the video, and wrongly states that the 5Y3 rectifier is indirectly heated, thereby providing a slow application of HT voltage; he then uses this to justify why traditionally, smaller amps that use a 5Y3 don't have standby. This is incorrect, the 5Y3 is directly heated (ie the heater IS the cathode), he may be thinking of the GZ34 (aka 5AR4), which is indirectly heated, ie the same as the regular signal tubes in an amp. But GZ34 are often used in bigger amps that have standby, so the relationship that he draws between indirectly heated rectifiers and amps not having standby does not stand up. A standard 5Y3 takes about 10-15 seconds to ramp up and reach the full HT voltage; that also applies to most other rectifier types we're used to, such as the 5U4, 5R4 and 5V4. Whereas the GZ34 takes about 45 seconds to do that. With solid state rectification, it's virtually instantaneous. If amps with indirectly heated rectifier tube don't benefit from standby, why do Dr Z amps that have such rectifiers have a standby switch? tubedata.altanatubes.com.br/sheets/155/5/5Y3GT.pdftubedata.altanatubes.com.br/sheets/010/g/GZ34.pdfThe suggestion that use of standby avoids damaging surge currents, when the standby arrangement Dr Z amps use has been a 'hot switching' type which (as I describe in my previous post) actually creates surge current that will almost certainly be above the limiting value permitted for tube rectifiers, seems bizarre. Apologies to LM for the thread hijack, none of the above should be taken to detract in any way from his new, forever amp
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Post by rdr on Sept 2, 2020 13:56:26 GMT -5
Interesting topic.
I have a Marshall Origin 50. No standby switch. SS rectifier. But it does have a low/mid/high power switch.
I've asked Marshall if I should turn off the power before switching levels. Will report their answer.
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Post by Leftee on Sept 2, 2020 13:59:32 GMT -5
Interesting topic. I have a Marshall Origin 50. No standby switch. SS rectifier. But it does have a low/mid/high power switch. I've asked Marshall if I should turn off the power before switching levels. Will report their answer. I like to. You get a pretty significant pop if you don’t.
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Post by LM on Sept 2, 2020 19:16:35 GMT -5
I don't think much of that video, it seems a wasted opportunity for a respected builder to provide some fact and clarity on the topic. Unfortunately he waffles around the subject, correctly says standby isn't actually necessary, but then closes off by making veiled but unspecified reference to longevity and even safety benefits that using standby provides!? I appreciate that he's an honest Joe who doesn't try to come across as some kinda Svengali. I take it from the video that he recognizes there is controversy surrounding the standby switch and doesn't try to force an opinion for either side.
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Post by rdr on Sept 3, 2020 9:21:19 GMT -5
Interesting topic. I have a Marshall Origin 50. No standby switch. SS rectifier. But it does have a low/mid/high power switch. I've asked Marshall if I should turn off the power before switching levels. Will report their answer. Marshall reports that it is not necessary to cut the power before switching. But I think I will anyhoo. I have emailed Marshall twice now and they answer right away.
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Post by Leftee on Sept 3, 2020 10:03:56 GMT -5
Interesting topic. I have a Marshall Origin 50. No standby switch. SS rectifier. But it does have a low/mid/high power switch. I've asked Marshall if I should turn off the power before switching levels. Will report their answer. Marshall reports that it is not necessary to cut the power before switching. But I think I will anyhoo. I have emailed Marshall twice now and they answer right away. I just don’t like the “pop.” That’s me. I settle on a power level and leave it, any ways. I like “Mid.”
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Post by archiestone on Sept 3, 2020 13:51:32 GMT -5
Curious: What's that beast weigh?
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Post by LM on Sept 3, 2020 14:05:17 GMT -5
Curious: What's that beast weigh? With the 1x12, I'm guessing 40-50 lbs.
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Post by pcalu on Sept 6, 2020 13:29:18 GMT -5
I've played amps with standbys all my life.
My amp SOP (standard operating procedure) Power on, wait... count to 10 flip the standby to on.
When gigging ,,, set is over, flip the standby to off. When powering down, flip the standby to off, count to 10, flip the power off.
Decades of this routine with few amp issues.
I've read by many experts an amp doesn't need a standby switch. Yea get it... my amp SOP is based off of Quasi electrical voodoo, but what can it hurt? Seems to me, if there is any effect that a standby has on an amp, it will be positive rather than negative.
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Post by LM on Sept 6, 2020 16:42:20 GMT -5
My amp SOP (standard operating procedure) Power on, wait... count to 10 flip the standby to on. When gigging ,,, set is over, flip the standby to off. When powering down, flip the standby to off, count to 10, flip the power off. Ditto!
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Post by Leftee on Sept 6, 2020 17:00:12 GMT -5
RE: Older Marshall tube amps. At the end of the last song lean the guitar against the speaker cab and let it feed back. Shut off the power switch but leave standby on. The sound fades down and the back up again.
Better than a mic drop.
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pdf64
Wholenote
Posts: 556
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Post by pdf64 on Sept 7, 2020 7:25:39 GMT -5
...what can it hurt? Seems to me, if there is any effect that a standby has on an amp, it will be positive rather than negative. As mentioned above, in the case of a tube rectified amp that have a hot switching standby (as with the DrZ amps I’ve seen) the effect of using it would be almost entirely detrimental to the operational life of its tubes and some other components. As it creates very high surge current when it’s flipped to ‘operate’ mode, much higher currents than could ever occur otherwise in normal use, analogous really to momentary short. If standby is not used, then current levels up there never occur, other than in the case of a failure, eg power tube short etc. That’s why amps with standby and a HT fuse must have a slow blow / antisurge HT fuse type. Whereas with a tube rectifier and no / unused standby, regular quick / fast blow (of the same current rating) manage fine.
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Post by Leftee on Sept 7, 2020 8:39:06 GMT -5
The old story was the standby switch prevent cathode stripping. At the typical operating voltages of guitar amps, that’s not an issue any ways.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Sept 7, 2020 11:01:02 GMT -5
Aug 2020: "amp is the only one I'll ever need!"
Oct 2020: "Honeymoon is over and I still love this amp!"
Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb/March: *crickets*
June 2021: "Ultimately I just couldn't bond with this amp"
🤣
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Post by Pinetree on Sept 7, 2020 11:56:28 GMT -5
Last I counted I had 9 amps.
Bought the MAZ18NR specifically for my B-Bender Nashville Tele, and it's perfect for that style of music.
But it's no Marshall.
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Post by LM on Sept 7, 2020 13:27:46 GMT -5
I can get a good Marshall facsimile with the right amp settings and my pedals.
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Post by Pinetree on Sept 7, 2020 13:34:15 GMT -5
I can get a good Marshall facsimile with my Marshall.
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Post by LM on Sept 7, 2020 18:46:08 GMT -5
I don't own one. In fact, I've never owned a Marshall. There's no particular reason.
Love, Forrest Gump
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Post by Pinetree on Sept 7, 2020 19:02:37 GMT -5
Still have the Chubster?
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Post by LM on Sept 7, 2020 20:26:56 GMT -5
I sold it to my SIL. I wanted a single channel amp with less knobs, thus the Maz 18.
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Post by Pinetree on Sept 8, 2020 11:17:08 GMT -5
Bought a Katana today.
So it's an even ten now.
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Post by LM on Sept 8, 2020 11:34:04 GMT -5
Which model? I have the original 50. It's a good practice amp for the money but I wish I would've got the 100.
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Post by Pinetree on Sept 8, 2020 11:43:01 GMT -5
Got the Artist (100w) and the GA-FC foot switch for $375 on Craigslist.
It's nearly mint.
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