More Amp Demos...Stratalicious! (Page 1 of 3)

Thanks SOFTMC, yep I am very blessed to have been lucky enough to play and own some great amps.  I am not a big fan of buying 5 of the same kind of amp unless of course you are a touring pro that needs backups or travel.  Every one of my amp fills a certain niche that works with certain guitars, pickups, pedals, styles etc.  They are not for everyone, but I really stand behind Dr. Z amps.  PTP, built in the USA boutique amps at a reasonable price.  I am looking to fill a few more niches in the future.  Next on the list is a vintage style Marshall amp (JTM45, 1987, or Superlead), Tweed Fender combo amp, and something really high gain like a Soldano SLO or something.  Anyways, thanks for the compliments!

     -Justin

Thanks Dave, yes it's wayyyyy brighter then a Les Paul into a Marshall that's for sure.  It's all about being able to cover the tone spectrum.  I definately know what you meen though...I have a love/hate relationship with my Strat.  It plays like a dream, sounds uber articulate and very bright and spanky.  For rhythm guitar and clean leads it's perfect.  However, I am constantly battling with the bridge pickup to give me the lead sounds I want.  I wonder if there's a bridge pickup out there that can give me almost a Les Paul tone from the bridge and keep all of the other settings as is...anyways yes I will keep shooting more vids until someone tells me enough is enough .
I appreciate all the positive feedback from this forum!  I think next I want to try the SG or LP out and do some slide.  I've yet to do a Hiwatt demo as well.

I hear you Ken, I dunno I guess I'm a tone perfectionist.  I can get some good usable lead tones with the bridge pickup on my Strat just not that Cliffs of Dover thing that I love so much.  The Dr. Z is not the right amp for that sound anyway.  I would pretty much need a dedicated amp for that sound.  I enjoy using my Fulldrive II for all my "other" amps just because it's such a versitle pedal and I don't like changing pedals on/off my main board.  I can definately get some Brad Paisely type stuff with a Tele or Strat with the Dr.Z and Fulldrive II .  Too bad I can't play like him!  Thanks Ken for the compliments, if I had a few clams in there it was because I just woke up like 15 minutes prior to making that video...

Hmm I hear that a lot about the Reverb vs. Non Reverb models... I haven't owned both so I could not compare.  I have heard that the NR models have more gain on tap and are a little more aggressive.  I think the Reverb on my Maz is about the best I've ever heard and that's including tank units.  I'm a reverb whore so it's really tough for me to get into a super dry sound.  A few amps pass the no reverb test and a Z is certainly one of 'em.  I agree with you Steve 100% about the value of a Dr. Z.  A few years ago they had a near mint Z-28 4x10 at Guitar Center used for $1299.  I was a poor college kid at the time making just over minimum wage and thought that was crazy money for an amp with 3 knobs.  Then I plugged a '62 Reissue Strat into it and it was the "Texas Flood/El Macombo" sound.  Wish I had the money at the time...that's a pretty rare amp among Z's.  Cool to meet another Z user on this forum, thanks for the comments and keep rock'n.

       -Justin

The Maz 18, while not a bad choice, is pretty similar to a Vox at times.  Since you already have a Vox maybe a different type of Dr.Z or other amp would suit it better.  My Maz 18 likes my Strat more than my Les Paul though I can get some good tones out of it.  Some amps that come to mind at a price point and wattage level include:  an 18 watt Marshall or clone (plenty of people offer these pretty cheaply), a Dr. Z Z-28 (6v6s for more of a smooth American tone), '65 Fender Princeton reissue (again American and smooth, best sounding RI Fender so far), Fargen Mini Plex (plexi Marshall fuzziness and roar in a small package conservatively rated at 12 watts), etc.  If the Vox is brighter and has nice upper midrange chime then you just need something round and warm to fill in the low end and lower mids.  If you would like I could make a clip of the Z with a Les Paul and try to set it up to your liking?  Just let me know!

          -Justin

If the 10'' speaker is scaring you away might I recommend a Blues Jr. with a 1x12 ?  I owned one for years and it was/is one of my favorite Fenders.  Don't worry about the tubes, it's more about how the circuit and tubes interact.  I mean, a Mesa Triple Recto and Twin Reverb have 6L6's but sound completely different.  Back to the Blues Jr., it is a LOUD 15 watts, affordable, available in different tolex (I think the tweed ones look SWEET), and have a nice reverb.  The kicker with that amp for what you are looking for is the included "FAT" switch.  That switch really warms the whole amp up and adds this smooth but subtle overdrive.  It loves Strats and Pauls equally well too.  This might sound crazy too, I'll add another amp to the mix.  Check out a Mesa DC-3 if you can.  It's VERY smooth and almost too warm and thick.  By itself it's a little mushy and loose sounding but with that brighter/punchier/chimey Vox I think that would be an interesting mixture.  So many neat little combos out there, you just have to know what and where to look...okay as soon as the house clears out I'll do a Les Paul demo of the Maz.

      -Justin

Yessir I'm quite familiar with the AST amps.  They sound incredible, like a souped up small Fender combo.  I also think it's neat how the controls are on the back kind of like the old Gibson amps.  I hear that the reverb and trem are insane on those puppies.  They definately cost a whole lot more than the amps I mentioned but if you have the dough it's a tone monster for sure.  I also checked out some Valve Train amps that are bascially modern repros of the old Tweed stuff...amazing!  So many fantastic amps out there, so little time/money!

Thanks for the suggestion Steve E.  What about the Jetter gives the violin tone?  Does it sound more like a distortion, overdrive, tubescreamer, fuzz, etc?  I would really like to get that sound with my Strat!