| Dr Z. Amplifiers |
Last updated 02 APR 2008
| "... if I could only have one amp for the remainder of my playing days, it would be a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia" Myles S Rose - Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting |
The good doctor started his amp line about the time that Mark Sampson started the original Matchless, in the late 1980s.
Dr. Z amps are a bit hard to figure for me. They are priced like many high production amps, yet use the highest grade components, are hand wired, are superbly
engineered and designed with unique circuit designs, use turret board construction, aluminium chassis, and very high end transformers. It is hard to figure how to build
amps of this quality with designs all his own.
I cannot figure out how he does it, or why his prices are not a lot more than they are.
His cabinet and tolex work are some of the best examples in the business, regardless of cost. Just one more aspect of the quality in these amps.
Dr. Z amps are a bit hard to figure for me. They are priced like many high production amps, yet use the highest grade components, are hand wired, are superbly
engineered and designed with unique circuit designs, use turret board construction, aluminium chassis, and very high end transformers. It is hard to figure how to build
amps of this quality with designs all his own.
I cannot figure out how he does it, or why his prices are not a lot more than they are.
His cabinet and tolex work are some of the best examples in the business, regardless of cost. Just one more aspect of the quality in these amps.
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| For a review that I submitted to Harmony Central on the MAZ Senior on 9/15 in PDF format CLICK HERE. |
| To see a very nice review on the Z-28 and the Mazerati amps from the March 2004 issue of Guitar Player Magazine, CLICK HERE |
Click on the Dr. Z logo
above to go directly to
the actual Dr. Z
Amplification website
above to go directly to
the actual Dr. Z
Amplification website
| Click on the little thumbnail below for a cool Z article posted via Lefty on the Z forum - by Musician's Gear Hotline |
| To see a review on the Z-28 from Guitar Magazine UK May 2004 CLICK HERE |
| Click on the above picture for a bigger image - some of Brad Paisley's rig. Much more detail if you click the Prescription / Brad Paisley button to the left. |
| The inside of some of the Z amps. Pretty darn impressive. Great components, turret board and secured components. This will be an amp passed down to your grand kids. |
| Above - Got Stingray? Chad Weaver (Brad Paisley) with a few of Brad's backline of Stingrays amps. |
Usually the sound clips are the last thing to make the website. This time, we're doing it all in reverse. Brad Paisley has been in discussions with us about
the creation of a new amp, and Brad and crew stopped by the other day to put the final tweaks and finishing touches to the amp. The amp is based on the
Prescription, but with a new vibe. The amp has been described as a cross between an AC-30 and a Dumble. Brad mic'd it up right there in the
workshop and gave everyone a chance to hear it "at birth." The new amp will be dubbed the "Prescription Extra Strength" and Brad is already
touring with it, and yours will be available soon. (This was written early 2005 if I remember correctly).
So... rather than making you wait for final specs and pictures and other people to review it, why not listen to the MP3 of Brad's workshop sound check right
now! Click Here to hear the MP3, or right click it and select "Save Target As..." to download it to your computer.
the creation of a new amp, and Brad and crew stopped by the other day to put the final tweaks and finishing touches to the amp. The amp is based on the
Prescription, but with a new vibe. The amp has been described as a cross between an AC-30 and a Dumble. Brad mic'd it up right there in the
workshop and gave everyone a chance to hear it "at birth." The new amp will be dubbed the "Prescription Extra Strength" and Brad is already
touring with it, and yours will be available soon. (This was written early 2005 if I remember correctly).
So... rather than making you wait for final specs and pictures and other people to review it, why not listen to the MP3 of Brad's workshop sound check right
now! Click Here to hear the MP3, or right click it and select "Save Target As..." to download it to your computer.
| In the center of this group of Z amps is the SRZ-65. I will not be saying too much about this amp as it is quite straight forward and easy to understand by any player that has ever played a great Marshall. Think of a classic 2204 JCM 800 that has been tweeked a bit by somebody like Caesar Diaz and you come close to the idea. This amp is biased at 37mA with a set of E34LS #7s. Preamp tubes are still being played with at the moment. So far we have put the amp up against a Diaz Marshall, my own Marshalls, a Komet and a Dr. Z 6545. The SRZ-65 is more aggressive by a bit than the 6545. The master (volume) is smoother than the other Marshalls and the amp is very quiet. It is a simple amp to understand: If you are a fan of classic Marshall tones this is the amp for you. |
Right - Brad Paisley 2/6/06 working what might be
Dr. Z Stingray #4 of his current rig. In the far right is
one of the coolest aspects though ... even with his
cool guitars and amps kept in mind, and his talent
too, he has those great Tony Lama boots! I think I'd
rather have an endorsement from them than from
most amp makers!
Dr. Z Stingray #4 of his current rig. In the far right is
one of the coolest aspects though ... even with his
cool guitars and amps kept in mind, and his talent
too, he has those great Tony Lama boots! I think I'd
rather have an endorsement from them than from
most amp makers!
| Old advertisement - don't try this phone number! |
| If you click on the icon on the left, you will download a 15mb movie (poorly taken by me ... sorry) that is about a minute in length. This is Brad Paisley attempting to give a guitar lesson to Sam Austin over at GT on 2/6/06. Sam is the head of the Pro Audio division at GT but is really a guitar player at heart. Sam is playing Brad's Telecaster here and Brad is playing one of Aspen Pittman's old vintage Teles. Listen to the difference in tone between the two guitars and amps. Brad is playing through the Stingray. |
| The left two amp photos are of Brad Paisley's earlier rig. Some more current pictures are on three first page of this website |
| Brad Paisley continues to offer the crowds more "Z Tone" per concert ticket than any show on the road. Brad is currently touring with Brooks and Dunn, and between Brad's "Amp Sled" with four Dr. Z amps and rhythm guitarist Gary Hooker's Z-28 Stereo Rig, it's as many Z's as we've ever seen on one stage. |
| Brad Paisley and his new Prescription "ES" (Extra Strength). This amp was seen 7/14/04 on CBS for the network Nashville concert special. Click on the photos above for a larger picture. |
| Click on the thumbnail above for a short little video clip (yes... another of my lack of talent behind the camera) of Carl Verheyen when we were A/B-ing his Plexi Marshall to the SRZ-65 |
| My son Jack (15) with Buddy Whittington trying to get a few pointers. Bigger photo by clicking the left photo. Click on the right photo for a little video clip of about a minute (about 15mB to download) of Buddy playing through the Carmen Ghia and Z-Best Cab. We also had Buddy's red Maz 38 that was tweeked a bit and retubed. |
| This is Carl Verheyen on 3/10/06 testing the SRZ-65. We had been looking for a replacement for his plexi Marshalls which were getting to be too valuable for road work and the SRZ-65 nailed it. He we were comparing the best of his 50 watt Plexis in a direct A/B comparison using the THD 4x12 in split mode (the cab does stereo or mono). GREAT cab by the way! On the right thumbnail is another of my crummy little movies (and I had no lights so it is a bit worse) but may be a bit of fun. Carl used his 56 Strat and a Korina flying V. Both were quite amazing with the SRZ-65. With the volume all the way up (so it was effectively a non-master amp) we duplicated the tone of the Marshall. The tone controls and presence were MUCH more effective than the Plexi and the master volume was just more icing on the cake. The amp stacked harmonics at least 2 -3 levels deeper than the Marshall JTM-50. Output tube compliment was the same in both amps. |
| Not to be outdone, Tony King and Lou Toomey with Brooks and Dunn have started using Dr. Z amps on this tour as well. Tony is using a Z-28 combo and Lou is using a KT-45. Once considered "just a rock amp," the Dr. Z lineup is finding its way onto the top Country stages everywhere. Rumor has it that Vince Gill is now touring with two MAZ-38 Seniors. |
| This Dr. Z cabinet was put into service for this particular performance ... the good Doctor may make great amps that folks know about, but don't forget about his cabinets. Robbin Ford here using a 2x12 Ported Z-Best Cabinet. |
| Audley Freed, guitarist for the Black Crowes has added a KT-45 to his tone arsenal... He picked out his amp at Fat Sound Guitars (thanks to Stu for the photo) |
| Brad Paisley 5/19/06 Santa Barbara concert - Thanks to Sam Austin for all the 5/19/06 concert pix |
| Chad Weaver - Getting ready for 5/19/06 Brad Paisley concert |
| Gary Hooker and Brad Paisley 5/19/06 |
| For a list of MANY detailed user reviews on all Doctor Z amps and products CLICK HERE |
Dr. Z Air Brake - Test 5/14/03 @ Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting
Just a quick bit of info on the Dr. Z Air Brake.
I am in the process of playing with one of these units.
They retail for $275.00 ... I am not sure what the street price is, but at $275.00 if you rip one open and look
inside, there is at least one $19.00 piece (the rheostat), which when you look at standard BOM (bill of materials
cost to retail cost) would be a VERY pricy part to use ... yet, Dr. Z choose to do this.
The chassis, box, powder coat, and the rest is right up to Dr. Z very high standards.
What I like about this unit ....
It is simple. It does what it is intended or advertised to do. It is well thought out. The feet are big enough that it
sits nicely over a amp handle. The commectors are first rate.
Simply, this unit allows you to make an amp that is too loud for many places, more quiet. No fancy EQ or
emulation, or other factors, just take care some of those things with your amps EQ.
At maximum attenuation levels, sure, there is a change in tone a bit. There is no way around this, even with the
most sophisticated units on the planet. A speaker will sound different when pushed hard versus pushed softly.
The Air Brake is sonically very transparent, and may be just the ticket for a lot of folks that get yelled at in
apartments, or in "houses with spouses".
In a smaller venue live, where it can be a bit sparse on crowd at the start of an evening, with few folks around,
just turn this up (the level down). As the room fills up and the background level increases, just reduce the level
of attenuation without changing your amp's settings. Because the unit sits so nicely on the amp or head, and
has such easy controls, this is as easy as changing the volume on your amp, actually easier, as the main level
control has detents.
You can set the levels of attenuation of the detent control by simple adjustments inside the unit. This is pretty
cool, as you can set it to drop in steps to your personal taste.
The unit works great with 4-8-16 ohm cabs. There is no selector, or need for one. It worked just as nicely with
all cabs, even the same cabs wired with the same drivers for 4 ohms and then 16 ohms.
All in all, a very cool unit, that is really nicely made, but even more important, a piece of cake to use.
I tested this with a GT S-45, and a Marshall 1959 super lead. In both cases, it worked really nicely.
I don't know how hard these are to get, or how easy, but if you want a great "tool" that will work with most folks
amp inventory, or even single amp, this is worth looking into.
You can find out more on the Dr. Z website at http://www.drzamps.com/airbrake.html
Just a quick bit of info on the Dr. Z Air Brake.
I am in the process of playing with one of these units.
They retail for $275.00 ... I am not sure what the street price is, but at $275.00 if you rip one open and look
inside, there is at least one $19.00 piece (the rheostat), which when you look at standard BOM (bill of materials
cost to retail cost) would be a VERY pricy part to use ... yet, Dr. Z choose to do this.
The chassis, box, powder coat, and the rest is right up to Dr. Z very high standards.
What I like about this unit ....
It is simple. It does what it is intended or advertised to do. It is well thought out. The feet are big enough that it
sits nicely over a amp handle. The commectors are first rate.
Simply, this unit allows you to make an amp that is too loud for many places, more quiet. No fancy EQ or
emulation, or other factors, just take care some of those things with your amps EQ.
At maximum attenuation levels, sure, there is a change in tone a bit. There is no way around this, even with the
most sophisticated units on the planet. A speaker will sound different when pushed hard versus pushed softly.
The Air Brake is sonically very transparent, and may be just the ticket for a lot of folks that get yelled at in
apartments, or in "houses with spouses".
In a smaller venue live, where it can be a bit sparse on crowd at the start of an evening, with few folks around,
just turn this up (the level down). As the room fills up and the background level increases, just reduce the level
of attenuation without changing your amp's settings. Because the unit sits so nicely on the amp or head, and
has such easy controls, this is as easy as changing the volume on your amp, actually easier, as the main level
control has detents.
You can set the levels of attenuation of the detent control by simple adjustments inside the unit. This is pretty
cool, as you can set it to drop in steps to your personal taste.
The unit works great with 4-8-16 ohm cabs. There is no selector, or need for one. It worked just as nicely with
all cabs, even the same cabs wired with the same drivers for 4 ohms and then 16 ohms.
All in all, a very cool unit, that is really nicely made, but even more important, a piece of cake to use.
I tested this with a GT S-45, and a Marshall 1959 super lead. In both cases, it worked really nicely.
I don't know how hard these are to get, or how easy, but if you want a great "tool" that will work with most folks
amp inventory, or even single amp, this is worth looking into.
You can find out more on the Dr. Z website at http://www.drzamps.com/airbrake.html
| Z Air Brake - Very low cost, yet does what similar devices do at much higher cost. Simple to use, effective, co-designed and developed with one of the world's foremost amp builders. Smaller than many other units on the market too. Click photo for a larger picture. |
Dr Z amps and pedal use - from a question in the Guitar Forum at www.musicplayer.com
Originally posted by flagshipmile:
Please look at my question regarding overdrive pedals. You mentioned when we talked that one time, about how Dr. Z is very
conducive to using an overdrive pedal to get more distortion if need be. I am assuming the same is true with the VOX cuz it is
class A. I want it for certain songs (for solos of course). I love the natural tone of it, I played through it loud, but I get embarrassed
doing that in a store so I didn't want to go 'too sick' with it. I really just want something to give it a tiny edge. Nothing too
substantial. It already has a great crunch. I don't want it to sound synthetic or overly compressed. I don't want it to destroy the
complexity of tone that the VOX has.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My reply:
The Z amps with pedals has nothing to do with Class A. In fact, it is his class A/B amps that are the finest amps with pedals.
The Dr. Z Z-28, Route 66, KT-45, and Delta 88 use and EF86 (6267) pentode in the first (and only) gain/tone stage. Most other
amps use a dual triode such as a 12AX7. When the first gain stage in implemented in any amp if it is already set up for gain at
certail levels in the circuit it is more easily squashed and compressed by pedals with high output.
The Z pentode based amps use this pentode for high current output and not high gain. These amps can take very high input
levels. They are the most effective amps at dealing with pedals that I have ever seen.
The Vox is a what I think is a generally average amp in it's nature with overdrive pedals. I put it in the same slot as a typical
Fender amp which is a bit more pedal accurate (keeping the true tone of the pedal). The Fender (and Vox) do this a bit better
than a Marshall JCM800, which does things a bit better than a JCM 900 which is better by far than a JCM 2000 or Mesa Recto as
an example.
But are these better than one another? Not really ... it is subjective. They are different. Some folks love the combination of a totally
compressed and buzzed out front end. If you play a bit sloppy it will sure help cover your mistakes! With enough gain and
overdrive the fundamental of the note is so buried that it does not even matter that much what note you even play at times!
So, it all boils down to personal preference. The Z amps will give you the most accurate pedal tone that was built into the pedal
and make the pedals range and controls the most effective.
The amp that is not a pentode front end amp that excelled at pedals was the GT Soul-O 45. It was specifically designed for pedal
use.
NOTE .... just because an amp has an EF86 in the front end will NOT assure it being pedal friendly. Just about every EF86
equipped amp I have seen implement the EF86 for very high gain rather than current drive. The Z amps get their gain in other
ways. It is not just the tube, it is how the amp is designed around the tube.
Originally posted by flagshipmile:
Please look at my question regarding overdrive pedals. You mentioned when we talked that one time, about how Dr. Z is very
conducive to using an overdrive pedal to get more distortion if need be. I am assuming the same is true with the VOX cuz it is
class A. I want it for certain songs (for solos of course). I love the natural tone of it, I played through it loud, but I get embarrassed
doing that in a store so I didn't want to go 'too sick' with it. I really just want something to give it a tiny edge. Nothing too
substantial. It already has a great crunch. I don't want it to sound synthetic or overly compressed. I don't want it to destroy the
complexity of tone that the VOX has.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My reply:
The Z amps with pedals has nothing to do with Class A. In fact, it is his class A/B amps that are the finest amps with pedals.
The Dr. Z Z-28, Route 66, KT-45, and Delta 88 use and EF86 (6267) pentode in the first (and only) gain/tone stage. Most other
amps use a dual triode such as a 12AX7. When the first gain stage in implemented in any amp if it is already set up for gain at
certail levels in the circuit it is more easily squashed and compressed by pedals with high output.
The Z pentode based amps use this pentode for high current output and not high gain. These amps can take very high input
levels. They are the most effective amps at dealing with pedals that I have ever seen.
The Vox is a what I think is a generally average amp in it's nature with overdrive pedals. I put it in the same slot as a typical
Fender amp which is a bit more pedal accurate (keeping the true tone of the pedal). The Fender (and Vox) do this a bit better
than a Marshall JCM800, which does things a bit better than a JCM 900 which is better by far than a JCM 2000 or Mesa Recto as
an example.
But are these better than one another? Not really ... it is subjective. They are different. Some folks love the combination of a totally
compressed and buzzed out front end. If you play a bit sloppy it will sure help cover your mistakes! With enough gain and
overdrive the fundamental of the note is so buried that it does not even matter that much what note you even play at times!
So, it all boils down to personal preference. The Z amps will give you the most accurate pedal tone that was built into the pedal
and make the pedals range and controls the most effective.
The amp that is not a pentode front end amp that excelled at pedals was the GT Soul-O 45. It was specifically designed for pedal
use.
NOTE .... just because an amp has an EF86 in the front end will NOT assure it being pedal friendly. Just about every EF86
equipped amp I have seen implement the EF86 for very high gain rather than current drive. The Z amps get their gain in other
ways. It is not just the tube, it is how the amp is designed around the tube.
| Brad Paisley concert in So Cal - May 13th 2006 Thank you to Sam Austin's wife Sara for these shots |
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| Brad, Sam, and Chad with some before the show hangin out |
| Sam with Brad's rig before sound check |
| Sam Austin and Chad Weaver (Brad's tech and right hand guy) |
| Sam playing Brad Paisley's "real paisley". Sam was actually able to play every single guitar that was there for the show |
| A rare photo of Sam without a guitar in his hands |
| Sam's friend Nena learning how to string a guitar properly from Chad |
| Be sure to click on this one to see it full size. I don't have a clue what this is all about! I'd ask Chad in the Z forum! |
| No caption necessary here .... The man doing what he does second best I think fishing may be his first favorite thing to do possibly |
| October 1 2006 - Jayson Chance and his wife Sonya (Probably spelled her name wrong) ... were in Los Angeles. These are a few of the shots and a video of Jayson playing the Dr. Z SRZ-65. If you think Jayson is mainly a country player think again .... |
| Jayson playing Les Paul through various Z amps and others. He compared the RxES, MAZ SR, and Mazerati using a Tele, Strat, and Les Paul. If you want his take on how they compare just ask him in the Z Forum or Myspace. The SRZ-65 was played with the Les Paul and Strat. This is only the second time in two months the Les Paul has been played. Buddy whittington was the last one who played it before Jayson. I think Jayson looks pretty good with the guitar but I think Ashley looks better. As a point of interest, my photo talents leave a lot of room for improvement. (Jayson can verify this as he was subjected to some of my past photographic efforts). I don't know how the guitar turned out to be this color in the center two shots .... it is really the color in the rightmost photo. Speaking of photos ... the right photo with the Z amps and the lone 65 Amps London ... that amp was there to show Jayson how it compares to a Vox AC-15 and generally is not in the Z amp area. |
| Jayson's wife Sonya sitting in our tree in the backyard while Jayson is busy at work with amps inside. |
| One of my awful little videos. I had the talent (Jayson). I had the equipment (Dr. Z SRZ-65). The weak links in the production chain were: Director Producer Sound Man (me) Click on the photo above for the video and a poorly recorded sound clip via my cheap camera. Yea ... blame the came not the camera man! |
| Right - Brad's current rig as of March 2007. There are a number of Stingrays (Stangrays), a KT-45, an RxES, a Mazerati combo and a Carmen Ghia 1x12 combo. The Carmen Ghia was used for some TV shows, they liked it so much that it became an integral part of the live rig. That is Chad on the right holding the cable wondering where it goes. |
| Below is Brad's rig as of May 2007. If you saw the ACM awards from Las Vegas you saw and heard this rig. Chad Weaver is the guy that put it all together and keeps it all running. |
| Chad - Brad Paisley's main guy when it comes to the guitars and amps. Normally a hard working guy, here he is in sunny Southern California on a break. Anna is from Stockholm Sweden and is also happy to be away from the long, cold, dark winter in Stockholm. |
| Below A few days in June of 2007 .... for some Dr.Z amp folks and friends. Unfortunately there is a very badly taken video clip of Brad and Carl having a bit of fun together down below. Isn't it just one of those harsh realities in life .... two amazing players, a special and rare moment in time, and it is captured by a hack with a cheap camera in video mode? OK ... life is not always fair but on the bright side the Brad Paisley / Carl Verheyen "hang" was also captured by somebody who did know what they were doing with a camera .... and did have great equipment .... and will be posted here when it is done being edited. |
| While Brad (on the left) tries out one of David Brass's inventory, Chad finds a quiet corner and lets Brad tend to his playing. |
| Kendall, from Brad's band keeps an eye on Brad |
| Brad Paisley and Carl Verheyen First time together |
| Something of a fun little picture ... The rare books library at Fretted Americana was a great backdrop for this shot of Carl, Anna, and Brad |
| Some of you that know me understand my passions; music, boats, and getting others in trouble or being an instigator. Rather than work with Brad while Brad and some of the band is in town Chad took time to give Anna a few guitar lessons. Yeah Chad .... you have a tough gig :) |
| How can you have a bad day giving a guitar lesson to a Swedish model while playing a '62 Strat? |
| Every once in a while I get lucky and capture a picture I love. The photo here breaks all the rules ... busy background is just the first one of many. But ..... the moment was captured - You can almost hear what Anna is thinking; "silly boys with their toys" Just a tip from me Chad .... never let the girl sit too long before you put the guitar down and pay attention to the girl. |
| Click on the icon above for one of my horrid little video clips of Carl and Brad. It is about 11 megs so it might take a bit of time to download. |
| Hey Chad ... a bit of a hint. Have Brad hire Anna as his personal assistant and general runner on tour. On the Loggins & Messina tour they had a very pretty gal. She never had to wait in line for something like iced tea or coffee for the band. Everybody just lets them cut in line and the next thing you know one of the guys at the coffee place or literature place is even carrying back whatever she was sent out to get in the first place! |
| For more on Brad Paisley, Carl Verheyen, or Fretted Americana where a lot of this day was spent, just click on the names or place above! |
| To the left is one of the professionally shot photos at the first meeting of Brad and Carl. This shot was not taken by me but when we were going through the shots this was printed on plain paper off a fast printer just as something of a proof shot. I then shot the paper with my camera and this is the end result. When the proper pictures are done I will post some here and replace this one. |
| CLICK ON THE BIG GREEN BUTTON FOR SOME GREAT PICTURES TAKEN BY SOMEBODY THAT KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING |
| Released in April 2008 this is Michael Burks latest CD. If you are a hard electric blues fan you need to click the icon and grab a copy |