Last updated 26 FEB 2004
Dr Z. Amplifiers - The Mazerati
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| 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 |
This page is just being started 11/6/03. On 11/5/03 I purchased my Mazerati, and will be in the process of
testing and photo taking.
I would like to start this off by saying, as I have said before; Dr. Z amps are all very different. Unlike
some other amps that share the same front end, where the primary difference is the power section (50
watts or 100 watts as an example), each Doctor Z amp is unique.
The official Dr. Z website states:
The first Mazerati was custom built for a customer who wanted a "higher powered Carmen Ghia."
With four EL-84s, the Mazerati was twice the power as the Ghia, and sounded very nice. It was good on its
own. Then, Country Music star Brad Paisley requested a replacement for his aged Vintage Vox AC-30, and
the evolution of the Mazerati began.
This gives something of an impression that the Carmen Ghia and Mazerati have the same sort of
relationship that a Fender Pro Series Pro Reverb and Twin Reverb may share .... or a 50 watt / 100 watt
Marshall would have in common. To me, this was not the case.
The Carmen Ghia is a more gainy amp (to my ears). The Ghia at 9:00 on the volume, will begin to crunch
nicely. The output stage comes into play. It has a different tone stack than the Mazerati, even though
they share the same single TONE control single knob. This single knob, by the way, is very effective. It
is much more effective than many other tone stacks and arrangements in other amps. The single pot in
the circuit also does wonders for the amp's articulation and definition. (Remember, the less "stuff" in
the signal path, the more pure the signal). The Mazerati even at 12:00 will still have loads of headroom,
and the level at that point is getting pretty darn high.
The Mazerati can cover all the Vox sounds very effectively. If you are considering an AC-30, or an AC-30
reissue, you might want to check out a Mazerati 2x12 combo also. There is a clarity aspect in this design
that is missing in the AC-30 with it's more complex design and front end. The Mazerati tone control is
more effective and has wider range than the Vox tone stack.
Like the Ghia, there is very little between your fingers and the speaker. Just a single preamp tube
before the signal hits the output section via the fixed bias phase inverter. (This is another Dr. Z design
aspect not seen in other amplifiers which use a cathode biased phase inverter). Play this amp next to
something like an AC-30 or Fender Super Reverb after you have played either of the other two amps for
a few minutes. You will quickly see what I mean in regard to articulation and definition ... and clarity.
The reliability of the Z amps, and their design, may also be of benefit over these aspects in an original
AC-30.
There are also a few tricks on the Mazerati to mention. This amp uses a split load bias setup for the
output section. You do not need matched quads in the output section. Matched duets are cool, and
there are some great aspects of this. The output tube layout is not the common inner tubes are one
pair and the outer two tubes the other pair, as we are used to in say a Marshall 1987/1959. In the
Mazerati, the left two tubes are one pair, and the right two tubes are the other pair.
My amp was delivered with GT-EL84S #6 tubes. One of my first "experiments" 30 minutes after playing
the amp, was to pull one duet of the stock tubes and replace them with a duet of GT-EL84Y (these are
the Ei EL-84) from Groove Tubes in a number 4 rating. This was a very cool change, and gave a
different character, even a wider sound image by a measured 8 degrees per side at some frequencies,
and never less than 3 degrees per side worst case. This is a cool feature for folks that can find a duet
of some great NOS tube, but not a matched quad.
Normally, in any cathode biased amp I have ever tested, having an unmatched output set will raise the
output transformer temperature a noticible amount. In fact, in orginal Vox AC-30 amps, where tubes at
times were not matched at all, these amps gained a reputation of actually starting on fire at times. The
Mazerati did not display this output transformer temperature rise associated with a mismatched output
set. This, I though, also may be due to the output transformer on this amplifier, which looks to be a
piece of iron that is closer to a 120 watt capacity than the 25-40 watt transformers that are generally
used in "30 watt class A amps". Running this same test on a MAZ SR which does not share this split bias
design, did show a temperature rise when a mismatched output quad was installed on purpose. The
rise in the MAZ SR was about 30% of the rise in an AC-30/6. This may be due to the output transformer
reserve. By the way, the MAZ SR pushes tubes just as hard as an AC-30, if not harder, so that was not a
factor. A MAZ SR I measured had an output way in excess of it's "38 watt" published rating.
The Mazerati is not a Ghia. The Mazerati is also not a MAZ SR. It is a very articulate and strong amp that
can cover the Vox bases, but also looks to be a great all around rock amp too. Brad Paisley uses the
Mazerati, and his tone and styles cover a very wide range, even though he is called a "country" player.
The amp works with Teles, Strats, PRS, Les Pauls, etc. It loves pedals as other Z amps.
A cool rig I will attempt this weekend is using a friends Z-28 and the Mazerati in a stereo rig.
This amp also killed with a Fender lap steel. I hope to have pictures of that up after this weekend.
All in all, another killer amp. The good Doctor never fails to surprise me. I wonder what he will think of
next?
testing and photo taking.
I would like to start this off by saying, as I have said before; Dr. Z amps are all very different. Unlike
some other amps that share the same front end, where the primary difference is the power section (50
watts or 100 watts as an example), each Doctor Z amp is unique.
The official Dr. Z website states:
The first Mazerati was custom built for a customer who wanted a "higher powered Carmen Ghia."
With four EL-84s, the Mazerati was twice the power as the Ghia, and sounded very nice. It was good on its
own. Then, Country Music star Brad Paisley requested a replacement for his aged Vintage Vox AC-30, and
the evolution of the Mazerati began.
This gives something of an impression that the Carmen Ghia and Mazerati have the same sort of
relationship that a Fender Pro Series Pro Reverb and Twin Reverb may share .... or a 50 watt / 100 watt
Marshall would have in common. To me, this was not the case.
The Carmen Ghia is a more gainy amp (to my ears). The Ghia at 9:00 on the volume, will begin to crunch
nicely. The output stage comes into play. It has a different tone stack than the Mazerati, even though
they share the same single TONE control single knob. This single knob, by the way, is very effective. It
is much more effective than many other tone stacks and arrangements in other amps. The single pot in
the circuit also does wonders for the amp's articulation and definition. (Remember, the less "stuff" in
the signal path, the more pure the signal). The Mazerati even at 12:00 will still have loads of headroom,
and the level at that point is getting pretty darn high.
The Mazerati can cover all the Vox sounds very effectively. If you are considering an AC-30, or an AC-30
reissue, you might want to check out a Mazerati 2x12 combo also. There is a clarity aspect in this design
that is missing in the AC-30 with it's more complex design and front end. The Mazerati tone control is
more effective and has wider range than the Vox tone stack.
Like the Ghia, there is very little between your fingers and the speaker. Just a single preamp tube
before the signal hits the output section via the fixed bias phase inverter. (This is another Dr. Z design
aspect not seen in other amplifiers which use a cathode biased phase inverter). Play this amp next to
something like an AC-30 or Fender Super Reverb after you have played either of the other two amps for
a few minutes. You will quickly see what I mean in regard to articulation and definition ... and clarity.
The reliability of the Z amps, and their design, may also be of benefit over these aspects in an original
AC-30.
There are also a few tricks on the Mazerati to mention. This amp uses a split load bias setup for the
output section. You do not need matched quads in the output section. Matched duets are cool, and
there are some great aspects of this. The output tube layout is not the common inner tubes are one
pair and the outer two tubes the other pair, as we are used to in say a Marshall 1987/1959. In the
Mazerati, the left two tubes are one pair, and the right two tubes are the other pair.
My amp was delivered with GT-EL84S #6 tubes. One of my first "experiments" 30 minutes after playing
the amp, was to pull one duet of the stock tubes and replace them with a duet of GT-EL84Y (these are
the Ei EL-84) from Groove Tubes in a number 4 rating. This was a very cool change, and gave a
different character, even a wider sound image by a measured 8 degrees per side at some frequencies,
and never less than 3 degrees per side worst case. This is a cool feature for folks that can find a duet
of some great NOS tube, but not a matched quad.
Normally, in any cathode biased amp I have ever tested, having an unmatched output set will raise the
output transformer temperature a noticible amount. In fact, in orginal Vox AC-30 amps, where tubes at
times were not matched at all, these amps gained a reputation of actually starting on fire at times. The
Mazerati did not display this output transformer temperature rise associated with a mismatched output
set. This, I though, also may be due to the output transformer on this amplifier, which looks to be a
piece of iron that is closer to a 120 watt capacity than the 25-40 watt transformers that are generally
used in "30 watt class A amps". Running this same test on a MAZ SR which does not share this split bias
design, did show a temperature rise when a mismatched output quad was installed on purpose. The
rise in the MAZ SR was about 30% of the rise in an AC-30/6. This may be due to the output transformer
reserve. By the way, the MAZ SR pushes tubes just as hard as an AC-30, if not harder, so that was not a
factor. A MAZ SR I measured had an output way in excess of it's "38 watt" published rating.
The Mazerati is not a Ghia. The Mazerati is also not a MAZ SR. It is a very articulate and strong amp that
can cover the Vox bases, but also looks to be a great all around rock amp too. Brad Paisley uses the
Mazerati, and his tone and styles cover a very wide range, even though he is called a "country" player.
The amp works with Teles, Strats, PRS, Les Pauls, etc. It loves pedals as other Z amps.
A cool rig I will attempt this weekend is using a friends Z-28 and the Mazerati in a stereo rig.
This amp also killed with a Fender lap steel. I hope to have pictures of that up after this weekend.
All in all, another killer amp. The good Doctor never fails to surprise me. I wonder what he will think of
next?