[Budda]

I was thinking about amps this week, since we've been on tour with bands using various heads and cabs with great results.

I recall my friend's Dr. Z Maz sr making my Peters 100W sound like it was barely in the room. My friend's BadCat hotcat 50 has been kind of burying the AC100 on the opposite side.

For fun, I decided to see if Dr. Z makes a high-powered head suitable for a pedal platform.

Turns out they make a 90W head called "Surgical Steel" for lap steel players and pedalboard folks.

Fortunately I won't be anywhere near Chicago for a while to check one out...

Dr. Z Amplification | Surgical Steel

 

[marcos]

Budda, i assume that you need extra wattage to hang with the drummer, correct? I guess micing a combo amp on stage wont cut through the stage mix?

 

[Budda]

Budda, i assume that you need extra wattage to hang with the drummer, correct? I guess micing a combo amp on stage wont cut through the stage mix?

My jcm800 2203 doesnt dip below 6 most nights with preamp on 1.5. Other side of stage is another 2203 for dirt and a twin for cleans.

The marshall sounds great, Im just curious at this point. Also too broke to do anything haha.

 

[marcos]

My jcm800 2203 doesnt dip below 6 most nights with preamp on 1.5. Other side of stage is another 2203 for dirt and a twin for cleans.

The marshall sounds great, Im just curious at this point. Also too broke to do anything haha.

Thanks Budda for the explanation. Its been a while since i dimmed anything on stage.LOL. We have a keyboard player who cant stand anything loud who happens to be married to the band leader so best to ease up on the volume a lot !!!!

 

[Were We Brave?]

My buddy's Prescription ES just ate everything volume-wise. When pushed into overdrive in a heavier rock setting, that thing sounded full and MEAN.

My puny AC15 clone didn't stand a chance.

 

[hollowbody]

lol. I couldn't imagine being that loud. My band is pretty quiet, comparatively, but there's another bunch of dudes I occasionally do shows with and they're HELLA loud. It's fun to get to cut loose like that sometimes, but man...am I ever glad that I'm not a permanent member of that band!

 

[Guitar101]

I must be getting too old. My dream in a band has always been someone in the audience yelling "turn it up, we can't hear you". Never ever happened in all the years I've been playing.

 

[Budda]

lol. I couldn't imagine being that loud. My band is pretty quiet, comparatively, but there's another bunch of dudes I occasionally do shows with and they're HELLA loud. It's fun to get to cut loose like that sometimes, but man...am I ever glad that I'm not a permanent member of that band!

Proper ear protection haha.

If it were me we wouldnt be so loud, but I joined not started. I follow a lead and thus have an excuse haha.

We are usually the loudest band. We also sell ear plugs.

Back to the Z, it's the voicing that Im curious about in comparison to the marshall.

 

[sulphur]

Z makes the EMS now, their take on a Marshall.

The new Z Plus is supposed to be a distortion type amp also.

 

[Budda]

I need a clean pedal platform.

 

[sulphur]

You just asked about the comparison to a Marshall.

Why you'd need so many watts is beyond me, have fun.

 

[Budda]

You just asked about the comparison to a Marshall.

Why you'd need so many watts is beyond me, have fun.

I think the EMS is 50W versus the 90W of the one I mentioned in the OP. Im not after a different marshall tone at the moment.

 

[Budda]

Blorp

 

[Guitar101]

Proper ear protection haha.

If it were me we wouldnt be so loud, but I joined not started. I follow a lead and thus have an excuse haha.

We are usually the loudest band. We also sell ear plugs.

Great idea. I would have paid a considerable amount for earplugs when I saw The Hip in Cobourg a few years ago. Can't blame the band though. Have to blame the guys at the back of the hall controlling the sound.

 

[BSTheTech]

Buddha is your Marshall mic'd at that volume or do you just play unmic'd?

 

[bolero]

Ampeg V4 or SVT

I had an SVT for a while it sounds really good with gtr, and had BIG FAT cleans. would be great with pedals, I'd think

 

[RBlakeney]

Proper ear protection haha.

If it were me we wouldnt be so loud, but I joined not started. I follow a lead and thus have an excuse haha.

.

You never need an excuse to play loud.

 

[hollowbody]

I must be getting too old. My dream in a band has always been someone in the audience yelling "turn it up, we can't hear you". Never ever happened in all the years I've been playing.

I had a bar manager ONCE tell me to turn up. I was amazed. I thought I heard him wrong! The problem was, there wasn't much left on the main faders to even GO up and we were lighting up the limiters on my active mains already! Talk about bringing a knife to a gunfight. We're going back to the same place in a couple weeks and we'll be bringing a MUCH more substantial PA

Proper ear protection haha.

If it were me we wouldnt be so loud, but I joined not started. I follow a lead and thus have an excuse haha.

We are usually the loudest band. We also sell ear plugs.

Back to the Z, it's the voicing that Im curious about in comparison to the marshall.

I think the EMS is 50W versus the 90W of the one I mentioned in the OP. Im not after a different marshall tone at the moment.

Lol. That's pretty awesome. I don't wear earplugs at all. I can't stand them. Good thing my band isn't too loud.

As for the Z. 50w and 90w is only really a 3db difference in terms of actual output volume. If you want the Marshall flavour, the EMS might be it, unless you think you'll run out of headroom. I imagine the Surgical Steel is a take on the Dumble Steel String Singer? The power tube compliment is different, but Z does that pretty often. It's definitely not going to be Marshall-voiced. Found this guy who is also doing SSS clones.

 

[dcole]

I had an SVT for a while it sounds really good with gtr, and had BIG FAT cleans. would be great with pedals, I'd think

I believe Wolfgang Von Doyle from the Misfits uses SVT's as his guitar amp. I played one once with my guitar while repairing and SVT. Super loud and hammers like a trip hammer.

I don't wear earplugs at all. I can't stand them. Good thing my band isn't too loud.

I used to be this way. When I first started wearing them, I was playing in a band in a basement and the compression in the room was so great that it felt like my head was exploding. I won't go to a concert without ear plugs now. I enjoy my self so much better and don't have ringing ears for a week afterwards.

Budda, have you tried different cabs or speaker combos to boost the apparent power? A 50 watt Marshall will do 90 watts distorted. This can sound louder then a 100 watt Marshall run at its clean limits.

 

[Chitmo]

Its only an oops if you buy it!