NAD: Dr. Z Maz 8 1x12 Combo with Z-Brake

I've wanted a "bigger" amp for awhile now, though I can't say that it was for any particular reason beyond a severe case of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).  Don't get me wrong, I still really dig that little Marshall, but I've been in the mood for something different, especially since picking up that JHS Angry Charlie a few weeks ago.

Most of my playing lately has been up in the family room with the kids, the youngest of which dances around occasionally, providing the necessary justification for the presence of an amp in the living room.

The "living room" amp has not been the Marshall though. It doesn't do clean, doesn't have reverb, yada-yada...  No, the living room amp is a mighty little "Red Stripe" Peavey Envoy 110.  It also belongs to my brother, though I think it's been living with me for at least 3 years now.

Peavey gets a bad rap, but I think it is almost wholly undeserved.  Still, it says something that despite the Peavey's ability to do clean, and reverb, and various lead voicing, I was looking for another amp.

The Search Begins

"Begins" is a funny way of putting it, since I'm constantly looking for guitars, amps, and pedals. Typically though, a "search" begins when I decide that I need a certain type of something - In this case an amp that I could practice at home with, but would also serve in a jamming situation.

My search really became obsessive when I noticed a Mesa/Boogie Rectoverb 25 Combo for $925. It checked all the items on the list, but instead of replying right away I wavered.  Did I really want to throw $900+ out there, not being sure if I'd be willing to sell anything else?

After about 12 hours I decided I would reply, and by then there was already a buyer on the way.  the seller said that if he didn't show I'd be next, but after a couple of hours I got notification that the amp was sold.  

Blast.

Without another Rectoverb 25 combo to be found, I turned my attention to a Mesa 5:50 combo, listed for just over a grand.  It's ability to switch down to 5 watts checked off the home practise, and 50 Mesa watts for jamming was MORE than enough. I worried about resale value though.  At $800 I probably would have pulled the trigger, knowing that I could move it fairly quickly at no loss.

A few days later the Mesa was re-listed at $950 OBO.  My mind was made up - I'd offer $850 and see what happened.  Just before I did though, a new listing appeared: A Dr. Z Maz 8 Combo.

I think I wrestled with the idea of buying for about 2 minutes, having learnt not to wait so long. Despite this selling for much more than the Mesa, THIS was the amp I wanted, and had wanted for a long time.  I'd never pay retail for it, and who knows the next time one of these shows on the used market.

I contact the seller, said "I'll take it", and quickly arranged a meet up the following evening.

Making the Switch

The transaction itself was a bit of a circus.

I met the seller in the parking lot of a bank about 40 minutes away - convenient if only because it was my bank, and I could save myself a stop to get cash. I arrived about 10 minutes early, but let the seller know I was there.  He responded with "on my way".

Cool.

I ran into the bank to withdraw money, confident that the amount being withdrawn wouldn't be an issue, having been through this when I bought the Eric Johnson Rosewood (THAT involved calling the bank and yelling at them about daily withdrawal limits being criminally low).

Except it was an issue.  This particular ATM would only allow 75% of the purchase price. Great. Hoping for a simple solution, I withdrew the cash, ended the process, then started over, requesting to withdraw the other 25%.

It worked.  How stupid is that?  You can't take out X, but we'll let you take out Y and Z in two separate transactions. Whatever.

The seller arrived, popped the trunk, and revealed the amp.  All was as it should be, so it was time for my end of the deal. Before hitting the ATM, I had somewhere between $20 and $30 in fives and tens, so I took out all of the twenties and fifties and started counting.  I ended up eighty bucks short.

Huh?

I counted again, handing bills to him in increments of $100.  I ended up at the same number, short eighty bucks.  What the...?  I check my wallet, going through the fives and tens, and on noticing the money in my wallet, the guy says "ah don't worry about it.  Just give me whatever is there and we'll call it even."

No.  This is bugging me now.

I back to the ATM to take out more money, knowing something is up.  I take out the additional eighty bucks, and stick it in a separate pocket.  Then I count the money again, in front of the seller. He confirms the count, and puts it on the drivers seat of his car in increments of $100.

This time we hit the expected total, without me adding the eighty bucks now in my pocket.

Wait. What?

We laugh about how we both miscounted, twice.  He takes the money, I take the amp, and we part ways.  On the drive home, I think back to him saying he'd take the $30 or so in my pocket to call it even and wonder if he knew the money was all there and was trying to get a bit more.

Nah.  People aren't that shitty.  We both miscounted. Right?

I got the amp home and found myself frustrated again - the standby switch didn't work.  I emailed the seller with a slightly terse "what gives?"  The response was immediate and perhaps more polite than I deserved: "It's a slow standby.  You can read about it on Z-Talk.  Works as intended".

Oops.  Thanks man.

The light matches the guitar.  Important, right?

New Amp, Happy Days?

I'm pretty stoked to have the baby brother version of the amp I remember so fondly - they're no the same to my ears, but the quality of sound this amp produces is undeniable.  Combine this with the fact that it came with the Z-Brake pre-installed and I've got an amp that can be wound way down for late night playing.

The only caveat here is that this kind of sound at low volume misses the point.  This amp is all about "feel", and you can't really feel it if the volume is lower than the acoustic properties of the guitar you're playing.  The Z-Brake really is great though - the volume and master levels are such a critical part of the overall sound, so not having to fiddle with those to impact the overall volume is great.

I may also do some tube swapping on account of what seems to be some too-aggressive preamp tubes, and I haven't done any real testing with pedals, beyond a quick run with the Angry Charlie that left me unimpressed. I'm also immediately wondering about a speaker switch to an Eminence Swamp Thang, the speakers that loaded my Leyland cab back in the day.