Obsessive Compulsive Dilemma

I'm really enjoying the Maz 8, although I'll admit to being frustrated for quite awhile as I searched for a great combination of pentode/triode, attenuator setting, volume/master, and cut settings. Despite the Maz seeming like a pretty simple amp, there's an awful lot going on in the interaction of these elements, and unlike other amps, there are definitely some bad sounds that can be coaxed if one isn't careful.

What I'm not currently loving is how the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 or my Noah Sark "Green" react with the amp.  Instead of more of a good thing, there is a shrillness that I can't quite seem to get away from. Winding down the tone tames it, but also saps clarity.

The obvious solution is more gear... Sigh.

I'm considering two steps.  First, the OCD.  I've had a V1.4 in the past and loved it with every amp I've used it with. The problem is that they're virtually absent from the used market, which means buying new, which means about $170 out the door. Yuck.

Aside: Apparently Fulltone has introduced the OCD V2.  It has a selectable buffered bypass, and they suggest it is different sounding... uh oh...

Alternatively, I could spend a lot less money and pick up the Joyo Ultimate Drive, which is a shameless copy of the OCD.  This isn't a terrible idea, but if I like it I'll end up wanting the real OCD, so I'll be taking a loss on the Joyo on top of buying the OCD new.

The second step is to replace the speaker.  I've read online comments that seem to suggest that the Celestion speaker is the culprit of some pretty gnarly high end goings on, so I'm pretty keen to swap out the speaker for the Eminence Swamp Thang - the same speaker I used with the Maz 38 years ago. Despite being much lower power, the 150 watt rating of the Swamp Thang meant I wasn't getting any speaker breakup anyway.

As I said, I'll probably do both.

Quick Hits: Squier Deluxe Stratocaster - $350

Saw this come up last night an thought it was worth commenting on.  It's a nice looking guitar, and has the elegant logo, as opposed to the big headstock logo (see next guitar).  The two point tremolo is neither good nor bad, though the only time I've owned one of these was on a Squier Standard, and I found that when I decked the trem (as opposed to floating it), the bridge sat at a negative angle to the plane of the strings.  It didn't hamper performance, but it seems that the two-point systems are more inclined to float.


What bothers me most about this listing is price.  I picked up that black Standard for $80, and recently picked up the 30 year old MIK for less than $200, so this guitar at $350 doesn't get much worse...

Squier Standard Stratocaster - $600?!?!?!

...or does it? The answer is yes. Yes it does, and no, I'm not making this up.


The SSS version of the same guitar I purchased for $80 is being listed for $600.  For that price you could buy at least two of these at retail.  AT LEAST.

Caveat Emptor indeed.



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