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 Mazerati
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"You
like the Ghia, but you want it louder? We can do that."
-Dr.Z |
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General
Info
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Note:
Production of this amp was suspended in April 2006.
The first Mazerati
was custom built for a customer who wanted a "higher powered
Carmen Ghia."
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| Brad
Paisley with a pair of Mazeratis and a Maz 18 Junior |
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.
The
Evolution of the Mazerati.
Dr. Z says,
"I had read in the Mullard Design Manual about a technique
of using a split load cathode bias setup. Since Mullard is responsible
for the best sounding EL-84's, I took their advice. All cathode
biased amps generate the bias voltage from one resistor, so the
average of the four tubes is summed together to form the bias voltage.
The split load setup uses two larger valued resistors to split the
set of outputs and generates a more accurate bias voltage. Now both
halves of the output rise to a more balanced symmetry, giving a
balanced tone with increased sustain. This setup also eliminates
the need for perfectly matched "Quads" of EL-84s.
The next step
was to upgrade the power transformer by a factor of three. This
increased the bandwidth of the amp, firmed up the low-end response,
and gave the amp a perfect string to string balance with totally
opened up the tone of the amp.
After that,
I increased the Global Negative Feedback for a touch more clean
headroom. The Mazerati uses tru Global Feedback, which is injected
into the first preamp tube.
Finally, I increased
the power supply filtering to eliminate any hint of Ghost Notes,
and to increase the dynamic response.
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Specifications
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Power
Output:
Approximately 35 Watts
Output Tubes: 4 - EL-84
Preamp Tubes:1-5751, 1-12ax7
Rectifier: 1 - 5AR4
Controls: Volume, Tone. What more do you need?
Configurations: Head, 1-12 and 2-12 Combo
Colors: Black, Red, Camel. Other custom wood finishes are available.
Dimensions
and Weight:
Head: 19"
W, 9 3/4" H, 9 1/2" D; 22 lbs.
1-12 and 2-10 combo: 23" W, 20 1/8" H, 10" D; 47 lbs.
2-12 combo: 27 1/2" W, 22 1/8" H, 10" D; 65 lbs.
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Comments
from Dr. Z
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The Mazerati
was built for simplicity with its two preamp tubes and two controls.
No tweaking needed. This isn't an amp for a tube swapper/tweaker,
but an amp for a player to plug in and enjoy for many years. If
the thought of an amp with low maintenance and "no-brainer
adjustments" intrigues you, then the Mazerati is the stage
amp for you.
Dynamic, harmonic,
simple, and durable: the perfect working musician's amp.
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Reviews
and Comments
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Guitar
Player Magazine reviewed the Mazerati in their March 2004 issue.
Check out their review:
March
2004 Guitar Player Review - pdf (313 kb)
Also, check out the following reviews taken from Harmony
Central:
"Harmonically
it's the most amazing amp I've ever played" read
more
"When
a quality stomp box is used to push the amp, the spongy-juicy quality
of the EL-84's really shines through to produce huge tone with an
unbelievable amount of dynamics" read
more
"The
amp just has so much detail and richness in its sound. Compared
to normal amps, it's like looking at a 300 dpi image compared to
a 75 dpi image - the notes are the same, but there's so much more
information in the sound of the Dr. Z." read
more
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Sound
Clips
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| These
clips come courtesy of Pro
Guitar in Germany: |
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| Mazerati
head through a 2x10 cabinet, set semi-clean. Strat-style guitar. |
MP3 (437kb) |
| Mazerati
head through a 2x10 cabinet, cranked. Strat-style guitar. |
MP3 (437kb) |
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drzamps.com
January 2010
What's New:
New Forum for
Dr. Z Amps. Your place to discuss all things Dr. Z!
Click here to visit the forum.
New for 2009, the JAZ 20/40.
New for 2010, the Monza
and 1x10 cabs and combos!
Guitar Buyer Magazine
tours the Z factory
New Review from Guitar Buyer Magazine
of the Carmen
Ghia, Maz18 NR, and Route66.
New For 2007: The Mazerati
GT , Tons of touch dynamics and LOUD!
New For 2007: The Mini
Z Head with built-in attenuator. Start at 5watt and attenuate
down to High Gain tones at whisper levels.
Z-GEAR Hats and Shirts
are available now!
Guitar Player magazine reviews
the Airbrake in the May 2004 issue.
Read the review here.
Guitar Player magazine reviews
the Mazerati and Z-28
in the March 2004 issue. Read the review here.
Guitar Magazine (UK) reviewed
the Z28 in May 2004. Read the review here.
Our Japanese Dealer, Prosound Communications,
has added a video interview with Dean Parks to their web site. The
Reality Web Video part 2 includes a segment where Dean demonstrates
his Carmen Ghia. Check it out!
Other Cool
Stuff:
Willcutt Guitars has a new "Dr.
Z factory tour on their website...click
here to take the tour!
Amp Covers:
Check out www.studioslips.com
Need a
compact amp stand?
Check out www.standback.net
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