The Matchless JJ-30 & Dr.Z Maz 38
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THE DR. Z MAZ 38 INVASION Oh Goodie!! It's the UPS ( united package smashers) truck with another ( probably mangled) amplifier.Is it just me, or does UPS break your stuff too? I once ordered a flannel shirt from J.C. Penneys' that was shipped via UPS and it arrived in 3 pieces. So I got off to a rocky start with the DR. Z thanks to UPS . Oops (UPS) had dropped the amp so hard that some pre-amp tubes had gone microphonic and the amp had absorbed a shock severe enough to dislodge the rubber grommets from the reverb tank. The result was that the MAZ 38 hummed and fed back wildly if I even cracked the reverb. I pulled the reverb tank and replaced the grommets that were lying in the bottom of the reverb tank.(The reverb plate is suspended by springs and is centered by posts on the plate that line up with two holes on the tank which are grommeted with rubber. Without the rubber you get infinite reverb and feedback, not good.) NONE of this was the fault of the good DR Z.
The Maz 38 is pictured above with the guitars that are recommended for use with this amp.It also sounds great with my PRS Custom 22 and Killer with the orange crusher, The Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. The MAZ is a 38 watt all tube 100% handwired El-84 class A type amp. It is not a VOX or Matchless clone however.I would say that it was like a Bassman at low to med volume and like a Great sounding Plexi Marshall ( with reverb) when cranked ( complete with glassbreaker high end )The Maz is sweeter and has more "bounce" than either of those two amps however .( It is like the difference between old and new guitar strings) The amp features hi and low gain inputs with controls for volume, treble, middle, bass, master, presence and reverb.My amp came with Celestion Blues ( if God were a speaker)and I replaced the stock 12 AX7 phase inverter with a 12AT7 Mullard. The Doc was cool about the Neanderthals at UPS and sent me a new 12AT7 JAN Phillips for the reverb driver ( dry wet summer also). The amp has a list price of a ridiculously reasonable $1750.00.( w/ webers) You can click on the picture of the amp at the top of the paragraph to go to Dr. Z for current pricing. If I could think of anything I don't like about the Dr Z it would be that I think it huuuums a little louder than it should . However the hum does not get louder when you crank the master and the amp does NOT hiss. It is also minimized if you use good tubes and a power conditioner. The reverb does however hum if you turn it much above 10 O'clock CHT ( chicken head time.)It is very deep so you just need to crack it anyway.Other than that, the only time the hum would be noticeable might be during a real quiet passage in the studio ( playing solo jazz guitar )or practicing. It is totally not an issue onstage with drums and bass etc.I would not sacrifice the low end response of this amp for a total elimination of the hum , so obviously it is not too serious. And sparky this is a PRO STAGE AMP. This is not some horseshit Tick 21 or Mesa Bullwinkle. This amp has no trouble drowning out a drummer let alone hanging with him. The bottom end wooof is comparable to a 4-12 Marshall.It also has incredible highs so I usually have the presence below 3. However the tone controls are so versatile that you can run the treble at 0 and boost the presence to 10 and get a different but equally usable sound. If you try that on a Fender concert, for instance, it won't make any sound at all! I read in the Harmony central review that the guy had a problem with his Fulltone Fulldrive ll squealing with the Maz. I too got squeals if I set the Fulltone with the compression on ( volume knob not pulled out) If you defeat the compression on the Fulldrive it won't squeal with the Maz.I am not sure why it squeals with the compression engaged but it does. This might have to do with the input sevsitivity on the Maz. The doc also includes a fan running at half speed that helps to keep the tubes cool. The fan whines a little ( the Doc says I do too) and I could maybe move more air over the tubes by farting on the amp once a set or so, but it is a nice touch. I have a fan blowing air into the back of the Matchless but it is nice to have one built in. These class A amps will burn up tubes without a fan as they run a little hotter than class A/B. The JJ has a cutout in the rear panel behind the tubes so air can reach them. In the Z they are completely covered. I think they would be better off using metal back panels as they would conduct heat away from the tubes and radiate it into the air instead of insulating the heat in with a wood panel. Convection cooling anyone?
There was one minor problem with the Tolex job.The Tolex is trimmed flush with the edges of the front and back panels instead of being pulled over the edges and secured at the back. The trim job looks neat but the Tolex was already peeling up a little on mine when I got it. (only on the front panel, see above photo) I stuck it back on , no big deal.Otherwise the vinyl is tight and well done. The inside of the amp is flawless. Would prefer a better handle and a real reverb bag but these are minor points and hell he has probably already done it...... The wiring and internal construction of this amp is beyond reproach. It looks very military and business-like inside.(see photos) The transformers are medium large and the component quality is excellent.The chassis is attached to the cab with machine screws that are the biggest I have seen on an amp.( 1/2 inch) the bolts and nuts inside the amp have lock washers and were all tight .The quality of the tubes supplied is also very good. IE yugo.....JAN Phillips......... However Groove tube el-84s are simply Sovteks with a fancy decal . Those Sovtek EL 84M and 6V6 tubes must have a frequency response range of about like 2K-3K.Their midrange sounds like a turds falling on a tin roof . The regular Sovtek EL84s sound pretty good but last about 45 minutes in the Z.To the DOCs' credit he designed this amp to sound good even with the Sovteks. The amp has enough highs and lows to balance out the tubbiness of the Sovteks. However they still only last about 1 month in this amp so for longevity reasons alone , make another selection.By the way Matchless put Sovtek EL84Ms and a shitty Sovtek EF86 in my $4000.00 JJ30. Wonder why they went out of business?... WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT THIS AMP?? Have you ever tried to cop, say, the tone from the "Live at Leeds" Who album or maybe ACDC on your Fender deluxe or Tech 21 or Mesa Boogie combo ?? Sounds pretty lame doesn't it? The MAZ 38 invasion with Celestion blues ( 2 -12) can produce these tones as well as a great Buddy Guy howling blues tone.This amp also excels at the "Cold Shot" Stevie shuffle and any roots rock stuff ( WITH bass and drums, not in my bedroom like Wally Palmstaine with his Tech 21 that he rated a 10 in tone while in the same breath saying it couldn't sound like a real Marshall, of course.) . Do you like the Fender Vibro King? This amp makes it sound like the Vibro Queen.The only thing the MAZ won't do is super high gain tones without a pedal. Big deal, use a pedal if you really must. Try the Fulltone Fulldrive ll with the comp. defeated but be prepared to lose a lot of low end detail if you are running the Celestion Blues. Oh yeah. Plug the pedal into input #2. This amp has the best EQ section that I have seen on a guitar amp. It almost gives you the flexability and tone of a high end studio tube EQ, at least for USEFULL guitar frequencies. You have WAY more highs and lows than you will ever need and the midrange control will take you right from howling bassman tweed tone when full off to Matchless rich when full on. I replaced the stock 12AX7 phase inverter with a Mullard 12AT7 . This amp sounds much more dynamic and alive with the 12AT7. It also provides better frequency response.( BY the way , the Dr. also says he prefers the 12AT7 in this amp but most music stores want the higher gain that the 12AX7 provides. Trust us and go with the 12AT7.) It shifts the tone from a sort of VOX like med high gain to a glassier more open sounding Plexi /Bassman tone with great detail in the lower mids and bass. Using a 12AT7 PI also makes the amp clean up better (retains more highs) as you roll off the volume on your guitar. To my ears it provides the ideal balance between the Tweed and Brit sounds with a little Blackface glass thrown in. One of the best features of this amps' sound is the detailed vocal like quality of the bass and lower mids.Another is the incredible note definition and jawbreaker top end. A Plexi Bassman top boost with reverb? Whatever. Great amp. A word about speaker selection. GET THE CELESTION BLUES!!!! If you play blues ,classic rock or country and do not own an amp with these babies you are really missing out. These speakers are probably the main reason that those certain old VOX amps sound so special.I mean , have you ever checked out a GREAT sounding VOX and not seen Blue speakers in the back? Thought not. The MAZ 38 with 1-12" vintage30 Celestion sounds a lot like a Fender Deluxe to me. You can hear for yourself on the real audio samples below. I read a review that stated that the user did not like the sound of the amp with the gain above 5. I didn't either until I replaced the phase inverter with the 12AT7. Now I can turn the gain all the way up and clean up the tone from the guitar. This is not a high gain amp ( especially with the PI swap) that will wail at whisper volumes , you have to get the power section into the equation .However with the volume ( gain ) high, just turning the master to 10:00 Chicken Head Time will provide plenty of punch and it is not that loud. The amp is however fully capable of rendering you sterile if you dare to play it on 10 for too long.....I would say that 5 on the master and 10 on the volume ( or vice versa) will get you kicked out of most clubs.The amp becomes more and more like a great plexi Marshall or HI-watt as you turn up the master. If the amp gain is only set at 12:00 CHT and the master is also at 12:00 the amp is not actually that loud but it is very full sounding..( The Matchless JJ-30 will practically blow your retinas through the back of your head at this setting) With the master at 12:00 or so the volume control does not simply increase saturation as in some amps, the difference between 12:00 and 3:00 on the volume with the (master left at 12:00) is huge. With the master full up it sounds just like a non master volume amp. The volume and master controls are very interactive on this amp ( meaning that they both affect saturation and sound level) and sound good at almost any setting. For roots rock and jazz set the master full on, for cleaner blues 12:00 volume and 12:00 or so on the master. For Marshallesque tones volume 2:00 + and master as high as you can get away with. The note definition on a huge loud open EEE-Gad chord at any volume setting is truly amazing. Every time I turn on this amp to do something for 10 minutes I end up playing it for an hour.It has an incredibly responsive and inspirational tone. With the gain high and the master at 10:00 or so you can go from an acoustic like chime to full on Fullmore just by varying your pick attack. Easily the most responsive and toneful amp I have ever played.It is like playing a 3000 pound Martin D-28 . The best way to describe these MAZ 38 amps is that they sound like the human voice in the bass and lower mids. ( click here to hear what I mean #1 ) (#1= Buddy Whittington from John Mayalls "Blues Lost For Days CD" courtesy of DR Z Amps ( other samples available there ) They have a singing vocal quality that is unique to these amps. (click here for a more overdriven sample #1 ) The Top Hat ambassador with reverb comes close but lists for $2499.00 ( $2899.00 w/ Celestion Blues)The Ambassador is a 6v6 amp .Check out the Docs' new Z 28 if you like the top hat. A saw a Top Hat Ambassador head for $1750.00 discounted from the list of $2159.00. O.K . I admit it. The Bruno underground 30 w reverb is really good ( click here for a sample #2). #2 courtesy of brunoamps.com ( Playing by Matt Smith ( Bogus Larry Carlton to you ) from his black and white CD .There are more Bruno sounds available at their website. Impressive amps. It is also pretty expensive @ $2899.00.( $3149.00 W Celestion Blues) It sounds frighteningly close to a Dumble( same flabby bass though) and might be a good value at the price. It is certainly a better deal than a Matchless Chieftain for $3199.00!!!The maz with 2-12" webers lists for $1750 . I paid $1879.00 for mine with the Celestion blues !!The MAZ still has a vocal quality with the 1-12" Vintage 30 Celestion but it sounds more like a Fender Deluxe to me .Let's put this in perspective. The MAZ is a top quality, incredible sounding, hand wired amp for about the price a mass produced VOX re-issue. The MAZ is about the same price out the door as the Vibro King and the MAZ eats its' lunch. You better hurry before the doc starts charging people what these amps are worth . Recommended for Tele and Strat like the doc says . It also sounds great with humbuckers if you dump some of the bass and the buckers are medium gain. The input sensitivity on the MAZ is very high and it will sound like a higher gain amp with hotter pickups as they will OD the front end, just like a vintage amp.This high input voltage also provides superior touch sensitivity. With a PRS ( with the 5 way switch ) you can use the pickup selector like a channel switcher. The 1-3-5 settings are much hotter than 2-4 so you can play med clean on 2-4 and switch to 1-3-5 for solos! COMPONENT QUALITY............................. 9 CLEAN TONE........... ...................................9 BLUES TONE .............................................. 9 CRUNCH TONE ( WHO etc.) ..................... 10 VOLUME AND POWER .............................. 8 VALUE....................... ............................. .... 9 HIGH GAIN TONE....................................... .7 ROAD WORTHINESS.............................. .. 9 COLLECTABILITY.................................. .. . 8 SERVICE AND TECH SUPPORT.............. . 10 If this amp were a car it would be a 289 AC Cobra. A stripped down and responsive sports machine.( and loud)
--- We have ( two) one point deductions for the following : the tolex peel up , no retainers on the power tubes and the hum. (reverb hum mostly) + We have (five) plus points for the great price, killer speakers, light weight (especially for a 2/12 ) @ about 60 pounds, good reverb tone, and the built in fan TOTAL SCORE 88
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