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Features: 9
Beautifully designed and made 1x8 combo. Single volume knob, Groove
Tubes 12AX7M (Mullard clone) pre-amp, EL84 power tube and 1/4"
jack to internal Weber C8RS speaker or external cab. Great Dr Z
retro looks. Minimal features = maximum tone.
Sound Quality: 10
I've tried 2 Teles, a Strat and a P90 equipped Reverend Slingshot
through this amp and they all sound great. No reason to think that
humbuckers wouldn't sound equally good. The amp is pretty quiet.
It's very loud for it's size, much louder than small vintage amps
probably due to the very efficient Weber. I also played the amp
through an external can with a 50w Weber C12N clone and it sounded
very good with more clean headroom and more lower-end as you'd expect.
It sounds good with pedals (Pharaoh Amps Class A Boost and EH Holy
Grail). I don't really see how an amp this simple could sound any
better!
I do plan to try the map with some vintage Mullard 12AT7 and 12AX7/ECC83
tubes but that's more to see how the stock tubes compare than it
is to change the sound of the amp.
Reliability: N/A
Too early to tell but it's very well made.
Customer Support: N/A
Never called them. No information came with the amp (bought from
Willcutt Guitars) so I don't know about the warranty.
Overall Rating: 10
Play mostly blues, been playing since 1976 and own my fair share
of decent gear. For the type of music I play know (mostly home baded)
this is a perfect amp. As the other reviewed said, with this tone
you soon forget the price tag!
Features: 8
2004 Mini Z straight out of the box! 1x8 combo. The construction
is simple but very, very solid. The wiring is very neat and all
that's exposed under the chassis is the PT, the GT 12AX7M and EL84,
and the 1/4" jack for the Weber C8R speaker. The look is very
nicely retro and the single volume knob says it all - plug in and
play.
It has a handle under the cab to raise the front of the amp &
increase projection. It's a good idea but I'd rather trust a proper
amp-stand.
There's nothing that I would add to this amp.
Sound Quality: 10
The tone is thick and complex even at low volumes. With the volume
on 4, the amp is already loud and crunchy, at 6 it's wailing and
at 8 it's painful. How loud is it? With the volume on 5 and my guitar
(Reverend Avenger) volume backed off a tad, I was able to cut easily
through my son playing the drums with the purest Strat thru Vox
type tone - the #2 "quack" tone was just like Knopfler's
on the early DS albums.
It seems to like pedals, with the volume at 4 and an OD pedal (Drivetrain
I) dialed in for some dirt (not more level), you get a fantastic
Hiwatt crunch, with the dirt almost off and the level boosted and
thru the neck pup you get a really sweet singing sustain - very
close to the "woman tone".
Reliability: N/A
Looks bulletproof to me
Customer Support: N/A
NA
Overall Rating: 10
It's almost impossible to believe that this thing is powered by
a single EL84 but that's the Weber speaker working its magic. I'm
going to check it out with a Weber 12" cab later today but
already think that thru an efficient 1x12 or 2x10 cab, this thing
would kill on small gigs.
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Mini-Z
Reviews