Ultimate amp for G&L ASAT Z-3?

phoenix7 · Guest

Hi, I'm new to this forum. Looks like a great, informative place. I've got an ASAT Z-3 and have been playing through a new Fender Vibrolux Reverb amp. It's a great amp, but I'd like to get a little more natural tube crunch and singing sustain at lower volumes than I get with the Vibrolux. Classic rock and blues sounds (not really into heavy metal). If money were no object, what amp would you pair with this guitar?

phoenix7 · Guest

Great - somebody hacked into my first post and screwed it up.

TimC · Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2003 5:45 pm Post subject:

phoenix 7, how's is going. There's a censor or language filter or some such thing, that prints out that crap pretty regularly. I don't know what phrase sets it off, but I've had to re-word my post several times to get rid of it. I was hoping someone more familiar with the new gear could help on your question. I know for me, if money was no object, and judging by the demos at the websites, I'd probably get a Kendrick ar a Dr. Z. Deciding which one and which model would drive me nuts though. I guess that's more of a putt than a drive.
I did get a look at your guitar at one site. Very nice. How about some info on those pups. Are they single coil or stacked humbuckers?

TimC · Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2003 10:08 pm Post subject:

Guest · Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 9:39 am Post subject:

Hey Tim,

Thanks a lot for your post. Checked out those amps you suggested. The Dr. Z looks particularly interesting and like a fine match for a Tele style guitar. The pickups on the ASAT Z-3 are single coils (which the Dr. Z is supposed to work well with). I'm seriously checking into the Dr. Z amps.

TimC · Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 3:16 pm Post subject:

Or a Holland (not purple though........gag!)

phoenix7 · Guest

Those Holland amps are pretty interesting too! Did some research on them. The Little Jimi looks really good.

Any thoughts on Bogner amps with a Tele-style guitar? The Ecstasy looks pretty cool. Thanks!

TimC · Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 8:59 am Post subject:

Bogners do seem a little more versatile. Maybe not the best for blues and old time rock&roll. Printed circuits and maybe transistors in the signal path?

I think the amp makers that spend years perfecting just the right tone, are not too crazy about having features like effects loops and pre-amp overdrive ( boost or gain in the pre-amp ). As soon as you start putting pedals in the circuit, all that work they went to is down the crapper. Same with pre-amp distortion. It kind of over-powers any subtle, soulful and goose bump making sound being generated by a careful blend of pre-amp, power amp, tube choice, speaker selection and cabinet design.
Allow me this analogy: You come to my art show and buy a painting that I worked months on to get just right. When you get it home, you whip out the oils, and add a few more trees and maybe a bird or two because you really like birds. This is completly within your rights to do it, but I think I'd want you to paint over my signature. Plus I'd be kind of hot about it. I think this is how the handmade amp folks feel about effects and pre-amp distortion. (I'm not an artist, I just used that as an example.)

phoenix7 · Guest

I totally agree with you about adding pedals to a hand-made amp of this quality. I'm pretty much a purist with this stuff. I do a lot of recording with high-end acoustic guitars, great mics and preamps. When you have a great signal chain, less is usually more. Adding unessential things to it just mucks up the sound. The cool thing about the Bogner Ecstasy is that it seems to have so many sounds built in. The "boost" switch sounds like you're adding a Tube Screamer to the chain. The only drawback is that the amp has no reverb. (I'd probably use my Lexicon MPX 500 for delay, chorus, and reverb -- put the Lexicon on 100% wet and turn the Bogner's effects mix knob up as little as possible, so that the majority of the signal was still pure. ) I'm still interested in the Holland and Dr. Z amps. This decision is driving me nuts. Scheming madly about what guitars and gear I'm selling/trading in to get this amp.... Thanks again for the great input on this.

phoenix7 · Guest

Been doing a lot of research on this. I'm leaning toward the Dr. Z MAZ 18 with 2 10"s. Great price for a handmade amp like this too.

TimC · Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 8:08 am Post subject:

I see at their website that Z's are available in black, blonde or red. What color is your guitar, and what color are you thinking for the amp?
Another thing about Dr. Z amps. I emailed them with a question about dealers in the Las Vegas area. I got a friendly reply from the owner of the company. Compare that to the big amp makers.

phoenix7 · Guest

Hey Tim,

Well, I've been agonizing over this for days. I came really close to buying a Dr. Z amp. I think you are totally right about the purity of the electronics. The only thing about the Dr. Z's that isn't ideal for me is that they are pretty much single-channel models. I also came pretty close to buying a Bogner Metropolis (forest green like the one you posted), but again that's a single channel. I'm thinking about a Bogner Shiva now -- it's got a clean Fender-like channel and a dirty Marshall-like channel. Comes with a footswitch for channel switching a good reverb option. They're supposed to be very versatile. Then again the purity of the all-tube (no circuit-board, tube rectifier) Dr. Z is pretty alluring....

My ASAT is black with a white pearloid pickguard. Goes well with lots of colors. Cool