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Topic: ZT Amps for Pedal Steel? |
Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2012 11:17 am |
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Just ran across these little amps - anyone have experience using pedal steel with any of them?
Lunchbox Acoustic for Weissenborn/Resophonic?
http://www.ztamplifiers.com/
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1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amp w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
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Karl Fehrenbach
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2012 6:18 am
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| Hello Daniel. I am not directly answering your question as I am primarily a lap steel player, however, I have been gigging with the Lunchbox amplifier for over a year now and find it adequate for my needs. I do use the matching extension cabinet also made by ZT Amplifiers with the Lunchbox when in a larger venue or outside. It widens the soundfield considerably. The Lunchbox Amplifier is rated at 200 watts peak power and is very light weight. The 6 1/2" diameter speaker is limiting for overall dynamics, but it sounds surprizingly fat for its small size. The sound is raw, little coloration, a bit of EQ is possible and a curious Ambience control. There is no reverb on this unit, so I still need to carry a pedalboard to the gigs. After my first gig using the Lunchbox a fellow band member offered to help me pack up and carry my usual Nashville 400 back to the car. "Hey, where's your amp?' is what he asked. "Right here." I replied. "You played the whole job with that little thing?" he asked. "I didn't notice the difference...What is that thing?" he asked. So, what I am saying that in the context of our group, the Lunchbox kept right up keeping its place despite a full drum kit, 3 other plugged in guitarists and a bassist. It is a powerful little beast. You may want to also look at the ZT Club, which is basically the Lunchbox circuitry with a 12" speaker and on board reverb. I love this thing and even a jazz guitarist I know has got one and uses it in a 10 piece big band setting. He saw and heard mine and made the switch. The convenience factor is key here as well. The older I get, the smaller my gig gear gets. |
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David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
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Posted 5 Nov 2012 3:54 am
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| You may want to look into the 'Quilter'amps (I understand that Mr. Quilter is the 'Q' in the 'QSC' line of power amps). Same basic size and weight as the 'ZT Club', but appears to have more features. I tried the 'Club' at a local Sam Ash store using my Mullen guitar and found that while it possessed adequate power, it was to my ears totally lacking in tonal character, almost to the point of being "sterile" sounding....JMO,YMMV. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 5 Nov 2012 10:10 am
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| Check with Mike Perlowin. He was using ZT's with his POD, with good results. |
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Alex Cattaneo
From:
Quebec, Canada
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2012 11:44 am
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| I recently got a ZT Club amp .....I'm really happy with it and I'm a tube nut from way back ......I plug my little Kline U-12 into it and it amazes me how much full bodied tone comes out of such a small amp !!..... It's a full bodied tone with no brash highs coming out of it at all !!.....Some call it a dark tone , but I would call it more of a "full " tone ...... They're small enough , I might just get another one , or then again , maybe a Roland 80XL .....????? ...I think that they would compliment each other nicely .....Jim |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 6 Nov 2012 2:21 am
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I have 2 of their club models, http://www.ztamplifiers.com/products/club.html
and I'm very happy with them. I use them in conjunction with a Sarno Black Box, and a POD XT with a custom default preset. By themselves, they are somewhat dry, but adding the black box and POD brings them to life.
Everybody says my rig gets a great sound, and at 22 pounds and 200 watts each, both amps together weigh between half and 2/3rds as much as my Music Man HD-212, and have more than 3 times the power.
A lot of us are getting up there in years. I'll be 67 in 2 months, and I don't want to schlep my 70+ pound Music Man around any more. My back thanks me every time I pick up one of these amps.
It should be noted that these amps don't have a mid-range control. Just bass and treble, and each one affects the other. Turning up the bass also turns down the treble and vice versa. You really have to play with the controls for a while to learn how to get the best tone.
The amp also has both volume and gain controls, for guitarists who want some crunch to their sound. You have to play around with these controls too, in order to get rid of the distortion. But the clean sound is in there. You just have to learn where to set the controls to get it.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 6 Nov 2012 3:35 am
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Mike ,
I agree with you ......In my other thread , everyone is looking for a certain tone ....For a lot of steel players , I find that the tone that they seek borders sterile as they want a super clean tone .....To me , the " Gain " control on this amp adds or takes away the "hair" on a note that without it , the tone would be lifeless and have very little in the way of sustaining qualities .... For the tone that I like , I have the Volume at about 1 oclock , the bass at about 11 o clock, the Treble at about 3 oclock and the Gain at about 11 oclock ..... The reverb is on the weak side so I have that at about 3 oclock ....Using these settings , I get a good full tone and PLENTY of tube like sustain on each note without sounding like an overdriven tone ..... Again , it's all up the individual ....What some call " Clean " , I would probably call "Sterile " ..... The good part here is that nobody is wrong .....We're all right ...It's all a matter of preference .....Jim |
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