MAZ 18 MKII 18-watt Tube Head with Reverb Review

If only 30 stars were possible...

First, a disclaimer - I've been a Dr. Z fan for a long time. I've had the great fortune to try several different models and I can categorically state that they are all amazing. Needless to say, a Maz 18 has been on my 'gotta have' list for quite a while. When Sweetwater started carrying Dr. Z, I was ecstatic, to say the least. I kept my eye on it and when the time was right, I pulled… read more the trigger on a Maz 18 with 'verb. After a year of beating this thing senseless, I am finally to the point where I can post a coherent review without a totally stupid grin on my face (okay, at least most of the time...) Tone - As far as I can tell, it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to get a bad tone out of the Maz. I've run all of my guitars, including acoustics believe it or not, as well as some borrowed axes through it; run all of the settings in every position possible; ran things through FX loop (to die for. Absolutely pristine and noiseless. Friedman is the only other amp I've tried that has an FX loop this good) and in front of the amp; run through a bunch of speaker configs, cheap/expensive, open/closed back, ported cabs, etc.; and basically mangled my signal chain in multitude of combinations. One word - fan-flipping-tastic... To me, the Maz can produce tones from American-flavored clean to Beatlesque chime to Plexi madness with almost zero effort and minimal tweaking. If the Maz isn't the perfect 'everything' amp, I'm not sure what else qualifies. I've done finger picking, chicken picking, blues, country, classic rock, and even edged into hair band territory (sorry, all. Not a metal head, so haven't even tried that) and the Maz just keeps delivering round, juicy tone with plenty o' chime and thump. Volume - One of my favorite things about the Maz is the post phase inverter master volume. You can seriously get all of the tone you need at volumes from living room friendly to peel the paint with no demonstrable tone suck or lack of dynamics. And you may ask yourself - but only 18 watts? Is that enough to keep up with a hard-hitting drummer? Friend, you can BURY a drummer with a Maz 18. This is the LOUDEST 18 watts you will likely find. At the same time, the PPI master volume gives you the flexibility to get 'that tone' at a decibel level which will make even a sound guy smile (and that's hard to do). Roadworthiness - If you haven't heard before, Dr. Z builds things to take a literal beating. They are built like absolute tanks with incredible workmanship and the highest quality components. Even if you do have a problem (I did. Had a tube start acting wonky on me), the Dr. Z support team is one of the best I've ever worked with. A word to the wise: If you haven't watched Joe Walsh's interview about his signature Dr. Z, you need to do so. The entire Dr. Z line of amps are amazing, fire-breathing tone machines BUT they reproduce EXACTLY what you play. Don't expect a lot of forgiveness for sloppy technique or mis-dialed pedals. That being said, a Maz will inspire you and put you on the road to tone nirvana. Am I a Z fanboy? Better believe it! Every time I plug in and start playing, I am transported with giddy joy and tonal bliss. Don't let the price or specs frighten you - this amp is the real deal. Rant ends (for now)...

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