Though the power section relies on a single
EL84, four 12AX7s and a single 12AT7
drive the preamp.
The Maz 8 is a very close relative of Dr.
Z’s super-successful Maz 18. If you’re at all
familiar with the 18, you’ll notice that the
more diminutive Maz shares the same smart
control configuration. Hi and lo inputs suit
a wide range of pickups, and humbucker
fans looking to clean up their act a little
will be pleased with the lo input’s 3 dB gain
reduction. The EQ is comprised of treble,
middle and bass controls. There’s also a
cut control that acts much like a presence
control—once you’ve dialed in your desired
EQ, you can roll cut clockwise to increase
sparkle and definition in the top end, or
leave it rolled back for more of a vintage
sound.
Gain is controlled via a traditional
volume and master setup. If you need
cleaner output, just keep master higher
than volume. To fish up a more rugged
crunch, push the volume knob and roll
off the master. Once you’ve dialed in the
ideal relationship between the two, you
Flipping into Triode
mode, however, gives
the Maz 8 a vintage
dialect with a uni-
form, savory gain.
can use the onboard Dr. Z Brake Lite
attenuator that’s mounted alongside the
single Celestion G12H speaker. With five
levels of dB limiting, you can dial in your
desired mix of volume and master and
limit your overall output without sacrificing too much tone.
Other tone tools in the Dr. Z’s box of
tricks include a spring reverb, and both
effects send and return jacks and a cool
triode/pentode switch on the back panel.
This latter switch can be used to signifi-
cantly change the Maz 8’s voice. In pentode
mode, you get the singing characteristics
of a higher-wattage amp with a little more
headroom. Triode mode gives the Maz 8
a vintage dialect with a uniform, savory
gain. Both voices respond beautifully to
the EQ, creating a seemingly endless buffet
of tones that can keep up whether you’re
tinkering with chicken-pickin’ and slither-
ing slide or ground-shaking AC/DC riffage.
And should you need a final boost for your
leads, the provided footswitch bypasses the
EQ and feeds a straight line through the
volume, master, and cut controls. And, yes,
it’s pretty hot.
Tone Across Time
In triode mode, a Fender Telecaster’s bridge
pickup coaxes a bright voice from the Dr. Z
that sounds fullest with a bump in the bass
and cut set around noon. These settings
resulted in a nice midrange honk that both
complemented the Tele and screamed blackface Fender. And just as with an old Fender
combo, the high end was rarely harsh or
unpleasant. If you want a bit more kick
for leads, the EQ bypass yields an instant
blues howl that’s dead perfect for sorrowful
George Harrison slides and Clapton leads.
