Brad Paisley's Live Amp Rig: How Versatile Is It For Other Styles? (Dr. Z Z-Wreck & DB4)

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I've been a fan of Dr. Z's amps for a good while now - and I use my trusty Z-Wreck and DB4 for most gear demos I ever shoot. They're both amps that were designed in conjunction with Brad Paisley...I've always loved his tone, so him & Z were always going to be a winning combination in my books!

We all know Brad loves the Z-Wreck - he's used one as his main amp for many years. But what I didn't realise was that one of his later collaborations with Z - the (now out of production) DB4 - is still Brad's favourite thing to pair with the Wreck for his live playing. Granted, he uses the Z-Wreck half stack and the DB4 with the 2x12 Bluesbreaker cabinet - both of mine are 1x12 combos - but even so, the circuits are identical.

The Z-Wreck was designed by Dr. Z alongside Ken Fischer - of Trainwreck fame....hence the name Z-Wreck. It's similar-ish to a Vox AC30, but fairly different in how it sounds (WAY better, if you ask me!). The DB4 is also an EL84 amp, but much darker and barky - largely down to the NOS 5879 preamp tube, which is kinda close to an EF86 in sound - and the amp is much more Marshally. (The sort of thumpy Marshall the Rangemaster was destined to hoof itself into!)

This got me thinking...in his (incredibly!) capable hands, this pairing is obviously perfect for the twangy country-rock Mr P. is known for. But what about other styles? Can it really rock? Can it take a fuzz and not explode? Can it make me sound...passable(!) as a player?

Today, I wanted to use this amazing pairing of gorgeous boutique amps; turn them up to the point where they're really working; and see what magic they can work with a Telecaster and a few select pedals. This is by NO means an attempt to play like Brad; or copy his sound...just to explore his pairing of choice and see what the ham-fisted likes of me can hammer out of it.

What do you think? The ultimate pairing of circuits? Or would you use something different? Comment below!

Guitar is a 1996 MIJ FenderTelecaster with Monty's '53 bridge and Bare Knuckle Flat '50 neck pickups; recorded through a Dr Z Z-Wreck (Celestion AlNiCo Gold; Aston Spirit Condenser and '70s Sennheiser MD441) and a Dr Z DB4 (Fane Ascension A60; sE R1 ribbon) with a Schoeps CMC6 room mic.

0:00 Intro
4:33 Playing
18:41 Outro


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