1/21/13

THANKS AGAIN Mr Z
The guitar is Smoking Hot now. Marshall and Les Paul, perfect match!
RR

1/15/2013

1/12/2013

WOWWWW...just finished up the test run on the Pro.  I'm amazed.  It didn't sound bad when I gave it to you, I just wanted it to sound as good as it was capable of- I had no idea that this is what the amp could do.  The breakup on its own is beautiful, and transitions perfectly when pushed by my tubescreamer.  It's warm and bassy, not cold and farty like it used to be.  Warm, squishy, tube-y, everything that a good Fender should be.  Thank you.  Would happily take any new projects to you in the future.
Kyle

11/29/2012

Hey man,
I just wanted to thank you. My Splawn amp sounds better than ever.

Tony

11-01-12

Got a chance to put the LongHorn Modded Bassman through its paces last night and , it's a winner.  Amp definitely shows it's pedigree as a bass amp - the bass and mids are very full and forward in the EQ.  No trace of icepick, which is nice.  While I'm a fan of my Tweeds, I really dig that there's no sag with the BF Bassman's SS rectifier which gives a much tighter bottom end with no sign of fartiness like a Tweed.
 
The Normal channel yields a very nice clean tone, and surprisingly the first time I preferred to use a Bright switch on a Fender that was equipped with one! The breakup comes on smoothly and gradually in this channel and it takes pedals very well (tried OD, fuzz, delay, reverb).  The girthy mids and full bass EQ that this amp has sounds phenomal with reverb played clean - much sweeter and smoother than my Twin.   
 
The gain in the Bass channel comes on early and often. Snappy, punchy, sinewy with modest volume, full, muscular yet still articulate when you turn up and the compression kicks in - almost a hybrid tone between a Marshall and Fender is the impression I get (have no idea what Trainwreck sounds like, so maybe that is what it's closest to).  You did a great job re-working a channel which most everyone agrees is unusable straight in.  It definitely has a bit of a "sweet spot" with the controls (can get a little intense sounding at certain settings) and I'm still learning where the best settings are for a given volume level (controls seem very interactive on each channel).  I have 6  great amps now and have played plenty more over 36 yrs, but I can't think of one that nails the Stones "Brown Sugar" tone like this one does - brilliant.  And next to a Super, this is probably the best amp I could think of for slide on either channel.
 
The two channels seem to be in phase with each other when I jumpered the channels.  Lots of very interesting tonal combinations and possibliities open up with that and it actually makes for some of the amp's most compelling tones.
 
Again, think this is a great amp.  
 
cheers!
Steve

09/07/2012

Billy,

Just wanted to let you know the Marshall has never sounded this good, I don't know what mods you did but this is how I always imagined a Marshall should sound.

Thanks, Mark

Billy,

My Fender plays like a dream , best playing guitar ever, why don't they come from the store this way .

Best , Josh

September 05, 2012

Z -

Hey, just wanted to let you know, the Deluxe sounds great!! It's
exactly how I imagined it could sound. Even Oz and Ray commented on
how great it sounded when I plugged it in at the Guitar House last
night.
Besides the bright cap mod and the general cleaning, biasing and
testing, what did you do?
Whatever it was, it sounds fantastic, and takes all my pedals really well.

Thanks again
-Ben

I played it most of last night. Sounds beautiful and clean. I have no idea what a real blackface is supposed to sound like, but to me, this is classic Fender sound.

Ben,
> Glad you like it.
> I changed the V2 plate load to 82k and the V1 Cathode to 2.7K . you
> wanted more headroom. Those tungsols sound good too.
>
> Z

Sept 3,2012

That GZ20 is now my main amp, it really does the job especially with my Nash Tele . played it last night, sounds really good, really happy with that amp, it’'s the go to amp,

Thanks again Bill,       

Mel

Z, you brought my old JTM 45 back from the dead, sounding better than ever .

July 3 2012

Hey Billy,

Well, it's been a week and I've come to fully appreciate the terrific job you did. It is difficult to explain; the improvements to my instrument are nuanced but substantial. First, you restored the vintage value with refurbishing and putting back the original electronics, which are smooth as silk. That's truly awesome! Second, and to me more importantly, every aspect of tone and playability is improved, such that the total is greater than the sum of the parts . As with my other instruments you've worked on, I think you fully exploited this guitar's potential. I can play with more confidence, and have more fun! Many thanks.

Best Regards,

May 18, 2012

 Billy,
  The guitars work beautifully. I suppose a lot of players like new strings, but I like them better after an hour or so of break in so, just about there. Anyway, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the care you put into my gear. It's so much more fun when your gear works well!
BTW, I was talking with Mike G. today and I think he's going to want you to set up his son's vintage Rick 12 string.

I'm telling you man ... I had no idea my guitars could work this good!

As always, THANKS A MILLION!!!

Casey

04/05/12

Billy,

I picked up my two acoustics today (and paid you via Oz).Just wanted to say I'm thrilled with both!The Bourgeois OMC plays the way I remembered in way back when. I love this guitar.The Martin D-1 plays 10x better than it ever has. I like this guitar, but may start loving it now. Once again, I really appreciate your advice, expertise and service.

Best, Neal

Hey Billy,

 I finally got the DRRI back from Jay, and I have to wonder how you were able to find a brand new amp with the exact same stickers I had on mine? :D

Whew, does it ever sound good! I was late for work this morning because I couldn't stop playing it. Six years in and out of shops and it finally sounds like it should! Thanks again!!

 - Michael
On Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 1:40 PM,

Billy -

I hope to be sending you some clips of the new amp soon, but just had to vent one more time to say how amazing this thing is sounding now. I mean - it's just incredible. I'm plugging straight in to the Marshall, no pedal - and getting all the gain I need. The responsiveness of plugging straight in like this blows away using any of the pedals I've tried. The high end is just stellar - particularly when paired with something like a British greenback that is also sweet on the high end.

The gain is also slightly... complex. I don't know how to describe it, but the way it sings on the high end, plus the power chords, plus everything else. Just amazing. (And, remember, the pickups I'm using are not that hot at all.)

I'm running ALL controls on "10" except for the bass which is on zero, and the "normal" channel which I tend to pull back to about 8 or so with the Bright channel on 10. But that still varies some... I may wind up running it on 10 as well.
Don't mean to talk your head off, but this thing is just amazing sounding. I've got some great music near completion and will send you some clips of the amp when ready. Remember what you did - you may wind up getting amps sent to you for the "Billy Z Plexi Mod" one day! :-)

-Scott 1/12/2012

Billy,

Thank you for your work on the guitar and amp.  The Super Reverb is, in fact, very super now; with the tone controls fully open and the volume set to about four, it is an amazing machine.

Thanks again.

Richard 2/14/2012

On Jan 13, 2012, at 6:43 PM, Jason Clark <vastmassivesatellite@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Billy,
>> Just wanted to let you know I am playing the melody maker through my '65 vibro champ (that you worked on as well) and this guitar is just so perfectly set up...I know I tell you all the time how great your work is but seriously, Billy, you are a wizard with guitars...you make them a pleasure to play...it makes playing so much better and just wanted to tell you I wasn't sure about this guitar until I got it back. You've done it again. Thanks for all you do, bro. I'm a better player for it.
>> Cheers!
>> Jay

Hey, Billy. Thanks for the excellent work you did on my Gibson 335, Stratocaster and Mesa Boogie amp. The guitars both play smooth and sweet. Just to my specifications. It really shows that you care about the work you do. And thanks for going the extra mile fixing the foot switch for the mesa. I'm a loyal customer! Thanks again.

Kevin Sims
Austin, Tx.

Billy,
Where to Start?
My ears are ringing! What a sweet amp…. I very rarely used the treble pick up with past amps..too harsh for my liking..much prefer the fatter clean distortion (especially on the 335)…this amp will allow for more of diversity in sound since it has a richer tone. I like Complex but using Plex makes it much cleaner… Anton and Austen came out and played the Z amp…the SuperLux amp killed it …especially at the volumes we played at….I am really looking forward to playing in a live setting with the band to see how much I can push this amp…I bet it just gets better the bigger the sound.
I impressed the boys with the natural distortion when the volume is rolled up and the voltage dropped…in fact I found myself playing the Star Spangled Banner…ala Hendrix… SWEEEEET! The amp has the best natural feedback I have ever experienced!
It does not need to be loud to get a fat sweet tone…I may try different guitars. I know the 335 tends to darken the tone…I bet a strat or tele would be brighter…
The craftsmanship is frigging out of this world…you are a master! I will let you know how she does in live performances….I really REALLY REALLY like the fat tone of the natural distortion…it is by far the best sounding amp I have played to date!
I would love to hear how you came to this design..
Anyway…great amp…the Dr Z maz is retired!

Kurt

"I've used Billy Z many times over the last couple years. He does great work, is super knowledgeable and will beat any other shops prices. It's a total win-win for me! I've recommended him to several people already."

Toby Walters-touring musician/worship leader

www.tobywalters.com

I had Billy work on a couple of my Strats - setup and electronics. Played like a dream after Billy worked his magic! I also had him repair/revive one of my Fender Twin amps. Not only did he get it up and running, he added a "feedback loop modification " which completely opened up the sound. Billy also tuned up and worked some Billy Z mojo on my Marshall JMP - the amp never ever sounded better. Now I'm looking at one of his custom amplifiers. Billy is a wizard with electronics, setups, repair and he's also a killer player and a super duper nice guy.

- Ray Kainz

I have known Billy Z for 3 three plus years, besides being a great friend and muscian, Billy is one hell of a master Guitar and Amp man.... He took my old 68' Vibrolux Reverb and turned back the clock to make it sound like it did in 1968. Fender or Gibson through it sounds fantastic!!!Also repaired a Tascam Porto Two recorder... and has set up all my guitars Thanks Billy!!!!

-Max Hudson