Dr. Z has done it again. The Z-40 brings all the British chime and breakup from the Z-80 into a manageable 40 watt format that's perfect for any gig. The Z-40 has a killer breakup and with it's zero loss effects loop you can run all your modulation and time effects after the pre-amp so you can leave your drive pedals at home.
- Watts: 40
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Tubes: 2 - EL34, 2 - 12AY7, 1 - 12AX7
- Rectifier: 1 -Switchable 5U4GB tube and solid state diodes
- Speaker: WGS ET90
- Weight: Head - 28 lbs, Cab - 38 lbs
- Dimensions: Head - 19” W, 9 3/4” H, 9 1/2” D; Cab -19 ½” H, 22 ¾” W, 10 ¼” D
- Accessories & Misc: Zero Loss Effects Loop
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Controls: Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Cut, Master Volume
Head price $1899 Cab price $799 | If you're interested in splitting up the pair send us a. message.
From Dr. Z
Having much success developing half-power versions of his popular amps, the MAZ 18 and the Z Wreck Jr. being exemplary best-sellers, the impetus to distill the brilliant British character of the Z-80 down to a manageable 40 watts of dual EL-34 power was strong. And let’s face it, not every rockstar needs the full 80-watt potential of the Z-80, so the Z-40 seemed an obvious addition to the line. Yet the path it led Z down was winding, as trying to wrangle the Z-80’s behemoth tone by simply marrying it’s preamp to a twin tube power section wasn’t as easy as simply dreaming up the idea.
Finding the same robust, chiming clarity of the bigger amp challenged Dr. Z to rethink the technical design while retaining the essential features every player appreciated about the Z-80. Still present in the Z-40 is the smooth, fader-like post-phase inverter master volume to manage the overall output, the unique, individually cathode-biased EL-34 power tubes which gave the original design it’s harmonically rich character, and the versatility of the Metro “Zero-Loss” FX loop for the modern player’s pedalboard.
Re-designed was a proprietary output transformer from Heyboer, not a copy of any previous amp, vintage or otherwise. The gain-staging of the preamp was considered to maintain superb clarity and headroom, with chiming British cleans that bloom into defined, grinding saturation. This amp includes a first in Z’s design history: the use of TAD Hi-Grade 12AY7 preamp tubes in the first two positions which provide a punchy, well-balanced response across every note of the fretboard. Adding the novel “bootstrap” tone stack driver circuit from the previous amp to the Z-40 increased bandwidth and gain which was essential to its sonic signature. Finally, another tweak rarely employed by Dr. Z: a subtle, fine-tuning of negative feedback in the output section corrects any mushy artifacts and produces an accurate, extremely low noise amplification of the guitar’s signal.
But Dr. Z wasn’t satisfied with the Z-40 being the kid brother of the Z-80; the amp had to stand on its own with its own exclusive features. A new switchable rectifier mode allows the player to alter the headroom and response. Solid-state diode rectification, as in the original amp, produces pure, lucid cleans, with a snappy response. Switching in the 5U4 tube rectifier creates compression, a smoother play feel, and a bit more grit to the overdrive as the power section pulses to the player’s touch. The “cut” control, famous in many British-style amps, reappears in the Z-40 to fine-tune the all-important high mid chime to the player’s guitar and pickups.