Description
This is a used amp. The item pictured is the one you will receive. It has been tested and gone over by the experts at our shop to ensure it’s working properly and is free of issues, unless otherwise noted in this listing. Please see pictures provided and the notes below for condition and wear. It will be packed with care to be shipped to your door! If you have any questions about this or any other piece of gear we have, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help!
Condition Notes:
– Condition: 10/10
– Any wear of note: None! Amp was made in March of this year (2023) and is in mint condition! It’s sounding amazing and is rearing to go! The folks at Dr. Z always combined incredible build quality with interesting circuits, which in this case feature super simple controls to give you a really clear and direct signal. So in short, if it’s a Z, you know you’re getting an outstanding amp. Includes power cable and original hang tag.
From Dr. Z:
Z-28 MK. II
“A callback to my fan-favorite EF-86 preamp design, supped up and turbo-charged with a new power section, chassis, and cabinet.” – Dr. Z
Specifications
Power Output – 30 Watts
Output Tubes – 2 – 5881
Preamp Tubes – 1 – EF-86, 1 – 12AX7
Rectifier – 1 – 5AR4
Controls – Volume, Treble, Bass, Master Volume
Color – Black
Dimensions & Weight – Head: 19” W, 9 3/4” H, 9 1/2” D; 27 lbs.
General Information
Among all the Legacy Amps that Z-Fanatics have clamored to make a return to the regular roster, the Z-28 stands at the top of the heap. From 2021 through 2022, Dr. Z took an opportunity not to just put out the “same old” design from back when the Z-28, alongside the Route 66 and Stang Ray stood firmly in the middle of his award-winning roster, but give it the MK II designation, which has been nothing but a home run in the MAZ lineup of amps. What does this mean? Why take what was such a lauded amp and mess with the recipe? Well Dr. Z has never been one to rest on his laurels, so the Z-28 Mk. II became his latest obsession.
The Z-28 Mk. II starts with his classic EF-86 preamp design: a high voltage, high fidelity, and high headroom preamp tube that literally inhales your guitar signal and fires it through the circuit path, creating a three dimensional experience unlike the more common 12ax7 preamp designs; it’s a sound that is full of harmonics, with immediate dynamic response, and percussive power. Set clean, rich, clear tones shimmer from the speaker and seamlessly integrate any effect, be it overdrive, distortion, time-based, or modulation, molding them into your playing experience as if the effects were built straight into the amp. Turn the gain up past noon and experience overdrive and even-order harmonics that are unmistakable and unique to the EF-86 design. As many players have described it, this is not unlike layering a distorted amp with a clean amp, with stunning clarity from each string, giving the overdriven signal a studio-like quality in the room.
As many Z-28 aficionados will notice, the power section has received an upgrade, sporting dual 5881 power tubes pushing the output power up to 30 bold, muscular watts. Dr. Z’s experience with these power tubes in the Z-MASTER and NOVA have put them up at the top of his design list, allowing the player to coax American-esque clean tones reminiscent of the mid 60s, but also drive them into harmonic overload similar to the classic British amps of the “Invasion” era, without the quirky artifacts found in those designs. Further separating it from both the older Z-28 and those vintage designs, the inclusion of the Mk. II-style Post-Phase Inverter Master Volume allows for volume control at any decibel level, from stage to studio, bedroom to practice room. What’s old is new again!
