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Here's a little monster:
ZT Amplifiers - Products
200 watts pushing through a 6.5" speaker - wow!
They say that they target this as a clean amp because of all the headroom it can get.
Did anyone try the ZT Lunchbox?
The reviews I've read have all been great...
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06-20-2009 03:24 AM
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I have have one that I use on gigs and LOVE it. My Teles, Gretsch and 175 sound great through it. It's loud (really loud) and clear, 200 watts, 6.5" speaker, the size of a lunchbox (literally) and weighs in at 9lbs. I turned some of my jazz player friends onto them and they really like them too. It reminds me of a super charged 5F1 Champ but so much more. It can get dirty too because of the master volume. I got mine online from an affiliate dealer for $260....... you cannot beat it!!!
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Thanks for the reply. I'm going to order one. I figure it can also be run through a bigger cab if needed.
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Whoah. That seems very impressive. Please. Tell me more. How does it work with jazz boxes where all one is concerned with is getting the cleanest, most pure tone around?
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Sounds great through a cabinet as well. I happen to really like the stock speaker myself. I got mine for $260 and free shipping. Seems like the best deal online. Hope you like it!!
Originally Posted by bfloyd6969
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There is a surprising amount of clean headroom with 200 watts and the stock speaker does a great job with tight bass and clarity. My 175 sounds great through it and the amp sounds even better in a band setting among the mix of all the other instruments. It's a cool little amp. Originally Posted by NSJ
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200 watts? I went to their web page, and that's "peak" power. Hardly 200 watts RMS.
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I found this from their site under the technical specs:
Understanding Amplifier Power.
Nobody has come up with one number that can fully represent the power capability of a
guitar amp. RMS is a very conservative approach, but it misses the issue of dynamic
power and real world musical signals. At the other extreme, Peak Power can readily be
inflated to the point where it is not a reliable indicator of anything. In fact, the actual
power of any given amplifier varies widely at different frequencies. Every amplifier
company has their own procedure for stating the power capability of their products,
which ideally should be done within the boundaries of accepted technical standards and
legal requirements. Here is our thinking on the matter, which we believe results in
specifications that are both conservative and useful.
The internal speaker of the Lunchbox is nominally 6., with a DC resistance of 5.3..
Electrically, the amplifier output stage runs differentially, using a 48V rail. The output
stage can source in excess of 41Vp or 28Vrms into the speaker load. This yields the
following typical specs:
Maximum Instantaneous Peak Power: 280W.
Musical Peak Power: 236W.
RMS Power: 130W.
Sustained Average Music Power: 200W.
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Well however many watts it is this little guy is really, really loud with lots of clean headroom. I like it and it works for me. Check one out.
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Wow! What a cool little amp. How's the bass response? With a 6.5" speaker, I would guess it is an issue. I don't get as much as I want with my JazzKat and it is 8".
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Here's how I find it. First of all, I'm not going to start getting rid of my other amps due to it. But it's good for what it's worth. It is a loud amp and able to hang with a loud drummer and I can be heard clearly through the mix. Bass wise, yeah it's lacking in that area but I didn't find it an issue playing within the context of the band (vox, sax, guitar, keys, bass and drums). I tried it using a 1x12 Avatar cab and the bass improved quite a bit. There's obviously more emphasis on the mids with the 6.5" speaker but it's probably the reason why I am not having issues "being heard". I'm going to have a chance to try it out with a rock band next week.
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The choices are 110 and 220 volts. As far as I know all of North America uses 110volts, Europe/Asia is 220.
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Mine has a switch for 110v or 220v on the back.
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Bought this puppy a couple of months ago to use at my restaurant weekend gigs based on the reviews I read. I'm pumping my L5 CES through it and the tone and clarity is nothing short of AMAZING.....and the tips went UP as well !
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well, i just got back from vacation and the lunchbox i had ordered was waiting for me at my neighbor's house.
i've spent a few hours with it, so i'll give you a very preliminary review. if you don't like to read things, just read this: i honestly think if they have 250 bucks, there isn't a guitar player out there who wouldn't like this amp.
it's small, a little heavier than it looks like it will weigh, but still weighs in less than just about any other amp, and certainly weighs less than any amp with as much juice.
it's control setup is very simple. the reverb control is a bit more like an "ambience" control, check out their website, they explain it better than i could.
using my favorite tele, i find i get the nicest tones from it with the gain up about halfway, tone around 9 o'clock, and volume set to taste. since i'm playing with a single coil equipped guitar, this setting at essentially any usable volume is completely clean...i'll have to test it with a humbucker to see if it holds true for a hummer. they (zt) suggest that you have the gain up around halfway or more for the best tone and less "hiss." the amp is a little hissy on a high volume low gain setting.
the 6.5" speaker is extremely efficient. it stays clean at this setting at volumes 3/4 of the way up, and the volume achived with the knob that high would get me thrown out of any of my current gigs. it's that loud. really. i can't express to you how friggin' loud it is.
the speaker is small, so it doesn't handle the lowest notes on the guitar exactly how desired at high volume. mind you, it DOES NOT crap out at all, the note is delivered perfectly clean and clear, but in a midrangey tone that you can't feel in your gut. putting this thing thru a nice light small speaker cab might be a great idea and not completely ruin the ultra portable aesthetic. i've already called a buddy who plays thru a raezer's edge NY-8, and since the impedence is compatible, and we're going to have a beer later this week and play the lunchbox thru his cab. i have a very bad feeling that this means i'll be buying a NY-8 in the next few months...
the overall sound is clean, transparent, somewhat touch sensitive, and is basically a faithful reproduction of what you put into it.
i'm going to try it out in a few different situations (private lessons wednesday with a cheap multieffects unit, jam with a country/western swing group thursday, and i might gig with it saturday night...maybe...)with a few different guitars this week and i'll update you all on it later. but so far, i'll say again: i'm VERY impressed.
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Cool info! I am a big fan of this little beast. I have two that I run and they sound awesome. Please post when you try it with the raezer's edge cab.
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Guys, this amp realy seems amazing! You got me realy curious, as I am always looking for the smallest possible amp.
Can you give any comments on the following:
- currently I am using a Roland Cube 30 for my small jazz and restaurant-gigs, that does the job pretty well. But this Lunchbox seems even smaller and maybe louder even? Any idea how it compares to the Cube 30?
- would it holp up in a jazz-group with drums, bass and piano and, say, a sax player?
- The lack of low frequencies is not a big issue I think in a jazz-group, I tend to dial out bass-frequencies pretty much since they only get in the way of the other instruments. Playing solo or with another guitarplayer it could be an issue, but I read here then a complimentary speakercab could solve that?
- did anybody compare it to the Phil Jones AAD Cub?
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I read at their site that a 12" version should be out this fall. I'll wait a bit and see.
I think the 12" may handle the lower frequencies better.
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little jay,
it's remarkably loud. it's almost hard to believe...it's louder than my cube 60, so i imagine it'd be much louder than your 30.
i think in a group it would excel. solo playing, not as much...but i'll still try a solo gig with it to let you all really know how that goes. like i said, it doesn't fart out on the low notes like say, a microcube. it just delivers the note cleanly an mid-rangily...you don't feel it in your cajones like thru my polytone. in a group, that won't be a bad thing--you will be heard. it cuts thru.
my concerns will be how well the sound spreads out...i've been using it in my music room, a 12X12 addition on my house. not a big room. here, it sounds IMMENSE. i'll need to try it on a gig or a jam to see how much air it pushes in a real life situation...i have a gut feeling it'll do good, though. certainly more than enough for a small combo, and certtainly it'd work in any situation you're using your 30 in. probably doing the same trick as your 30, though, so i don't know if you need to rush out, unless you're like me, and having a new little box around the house makes you all happy...
after all, it's even smaller! (9.5 lbs!)
the only other thing i have to check out is how it sounds with a humbucker. i have two guitars with humbuckers, but they're still pretty low output (a floating kent armstrong and a fender wide range bucker on one of my teles) so i'm going to bring this to the studio i teach at thursday where one of the other teachers uses a les paul with burstbuckers. see, the thing that concerns me (well, not me, but it makes me hesitate to say "everyone go buy one, now") is that the amp really sounds best (warmest and quietest) with the GAIN at least halfway up. with my main tele, this setting at any volume is still perfectly clean. i wonder if with a hotter pickup if this would be the case.
i'll update again later this week.
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Mr. B & crew.....I have been gigging with this little lunchbox tone monster for a couple of months now with my stock tele ( single coil ) and my newest bargain jazz box, the discontinued Ibanez custom series AF100 ( 49% off the previous asking price including case ! ) with their Super58 custom HB pickups, and the ZT pumps those HB's into jazz heaven. I like others am usually in playing situations where the bass range either gets boomy or in the way so the mids are PERFECT. Oh, and by the way, I just did a gig last week with a full 16 piece BIG band and the little ZT engine that could rode EASILY over the horns et al.....!
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P.S. to the above....I also tried out my ZT amp in a larger setting, my church on Sunday, which has a 150-200 seating capacity and it spread out and saturated the sanctuary amazingly well....even BETER than my 12" combos ( which I've been told have been on occasion actually too boomy for the place! )......just thought I would throw that into the mix since it was a concern. ( by the way, I don't work for ZT amps....I just celebrate when I find the hidden treasure chests )
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Has anyone seen the new 12" ZT at a show or video clip demo yet?
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I'm curious about the 12" version too!
It still seems very compact.
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update: or rather, a duh moment.
i put the amp on the floor instead of up on a table where i had it, and the bass response greatly increased...still not something you really feel in your gut, but a lot closer, and about the best i've ever heard out of a speaker that small.
NSJ, i still have to try it out with a guitar with humbuckers, but i'd say the cleans are good and clean, but again,not as much bass as my polytone (i have an MB III)
you're in chicago right? I have a public gig for once coming up on august 16th--just playing a little cafe in rogers park for fun and a little "public practice." if you're interested, i'll let you know where and you can come out and hear it in person--i've decided it's the first place i'm going to try it out on a gig (but it's already going along in the trunk to my private party gig this weekend as a backup, just in case)
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Well, Sam Ash in Buffalo Grove did have it, and for about $30 LESS than what I've seen advertised on the net.
Tried it out with my ES-175. Very loud, very clean. In a huge room. You have to dial the settings on the amp and the guitar, of course, but I was able to find that mid range that was very crisp and clean. Maybe a bit too much background hiss at the higher volume settings than I'm used to--but hey, I wasn't cranking it like the guy next to me testing out the gear with a little Ted Nugent action.
So, I picked it up. A great little practice amp that can be used for gigs, if needed, small, light weight, loud, versatile, and cheap.
The sales guys also fawned over my guitar (*hey, man is that vintage? Whoah. Can I try that out??*)
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