Dr. Z AMA: "Why is hand-wiring important?"

[@The_Absurdistt]

One of the last great, great amp builders.

[@johnbose7454]

I recently acquired a Dr Z MAZ Senior built in 2009. It is astoundingly solid and sounds incredible. Some people struggle to describe how they sound. I would say they’re like a black face Deluxe on steroids with 20% ac15 chime sprinkled on top; but it is it’s own sound. That’s why people often struggle to describe the sound. I find it rich, round and full. Overdrive pedals sound beautiful through it. (I have the 1x12 combo) It is heavy at 54 pounds but it has inspired me to get in better shape! And the spring reverb sounds fantastic in mine. Lots of glass in that one, but I’ve always wanted a hand wired tube amp. Thanks Dr Z!!!

[@seamanjive]

Very reassuring to hear from the man who designed my amp,,,,serviceability. Thx once again Doc!

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

Doc Z you give me happiness knowing that new amps are being built by hand the good way in modern times

[@Earlvis]

Your heater wiring and lead-dress is impeccable, Mike!

[@benderdiver]

I played hand wired amps for 30 years, bandmasters super reverbs ,that’s how they were made,i played 3 or four nights every week. I had an accident damaged my neck and could hardly play at all, after 15 years of hard work im playing again, a bit unreliably but I feel whole again, i have tried so many amps there just don’t feel rightly have. Plugged into a few hand wired fenders and Marshall’s etc,no not quite There, my friend has a dr Z amp I tried it YES it felt and responded like my old bandmasters can’t afford one.but if you Can I don’t think you will be disappointed,listen to the old guy,

[@juliochingaling5824]

Amazing video and info. DR Z really knows his amps. Bless him for keeping the company USA.

[@chandlerbair5659]

I struggled through this video because I generally feel like PCBs are superior for most applications, but in defense of the turret board construction, I would also add that there's little to no risk of destroying the whole board by overcooking one joint. As you say, Z amps are meant to last multiple lifetimes, and if you have someone 50 years later trying to replace some caps, they're not going to be able to ruin the solder pads if there aren't any. Additionally, if a turret is broken, it's probably not all that difficult to just remove it and press another in. Good stuff.

[@DrZAmplification]

Yes. A well made and designed PCB works in many applications. But for the circuits we are building, turret board construction makes things very easy for us to manipulate, repair, and reproduce consistently and effectively. If we were building big channel switching amps with a lot of circuitry, that would be another order for sure.

[@AmpAHolic-wn6mr]

Good, solid explanation of the benefits of hand wired amps. I don’t own anything other than vintage, but have had plenty of opportunity to play modern examples. Most of the time, I’m underwhelmed. Just because it’s hand wired, doesn’t mean it’s going to magically sound great. PCB’s, Rats nest wiring, Ribbon cable and SMD technology is for ease of manufacturing and maximizing profits. The old way is time consuming and labor intensive, but the benefits are plenty as the Dr explains.

[@vincechu]

Thanks for sharing an insightful video. I’ve only heard good things about Dr. Z amps from guitarists, and they sound amazing too! At 2:35 ‘The amps that I build... they’re heirloom products...they will last generations’, this line really stuck with me, it shows great confidence in your product quality but also a good philosophy that all companies should adopt. I‘ll be strongly considering a Dr Z for my next amp. :)

[@donewithmodernlife]

Vince Chu I have a Maz 18 NR that I run through a Z convertible 1x12 loaded with an AlNiCo Gold. I’ve had it about a year & a half. After 25 years of playing guitar & owning many different amps the Maz is my favorite I’ve ever owned. It’s by far the most flexible amp I’ve ever spent time with not to mention the quality of construction that the Dr. talks about here. The inside of the amp is a thing of beauty. I have no doubts I will be able to pass it on to my daughter one day. The best advice I can give someone thinking about a Z amp is buy it. They’re very well priced for a boutique amp & you won’t be disappointed. If I had to do it all over again I’d buy it without hesitation. In fact I have my eye on a Cure now; just when I’m in the market for a 6v6 1x12 combo the Dr. delivers!

[@jdl2180]

That great if you don't mind pay an extra thousand dollars for something that you will never see are hear.

[@thephotoyak]

@@jdl2180 you can hear quality. Most of the tone is in the design, but build and component quality make a difference as well.

[@lettuceb2336]

I appreciate the dedication to your product, and it's clear Dr. Z amps are well respected within the guitar community. I also like your presentation style. It is a common misconception that PCB is by default worse than hand-wired construction. The truth is all of the technical benefits made in favor of hand wiring can also be made of PCBs. The key is either approach must use quality components and robust manufacturing procedures. Any remaining "benefit" is purely subjective and a function of the human condition. The lone benefit I see in having a hand-wired amp is the imperfect perfection... the fact no two amps will be exactly identical. There is pride in the work put into hand-wired amplifiers, something that is extremely important and helps maintain quality. PCBs are generally used to reduce cost, will carry inferior components, and lack attention to detail. These goals are counter to the boutique amp world and help propagate the belief there is a difference. A high quality PCB design with grade A components and assembly may arguably be the pinnacle of construction... better initial yield, better long-term reliability, easier to maintain, easier to debug and repair, and believe it or not... no more difficult to modify. These "benefits", of course, are only true IF the PCB is designed with these goals in mind. Two final items that are almost always overlooked in this discussion. First, low-volume production of hand-wired amplifier may be less expensive to build than high-quality PCB-based amplifiers because there is still significant assembly involved for the PCBs. Thus, for the same investment it may be possible to do hand-wiring with higher quality results. Second, it is possible to automate the wiring process to produce amplifiers if someone were so inclined. The end user would be hard-pressed to differentiate between hand and machine built, but it is rather impractical for low-volume production. (Disclaimber - I'm not suggesting I know of any companies building guitar amps using this technique).

[@petegaslondon]

All of the above, but not so sure about "no more difficult to modify" I mean I DID it (whole new design really) but the result was a bit of a dogs breakfast! And those nice chunky steel tags are SO much nicer than copper that can peel - that said a real thick chunky mechanically strong board with a good layout IS a joy to behold... Personally I still like to keep the mounting flanges ON the tube sockets, to take mechanical stress OFF the board, and if youre gonna do that you may as well hand wire with turret board

[@lettuceb2336]

@@petegaslondon "A dogs breakfast".... I must admit to do a PCB right is a skill on its own, and it may take several iterations to make it happen. Copper peeling can generally be improved in layout (stitch it down with vias), but using the correct soldering temp is the most important thing. I see many people that think solder not melting means add more heat (the primary cause of delamination). Keep it between 600F and 625F for lead solder. If thermal mass is a problem get a second iron on the joint or a higher-watt unit. If copper delam is still an issue you could turn the PCB into a turret board :) if I didn't say it in the first message let me say it here. There are still trade-offs between PCB and turret construction. I would use turret board for any one-off DIY builds and prototyping and PCBs for any level of production above a few amps per year. On a related note, the Princeton 65 RI PCB is.... how can I say this nicely.... is a piece of decorative fiberglass.

[@petegaslondon]

@@lettuceb2336 All of the above! Though you DID say Modify and I'm like 'nahhh' ;) .. Many early PCB amps used pretty dreadful PCB materials - with thick copper hi quaity fibreglass I dont get the Delam thing much, and OK I can now dial in my temperature, so I'll watch that Once my designs down I prob WILL do a PCB - long as I can do the to the tubeholder flange thing ;)

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

People ask why I love dr z , I trust them that I'm getting a very well built great sounding amp. Not everyone can guarantee that but they "say it".

[@petegaslondon]

Hey it's Dr Z! Yeah I never thought of that - turret tag construction means you can fit physically different parts in a lot easer My Mk 001 was TOTALLY hardwired - no tagboards! It was an old EL84 amp from the 50's which I ripped up to make something new - I replaced the 2 rectifier tubes with 2 more EL84's to make soemting like an AC30 (with stereo main amps - ok I'm weird LOL) That poor guy went west when I lost my home a few years back, but I've got a few new things coming, not least a rather nice Mic Pre+Compressor (one of the FEW things I saved from the old place was a bag of transformers - thanks to the wonderful ol lady who lived below me xxx) I could weep for the loss of some 100k of hardware, with v little legal redress (the Eviction was 100% illegal) but .. The best revenge is success, right?' I've been kinda agnostic about the Tagboard v PCB debate - I figure if you ARE gonna use PCB's the material DOES need to be top notch (and keep the heater wires twisted and OFF the board) I just LIKE turret board as it's.. COOL :) Oh, I promise not to plug any amps I make on your channel LOL - Greetings from London!

[@PhishBanjo]

Thanks for this video! I liked learning about the turret board.

[@JackMasonLive]

He says something that sounds "key" to me "run out of components". Any company, big or small, could run across that issue. What happens when it's line production?

[@1993wethebest]

Additionally the added harmonic content and note separation.. plus the ability to use at lower voltage eg 110 with the brown box

[@4lf4s4bb4th]

Very useful video, the important is, physics! more metal area and consistent point of union gives less resistance to the little audio signals, results in clarity and definition to the tone.

[@bruceanderson8720]

enjoyed it _ thanks for taking the time

[@shaunw9270]

Superb attention to detail 👌

[@colaboytje]

You forget to mention that it looks great compared to those messy pcb boards in Fenders and such amps. It's really art. The real definition of art.

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Such integrity , that's why Iam buying one

[@nestormurrietachavez8586]

Donde estuviste toda mi vida Dr. Z

[@gregcharles999]

My next amp for sure nothing is built like they are!

[@RulgertGhostalker]

Good Ventilation at Dr.Z's !!!... that looks OSHA approved.

[@kennethmeeker6369]

You get what you pay for and Z is worth every penny

[@johnsawyer455]

Nice use of F&T caps. solid parts quality...

[@DrZAmplification]

they are great. we use them thousands of them a year, buy them by the box, and put them in the hundreds of amplifiers we make a month.

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Open up my brand new dr z Maz 18 reverb and it's absolutely amazingly well made

[@Penguin806]

Could someone clarify "NASA-grade soldering techniques" for me? Like, what makes the technique better? Or is it component quality?

[@DrZAmplification]

nepp.nasa.gov/docuploads/06AA01BA-FC7E-4094-AE829CE371A7B05D/NASA-STD-8739.3.pdf

[@DrZAmplification]

Dylan there's the wrong way, then there's the way that put humans on the moon!

[@Penguin806]

Love it. Thanks!

[@dustylense]

The amp you built has a better chance of getting to the moon than did that homeless shack they try and pass off as the moon lander...

[@yomommaahotoo264]

@@DrZAmplification No one ever went to the moon.

[@kennethcohagen3539]

Can you use turret boards in a solid state amps?

[@DrZAmplification]

Yes, hypothetically, no reason why you couldn't, however many transistors would be difficult to mount this way. It's not particularly advantageous based on how transistors legs/contacts are positioned. Nearly all new production transistors would be impossible to mount on a turret board.

[@ediek8048]

Can you tell us what wire you use: AWG and brands. I need to do some point to point hand wiring repair on a PCB.

[@DrZAmplification]

Solid core, pre tinned, 20 AWG from Conwire.

[@SarahRWilson]

Jacks, potentiometers, switches, and other things that move WILL come loose if mounted on a circuit board. Furthermore it's generally poor practice to PC mount tube sockets, especially power tubes if one is interested in reliability. PC boards are cheap, easy, and bean counters love 'em. Especially if the amp fails prematurely and the starving musician "has to buy another one."

[@anthonysilva5312]

“Heirloom Product”. Yup. You don’t see that much anymore these days. I recently hardwired a small amp, and, it ain’t easy.

[@zelimamata]

Masters

[@srh361]

Plus "hand wired" and "point to point " are two different things to many manufacturers as well.

[@hootowl6354]

Yep. A lot of people mistakenly call hand-wired point to point. Virtually no one makes real point to point amplifiers, and they aren't necessarily better.

[@mikejamieson419]

Why does my pcb Marshall (although it sounds good) sound thinner than all my handwired amps.

[@DrZAmplification]

In some, but not all cases, mass manufactured PCB amps are going to be aiming for cost effectiveness, more so than higher quality. PCB is a generally faster (less labor time, cheaper) way of manufacturing. So it can be assumed that if there is a low price point looking to be achieved, it's not simply going to be just with lower cost PCB manufacturing, but lower cost components like capacitors, transformers, etc. which will have a sum effect on the overall tone.

[@prasanthselvadurai3450]

Hard to handwire multi channel amps without them costing 5000+ USD

[@DrZAmplification]

yes, labor is the biggest cost

[@TempoDrift1480]

I'm running a pair of inexpensive but hand wired VHT heads and as a bit of a tech myself there is no question of quality, longevity or ability to swap parts for fun or function. You can't get inside a solid state Marshall and do whatever you want. Handwired is the professional way to do anything related to vacuum tubes.

[@daveduffy2823]

Dr Z, why hasn’t anyone designed a circuit that would shoot the cap voltage to ground before working on an amp. Instead of the stick with the resistor on one end and the other to the chassis, why not have a circuit with a switch that would do the same? It seems much safer. Thanks.

[@DrZAmplification]

The capacitors of many amplifiers discharge within 60 seconds upon powering down and leaving the stand by switch on in the "go" position.

[@jettramel]

I knew that damn press I saw a couple of weeks ago at a resale shop was good for something besides pressing buttons, dammit, I should have snagged it, thinking of pressing in frets with it. Great video, neat construction, good ole fashion American Made, don't see it much anymore. Bye, going to the resale shop & hope that press hasn't been sold. lol

[@scottdunn2178]

Ken Fischer used to laugh at the idea of hand-wired amplifiers... but still used "shit tubes & transformers" lol.

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Not ONLY in guitar amplifiers ...........every build by different persons and or with hand wiring or circuit board .............and this is built with the same components will sound DIFFERENT ..........

[@harryconover289]

You talk about where you source your PC Cards ,the ones you don’t youse?

[@DrZAmplification]

In every instance, you are looking at a turret board. There's literally no printed circuit board in the entire video. There are four common methods of amp construction. Printed Circuit Board, Turret Board ( the way we make our amps), Eyelet Board, Tag/Terminal Strip, and Point-to-Point. You are confusing the material of the boards (fiberglass, which is used in the first three mentioned), with the method of construction. Go read about what a turret board is vs. a printed circuit board (PCB), and take my word on it.

[@harryconover289]

@@DrZAmplification perhaps it’s a definition you say mounting for turrets on a board for parts mounting at this point it’s point to point but when you run traces on the board it becomes a printed circuit board and don’t misunderstand your stuffs and looks very nice and it’s good technique nice thick fiberglass on the PC Card ,ok

[@ledoynier3694]

@@harryconover289 there's no traces. just a blank glass fiber board, holes, and riveted turrets. All the circuitry is the components legs, and wires soldered between turrets. The whole point of a PRINTED circuit board is to get rid of turrets and point to point wiring.

[@malcolmholmes115]

My parents was so angry when they found that I’m doing a hand wiring

[@harryconover289]

True point to point hand wiring has no printed circuits, this amp is a hybrid of the both , the connections to the power tubes is why hand wiring is desired this is because of reliability, pc joints crack and outs are swapped a lot

[@DrZAmplification]

There are no printed circuits in the amps show.

[@harryconover289]

@@DrZAmplification perhaps you have the two confused this definitely has PC Card construction

[@DrZAmplification]

@@harryconover289 there is no PRINTED CIRCUIT in these amps. That is what PC is an abbreviation for. You don't make it 33 years in this business by confusing the two. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed_circuit_board

[@powertothebauer296]

yes Hand wiring has it advantages, but delivering the Voltage is not the problem the Amperes are the problem, and I spotted a rather big flaw in your wiring , soldering resistors across the tube contacts, they will get baked overtime I agree it is service friendly, but a proper designed pcb board on some stages is far better, mean the use of both technics.

[@DrZAmplification]

I'm sure over the last 33 years and tens of thousands of amps shipped we would have caught any "baking resistors" over the tube sockets, and we are totally aware of the temperature spec of our flame proof, 5w, metal film screen resistors, but thanks for your advice.

[@jasonkirkham550]

Me too ! No pcb for me.

[@hootowl6354]

Me too. The older they get the less worth repairing they become. Soldering onto PCB can be difficult. Whereas a hand wired amp, replacing components is easy and returns it to normal. Hand-wired is a long-term investment.

[@airgead5391]

"the highest grade components that are available" and the tooth fairy exists too. I won't say that the components aren't very decent, but highest grade components would make the amp 10 times or more expensive.

[@vipinled4591]

👏👏👏👏💙💛💚💜❤👍✊

[@stevewodell6183]

It's tradition. To use pcbs and wave soldering is too modern for some people..

[@brandonmalone1893]

I got a nice organ. Nothings quite like when actual hands touch your organ

[@ThirstyKnife]

I’m sorry-I hate to be blunt but this video gives me a hard-on. Keep I mind this is before I even received my first DR Z amp. Can’t wait to receive mine in the mail.

[@fretbuzz59]

"NASA-grade soldering techniques." Haha.

[@AdamGotheridge]

Look it up.

[@fretbuzz59]

@@AdamGotheridge Look what up? The NASA soldering handbook?

[@capitanvonchickenpants8492]

PCB mounted tube sockets....... Marshall jcm 200 triple superlead anyone??

[@karlhouseknecht]

Anyone else get anxious when he started patting the high voltage caps?

[@frossbog]

They're not high voltage. They're high amperage.

[@scottdunn2178]

Voltage doesn't kill you... Amperage does. 1/4 amp can stop your heart... but a 250,000+ volt stun gun won't.

[@jsdhesmith2011]

Lol nasa grade soldering techniques

[@widowmakerheartattack5212]

Had a dr Z Mazerati 38..was sooooo lifeless.

[@DrZAmplification]

Ragnar yohan I guess you won't be in line to get a 30th Anniversary Mazerati this year then, which will be reissued this year due to overwhelming customer demand for our 30th year in business.

[@kommi1974]

No, that was just your playing and ability.

[@edwardmonsariste4050]

Standards are good, but only in the hands of competent people. Boutique guitar amplifier manufacturers make their name for their Mona Lisa paintings under the chassis. Otherwise, buy the original Fender, Marshall, or Vox that most amps are based off of. Thank you very much for posting this video.

[@DrZAmplification]

No problem buying vintage if the amps were properly maintained. which can certainly be hard to come by, 30-40 years down the road.

[@gabet3754]

You had me until you said “nasa soldering”.

[@CA5EY11]

"NASA grade soldering techniques?" I call BS on that one. First of all, if such a thing even exists, it would never include touching melting the solder with the tip of the iron (except for tinning the tip). That is how you get a "cold solder joint," which is to say that the solder does not mix with the metal of the lead or the terminal resulting in a poor electrical connection. For a proper solder joint, the tip of the iron heats the lead and terminal and solder is applied from the other side such that the heated lead and/or terminal is hot enough to melt the solder. This assures a good electrical connection by allowing the metals of the solder, the lead, and the terminal to mix. Since this guy lies about his assembly technicians using "NASA grade soldering techniques," I can only wonder what else he is lying about. For example, he also claims that his "amps are built to last for generations." Since electrolytic capacitors will breakdown over time, he must be talking about really, really short generations.

[@DrZAmplification]

CA5EY11 of course capacitors need to be replaced over time. It’s the nature of electrolytics. The component (that we don’t make) has nothing to do build quality. And if you watch what Mark and Jay do, they solder it EXACTLY as you describe it. Tinning the wire, heating the lead and the terminal with the iron, then walking solder into the other side of point. You can clearly see that. And look down a few comments. We already address the NASA soldering technique and link to the documentation. Do you think we have been in business for 30 years making amps full of cold joints, with builders with 20+ years of experience working for us? Get real. The truth will set you free, troll!

[@DrZAmplification]

CA5EY11 Dr. Z is CE and ETL certified going through random inspections 4 times a year. We are the first boutique manufacturer to peruse this designation. Each chassis gets physically abused through the certification process. 30 years of business. We have builders with 20 years of experience and tens of thousands of amps out in the field. We don’t need you to “buy” anything, the product sells itself.

[@CA5EY11]

Dr Z Amplification Ahh, the truth comes out. Neither CE or ETL certifications even approach your claim of "NASA grade soldering techniques." In fact, your answer is a joke and an insult to anyone with a mind of their own! The CE marking is a certification mark that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area, and The ETL Mark is proof of product compliance to North American SAFETY standards--not functionality, not quality, not electrical reliability, and certainly not an indication of "NASA grade" anything, or any grade at all, for that matter. Your videos portray you to be a lying, pompous ass, but your replies confirm that fact. Do you really think your consumers are stupid enough to believe your bull$&@t because you throw some abbreviations at them? You're pathetic. You have two choices 1) Bite the bullet and admit that you intentionally misled viewers by lying about the "NASA grade soldering techniques" or 2) have NASA train your assemblers at the JPL in Pasadena to NASA-STD-8739.3 (December 1997), and hire an experienced NASA Certified inspector to provide quality control. My guess is that you won't do either one, because "they sell themselves." Personally, as far as boutique amplifiers go, I would much rather own an Egnater...but the Z looks kinda cool--at least you've got that going for you.

[@DrZAmplification]

Your leaps in logic are impressive, but the personal insults you insist on hammering away at are not. But you should go ahead and buy the Egnater, I think Bruce teaches classes as well, you might actually learn something about amp building.

[@BlindTom61]

Z is a well respected guy among musicians. H's also a nice guy. A good man, humble and sincere. He makes a killer amp at a musician's price. I don't know what is wrong with you but you are an angry man with a real chip on your shoulder. Makes you a bid of a sad lot...

[@jdl2180]

Thats nice but who cares?

[@Tom_the_great]

I wish he would elaborate on nasa grade soldering techniques 😶

[@BuckJoFiden]

I just built a 5E3. I’ve owned just about every good amp there ever was. Fenders , Old Marshalls , Boogies . There’s no comparison between a hand wired amp and something with a wafer thin collection of vibe. And that’s what a modern pcb is. Old pcbs were more substantial. New ones are shit.

[@DrZAmplification]

In most cases of the larger manufacturers, this can be true. However, there a few great builders who use PCB, Friedman, Fryette, and KSR all come to mind. They spec their boards right. But they are also in the hard rock/metal side of things with a lot of switching options. If you are looking for a simpler signal path, they you are correct, handwired is the way to go.