NAD: Dr. Z Z-Plus Ultra-Lite. Truly something special. | Z-Talk (2024)

Well, after taking a few months away from the gear game, rollyfoster not only sold me a Sonic Blue Classic S, he also convinced me that the Z-Plus was everything I loved about the Carr Sportsman, and then some. He hasn't steered me wrong yet, so I committed.

This was the last one that Sweetwater had, so I figured hey, it's a sign.

I got the amp early yesterday and spent the better part of the day playing it - pedals, no pedals, loop, no loop, stand, no stand - just putting it through its paces.

The loop is one of the most transparent I've tried - it's up there with the Suhrs and Friedmans I've owned. Just perfect. I understand the return is buffered but not the send. I don't know how this affects it, but I do know that I have two buffered pedals in the loop. *shrugs

The cleans on this amp are really, really good. It's definitely in the American camp. The amp manages to balance this immediate feel while still having an addictive amount of sag. There is a balance to the feel of the amp that makes it really, REALLY fun to play. It really does remind me of the Sportsman, but just overall more pleasing. The EQ is powerful, and the 'Cut' knob all by itself can really transform the amp.

One thing I forgot about initially was that it comes with a variable EQ bypass controlled by a pedal. I played with that some, and man, that throws the amp into pissed off Tweed territory in a really, really AWESOME way, and it cleans up with the volume knob on my guitar in this mode brilliantly.

My pedals all sound wonderful through this. I'd say it actually handles pedals better than my Sportsman did, although not by a wide margin.

My muff, though, sounds particularly good through it. WAY better than it has through anything else I've ran it into.

Obviously I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but it really is an amazing amp, and I look forward to abusing it more today.

DRZ - huge thanks to you and your team, as always. I've been through a number of your amps at this point, and each one has always had something truly special. I love the approach of finding inspiration from some of the greats, while always making it very much your own thing. Much, much appreciated.

Thanks, man!

I really can't get over how much I love the cleans and the edge of breakup sounds in this.

Honestly, I didn't think anything would dethrone the Carr Sportsman for me, but this is sure shaping up to do so. I had the Sportsman for over a year, which, for me, is like some sort of freak miracle. I go through gear like underwear.

Today will be more experimentation with pedals - tossing a Strymon DIG into the loop and a Suhr Koko up front.

Yeah, I'm actually torn on whether or not I dig the modulation pedals in front. It's not a significantly different sound, but it's different enough to explore both options.

I love the tone and feel when I run the preamp volume lower and crank the master. Maybe that's why I like the mod and time based effects in front??
I hope you continue to enjoy it!

I actually run it pretty much the way you're describing. I may end up just moving everything to the front, honestly. I have been going back and forth, and the effects in the loop sound a touch more clear, but almost in a boring way.

Tossing it all up front sounds AWESOME.

This is the way.

Now get a Belle Epoch Deluxe

I ended up testing the Z-Plus through an external cab with an Alnico Cream, as well as tossed the Alnico Cream into the Z-Plus itself. Super cool sounding with that speaker, but the stock Z12 speaker sounds better overall, IMO. Just more balanced. More high end sparkle without ever being harsh, even if I try to make it harsh.

Additionally, I much prefer my whole pedal chain up front. It took a bunch of back and forth to figure it out, but the amp definitely seems to have an edge this way, with pedals. Maybe it's due to the send not being buffered? No clue. That said, I do have some buffered pedals in the loop when I use it.

I'm really blown away at how effortlessly this thing takes any and all pedals.