# Modded my Maz 38 today!



## the-patient (May 19, 2009)

So today I modded my Dr. Z Maz 38 (no reverb!). Did a version of the tonestack bypass - sure it's not full... Still runs through a few caps and is slightly interactive with the treble pot but it does the trick!

Super easy mod...

a) Remove the ground from the mid pot
b) Connect the ground wire to the shorting part of a shorting quarter inch jack.
c) connect the tip of the jack to lug of the pot that was grounded
d) ground the sleeve (I did this by jumpering the shorting lug to to the sleeve)


Then, in your footswitch, you can use a SPST switch and normal mono jack. Set it up so that when it's in one position it connects the tip and ring (thereby grounding the mid pot, and activating the tonestack), and connect nothing to the far lug so that in the other position the tonestack is bypassed. I used a 3PDT because it's what I had.

I built my footswitch out of an old Astatic replacement turntable needle I had - looks pretty cool I think!


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## LydianGuitars (Apr 18, 2013)

Interesting... but why?


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## the-patient (May 19, 2009)

It basically acts as an overdrive channel. It's pretty out of control.



LydianGuitars said:


> Interesting... but why?


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## the-patient (May 19, 2009)

The mod actually comes stock with new models apparently, plus the mod was completely non invasive... used an existing hole, and it's 100% reversible. So.... why not?

If I can't handle the volume difference I'm thinking of adding a variable resistor between the ground and the mid pot. Basically so I can dial in the tone stack a bit to tame things as I close the resistor. Any thoughts on whether this would work? How would I set it up to have the resistor only in the chain when the tonestack is bypassed?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

the-patient said:


> It basically acts as an overdrive channel. It's pretty out of control.


don't break the switch haha. I want to hear it this week! Did you use your camera or hers?


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## the-patient (May 19, 2009)

Girlfriends. It's really nice... 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4


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## the-patient (May 19, 2009)

No one seems to really care - but I got to test out the mod extensively today and I have to day... holy fuck - the difference and versatility is phenomenal. 

Doing a little session tomorrow morning, so I'll follow up with clips!


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## neldom (Apr 29, 2009)

If it's all non invasive, I may have to pursue this for my Maz 18.
I saw it was an option on the newer models and the demos make it sound great.
Can you direct me to the whereabouts of a schematic for the mod?
I saw you outlined it in the post, but a schematic is so much clearer...


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## the-patient (May 19, 2009)

I couldn't find a schematic anywhere to be honest. It's really as simple as pulling the ground off the mid though! 

Completely non invasive, though! 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4


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## sadowsky13 (Feb 26, 2007)

the-patient said:


> So today I modded my Dr. Z Maz 38 (no reverb!). Did a version of the tonestack bypass - sure it's not full... Still runs through a few caps and is slightly interactive with the treble pot but it does the trick!
> 
> Super easy mod...
> 
> ...


The tone bypass addition is awesome I recently got a dr z remedy which was an older model (2010 ie: pre bypass) but was sent back to Dr Z to do the tone bypass mod and add the master volume when they first started doing the upgrades to older units. Basically they replace the faceplate with the newer faceplate when done and return the original faceplate to you. They also add the footswitch jack to the rear and give you the footswitch. This was all done before I got the amp. The tone bypass is like having a second channel to the amp. adds some good crunch! Have you played one with the tone bypass before? If so how do you find your mods compare?


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## the-patient (May 19, 2009)

I've actually never played one with the factory mod! I may see about ordering the factory faceplate, because there is a hole in the chassis, just not the plate! 

I'd love to compare, but the way you describe sounds similar. It's just a killer crunch channel. Though at low volumes it isn't as cool. 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4


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## sadowsky13 (Feb 26, 2007)

the-patient said:


> I've actually never played one with the factory mod! I may see about ordering the factory faceplate, because there is a hole in the chassis, just not the plate!
> 
> I'd love to compare, but the way you describe sounds similar. It's just a killer crunch channel. Though at low volumes it isn't as cool.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4



I'd tell you that maybe we would be able to get together and you could try mine but the remedy really is quite different from the Maz and breaks up earlier so probably wouldn't be very comparable to how the mod sounds on a maz38.


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