Boutique amp co Dr. Z has joined forces with Alan Phillips – engineer/owner of Carol-Ann Amps – to deliver its first-ever high-gain guitar amp, the CAZ-45.
Hand-wired and assembled in Cleveland, Ohio, it features a 45-watt, 6L6-based power section – which is cathode-biased for extended harmonics and dynamic response – as well as four preamp tubes: three 12AX7s and one 12DW7.
Controls include Volume and Presence knobs, a three-band EQ (Bass, Mid and Treble), and a pretty detailed three-dial gain section, which features Gain, Sensitivity and Aggression knobs.
Sensitivity – a control seen on many Carol Ann designs – allows players to tailor the amp's front end to their choice of guitar and pickups. Dialed lower, it tightens up hot-wound or active pickups, and set higher, it beefs up single coils to maximize thickness of tone.
Aggression is essentially an overdrive control, serving to tighten low-end and sharpen the highs.
The CAZ-45 is available either as a head alone, or with a horizontal Z-Best ported 2x12 cabinet, which is loaded with Dr. Z's recommended Celestion Creamback M65 and Vintage 30 speakers.
The CAZ-45 head is available now for $2,499, and the head/matching 2x12 cabinet combination is priced at $3,348. For more information, head to Dr. Z Amps.
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