Free 3-Year Warranty

Dr. Z Z-Wreck 30W 1X12 Combo Amp - Navy

Dr. Z's notorious collaboration with Ken Fischer of Trainwreck Amps yields another classic, Brad Paisley's signature 'Z Wreck'!

Sold — contact us for a similar item.

Talk to an Expert 888-528-9703

Have a question about this item? Email us →

Try Before You Buy — take it home. Don't commit until you know it's right. Program details →

Free 3-Year Parts & Labor Warranty (details)
Talk to an Expert — Sound Pure engineers, not phone-bank reps
Sound Pure Financing — 0% APR options via Affirm

Sound Pure's Take

The hype around the Dr. Z Z-Wreck is certainly justified. Originally designed for country superstar Brad Paisley, this simple but versatile clean machine is a powerful addition to any picker's arsenal.

By itself, this amp creates clear, shimmering clean tones, perfect for blistering country licks or funk. The controls are very streamlined, allowing you to build a solid tonal foundation by dialing in just the right amount of brightness with the interaction of the treble and top cut knobs. Past 12:00 on the volume is when you really begin to push the amp and get some beautiful natural break up. Though extremely loud for 30 watts, the driven tones past 3:00 on the volume knob are saturated and full and compliment your guitars pickups astoundingly. Especially cool is the 'speed/comfort' toggle - the 'speed' option runs at 330V and has more clean headroom with a more direct attack, while the 'comfort' option runs at 280v for a mellow and more vintage feel. Very useful for being able to match your own picking style or for using with a compressor without feeling too 'squished'.

And as with any pristine-sounding clean amp, it makes a phenomenal platform for pedals. The tweakable high end lets you dial in the exact amount of brightness needed to compensate for long pedal or cable runs. Got a favorite overdrive? This amp will take it. Got a favorite reverb? This amp will take it.

The Z-Wreck shines just as bright in Dr. Z's huge sounding open back 1x12 combo, giving a ton of breathy punch and sonic spread like classic open back 30 watt amps of yore.

All in all, Dr. Z has hit the nail on the head. Crazy amounts of clean headroom with the ability to break up and rock if needed, the Z Wreck will easily help you attain any tone you've been searching for.

From Dr. Z Amplification

Starting in 2006 Brad Paisley contacted Dr Z about building another amp. After talking about the design and the desired outcome Z asked his friend Ken Fisher to lend a hand. Dr Z built up the prototype amp and sent it off to Ken. Ken did his thing to it and sent it back…including naming the amp the Z Wreck. After a few more tweaks the amp was sent off to Brad and it has become a mainstay in his rig since 2006. When Ken passed away at the end of ‘06 Dr Z put the amp on a shelf and walked away.

Over the past few years the Z Wreck was mentioned by Brad in various interviews and appeared on a few TV shows and of course quite a few album tracks. Dr Z got numerous requests to put the amp into production, but always declined. Fast forward to May 5th 2010 and the Nashville flood. Brad’s original Z Wreck was not harmed in the flood, but all of his road amps were destroyed. Dr Z quickly built 2 replacement Z Wrecks for Brad as the show must go on. This got him thinking…why should such a fine sounding amp be left only for one person to play? With encouragement from Brad to release the amp Dr Z went over the notes he and Ken had exchanged via fax. Dr Z took into account all of the layout and design tweaks he could incorporate and laid the amp out on a clean sheet of paper with an all new aluminum chassis and birch head cabinet. Click here to view the fax.

Every component on the Z Wreck was placed with the utmost attention to short wire lengths and increased separation between the front end and the output section. The heart of the amp is the output transformer designed by Ken for Dr Z in the early 2000s. Also on board is a newly designed power transformer which incorporates a multi tapped secondary that allows for 2 different plate voltage settings: Comfort and Speed. Speed yields a strong attack with increased clarity and dynamic headroom. Every note rings clear in the clean settings and they absolutely scream when the amp is pushed to its natural overdriven voice. The comfort setting drops the plate voltage down for more of a vintage feel. The softer response and overall sweetness of the comfort setting really make it difficult to put the guitar down.

The touch response of the Z Wreck is unequalled. Settings below 12:00 on the volume yield a rich clean sound with no signs of harshness. A 12 string Ric will be right at home for mid 60s Liverpool bliss. Once past 12:00 on the volume you can dial in excellent crunch all the way up to full blooming sustained drive sounds. Does the Z Wreck ROCK? YES!!! Does the Z Wreck TWANG? YES!!! The Z Wreck will deliver exactly what your hands and guitar give it. With the amp volume past noon you can roll your guitar volume back for articulate full bodied clean sounds and turn it up full for excellent drive. The Z Wreck truly is a plug and play amp.

You may be asking "why the matching 2x12 cab?" As stated earlier the Z Wreck was designed on a clean sheet of paper and the cab is no exception. The included 2x12 open back cab comes standard with a Celestion Blue and Celestion Gold wired in series at 16 ohms. This speaker combination in an open back 2x12 is the true voice of the Z Wreck.

Other standard features include a matching set of covers from Studio Slips with the Z Wreck logo embroidered in the lower corner. Dr Z has acquired a massive amount of NOS Russian 6P14P-EV 7189 (EL84) tubes to use in the Z Wreck. These output tubes were chosen because of their superior sonic qualities and excellent life span. A speaker cable and AC cord are also included with the Z Wreck.

Power Output	30 Watts
Output Tubes	4 -6N14N (EL84) Cathode Biased
Preamp Tubes	3 -12AX7
Rectifier	1 - 5AR4
Controls	Volume, Bass, Treble, Cut
Configurations	Navy Blue 1x12 Combo (Celestion Gold)
Colors	1x12 Combo: navy blue.
Dimensions & Weight	1x12 Combo: 22 1/2"W x 10 1/2"D x 20"H, 53 lbs.
Other	Covers with Z Wreck logo come standard with Quantum Silver Set and 1x12 Combo.

Free 3-Year Warranty

Sound Pure stands behind our products. Free three-year warranty on this item. Coverage exclusions live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.

Level of support and expertise that simply isn't available at big-box megastores. Read the warranty →

Returns

Try Before You Buy: take it home, commit only when it's right. Program details →

Recommended accessories

Furman Sound Furman SS-6B Surge Suppressor $54.99

Mogami Mogami Gold Instrument 10ft Cable $84.95

Sound Pure Studios Control Room A — Durham, NC

Sound Pure Studios · Durham, NC

Come hear it in our control rooms.

Sound Pure is a working studio in Durham, NC — a 1,000 sq ft live room and two pro control rooms. Book a session to audition gear in a world-class acoustic space before you buy.

Plan your visit → Explore the Studios →

$2,999

Call 888-528-9703

Free 3-Year Warranty

Returns

You may also like

Recommended accessories

Come hear it in our control rooms.