eggman6 wrote:What i dont get is why its such a crime for peopel to post dr z schematics, since as far as i can see as long as its not his original copyrited material, what laws are being broken, since its perfectly legal for someone to rip off an existing amp and sell it as their own (as long as there is no patent), i dont get what the big deal is, okay the Dr guy makes a big deal but what can action can he take?
Legally, I don't think there is an issue with posting the schematic. Probably doesn't fall under a copyright or trademark but under intellectual property (I'm no lawyer).
The issue is a rule I set up - if it's an amp that is currently in production, I prefer that the schematics not be publicly posted. The point of the board is to build amps for personal use. The problem is that people have taken schematics along with findings/ideas/pictures/etc posted on this board and have turned it into a commercial product. There is no way to regulate this. The original amp builders are trying to make a living and I don't want to undercut their livelihood.
Omar
I think that it doesn't matter if you think that the amp in question is a "good" design or not. The fact is, Mr. Zaite has carved out a niche in the very competitive guitar amplifier market that should be admired and respected by all of us. I mean, come on, a hand-wired boutique amp with premium components for the great price he sells them for ??
We have had a gentleman's agreement on this forum since it's inception not to post current makers specs. I would like it if we all could remain gentleman and honor it. This forum is absolutely unique in interweb land,
with a number of well known pros and techs, and all the best hobbyists from around the world all joining together to share info on our passion. And no advertising ! Lets have some respect for our successful brothers and keep things cool.
IF you look at an old Zwreck thread Mike Zaite (DRZ) was helping us build our own Zwreck because it is a TW Rocket and he enjoys interaction with other builders.
Based on DR Z DVD the Carmen Ghia and the Maz 38 are his top selling amps so that says something to his design, tone and great pricing.
If any of you ever get the chance to talk to the man you will find he is so darn funny, smart and has a zest for life!
I think the real thing here is we are building Z type amps for our self and we represent a very small fraction of the buying public which cannot build their own amps. Take a trip to Z-talk forum and see how many members love their Z amps and make the annual trek for the Z-fest.
The price comments are interesting, no one seems phased by Boogie, Fender Marshall etc. their prices aren't low yet it's the little guy that gets the grief.
However this I don't get note "offered at a great price!"
i think it is plenty easy enough to figure out where to start as far as a schematic goes... if someone can't figure it out by what i've read here, they probably won't pursue it to a working (correctly) amp.
and like it was mentioned earlier... there are very few people who would actually build a clone anyway... i wonder roughly how many? anyway, not gonna exactly kill dr z's market... it is one of his top two sellers.
what are these few going to do? tweak the crap out of it or implement parts of it into another design. isn't that how most "new" designs come about? a variation to a tried and true theme?
and what is the first thing that most of the regular builders/posters do with this new information? they share it with tag community... one of the reasons why this is my favorite amp site! when it works that way, it gets useful info into the collective thoughts of a group. everyone gets to tweak to their own taste, because the group as a whole usually exposes plenty of options. literally thousands of variations could be built with all looking at the same schematic.
the day i get a dr z amp on my bench for repair, then and only then will i give a shit about having a real schematic... might not even need it but i bet dr z himself would help out.
To show the type of man Mike Zaite (DR Z) is we were on the phone talking about something else and Mike asked how my Zwreck clone sounded!
I said kind of dark so he started telling what I could do to remedy that. Well it turned out to be operator error on my part. I'm not used to Marshall style input on right like the Dr Z amps. I was not operating my treble and bass pots correctly Felt like an idiot on that one.
For those who are familiar with the CG schematic, I have a few questions for troubleshooting my build. For the plate voltages on V2 (in between the two 330k resistors) the voltage is listed as 235v, but that same node in the power supply (C) is listed as 290v. Which is correct.
Also in my build I have major feedback occurring within the V2 stage (I think) with or without any signal in the input. Any ideas on where I should start troubleshooting.
If anyone would like to send me a Carmen Ghia I'd be happy to receive it. I promise I won't clone it, show the insides to no-one (you guys here have seen them and know what makes them tick anyway) and will play it happily and tell everyone how swell Dr Z.'s amps are! I have a birthday coming up Mike, so how bout' it buddy, consider it a gift to a disabled old down on his luck blues player! PM me for an address!
Regards,
Don
Ps: Hey its worth a shot, I am a down on my luck disabled blues player...
Felt like an idiot on that one.
PM me for an address!