General Information
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 Fischer 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.
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 6N14N-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
Quantum Silver Set (Head & 2x12 Cab - Celestion Blue/Gold
standard), Navy Blue 1x12 Combo (Celestion Gold), Stand Alone
Head is also available.
Colors
Quantum Silver Set : silver tolex with hardwood fronts. 1x12
Combo: navy blue. Head (Stand Alone): red, blonde, black.
Dimensions & Weight
Head: 20 5/8”W x 9 1/2”D x 9 1/8”H, 38 lbs. 2x12 Cab: 27
1/2”W x 10”D x 21 1/2”H, 61 lbs. 1x12 Combo: 22 1/2"W x 10
1/2"D x 20"H, 53 lbs.
Specifications
