NAD: Wizard 100w MCII - video added

[eddyrox]

I I asked Vintage King about ordering a MTL and they said Rick wanted them to order 10 of them. Guess I won't be getting one anytime soon.

right around the time Fuzzyguitars bought his MTL100W I started conversing with Rick St. Pierre.
after I played Fuzzyguitars' MTL, I really starting emailing Rick

in order to "get on the MTL list", it's a 50% paypal deposit...for an indeterminant delivery date - something in 3rd quarter of 2016. FUKKKK.

so, now I'm on the fence...what the FUKKKKKKK to do....

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screw it.......gonna order it!

 

[Capulin Overdrive]

$4000.00 is too much for me.

Here's a short Metro Forum discussion on the Wizard amps...

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20014

Wizard Modern Classic
Q: Does anyone know what's the actual technical difference between a plexi 50w circuit and a wizard modern classic?
A: My Wizard modern was almost identical to the Marshall Jubilee series, with the same diode clipper circuit.

If this is true, would a new Marshall Jubilee not sound just as good as the Wizard MC? The Jubilee reissue is only $1800.00 vs $4000.00 for a Wizard MC. $1800.00 is doable!

Have you picked up a Wizard and looked at the guts? It's built way heavier than any other amp I have touched. Even the headshell has a heft and tank feel to it.

The lack of a top handle always made it a pain in the ass to carry though.

Opposite here, love how he does the headshells, and don't like top handles.

 

[TrueTone500]

Opposite here, love how he does the headshells, and don't like top handles...

I dig the Wizard side handles design as well.

 

[midnightlaundry]

the MCII has Contour knob, rhythm and lead bright controls, and gain knob for the rhythm channel, other than that they're pretty similar from what the guys at Vintage King said. They asked Rick to build a more tweak-able MC, so the MCII is what he did.

Here's an awesome Wizard clip! If you ever want to sell that amp...

Not to be a dick, but I'm kinda being a dick... For all the money you people blow on amps, do you have a few bucks left over for a microphone instead of doing a demo with a shitty iphone mic??

 

[TrueTone500]

Not to be a dick, but I'm kinda being a dick... For all the money you people blow on amps, do you have a few bucks left over for a microphone instead of doing a demo with a shitty iphone mic??

I had to sell my mics to buy an iPhone... I've been lookin' real hard, I'm tryin' to find a job, but it just keeps gettin' tougher every day.

 

[midnightlaundry]

lol

 

[LP Freak]

$4000.00 is too much for me.

Here's a short Metro Forum discussion on the Wizard amps...

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20014

Wizard Modern Classic
Q: Does anyone know what's the actual technical difference between a plexi 50w circuit and a wizard modern classic?
A: My Wizard modern was almost identical to the Marshall Jubilee series, with the same diode clipper circuit.

If this is true, would a new Marshall Jubilee not sound just as good as the Wizard MC? The Jubilee reissue is only $1800.00 vs $4000.00 for a Wizard MC. $1800.00 is doable!

Have you picked up a Wizard and looked at the guts? It's built way heavier than any other amp I have touched. Even the headshell has a heft and tank feel to it.

The lack of a top handle always made it a pain in the ass to carry though.

Opposite here, love how he does the headshells, and don't like top handles.

Would it hurt to have both?

 

[lespaul6]

I agree with Gary that the foundation tone is based on a late 60's Marshall, the build of a Hiwatt, but I think Rick was trying to mix a little boogie in there too. He used to mix angus marshall with a mesa mk III... I guess to create extra bandwidth for the marshall. Thats what my wizards sound like to me, a marshall with that extra bandwidth. just a thought

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

I agree with Gary that the foundation tone is based on a late 60's Marshall, the build of a Hiwatt, but I think Rick was trying to mix a little boogie in there too. He used to mix angus marshall with a mesa mk III... I guess to create extra bandwidth for the marshall. Thats what my wizards sound like to me, a marshall with that extra bandwidth. just a thought

I'd concur, broad like a Boogie, but w/o the usual fizz

 

[TrueTone500]

I never experienced "fizz" from my early Marshall or Boogie amplifiers, and I'm quite sensitive to high frequencies.

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

are you serious? Boogie's are notorious for being labeled fizzy (especially Rectos, maybe not as bad for old Marks, especially with gain up too high) - Old Marshall's aren't fizzy but they don't have the pummeling low end that a good Boogie has. Not saying the Wizard sounds like a Boogie, just that a Marshall style amp with big lows ain't a bad thing.

 

[TrueTone500]

I've been playing since 1978, and I'm a big fan of Boogie amps. I've owned 2 x Mark IIC+, Mark III, pre-500 Rectifier, and currently own a Triaxis/2:90 rig... None of these sounded "fizzy" to me. I owned a Mark V (for 3 days) which had a more "brittle" sounding top-end, but not "fizzy". I owned a couple of '79 Marshal JMP 50 watt heads that were quite "fizzy" sounding. The Rectifier could get that way, in a more SLO "sizzle" type sound, but that would blend-in as soon as I goosed the volume.

 

[RedB4Black]

congrats! Did you get it from the Nashville shop? V transformer?

What's the deal with the transformer? Are there different versions when buying new? If so, what are the differences?

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

I've heard of the A, C & V - Rick said the V is the flagship transformer. If I recall the C had a more "modern" character

 

[peterc52]

C is more vintage.

I have a 2013 50 watt MC with loop and C tranny

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

was A the modern one?

 

[TrueTone500]

Oh no... So, how does the flagship V transformer differ from the A and C?

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

I dunno, that's what Rick called the V - his Flagship

Webster's Definition of FLAGSHIP
1 the ship that carries the commander of a fleet or subdivision of a fleet and flies the commander's flag
2 the finest, largest, or most important one of a series, network, or chain <the company's flagship store>

 

[glip22]

Oh no... So, how does the flagship V transformer differ from the A and C?

C I think is more Vintage. I had these in my earlier MCI. A is more modern. These are in my MTL and the V's I had in 2 MCII's I had my hands on. They are smoother. Maybe a little creamier in the mids. Having the MCII and MTL next to each other I remember a difference in the low end. The MCII had a more complex low. It could just be the circuit differences also. I also remember the V transformers were quite a bit larger than the A.

 

[rocker]

C= bright and aggressive. V= smooth. A= between C and V.