Wizard MTL MKII 50w E34L (IT’S HAPPENING!)

[mermer]

Yes I did it, pulled the trigger. Find a good deal from a reputable guy and bought a Wizard MTL MKII 50w E34L from 2024. He bought the amp directly from Rick as far as I know.

So these amps have a very serious reputation online but I would like to hear your comments and experiences on it. My style of playing is in the ballpark of Mastodon, Russian Circles, Tool, Dvne, Toska etc.

I am on a very high gas, super excited; it’s an amp that I have been dreaming for years, still cannot believe it’s happening.

 

[peterc52]

Congrats! It’s a GREAT amp! I had one just like before I got the hell razor. You’ll find a sound you love within seconds

 

[VonBonfire]

Congrats. I am certain you are excited. Lemme know when you trade it for an MCII.

 

[mermer]

Congrats! It’s a GREAT amp! I had one just like before I got the hell razor. You’ll find a sound you love within seconds

Thanks! Hell Razor also sounds like a hell of an amp, would like to try it out one day

 

[mermer]

Congrats. I am certain you are excited. Lemme know when you trade it for an MCII.

Thanks! I did not play one before, through the videos on youtube I prefer the MTL2. I already have a Friedman, which covers heavy rock / classic metal etc. that is why I thought MTL2 complement the rig better.

 

[VonBonfire]

Thanks! I did not play one before, through the videos on youtube I prefer the MTL2. I already have a Friedman, which covers heavy rock / classic metal etc. that is why I thought MTL2 complement the rig better.

That makes sense. I just find the MCII clips I've heard to be the best of the bunch so I was sort of half joking. Hopefully the MTL2 is everything you are looking for!!!

 

[mermer]

That makes sense. I just find the MCII clips I've heard to be the best of the bunch so I was sort of half joking. Hopefully the MTL2 is everything you are looking for!!!

All good! I am sure your MCII sounds great. I was considering a higher gain head like Bogner Uberschall, UberUltra, Diezel VH4, Mesa Mark IIC+ etc. then this turned out

 

[VonBonfire]

All good! I am sure your MCII sounds great. I was considering a higher gain head like Bogner Uberschall, UberUltra, Diezel VH4, Mesa Mark IIC+ etc. then this turned out

Shoot....if I could afford an MCII that would be pretty killer! Good luck with the purchase man, a Wizard is just a dream for most of us guys!!!

 

[Techdeth]

I’ve had everything and mtl2 is a top 5 amp imo ever . The amp is really versatile . String ass eqs . And a low end that’s unreal for a 50 watt

 

[Tone Monster]

Awesome. Very cool amp. Big sub bass lows. Tons of gain on tap while maintaining Wizard clarity.

 

[OldGtrGuy]

All good! I am sure your MCII sounds great. I was considering a higher gain head like Bogner Uberschall, UberUltra, Diezel VH4, Mesa Mark IIC+ etc. then this turned out

Tbh I have the Uber Ultra, my favorite amp I've ever had. Absolutely disgusting.

Would definitely take a Wizard over it just because. Especially considering your styles that you mentioned.

 

[mermer]

Tbh I have the Uber Ultra, my favorite amp I've ever had. Absolutely disgusting.

Would definitely take a Wizard over it just because. Especially considering your styles that you mentioned.

I am still eyeing Uber Ultra, hope I can try it one day. Sorry a bit confused, so you would also prefer a Wizard then an UU for the styles I mentioned, right? UU seems to be more suitable for very modern, lowtuned 7+ string djenty stuff but maybe that’s just me thinking that way. @WizardSouth-JP gets great tones out of it in similar tunings I generally play (drop C#).

 

[peterc52]

I am still eyeing Uber Ultra, hope I can try it one day. Sorry a bit confused, so you would also prefer a Wizard then an UU for the styles I mentioned, right? UU seems to be more suitable for very modern, lowtuned 7+ string djenty stuff but maybe that’s just me thinking that way. @WizardSouth-JP gets great tones out of it in similar tunings I generally play (drop C#).

Yup! Wizard for mastodon type tones all day

 

[mermer]

Yup! Wizard for mastodon type tones all day

I can also get close with boosting the JEL side of my Friedman Twin Sister (one channel swapped with JEL Ch2, basically a modded JCM800) but still it's smooth and polite. When I want some 'dirt' on, I also add Boss FZ-1W, before tube screamer. Unique sound but cannot be used all the time recording rhythms etc.

 

[mermer]

It arrived! It sounds absolutely massive and brutal, no harsh highs but present all the time. Very unique barky, crunchy tone. It’s pure joy to play it also. Very percussive and muscular with a touch of evil. Feels like it will suddenly come to life and eat my Friedman in the same room. It does Tool extremely well, strangely I saw only one photo of Adam Jones with a Wizard.

For now I really really like it. The Rhthym channel is a bit hard to dial in, it’s very open and does not forgive any mistakes. How do you dial the amp when it’s on the rhtyhm channel? For lead channel, I think it’s rather easy to dial in and almost in any setting the amp creates a wonderful but a different sound. Still, for hard rock tones I think Friedman is a bit easier to dial in and satisfactory to play, especially on the Dirty Shirley side of it. So they blend perfectly in the same setup, they do not overlap at all, very different beasts but Wizard definetely has more teeth.

 

[Philhouse]

Congrats!
I'm not sure of the differences between a MTL and a MCII (mine) Rhythm channel tone but I have mine set up for a nice sweet edgy clean when playing soft and then just break up if I hit it hard. That channel loves a classic boost too like a TS9 or SD-1. I don't have the 'Black Cat' option on mine unfortunately.

I think perhaps picture of Adam with the Wizard was perhaps from the FI sessions? Joe Barresi has a huge collection of amps he brings out for tracking.

This is from the Reload sessions, you can spot the Wizard in top left corner on top of Bobs 'Asshole' Marshall.

James and Pepper. You can see James's fave MC1 and also see he had another two Wizards at the time.

This one is from the Hardwired sessions. Not sure who owns it but it made an appearance at that time. Seeing the Recto and TS9 on and running at the same time I presume it could have been during Kirk's tracking sessions rather than James.

 

[jharpersj]

congrats amazing amps

 

[hbcalisurfer]

Enjoy

 

[Beyond Black]

It arrived! It sounds absolutely massive and brutal, no harsh highs but present all the time. Very unique barky, crunchy tone. It’s pure joy to play it also. Very percussive and muscular with a touch of evil. Feels like it will suddenly come to life and eat my Friedman in the same room. It does Tool extremely well, strangely I saw only one photo of Adam Jones with a Wizard.

For now I really really like it. The Rhthym channel is a bit hard to dial in, it’s very open and does not forgive any mistakes. How do you dial the amp when it’s on the rhtyhm channel? For lead channel, I think it’s rather easy to dial in and almost in any setting the amp creates a wonderful but a different sound. Still, for hard rock tones I think Friedman is a bit easier to dial in and satisfactory to play, especially on the Dirty Shirley side of it. So they blend perfectly in the same setup, they do not overlap at all, very different beasts but Wizard definetely has more teeth.

Percussive, muscular and evil is a perfect description of the MTL. Congrats

 

[mermer]

Congrats!
I'm not sure of the differences between a MTL and a MCII (mine) Rhythm channel tone but I have mine set up for a nice sweet edgy clean when playing soft and then just break up if I hit it hard. That channel loves a classic boost too like a TS9 or SD-1. I don't have the 'Black Cat' option on mine unfortunately.

I think perhaps picture of Adam with the Wizard was perhaps from the FI sessions? Joe Barresi has a huge collection of amps he brings out for tracking.

This is from the Reload sessions, you can spot the Wizard in top left corner on top of Bobs 'Asshole' Marshall.

James and Pepper. You can see James's fave MC1 and also see he had another two Wizards at the time.

This one is from the Hardwired sessions. Not sure who owns it but it made an appearance at that time. Seeing the Recto and TS9 on and running at the same time I presume it could have been during Kirk's tracking sessions rather than James.

I will check the rhtyhm channel also with a boost as you suggested. My aim is to make it as close as possible to a MC or a Rock Standard. Do not want to neglect that channel at all. Maybe a Leopard Boost also helps.

@RedB4Black @WizardSouth-JP do you have any suggestions in that regard, since you have experienced all the flavours?

According to the images, they really make me hunt for the other Wizards, especially MC. Thank you providing them though. It makes sense now, Adam Jones having a few. As the first Wizard I think MTL2 was a right choice for me but now I tasted it once, asking for more. This is really a dangerous game.