ZT Lunchbox: A must have for every guitarist?

[jazztele]

well, i dunno about that, but i didn't see an appreciation/fan club thread for 'em yet, so i decided to start one.

i just got mine, and while it's not the be all end all of amps, it IS one of the coolest little things to come down the pipe in AGES. finally, volume and insane portabilty at a modest price, and good tone (if you like it clean and transparent--this is definitely a solid state amp)

so who else digs theirs?

[Hecks]

Okay I'll admit I'm not an owner but an admirer for sure.

Question though, how well does this little fella respond to keeping the gain on the amp set and using the guitars volume to make it clean/dirty?

[PMan]

I don't have one yet, either, but I've certainly got my eye on one. Plus, I like supporting new development in solid state tech, however unpopular that makes me.

[StankyUncleJ]

Does this have an option to run it straight into a P.A?
How does it sound with pedals?

[jazztele]

hey! didn't see that anyone had replied till now.

thought there'd be a few more fans out there, but to answer some of the above questions...

hecks--it never gets too dirty to begin with (at least with a tele, some hot buckers might push a little more dirt), but it's very volume knob sensitive.

uncle J--it does not have the option of a Direct Out--just a speaker out, 8 ohms or greater. it could easily be mic'd, sent thru the PA, and used as a personal monitor--the band would have to be pretty loud before this little guy couldn't keep up with the stage volume.

the clean tone is midrangey, relatively flat, and "unadorned." it takes pedals very well--actually seems to WANT pedals. i've been using a little reverb with mine because without it, the sound is a little too "in your face" at gig volumes. i've also tried a delay, which sounded great. i haven't tried my big box RAT with it yet.

i'm going to gig with it for the first time next weekend, i'll post back and let you all know how that goes.

[nicnite]

Great little amp. Gig with it in a pinch, or easily with 1x12 cab. Record with it for excellent solid state cleans, or even some convincing drive. Amazing at that price too.

[jazztele]

gig update:

sounded good. not great, but good. in a band it would be fine--i was doing a solo gig, and i could have used a little more bass. soooooo.....

i picked up a cab today (i know, i know, more gadgetry) and i am completely sold on this thing now. in my opinion, it's a 120 watt solid state head in a tiny package that happens to have a built in speaker for practicing...thru an extension cab (in my case, a redstone RS-8--that's right, just an 8 inch speaker) it comes alive. the bass returns, the sound is even cleaner and louder, and i now don't have just a backup, i have a contender to my main rig.

if you have one, try it thru a good (accent on the good) cab. i'm still using a little reverb with it as well, and the sound is absolutely huge.

[cjburr]

apparently the Reverend loves them too

[maggieo]

How does the lunchbox sound with the RAT?

[nosuch]

I'm interested. are you able to get a nice little bluesy crunch from the amp itself?

[wetland10]

I'm looking at this as a possible harmonica amp. I haven't seena bad review yet as a guitar amp.

Wayne

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by maggieo

How does the lunchbox sound with the RAT?

finally tried it...

actually, rather awful.

the LB is already a "midrangey" amp, and the old RAT is sort of a Mid-monster, so the whole thing was as nasal as anything you've ever heard. I also tried it out with a big muff, and that sounded quite good, but considering i never play distorted, this isn't really a big deal for me...i'd say if you want to play dirty with the LB, you want a pedal that boosts some lows too, or otherwise, it's just good for trying to take somebody's head clean off.

that sound would have cut thru ANY MIX though...

[telechaser]

I'm OK with my Cube 60. Don't really need another 'small' amp. Any smaller than a single 12" speaker or 2x10" is too small, unless it's an acoustic amp like a Roland AC60. When I get the chance to do a full hollow body Thinline Tele, I'll plug it on an acoustic amp to see how it sounds.

[jazztele]

another update: it's not that these little puppies can't handle the bass--they're just not voiced for it! try one with an EQ pedal and boost the low mids...hokey smokes!

i've said it before, it's not going to replace my polytone as my main gigging amp, but i've been taking the lunchbox everywhere else with me, and i can hang with anyone volume and tone wise.

at 250 bones, they're an absolute steal.

[A.B.Negative]

I just ordered one. Can't wait for it to arrive!

[BigDaddyLH]

jazztele,

Would you say that using an EQ pedal is a no-brainer for the Lunchbox? I don't even like amps that only have a bass & treble knob -- I need to dial the mids, too.

[A.B.Negative]

Originally Posted by A.B.Negative

I just ordered one. Can't wait for it to arrive!

Just got an email:

"Once again, thank you for placing an order with us. The Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) of your product into our warehouse has expired and we are in the process of chasing our suppliers for a current ETA. Once this information has been received we will inform you immediately. We appreciate your patience in this matter."

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLH

jazztele,

Would you say that using an EQ pedal is a no-brainer for the Lunchbox? I don't even like amps that only have a bass & treble knob -- I need to dial the mids, too.

well, here's the rub (again)

i giged it last night--just a pickup jam gig at a wine bar--nothing formal, and on a monday night, about 12 folks in attendance. me, bassist, and singer/trumpet. so i decided to just go light and bring a guitar and the lunchbox, and i sounded fine. good even. with a bass player i didn't miss the extra low end at all.

i think what it comes down to, for me, the only time i'll really need the extension cab or the EQ pedal is for a solo gig (if i decide to bring it instead of the polytone) or for playing in my living room in a quiet house where i can notice all the little things about a tone...

AB Neg, sorry to hear that man...when I ordered mine it was backordered too, took about a month to get it. I think demand may be more than supply right now for them--which i guess overall is a good sign...

[Deacon Blues]

Can you compare this amp to the Crate Power Block? How are they similar/different, other than the ZT having a built in speaker?

[wetland10]

Originally Posted by Deacon Blues

Can you compare this amp to the Crate Power Block? How are they similar/different, other than the ZT having a built in speaker?

To me, I think the main tonal difference is that the Crate has an ear piercing ice pick tone. The Lunchbox is actually much warmer, I think it has a tonality more similar to a tweed Champ.

Wayne