presented by Steelbender.com
 

Maven Peal Zeeta 0.5->50 Naked Combo

by Jason A. Barker- all material ©2003 Steelbender.com unless noted.  Please use 800x600 monitor settings

Posted:  5/14/03
 

Maven Peal Zeeta 0.5->50 Naked Combo

Ever since I was a kid, I've enjoyed the smell of fresh-cut lumber.  I remember going to the beach every year with my family and noticing the scent of construction in the air as new condominiums and houses were always being built to accommodate the demands of vacationers.  To this day, I can walk into a lumber yard or a home improvement center and those happy memories are often triggered by the mere aroma of the wood for sale.

A few weeks before this writing, FedEx showed up at my studio on a rainy day with a delivery from Maven Peal Instruments.  Packed inside a hefty roadcase was a brand new Zeeta 0.5->50 Naked Combo amplifier (the FedEx driver is probably still muttering about having to drop off such a heavy box in a torrential downpour).  It was late in the afternoon and I was on my way out, so I dried off the flight case and gently unpacked the Zeeta for storage until I could check it out the next day.  The following morning, upon entering my studio for the first time, I was greeted with that wonderful scent of fresh lumber.  The smell permeated the entire place and those good memories came rushing back yet again.

If all of this sounds a bit melodramatic, forgive me, it just seems like a nice way to paint a picture of the Zeeta as not only an amplifier for the ears, but for the eyes and nose as well!  After all, how many brand new amps make such a noteworthy (and pleasant) olfactory impression upon a first encounter?

By now, you might be wondering just exactly what a "Maven Peal" is and why is it "naked"?  Do you have to be 18 years old to get your hands on a Naked Combo?

Maven Peal Instruments are the brainchild of David Zimmerman in East Calais, VT.   According to Zimmerman, "Maven Peal was intended as a sort of parody on the names in this industry: Floyd Rose, Aspen Pittman, Hartley Peavey...all respected names that convey earned wisdom.  So we were going to the 'feeling' of an older, wiser 'Jethro Tull' type of name.  Maven means expert, and Peal refers to the 'peal' of a bell, or sound.  So technically, Maven Peal means 'expert sound'."

Why are they naked?  Zimmerman's original Zeetas (zee-tas) were offered with a standard burgundy tolex covering.  However, David's tolex man complained about the toxic fumes from the adhesive which led to experimentation with uncovered "naked" cabinets.  Most manufacturers would probably have told the tolex man  "Take a hike!  It's your job to deal with glue and fumes!"   In all fairness though, Zimmerman felt that he had discovered a sonic benefit resulting in a more resonant cabinet.  "Tolex muffles the cabinet's ability to resonate.  Now all Zeetas come standard with a natural finish (tolex is still available as a custom order), " he says.

Without further delay, it's time to get Naked!
 

Here are some convenient links to points in this article or you may view everything in order by simply scrolling down the page:
 
 

Weighing in at approximately 52 lbs., the Zeeta feels solid and substantial, yet it is not terribly difficult to transport unless one opts for the available flight case ($400).  In that case (pun intended), it might be a good idea to have a roadie on-call for moving the amp around.  The flight case would definitely be recommended for touring or long-distance traveling scenarios though.  After all, the wood finish needs to be protected and treated with care if the guitarist hopes to maintain its pristine condition.  At the very least, I'd recommend a nice padded amp cover by a company such as Tuki or LeCover.  If the flight case isn't practical for one's needs, a form-fitted cover can be an economical alternative and keep the transport weight down to a minimum.

The first thing one notices about the Zeeta is the natural vibe of the wood.  The 3/4" finger-jointed solid pine cabinet is absolutely sumptuous, featuring flawless fit and finish (say that fast ten times ).  The test model has an eye-pleasing tight grain which is free of knots.  Most people would not mind leaving this amp in their living room on display with nice furniture.  The pine is preserved by a smooth natural satin clearcoat finish.  Maven Peal's understated grill cloth with brown and black hues would feel equally at home on classic models of the past.  The overall look is first-class all the way!
 
 

Great care has been taken to present not only a beautiful product, but a functional one as well.  Excellence is often determined by the details.  For instance, the Zeeta has one of the nicest carrying handles I've seen on an amplifier.  In fact, I'd love to have this type of handle on all of my amps.  It is comfortable to grip and exudes a feeling of complete solidity.  A handle itself might not sell an amp; but it's nice to know that superior attention has been paid to such a mundane detail.
 
 

The Zeeta's control panel dials are very easy-to-read and organized in a logical manner.  The first portion of the layout is reminiscent of a three-knob Fender tweed Deluxe.  There are two inputs ("Microphone" and "Instrument") with correlating volume controls for each of them.  A single tone knob also serves as a push/pull power amp boost.  The right half of the front panel features the patented Sag Circuit control and a wattage adjustment knob for the Zeeta.  The standby and power switches are also located on the front panel.
 
 

The back of the Zeeta is thoughtfully engineered and reflective of the high quality that runs throughout the whole of the amp.  Looking from right to left, the rear panel has a place for the power supply cord, fuse holder, and a generous number of speaker outs including two 4 Ohm outputs wired in parallel, a pair of 8 Ohm outputs wired in parallel, and a single 16 Ohm output selection.  There is also a jack for the footswitch that controls the dual power amp options on the front panel.
 
 

Maven Peal's interior workmanship showcases a blend of both printed circuit board (PCB) and point-to-point (PTP) handwiring techniques.  For old school purists who might cringe at the mere mention of PCB construction....relax!  The audio signal is confined to the PTP components in the Zeeta!  The PCB side of the amp handles the power requirements.  A distinctive and circular toroidal transformer is installed for quieter operation that is less prone to hum problems.

The Maven Peal's circuitry is heavily-influenced by the classic tweed platforms of amp days gone by, more specifically the 5E3 narrow panel Deluxe and 5E5-A Pro models.  One of David Zimmerman's guitar heroes, Neil Young, provided the inspirational template for the mission of the Zeeta's design.

As stated earlier, one half of the Zeeta's control panel is very similar in operation to a Fender tweed Deluxe.   There are two input jacks on the front.  The first input, simply called the "Microphone" input, is ideal for use with harmonicas, for example.  The Microphone channel is a straight-thru input that is not affected by the tone control of the Zeeta.  The second input is designated as the "Instrument" input.  Guitar players will most likely use this channel for most of their needs. Each of the two inputs has relative volume knobs.  Again, like a tweed Deluxe, the volume controls are interactive with each other.

The Zeeta has a single tone control dial which also determines the combo's Dual Power Amp setting by way of a push/pull mechanism.  Pushing the tone knob in sets the Zeeta up to respond in a manner similar to a tweed Super.  There is less gain, the sound is cleaner and a wider frequency response can be achieved.  Pulling the tone knob out results in a sonic pattern more akin to a tweed Deluxe.  The feel is looser and there is more gain in this mode.  This control can be activated by either manually pulling and pushing the knob on the front panel, or using a footswitch plugged into the back panel.  When the footswitch is plugged in, the push/pull knob on the front is disabled.

As a graduate student, Zimmerman determined that power supply sag wields an important influence on an amplifier's sound.  He theorized that developing a method to control the sag would result in the preservation of the amp's organic tone within different ranges of power amp distortion.  This led to the creation of the patented Maven Peal Sag Circuit.

The Sag Circuit control on the front panel allows the user to select how sensitive the power supply sag is to the touch.  Increasing the sag control gives the guitarist more responsiveness that results in a smoother feel with softer distortion characteristics.  Reducing the sag control creates a harder attack with a cleaner and tighter tone.

A wattage control adjusts the power amp from a minimum of approximately 1/2 watt to 50 watts of clean power.  When pushed hard into distortion, the Zeeta provides a maximum of 56 watts.  Zimmerman notes that the wattage control is not a master volume as some might assume, nor does it serve as a preamp adjustment.  It really does control the wattage of the amplifier!
 
 

The Zeeta 50-watt combo is loaded with one Italian-made 12-inch Jensen C12N ceramic speaker as standard equipment..  This 8-Ohm Jensen has a 50-watt nominal power rating and a 100-watt peak rating.  It's a copy of the popular Jensen from the 1960's that was used in a lot of classic amplifiers.

Other 1x12" speaker options Maven Peal offers for the 50-watt version of the Zeeta include two Celestion models:  -a G12H 70th anniversary speaker or a Celestion Vintage 30.
 
 

Tone seekers and tweakers are going to be especially interested in another aspect of the Maven Peal.  One of the really nice features of the Zeeta is its ability to use a variety of tubes.  The amp never needs biasing either...just pop in a new set of tubes of your choice and you're ready to go!

The 50-watt Zeeta is shipped with a pair of Sovtek 12AX7LP preamp tubes and two JJ/Tesla EL34 output tubes.  If the user is so inclined, though, a wide assortment of octal-type power tubes can be installed, with the exception of 6V6s.  EL-84s are compatible only with the 20-watt version of the Zeeta produced by Maven Peal.

Check this out:   The Zeeta will accept power tubes such as 6L6, 5881, 7581, KT66, KT77, KT90, 6CA7 and small base 6550 types!  This is an ideal arrangement for exploring how different tube styles affect the tone without the need for an amp tech or a bias meter.

SETTINGS	MP3 SOUND FILES
Inst. Vol.- 6Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 8 Push/Pull-in Sag- 1Wattage- 12 Tube Type- 6L6	Tight Clean-  Gibson Les Paul Tight Clean-   Fender Stratocaster
Inst. Vol.- 6  Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 8  Push/Pull- in Sag- 3Wattage- 12 Tube Type- 6L6	Tweed Clean-  Gibson Les Paul Tweed Clean-   Fender Stratocaster
Inst. Vol.- 10 Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 7  Push/Pull- in Sag- 6Wattage- 7 Tube Type- 6L6	Smooth Overdrive-  Gibson Les Paul Smooth Overdrive-   Fender Stratocaster
Inst. Vol.- 5  Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 4 Push/Pull- in Sag- 5Wattage- 12 Tube Type- 6L6	Jazz Smooth-   Gibson Les Paul Jazz Smooth-   Fender Stratocaster
Inst. Vol.- 12  Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 10 Push/Pull- in Sag- 2 Wattage- 12 Tube Type- EL34	Marshall Crunch-   Gibson Les Paul Marshall Crunch-   Fender Stratocaster
Inst. Vol.- 12  Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 12 Push/Pull- out Sag- 1 Wattage- 12 Tube Type- EL34	Modern Lead-   Gibson Les Paul Modern Lead-   Fender Stratocaster
Inst. Vol.- 6Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 8 Push/Pull- out Sag- 3Wattage- 12 Tube Type- EL34	EL34- Clean Grit-   Gibson Les Paul EL34- Clean Grit-   Fender Stratocaster
Inst. Vol.- 06  Mic. Vol.- 1Tone- 8  Push/Pull- out Sag- 3Wattage- 12 Tube Type- EL34	EL34 w/ Fulltone Full-Drive 1 pedal-   Gibson Les Paul

 

With so many choices available today, guitarists are truly living in a glorious time to find the amplifier of their dreams.  From moderately priced mass production amps to classic vintage and high-end boutique offerings, players have never had it so good.  An amp has to stand out, especially in the crowded boutique market, in order to capture the attention of musicians and their wallets.  With a list price of $2850 for the 50-watt model, the Zeeta is not cheap.  However, the pricetag includes a very high level of engineering and tonal flexibility uncommon to many amps.  The ability to readily and easily experiment with different types of power tubes is a wonderful drawing card for players who are fascinated with the sonic nuances and palettes that only firebottles can provide.  Props to Maven Peal for integrating this into their designs.

Personally, my favorite tones from the amp tend to be those that are clean to mildly overdriven.  That doesn't mean that the Zeeta is not capable of providing musical distorted sounds.  In fact, the Dual Power Amp function, when used in conjunction with the volume knob, can generate thick and heavy gain that would leave all but the hard-core heavy-metal guitarist satisfied from a saturation standpoint.  To be honest, I was not completely enamored with the way that the lone Jensen speaker reacted when the amp was pushed hard.  I liked the overall response of the speaker much better at more moderate levels.  The clean tones had a nice organic character, and gently coaxing the amp into the range where I could make it break up by digging into the strings with a harder attack was rewarding.  There were traces of a "mosquito-like tone", though, that were audible when the volume was cranked to very high levels.  In my opinion, this could've simply been a matter of taking the Jensen to its limits rather than a deficiency in the Zeeta's design.

As an experiment, I hooked up a 2x12" tolex-covered pine cabinet (not a Maven Peal design) to the Zeeta that happened to be in my studio and was loaded with a pair of Eminence ceramic speakers rated at 60-watts apiece.  While these may not be the ideal speakers of choice for the Zeeta, I did find that the mosquito-aspect smoothed out quite a bit and they seemed to handle the higher gain sounds with greater ease.  This led me to believe that the speaker was the culprit.  However, much of the brilliance and liveliness found in the Naked cabinet was lost.

David says "The 0.5->50 will of course be much louder when put through a larger cabinet.  Some players are surprised that the 0.5->50 isn't louder, but this is a limitation of the small cabinet and the one speaker."  I actually enjoyed the presence and projection of the Zeeta's standard cabinet more than my 2x12; but I think I liked the smoother response of the multiple speakers for the more saturated settings.  To me, the 1x12 was plenty loud, and in a way, it seemed to be more "in your face" than the 2x12 cabinet.  Where cleaner tones were concerned, the 1x12 Zeeta cab greatly exceeded the performance of the tolex covered 2x12, so I think Maven Peal may definitely be onto something good with their cabinet design.  There can certainly be other variables at play in cabinet construction; but the bottom line is that the Zeeta's sounds very good.

I'd love to hear how the Zeeta would react with a Naked extension cabinet loaded with multiple speakers.  I think that this would give a player the best of both worlds.  The resonant cabinet attributes would be intact, and a couple of speakers would probably handle the demands of pushing the Zeeta with more aplomb.  Then again, the current 1x12 speaker alternatives offered by Maven Peal might just be the ticket for the higher gain sounds.  All of this is purely conjecture on my part, though, without listening to them firsthand.

So does the Maven Peal sound like an old tweed amp?  I think there are certain characteristics that are  reminiscent of what people would generally associate with tweeds; but I'd also say the Zeeta has a tighter and more modern voicing.  Tone is hard to put into words since we all hear different things.  I've played Deluxes that exhibited more sweetness when overdriven; but the Zeeta is going to give players more clean headroom and more overall volume.  When recording, I noticed a "spongy" type of feel that I've encountered with Deluxes before, yet the Maven Peal easily produces more gain with the tone knob pulled out..  There's no question that the Zeeta offers more tonal options than a garden variety low-powered tweed model.

On an additional note, Zimmerman wants guitarists to be aware of how his amp interacts with effects pedals.  "I would like to point out that it is my intention that people use a good boost pedal if they want to get a lot of overdrive," he offers.  For one of the audio tracks listed above, I pulled out an old original Fulltone Full-Drive 1 pedal to see how it would respond to the Zeeta.  The older Full-Drive is probably the most compressed and "rounded" overdrive that I own.  The results were a very smooth type of saturation that corresponded well to running the Maven Peal at levels that wouldn't send the speaker into over-worked territory.  I'm sure that different overdrive pedals will produce varying results.

Maven Peal has built an amplifier stocked with unique twists on familiar themes.  From the Zeeta's tweed-like simplicity of operation to the striking natural wood cosmetics, David Zimmerman and company have successfully created a product that should appeal to a large segment of the premium amp-buying population.

I found the Zeeta to be well-endowed....especially when Naked!
 

Contact Info:

Maven Peal Instruments, Inc.
1270 Peck Hill Road
East Calais, VT 05650

voice 802-456-1607
fax 802-456-1609
maven@peal.net

David G. Zimmerman, president and designer
dave@mavenpeal.com
 

From David Zimmerman of Maven Peal Instruments:
 

Thank you, Jason, for doing such an in depth review.
 

-The Jensen C12N is a little buzzy when pushed hard, *when it is new*. This speaker takes the longest to break in of any
speaker out there, but the time spent working it in is well worth it. After the speaker is broken in, the buzziness is gone. I
feel that the Jensen exhibits a big, tight bottom end when used with the Zeeta and has great top end punch.

-I am currently working on designing naked 2x12 and 4x12 cabs; 1x12 cabs are being in process.

-The Zeeta is based on a tweed style amp for the warm tone, not the mush and lack of headroom problems associated
with a tweed.

-I would like to mention that the hum found in the videos is coming from the guitar, not the amp. When you unplug the
guitar cord from the amp, the Zeeta is silent.