Dr. Z Amplification and Brad Paisley introduces the DB4 all-tube amplifier, featuring a 5879 pentode preamp tube.
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The name DB4 itself is a giveaway that means Doc & Brad’s 4th Amp design, and this time around they went for a beefier sonic flavor based on the suggestions and ideas from both camps.
The story goes that Brad wanted a British voiced amp that’s richer and warmer sounding, and so the company decided to design one for him from scratch. What they ended up with is the new DB4 amplifier, which is available in three configurations: Head, 1×12 “Classic-Lite” combo with Celestion Alnico Gold speaker, and 2×12 “Bluesbreaker” combo which comes loaded with two Celestion Alnico Blue speakers.
The main distinction of British “clean” amps is the use of EL84 output tubes, as such this fundamental feature is found in the new Dr. Z DB4. However, Brad wanted a slight change in its tonal character, so Doc ended up employing a 5879 U.S. made pentode tube on the preamp side. This is the same tube that Les Paul used in his Gibson GA-40 Les Paul amp, which is known for having a fuller yet still silky sound. This tube is then complemented by a single 12AX7 preamp tube which results in a slightly fatter and beefier sounding British voiced amp.
For versatility, the preamp section is driven into a rotary frequency filter that lets you choose between various voicings that goes from classic jangly bright tones to fuller more resonant tones and everything in between. There is also a cut control that lets you fine tune the hue of delivered frequency to the four EL84 output tubes, serving as responsive tone controls for the output tubes.
Check out the official demo of the Dr. Z DB4 2X12 “Bluesbreaker” Combo, as played by Brad Paisley himself:
Other notable details of the amp include power output of 18/38 Watts with built-in half/full power attenuator switch, a single 5AR4 rectifier tube, and it comes with a very straightforward set of controls that include volume, rotary tone switch and cut.
The company concludes: “This original amp design has its own voice, one that doesn’t sound like any EL84 amp you have ever heard.”
For more information and other details on the new Dr. Z DB4 amplifier, you can visit Dr. Z Amplification.
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