Dr Z’s new Z Wreck Jr delivers boutique jangles at an affordable price

Dr Z has announced the Z Wreck Jr, a boutique 15-watt amp based on the Z Wreck designed for smaller venues and home use.

The original Z Wreck was designed in collaboration with the late Ken Fischer of Trainwreck Amps and country musician Brad Paisley. The downsized Z Wreck Jr comes with a more manageable output rating of 15 watts along with a post-phase inverter master volume control that allows users to rein in the amps output across all gain stages.

The Z Wreck Jr’s control layout remains similar to its larger sibling. A two-band EQ handles the lower and higher frequency response, while a Cut knob controls the amount of top-end presence in the signal. The volume control determines the level of input gain and the Master knob acts as an overall amp volume control. As the master volume feature sits after the phase inverter in the circuit, users can keep their amp volume low without experiencing any detriment to their tone.

Dr Z has outfitted the Z Wreck Jr with a trio of Tung Sol 12AX7 preamp tubes and a pair of NOS military-grade EL84 power tubes. A 5Y3 in the rectifier section provides that harmonic bloom and ‘sag’ that tube purists enjoy, while a UK-made Celestion Greenback gives the Z Wreck Jr a familiar British voicing.

The Z Wreck Jr is available as a head and cab setup or a top-mounted 1×12” combo.

Watch the video demo below:

The Dr Z Z Wreck Jr is now available for $1,899. For more music news, click here.