Talk me into / out of blind buying a Wizard halfstack

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Panhead5 said:
I fall under the it’s not for me category. I had an MCII and thought it was good but not exceptional. Just sounded like a lot of other amps . Then I look at the price and I don’t think they are worth it.
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I played an mcII also. Thought it was bland and generic, but that was next to mtl and w800
 
amp maniac said:
Wow, thank you all so much!!
OK sounds like I absolutely need a Wizard in my life :D Can anybody give me a rundown on the models? The website doesn´t help much in describing the differences and what each model does best. I´d like to have at least a bit of flexibility, but I´m definately a high gain player at heart. As described above by @Bram576, the MTL is low mid focused, what else can be said about it? The Hell Razor looks interesting as it features three gain controls and two bright controls for the lead channel alone, that could be my amp.
And which cabs / speakers are you guys using?

edit: I think I read that Wizard is a Canadian company, so are the prices on the website Canadian dollars?
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The MTL I had sounded bigger since it had more lows and low mids and more gain on tap than the MC I had, which was more present in the uppermids and center mids. I didn’t have the 2 amps at the same time, but I remember them otherwise being similar-ish. The Hell Razor KT150 I tried to me was much better than both and had more of everything I liked about both amps. More hard hitting punch, more room filling/bigger, more muscle/efficiency, a lot more gain on tap, tighter, less hollow mids actually despite the KT88 tubes and with the 3 gain controls and saturation knob (1 which seems to shape highs, another shapes lows, the other just gain) you can dial in a lot of different sounds from tight, attacky almost djenty sound to a thick, sludgy doom like sound that’s still clear or stuff in between those 2 extremes. If I were Rick I’d just make Hell Razor and discontinue the other models lol
 
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Panhead5 said:
I fall under the it’s not for me category. I had an MCII and thought it was good but not exceptional. Just sounded like a lot of other amps . Then I look at the price and I don’t think they are worth it.
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Which amps sounded like it? They are for sure absurdly expensive, so I want to make sure I´m happy if I purchase one.
 
I have blind bought an amp and it is the most perfect sounding thing for me. Only one way to find out!!!
 
I just took another look at the pictures of the cabs, and the 4x12 looks similar to the Bogner Ubercab I had. There can of course be differences in construction, does anybody know more?
 
amp maniac said:
Puny, really? Wow they must really be something else.
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Just the punch of it. The ultra lead, to my ears, had a better tone. But the wizards are amazing amps. I never played the hell razor, but the w800 was my favorite model. The mtl was great also. And getting the 150 watt version is the way to go to me..soo much punch
 
There’s a vocal minority here on Rigtalk that will rave about them all the time. Personally I think they’re overpriced and overhyped for what they they are. I enjoyed the Modern Classic 2 more than the MTL Mk2, although I’ll agree with the “generic” sound comment made earlier. I’ll take a good Marshall over either any day. I also thought the Fryette Deliverance MkII sounded better than both Wizards for a quarter of the price.

Get the 50W versions if you will be moving them frequently unless you want to develop back problems. They need to be at stage volume in order to sound the best by the way, so I don’t know if you’ll be happy with them at low to medium volumes. I wasn’t.

Be prepared to take a bath if you end up not liking them and try to resell. Nobody is going to buy a used $5000+ amp that doesn’t have any inherent rarity.
 
You will either love it or be pretty disappointed. Afford yourself space to tun up or attenuate to deliver the goods. All that sonic information that gives them character and cuts through a mix can be hard on your ears. Fatigue or even tinnitus are real concerns. I don't have experience with a Wizard cab although I don't see many posts insisting on using them. Greenbacks are a common recommendation.

There is something to be said about the "in the room" experience and the percussive nature of these amps is real. The rest is up to you. If you can, buy used they hold value well enough that someone with the same level of curiosity will pay pretty close to what you did for it down the line.
 
My Hermanson Marshall is the only amp that gave me the feeling of wow . In a room with a wizard is special. I think my friends gf was getting off to the sound of my wizard. Her fave and her saying don’t stop lol fr
 
That1Guy said:
You will either love it or be pretty disappointed. Afford yourself space to tun up or attenuate to deliver the goods. All that sonic information that gives them character and cuts through a mix can be hard on your ears. Fatigue or even tinnitus are real concerns. I don't have experience with a Wizard cab although I don't see many posts insisting on using them. Greenbacks are a common recommendation.

There is something to be said about the "in the room" experience and the percussive nature of these amps is real. The rest is up to you. If you can, buy used they hold value well enough that someone with the same level of curiosity will pay pretty close to what you did for it down the line.
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I'll add that don't get sucked in the "it's gotta be a 50 / 100 watts version or nothing else.." I'm several years and a 130+ gigs into an MC25 > vertical 2x12 rig (my current one is the 3rd MC25 head I've owned), in a loud band with a hard hitting drummer, and I've never in all that time had a need or been able to max out the volume, lose headroom, or wish I had more power. That's indoors, outdoors on big stages ( I do ad an extra 1x12 cab outdoors...) The MC25 will eat many 50 watt heads and certainly give a few 100 watters a run for their money. Does it have the gargantuan sized sonic footprint of a 100 watt MCII? no, but that becomes a moot point when your bass player is telling you to STFU and stay in your sonic lane :cool:
 
Love my mcii! Punch for days and takes boosts excellent! BEAST of an amp. If you have the funds, get one! No regrets 🤘😎
 
* velcro-fly * said:
I'll add that don't get sucked in the "it's gotta be a 50 / 100 watts version or nothing else.." I'm several years and a 130+ gigs into an MC25 > vertical 2x12 rig (my current one is the 3rd MC25 head I've owned), in a loud band with a hard hitting drummer, and I've never in all that time had a need or been able to max out the volume, lose headroom, or wish I had more power. That's indoors, outdoors on big stages ( I do ad an extra 1x12 cab outdoors...) The MC25 will eat many 50 watt heads and certainly give a few 100 watters a run for their money. Does it have the gargantuan sized sonic footprint of a 100 watt MCII? no, but that becomes a moot point when your bass player is telling you to STFU and stay in your sonic lane :cool:
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THIS^ My favorite Wizard is an MC25. Just the right amount of punch, headroom, and volume friendly in a package that won't break your back.
 
I wouldn’t get a Wizard for low to medium volume playing. My MTL comes alive at high volume and sounds pretty bland until then. I don’t even play that amp unless I’m home alone and can open it up. But when I can, it’s a pretty mind blowing experience and I’m quickly reminded of why I love it.
 
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GJgo said:
I haven't heard anyone ever say the Wiz sucked, but a lot of guys say it's not for me.
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I'm in this category.
The voicing of the MTL wasn't modern but it wasn't vintage. Stuck in no man's land for me personally which drove me nuts
 
do-it-ben-stiller.gif
 
Beyond Black said:
I wouldn’t get a Wizard for low to medium volume playing. My MTL comes alive at high volume and sound pretty bland until then. I don’t even play that amp unless I’m home alone and can open it up. But when I can, it’s a pretty mind blowing experience and I’m quickly reminded of why I love it.
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I love the MCII, MC25 for low/medium volume playing, but that's with an eq in the loop sculpting the tone & acting as a third master.
 
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