We’ve already spoken about the EQ and the notch filter, now let’s see how it sounds. Used with a Takamine, absolutely no hiss nor parasite is heard. It’s to the point where you can say, to the contrary of Tech21, that the PZ Pre could be used in the studio. On the Dulcimer, there was some background noise which was due to the rather poor pickup on the instrument. This pickup has a nasal sound which benefited from the PZ Pre’s efficient EQ which transformed its sound into something decent., even pretty good. Also, the sound of the PZ Pre is at the same time rather neutral while being full and rich. It combines efficiency and musicality. Basically, it sounds really good.

In Use

The thing that struck me the most, and maybe the only criticism I have, is the presence of only one equalizer. In fact, it might have been nice to have a different EQ for each input, just to have a real double preamp. Here, the EQ effects both inputs at the same time. But, of course, such an added feature would have jacked up the price and the size of the device, and the pedal is already quite crowded. It should be noted that this small flaw is only annoying if you have to use it with two instruments that each need EQing. In this test, the dulcimer, having no equalizer, sounded pretty bad when dry. Because the Takamine had an equalizer (two-bands), I attempted to first get a decent sound for the dulcimer and then see if the Takamine could manage without having to change the PZ’s EQ. In the case where you need to EQ both instruments you’d need a second EQ. In any case, it is too bad that the integrated EQ can't be bypassed, this would have given even more flexibility.

Another aspect that seems a shame is the external 15V power supply. External power supplies aren’t the best thing on stage. Of course, the problem is always the same: a choice must be made between an internal power supply which is costly and would make the pedal bigger or an external power supply, which is more common. It’s often an unfortunate concession.