opinons on dr z carmen ghia 112 ??

[Flying Train]

thinking about it to complement my dlx reverb, i like the el-84 tone but can't stomach the matchless pricetag.
dr z looks like the sweet spot on the price-performance curve.
any comments?
FT

[axeman]

A couple of suggestions....

- Are you located anywhere near a dealer to listen to these? I've talked to a number of players that really like the 2x10 version of the Ghia, over the 1x12.

- Head over to the Dr Z Forum. You'll get good advice on these amps. There are seperate group discussions for each model.

- I'd also suggest you check out a Dr Z Maz Jr. before making your decision. It is also a 18 watt EL-84 amp.... but with a master volume and greater tone control.

There are a few Z players on this forum too that may be able to provide you with additional information.

You won't have any complaints with the quality of this brand, or service. I've gig'd out with mine several years. Good product at a great price.

- Keith

[mdrs]

I love my Maz Jr Non Reverb 2x10..........it's still fairly new, and the speakers aren't quite broken in. I've played broken in 2x10 Maz Jrs with tone to die for. They are good with humbuckers, and great with single coils. The Maz Jr. accepts pedals well.

I also have a Dr. Z Remedy head........holy moley!! It's GREAT........it's a Plexi clone, in terms of it's tone.

I can also highly endorse Dr. Z's 1x12 convertable speaker cab. You can play it as a closed back, or take two panels off, and it's an open back. I LOVE IT!! I'm playing my Remedy head thru my Dr. Z 1x12 loaded with a Celestion Gold, and it's a wonderful speaker cab!!

The Dr. Z forum is an excellent resource. Check it out!

I've never played a Carmen Ghia......sorry!!

[dannopelli]

Z's really do nail a great price point for a great amp. I have three, plus a cab.

I have experience with the Ghia amp. It is kind of aggressive sounding. That may be what you want, maybe not. The Maz Jr and SR are probably two of his most versatile and popular amps. The NR versions are a bit more hairy, the Reverb versions are smoother.

The Remedy is kind of the Marshall version of a Z. Superb amp and super functional. You can dial in a lot of tones with this amp. The EZG-50 is kind of the Fender Blackface of Z's. The reverb on this thing is to die for.

The Stingray is a BIG sounding amp.

All the Z's take pedals well. The ones with a loop are great for things like delay and such.

The Z forum is a good place. Kind of like here. Mostly a friendly atmosphere.

Good luck!

[Flying Train]

It is aggressive but it's a nice complement to my ultra-clean MusicMan RD50 and my beloved dlx reverb. Now, what about an a/b switch? I looked around last night and there are dozens and the price range is from $39 on up. I would think you could get a good used one for about $75.
thanks, FT

[Stan Herring]

I agree with some of the other posters.....go to the Dr Z Amp Forum, there are a number of sound files for each amp available for your listening pleasure.

I have 4 Z Amps including a Ghia, they are addictive. Rather than attempt to describe the amp in words I will refer you to the Z Forum where you can spend days reading all the threads.

I will say this: the Ghia is a workhorse amp, a great grab and go for rehearsals or gigs. Two knobs, great tone without a fuss. If you want a little more control of your tone then look at a Maz 18, an Rx Jr or a Remedy......all are awesome amps!

[kurt1981]

Hey guys, what Z would be the cleanest of the bunc? I use clean amps with pedals, and would be running this with a rambler. My old music man 2x10 just isn't doing it for me anymore.
Thanks,
Krt

[dannopelli]

I am a clean amp pedalboard guy too. But I like a warm clean, just before breakup. You could do jazz comping on a neck PUP with the sound, for reference. I let the pedals create the OD/Distortion sounds.

The Maz 38 is going to give you more tone shaping ability than some of the other Dr Z EL 84 amps, in an unit with pretty good headroom. It will be a very nice warm clean sound. The Maz 18 is similar, but gets gnarly at lower volumes because you hit the power tube's sweet spot sooner. Set either amp's Volume at about 11:00 - 12:00, adjust the tones to your liking, and the Master Volume as needed. I actually use both live. You can also get an FX loop on the Maz series.

So if you like the chimey EL84 sound, I'd go with the Maz 18 or 38. I'd get a head, and a 2x12 cab with Celestion Blues. It will sound so big! And still be relatively portable.

My $.02 anyway.

[Janine Doubly]

The Ghia can be more aggressive than a MAZ 18. Because of its simpler tone stack, it comes on more immediately than the MAZ 18. So if you want A LOT of touch sensitivity, the Ghia is killer. Also, because of its simplicity, the Ghia is a blast to work with pre-amp tubes. A lot of Ghia players will put a 5751 tube in instead of a standard 12AX7. It lowers the gain a bit without losing any sensitivity. The MAZ 18 is versatile, but not as touch sensitive as the Ghia. However, the touch sensitivity factor on all of his amps are pretty high, its just the Ghia takes the cake. You could also try the Prescription Junior as a great clean amp.

[Flying Train]

Picked it up about 3 weeks ago in Santa Monica and have been enjoying it since. I re-read an article on Dr Z in which he said he was trying to get the same tonal color from an amp that you can get using a wah-wah and now I see what he meant. The previous owner re-tubed it just a few days before I bought it because he felt bad about letting something go that wasn't 100% so I'm set tube-wise for now but thanks for the tips just the same. I'll keep them in mind.
FT