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Post by otisray on Apr 12, 2006 18:52:26 GMT -7
I find my Ghia to be a little on the bright side. I e-mailed Dr Z, and he suggested trying different tubes in the V1 and V2 slots, which I have been doing. Right now, I have a Jan5751 in the V1 slot, and a NOS Mullard "Hammond" in the V2. The 5751 seems to help a little(less gain), it sounds best with single coil pickups. Does it make a difference if the 5751 is in the 1st or 2nd position?? Should I swap them? I want to WARM the amp up a little, give it a more rounded sound, with less brightness... I just ordered 2 JJ ECC8903s tubes to try out also...
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Post by zdogma on Apr 12, 2006 19:21:37 GMT -7
I used to find the ghia bright, and I have posted to that effect a few times, but I'm getting used to it I think. I don't really notice it too much now...maybe my hearing is going...
5751 in V1 and PI will fatten it up a bit, and make it a bit less bright.
Beam blockers will help if you are finding it bright only when you stand directly in front (that's me).
Speakers have a huge effect. Try a weber blue dog, nice sound, much warmer overall than the celestions or emi's. In fact I found them a bit too dark, but they might suit the sound you are looking for.
Kruzty has posted a comparison clip in the sounds section its called ghia with texas heat and blue dog, scoll down a bit and he has a sample of each.
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Post by RC on Apr 12, 2006 20:55:34 GMT -7
When I first got my Ghia it too seemed a little Bright with my Burst-bucker pros. I put a NOS RCA 5751 in the V-2 and GT 7025 in the V-1 at Myles suggestion and it did tame it down especially at lower volumes of 10:00 or less. But what seemed a little bright at home just sounds perfect at mid to high volume with the band. I also agree with Zdogma (great name) speakers can make a huge deference with a Ghia. Mine didn't like the Vintage 30 at all in a Z-best.
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Post by bustertheboy on Apr 12, 2006 21:27:06 GMT -7
i definitely agree with the 5751 in v2- mine is a JAN GE- green script then try a few diff 12ax7 s in v1 i like my ghia with 212 open back greenbacks- fat and rich- so fat i have to keep tone below 11 most of the time if the mullard is a 12ax7, try swapping it around with the 5751
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Post by otisray on Apr 12, 2006 23:34:09 GMT -7
I have a Weber Blue Dog 50 watt speaker in the amp now, and I agree, Weber speakers are the best for Dr Z amps. I took the Celestion out of my Maz 38 Sr because it was too sterile sounding, and put the 50 watt Weber BD in, and man what a nice change. I took it out of the Maz to try in my Ghia. I just bought a 30 watt Weber BD for my Ghia and have not recieved it yet. When I get the new speaker, I will put the 50 watter back in the Maz. I also tried an Eminence Private Jack, but it was way bright, and too articulate. Until then I will try swapping out the tubes some more. I have a couple of Telefunken 12AX7's, and some Telefunken power tubes I can try. For new power tubes I have found you cannot beat JJ EL84's. They sound great, and are very quiet, and dependable. Thanks for the info!!!
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Post by otisray on Apr 12, 2006 23:37:09 GMT -7
Oh yea, one more thing....so the V2 is the phase inverter position??
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Post by zdogma on Apr 13, 2006 4:41:12 GMT -7
Yep.
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Post by billyguitar on Apr 13, 2006 5:23:58 GMT -7
This amp lets you use the tone control on your guitar as a cut control. Just turn the tone pot down until you hear what you want. It works great.
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Post by otisray on Apr 13, 2006 12:34:45 GMT -7
I was experimenting with the tone knob on my Strat the other day, and it sounded awesome!! I feel the Ghia favors single coil pickups. This particular Strat is equipped with Bill Lawrence pickups, which are some of the best out there IMO. I will do some more tube swapping and post my results. Thanks for all the info!!!
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Post by bustertheboy on Apr 13, 2006 14:51:27 GMT -7
hi otisray welcome i've got a jan GE 5751 in v2 and nos GE12ax7 in v1- very sweet, detailed but not too bright- i am using greenbacks though u could also try 12bh7 in v2- less gain more headroom as output valves driven less hard
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Post by otisray on Apr 14, 2006 18:40:20 GMT -7
Just got my JJ ECC803S tubes from Bob at Eurotubes.com. The guy is awesome! He send me a balanced triode pair, and I paid for a regular pair. The balanced are a little more $$. Super fast shipping too!! Should I put this tube in the V1, and leave the Jan 5751 NOS in the V2? Can I put both these in the amp? I wonder how it will sound? From what I have read, these tubes have about 10% less gain, and sound great. I am looking for that perfect combination of tubes, maybe someday I will find it?? I also got a few 12AT7's from a guy at work today, or should I even bother??
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Post by bustertheboy on Apr 15, 2006 0:18:40 GMT -7
hi otis ray i'd put the 5751 in v2 which is phase inverter but wouldn't put 12at7 in v2- i think i remember reading one of myles's articles where he said not to put a 12at7 in PI -v2 because there was too much voltage(?) he recommended the person contact the doctor first- gain may be lower but voltage wrong you can put both the jj tubes in- again some disagreement about how that will sound- the output tubes will be driven harder, there will be less headroom and the sound will probably be a bit harsher but why not give it a try- unlike the 12at7 it can't hurt anything except your taste and you never know till you try!
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Post by billyguitar on Apr 15, 2006 6:59:54 GMT -7
I'm afraid that the 803 will exacerbate the brightness problem. In my Maz 38 it seems to be a hard, bright tube. Try the 12AT7s but Myles did say one time that they aren't good for signal tubes, better for functional placement like how Fender used them. A 12AY7 sounds good in V1 but not much gain if that's what you want. I'm going to find a 12BH7 for my next experiment with the Ghia.
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Post by otisray on Apr 16, 2006 7:27:14 GMT -7
Thanks for all the info and advice!! Would I want to try a 12BH7, or a 12BH7A? Is there a difference? And is there a prefered brand?
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Post by billyguitar on Apr 16, 2006 7:49:15 GMT -7
I don't think there would be a difference. I don't know any particular brand.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Apr 16, 2006 9:32:12 GMT -7
Also, I don't know what Rectifiers your using but that helped make a huge difference in my ghia being too bright... Got a couple of NOS MAZDA 5Y3's from Mike at KCA ... REALLY smoothed it up and and made it warm with the addition of a JAN NOS 5751 (v2) and a NOS Mullard 12ax7 (v1) also... really made all the difference... Just put in weber beam blockers for the 2x10's after all the comments about them on the forum ( I like to angle the cab up at me and it's a little laser beamish) and I REALLY like them so far! Jason Jason
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Post by bustertheboy on Apr 16, 2006 16:35:29 GMT -7
try KCA or tube depot not sure which i used for my 12BH7 s but mine is RCA nos- was qhite cheap and very round and smooth - ie not bright compared to my nos jan GE 5751- which is detailed and crisp sounding just out of interest- what are you comparing the ghia to when you say bright? also are you plugging straight in or do you have a pedal where the preamp is always on in the chain- like a FET switching pedal- ie not true bypass- i've found these add a lot of brightness alos as someone may have said on this page- the ghia responds to tone and volume changes more than almost any other amp- it is a very simple- perhaps the simplest- preamp around which allows a lot of extra high harmonics through- my middle and back pickup strat sound when the amp is turned up full has so many harmonics that it has ghost tones- the sense of more than one note playing at a time- but all in the harmonic series- in tune all the best and stay with it- maybe the weber beam blockers would work for you
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Post by otisray on Apr 16, 2006 17:31:29 GMT -7
Just tried out a JJ ECC81 in the V2 position, and moved the 5751 into the V1 slot, if you have a ECC81, try it out. It was still bright and I had to turn the treble down on the guitar(Reverend Slingshot p90's), but I got more clean headroom out of the amp. It did not want to break up that much till after 12, where as before it wanted to start breaking up around 10-11. Cool tone! As far as the rectifier tube, I am using a NOS Mullard. It came in the amp when I bought it. My tube tester is not working, so I have not been able to test it.
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Post by otisray on May 29, 2006 23:48:26 GMT -7
Just installed my Weber Beam Blocker in front of the Weber Blue Dog 30 watt speaker(1x12 cab), also put my GE Jan 5751 NOS back in the V2, and a Telefunken ECC83 in the V1. I immediately noticed the amp to have a smoother tone, still has great highs, but not take your head off highs. I am sure that most of this is because of the Beam Blocker. Great idea, and product! I also was playing through the amp with my new Reverend Charger HB(humbuckers), which are their korean made line. I talked to Steve at Reverend, and he says every guitar is built to their specs, and I believe it, it is every bit as nice as my Slingshot Custom that was built by Reverend. The neck seems slightly beefier, but very close. The necks on these guitars are the best! Anyway, this guitar and my Ghia are an awesome combo!
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wired
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by wired on May 31, 2006 17:12:57 GMT -7
I have a 2x10 Ghia with the Dr's proprietary Eminence speakers and it is anything but bright. I was even trying to brighten it up the other day, but couldn't find a better tone. It is smokey and smokin'. I'm just not sure how well it would cut through in a band. Good recording tone. I use a NOS 12AX7 of some sort in V1 and a GE or Sylvania 5751 in the PI. I think I have GE EL84's but could be RCA. John
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Post by myles on Jun 1, 2006 10:30:35 GMT -7
A 12AX7M in V1 will darken the amp.
5751's have less gain than a 12AX7 but most 5751's tend to be brighter tubes in the Carmen Ghia in V1.
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