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Post by rpavich on Aug 11, 2005 7:36:33 GMT -7
I've wanted a ghia for a long time (when I bought my MAZ18 I was actually shopping for a ghia but they didn't have one in stock) so I finally scored one off ebay....really nice, blond, 3 mo old, minty cond..
I CAN'T WAIT TILL IT GETS HERE!
Talk about your Ghia to me to take my mind off of it! ;D ;D
bob
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Post by Bill on Aug 11, 2005 8:04:48 GMT -7
The Ghia is a masterpiece...a sweet, simple, toneful amp. I used mine at rehearsal a couple of times and it was coming up a little short headroom wise, but man what a killer tone it was cranking out! Plenty of smiles in the room.
It's very touch sensitive, as all Z amps are, and exhibits a quick in-your-face attack. Extremely easy to dial in, I used around 1 to 2 o'clock mostly on tone, 2 to 3 oclock on volume, and that was it. No constant turning around and trying to tweak in your sweet spot with this amp.
My favorite speaker with the Ghia was a Celestion Alnico Blue or a Vintage 30.
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Post by rpavich on Aug 11, 2005 9:12:15 GMT -7
Madison, thanks for the fix! I noticed something...a lot of people say that same thing that you said.."not loud enough" either at a gig or practice for the 18W z amps....maz, z28 etc...
I have just the opposite problem...I use an airbrake all of the time! I can't keep the thing low enough to stop ears from bleeding while getting that crankin' good tone...
by the way, I noticed that same thing with my z28...no knob tweaking while playing...just a lot of smiles...that is the sign that you REALLY like your sound...when no knob tweaking is happening; don't you agree? Kind of like when you first plug in to an amp you're trying out in a shop..you either tweak and then finally find something you can live with or you "instantly know" that this is the amp for you....
bob
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Aug 11, 2005 10:53:39 GMT -7
congratulations on the ghia bob! the ghia is more a part of my sound than any other single piece of gear i own. i could be happy with just about any guitar, cable, pickups, strings, effects, etc., so long as i had the ghia to run them through. the amp is everything i love about guitar. simple. moody. expressive. dynamic.
i crank it to 11, and dial all my tones from the guitar. because of the amps beautiful natural compression, there's not much appreciable volume loss when rolling your guitar volume all the way back to 3 or so to clean it up... the volume loss is just enough that it works out perfectly for quieter clean passages. you can still get some grit out of the ghia with amp cranked and the guitar volume cranked, but you have to dig in harder to get it... a very fun and responsive tone/feel.
from there, with the amp cranked, my next sound is from 4-6 on the guitar volume knob. this is where i spend the most time, as it's where the greatest range of dynamic feel lives, and also where i find the sweetest, most expressive rythym tones. pick lightly, and the notes are semi-clean and shimmering, with just a hint of harmonic overdrive hair on them... let those notes ring, and you get the most beautiful blooming feedback sound. dig in harder, and the amp reacts with you by giving you more dirt, just slightly more volume, and a quicker time to feedback. REALLY dig in, and the Ghia sags a bit with a great mean musical cruch, but all the notes remained articulate and defined (which is true of any setting).
from there i turn the guitar volume from 7-9. I use this quite a bit for sweet singing lead tones. You still have much of the same dynamic responsiveness and range, but everything is a bit dirtier and fatter, which goes really well for the tone and feel I like to have with much of my lead playing. This is where many classic lead tones live (woman tone comes to mind, but it goes way beyond just that).
crank your guitar volume to "10," and this is where all the most cutting & sustaining lead tones live. Select your bridge pickup with the volume on "10" (for the least capacitance -- i.e. no sweetening of the tone) and crank the tone control to 7 or higher, and you've got a great cutting, biting bridge pickup tone. Roll back the tone control a bit, and you can smooth some of the top end bite out, but retain the cut. Switch to the neck and roll off the tone control, and it's Santana-esque leads.
Of course, this is just a small sampling of the different shades you can get with just a guitar and a ghia. There are literally hundreds of different shades from clean to dirty that can be accessed with just the ghia's two knobs and your guitar controls. A 335 loaded with wagner crossroads pickups is an absolute match made in heaven... some of my personal favorite tones live in the middle position of that guitar, adjusting the neck and bridge volume controls to get different blends of the two for all shades of clean to dirty. The ghia reproduces these nuances all so magically... like no other amp I've ever played.
Incidentally, I've found the power rating of the Ghia to be about perfect. I use different speaker cabs and speakers to match up with the size of the room I'm playing in... Lower efficiency speakers is the best way to tame a little volume if you need to, and high efficiency speakers give you a little more volume/headroom if you need that. Obviously going to a 2x12 from a 1x12 will have similar results. The ghia sounds so great through such a variety of speakers, that you can really use the speakers/cabs to adjust your overall volume level. Don't forget to try just turning your cab in a different direction (i.e. towards a wall) if it seems to loud... for my tastes, something was lost when I tried using an attenuator with the ghia.
as a final note, I highly recommend tubing your ghia with a good EH 12ax7 in V1, balanced 5751 in V2, and matched pair of JJ EL84's in a #6 rating to start off with your Ghia. It's one of the most versatile and balanced tube combo's I've found, from clean to dirt. I keep going back to that even after trying tons of other tube options in my Ghia. Though a balanced 12BH7 does make a good phase inverter if you want a little more headroom, but it doesn't sound like you need/want any extra headroom if you're already using an attenuator.
There, I did my best to type up a bunch of stuff to distract you about your Ghia in transit... though some of this I typed with they intention of getting you even more pumped up... in the case of the Ghia, personally I'd say you're safe to get hyped up, as it really is the real deal and I don't think you'll be disappointed even with the highest of expectations. I know I never have been... Every time I've wandered from the Ghia, I ALWAYS come back and find what I was looking for right where I started. It was my very first boutique amp, and it will be the one that's with me until the End.
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Post by rpavich on Aug 11, 2005 13:16:29 GMT -7
Peach, That was AWESOME! I'm sooooo pumped right now!!!! What an articulate essay on what every guitar amp wants to be!
Thanks, I'm going to read and re-read this over and over until the big brown truck arrives....
bob
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Post by Curt on Aug 11, 2005 14:57:22 GMT -7
I've whittled my amp stock of seven down to two, A ghia and a Z-28. At this point I can't emagine wanting something else...and I am a serious GAS person.
I have not played the Z-28 much yet, The Ghia is my main amp, I plan to run them both on my gig this sat, got some brand new killer Amolfatino pups in the Tele ..
Woo hooo Welcome to the "Twang Gang" !!!
Your gonna dig it ;D
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Aug 12, 2005 6:28:12 GMT -7
glad to get you pumped up Bob! you're far too kind about my posting, which basically amounts to enamorously babbled ramblings about my favorite amp. let us know when it gets there, and how you like it! I've got an echoczar coming to me (hopefully in the not too distant future), so I'm strongly considering picking up another Ghia head to drive in stereo with the 'czar... I'm going to see if I can find the right price on ebay. It's money well spent as I know it's my favorite amp, but it'll be quite different this time around as my last one only cost me $450.
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Post by rpavich on Aug 13, 2005 11:54:10 GMT -7
It's arrived!!! And it's everything you said it was... I've only got to play it attenuated, but even then...its amazing....just how you described it... I think this is my last amp also!
gotta go...too buys playing
bob
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Aug 15, 2005 15:15:37 GMT -7
glad you like it! sounds like we won't be hearing from you much around here at least for a while. enjoy the honeymoon... it's magical and mine has lasted 8 years and going strong.
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Post by rpavich on Aug 15, 2005 17:56:01 GMT -7
Peach, Yes, I've torn myself away for right now...lol....it was hard going to work today! I noticed that this amp just like my Z28 sounds great without ANY pedals! No reverb, no delay, not even a boost... My Z28 will sound good with my RC booster but I really believe that the Ghia sounds best without even a booster....what do you think?
bob
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Aug 16, 2005 6:43:24 GMT -7
Peach, Yes, I've torn myself away for right now...lol....it was hard going to work today! I noticed that this amp just like my Z28 sounds great without ANY pedals! No reverb, no delay, not even a boost... My Z28 will sound good with my RC booster but I really believe that the Ghia sounds best without even a booster....what do you think? bob bob, we agree! although I do really like germanium boosters with the ghia (hellbilly, java boost). a germanium booster through a cranked up ghia is capable of creating a bit louder, more sparkley cleanish tone with the guitar volume rolled back to 3, a heavier boosted OD tone with the guitar volume at 7, and full on fuzz with the guitar volume at 10. While not necessary, I like the further versatility adding one of these simple pedals to your rig provides. It just seems so appropriate to me to add a simple, classic germanium boost to the simple, classic ghia. Full on fuzz is too much for the front end, most OD and distortion pedals are overly compressed and unnecessary, but the germanium boost is just right. I HIGHLY recommend the Hellbilly. It feels like it was MADE to be used with the Ghia, and the price is right. While unnecessary, I also find analog delays to sound REALLY sweet with the Ghia. I use them for effect as opposed to leaving them on all the time, but some of my best retro indie rock lead tones come from running an analog delay into the ghia with the guitar volume knob rolled back. The tone is so sweet sounding, with such an interactive feel... Finally, I also really like a trem pedal with the Ghia... The T.C. Jauernig Luxury Twin Rate Trem sounds particularly sweet and integrated into the Ghia's original tone. Very cool with the rate on channel 2 turned almost all the way up for some almost leslie-esque sounds. So there's my desert island rig... My 335 with WCR Crossroads pickups, the Hellbilly, the Twin-Rate Trem, and the EchoCzar (which I'm still waiting for) running into the Ghia. On a budget, I really dig the Boss DM-3 analog delay as well. Give me one of those previously discussed coiled Radio Shack extension cables on the island as well, and I'm all set... Oh yeah, and a good 2x12 with Scumbacks... the Ghia's not much good without some speakers. ;D
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Post by Curt on Aug 16, 2005 7:46:14 GMT -7
While I dig my Ghia w/o any pedals, I have found that My Keeley modded BD-2 REALLY turns the Ghia into something special with the volume at noon. Lately I have been leaving it on for the whole gig and using the volume knob on the Tele.
My new Z/28 has such a great clean I like running it w/o any effects at all...so far anyway, I have only gigged it once.
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Post by rpavich on Aug 16, 2005 8:52:19 GMT -7
Ohhhh....I'm getting chills....
I'd like to know more about those scumbacks....that's my next thing; speakers....
I've just got a green back in a no-name 1 x 12 cab that I cut a big square hole in the back to open up the sound a little....
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Post by G'OlPeachPhan on Aug 16, 2005 9:46:23 GMT -7
Well, if you're a greenback guy Scumbag offers a clone of a Vintage G12M in addition to the G12H. www.scumbagamps.com will give you much of the information you seek. Aside from that, call Jim up and ask him. I personally have the SA-12-75 SA-12-55 (H30's)mix in the 2x12 I use most with the Ghia, but I've heard great things about mixing the Scumback greenback with the H30 as well. That's pretty much the mismatched speaker wattage Matchless thing, in that they use some kind of an aging process on their cones and mix a greenback/H30 in a 2x12 together as well. Many say that's a big part of their signature sound. Another possible mix for the Ghia would be a Scumback H30 mixed with a 15 watt blue (celestion or weber). I'll be trying this next, not because I'm not satisfied, but because I'm a tinkerfuck. ;D
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Post by hurnsradi on Dec 8, 2005 8:36:51 GMT -7
Hi everybody,
Well, i´m new to this forum and this is my first post. After reading some posts i got very interested in Dr.Z Amps especially the Carmen Giha! In the past i played big 4 Channel Amps with 120 Watt and numerous sound options and i got bored with it seeing myself always ending up with two basic sounds. So i thought why not going the simple way of just one little amp. Is the Giha suitable to produce rich and harmonic FEEDBACK ? BTW, i´m playing a Gibson Les Paul Standard through an ENGL 4*12 Cabinet .
Thanks,
Mario
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Post by rpavich on Dec 8, 2005 9:25:51 GMT -7
Hurnsradi, Welcome!!! Yes, dripping with harmonic feedback...with hot PUPs and or a drive pedal for a little goosing..
The Ghia is not a raging metal amp...more "bluesy overdrive/sustain" Think Larry Carlton's "last night" tone...
bob
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Post by hurnsradi on Dec 8, 2005 9:46:42 GMT -7
bob,
since there are so many models and i never tried one out, it´s also a little bit difficult for me to choose the right amp. though i believe every one has it´s own charm i can´t decide between the Giha and Z-28. at the moment i´m leaning towards the Z-28 cause actually there´s one on Ebay Germany cause i tend to purchase it used ! Well, i guess the ultimate for me would be to run both the Giha and Z-28 in a dual mono setup !?!
Best regards,
Mario
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Post by steveinnashville on Dec 8, 2005 15:39:50 GMT -7
I've had my Ghia for 5 years or so... favorite amp ever!
I understand your pain... my WOBO switching system will be here at any moment! Though, I'm not sure what I'm excited about as I don't have more than a couple working cables to hook up to it... but it will still be cool.
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