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Post by vanillasr08 on Aug 6, 2009 0:04:03 GMT -7
Those of you who have experience with both amps...could you tell me if one or the other has a more, less, or the same headroom? I own a Ghia...but if I can get about the same amount of clean headroom out of a RXjr I may be interested in trading/purchasing one. Thanks guys!
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Post by JD on Aug 6, 2009 5:22:12 GMT -7
I primarily play my Galaxie these days for gigs - but have played both my Ghia and RXJr recently. Again to me these are very different amps. The RXJr with the OD off has more clean headroom than the Ghia and a nice percussive feel. The Ghia with its Tone knob and giving up dirt about 1/2 way through is a totally different animal. Typically I have my Brake-Lite on 1 (at 2 and above it cuts the dynamics too much for playing out) as these amps are both quite loud with Doc's 2x10s. I think my philosophy now is just own every Z - right? Life is too short for bad tone
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Aug 6, 2009 6:53:13 GMT -7
I've never sat down and compared my RxJr and Ghia for clean headroom...so I guess I'll just have to throw some thoughts out there.
First, every single Ghia I've ever played or heard has been different. I think that's due to a couple of reasons. First, the "oldies" like mine (1998) are different than the present ones. Mine has a mellower attack and vibe. I can wind wine up past 12:00 on the volume with my Grosh RC and it is just starting to break up. I've played some Ghias that crunched at 9:00.
Secondly, the Ghia's short circuit path and clarity show off differences in tubes more readily than a lot of other amps. The RxJr also shows vast differences with different tubes, especially V1 and V2 (the EF86).
Also, what is "clean headroom" to one guy might not be the same to someone else. Neither of these amps are Fender Twin Reverbs or EZG-50's. They can both walk that "is it clean or slightly hairy" line but neither one is a clean machine.
Having said that, my seat-of-the-pants tells me that as JD said my RxJr can get a little more clean volume than the Ghia, but it's not worlds different. The Ghia is all about power tube overdrive (even though it has a great clean tone). The RxJr is a little more full bandwidth; the full almost-active EQ lets you dial in way more highs, scoop the mids or fatten the bass. The presence of "more" frequencies and harmonics lead the human ear to perceive more volume even if the actual dB level is lower. Don't let that 15W rating fool you; the RxJr is a loud, tight, dynamic amp.
If I get time maybe I'll take my dB meter to both of 'em through the same cab.....
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Post by vanillasr08 on Aug 8, 2009 14:53:25 GMT -7
Thanks to both of you guys for the replies. I realize that these amps are totally different in schematic terms and what not. Also, I guess I should have specified a little more about the "clean headroom." I'm not looking for twin reverb clean or anything. I'm just looking for that clean with a little grit on it. I normally can turn my Ghia up to about 11 oclock with my strat and tele...with that volume it gives me good cleans, but I can also dig in and get some dirt out of it. I also play through 2 alnico blues. But Phil...if you have a chance...please do a little a/b test for me and tell me which one of these amps, in your opinion, give a little more of that good clean to grit sensitivity before getting good tube overdrive. I hope to hear from you soon.
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Post by JD on Aug 9, 2009 7:50:44 GMT -7
Yeah my idea of clean might be someone else's dirt I like how the Ghia can get fairly dark and dirty, especially with the tone knob at 2 o'clock and up. The RX Jr. has more of that bouncy clean percussive feel to it and if you hit the OD boost the break-up feels very different (nice vague terms). We don't have a Dr. Z dealer near Mil-town (closest one is Chicago) - so I end up buying my amps based on forum members descriptions and clips.
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Post by hollywood88 on Nov 8, 2009 21:32:29 GMT -7
I do seem to get more clean headroom with my RX Jr than with my Ghia.
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