cosmo
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Posts: 156
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Post by cosmo on Nov 15, 2006 20:14:59 GMT -7
I've had my blond Ghia head for a week now (thanks to rgb). Been spending as much time with it as possible, with and without effects, A/B-ing with the Maz Jr and Mini. This amp is just too cool. Hard for me to articulate, but it's somehow sweet, snappy, fat, warm and cutting all at once. I don't even miss the reverb--and I'm a big reverb fan. I took it to a jam with some friends the first night and made the mistake of letting the other guitar player swap amps "for a few minutes." He liked it. A lot. Then he kicked on the BB preamp and liked it even more. I got my amp back two hours later, when it was time to pack up. (He's a fine player, and it was actually pretty cool to listen to someone else through it.) I have not yet played the Ghia onstage, but can't wait to do so at the first opportunity! So is it love, or just infatuation? Time will tell, but now I'm beginning to get what all the Ghia owners have been talking about!
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Post by canes on Nov 15, 2006 20:28:40 GMT -7
I had the same experience: sans reverb. I dont even notice it gone! Its such a wonderful amp, when you do play it out live you'll wonder how you ever did without it, it cuts through bigtime. Its almost as nice to listen to someone else play it onstage with you in the audience to take it in.... almost as nice. It really is a different experience to get it out on a gig, for some reason it sounds better on stage than in your house.
Jason
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Post by guitarboy02451 on Nov 17, 2006 21:36:28 GMT -7
I've gigged with my blonde Ghia 1x12 twice now. All I can say is it kicks butt. My first gig was with my regular band and I had about 4 hours of 40 songs to play. I had my usuall 'over the top' pedal board.
The second time was just a pickup blues jam. I only had a rev/dly with a Zen Drive. Man she sounded sweet.
Yeah, I think the Ghia is hands down the best amp Doc makes. I have a Maz Sr. as well, but boy... I really dig the Ghia. Plug that bad boy into my Z-Best and she really shines!
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rgb
Full Member
Posts: 158
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Post by rgb on Nov 20, 2006 6:43:00 GMT -7
Glad you're lovin' it! You got a good one, that's for sure! I'm missing it a bit.....it has the sweetest top end. The cleaner tones just sing, but my new Reinhardt Titan is filling the void quite nicely....although I'll be happy when the ringing in my ears subsides a bit! Enjoy that great amp!
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Post by taswegian on Nov 20, 2006 6:50:45 GMT -7
Mental note to self: "Must not read posts in Ghia section"
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Post by (8^D) on Nov 20, 2006 14:14:00 GMT -7
Mental note to self: "Must not read posts in Ghia section" Amen! +1 on that sentiment...
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Post by tjstrat on Nov 21, 2006 7:25:24 GMT -7
I got my amp back two hours later, when it was time to pack up. (He's a fine player, and it was actually pretty cool to listen to someone else through it.) I loaned my Ghia to a friend who's a terrific country player, who put it through an Avatar 2x12 with unspecified speakers. He played his '66 Mustang through it and dialed the tone to 9:00... I'd been dying to hear a player on my level playing through it (not that I'm a guitar god, but I'm better than decent most of the time) and was sorely disappointed that he wanted a thinner, ice-pickier tone than I would ever use. I was not really knocked out... But me... I put her through my cabs with my Comanches and the tone between 11:00 and 2:00 and the Ghia is SUCH a beast... I need to loan her to more of a rocker to get a sense of what she sounds like, I guess... I WON"T plug my wireless through her because it seems almost TOO sacriligious to put that much between the guitar and amp... So I can't walk the crowd to hear her myself...
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Post by ajlove on Nov 24, 2006 10:32:36 GMT -7
Record that bad boy... it wasn't until I started doing recordings with a Carmen Ghia until I fully realized what an incredible amp it is... my experience is that I was thinking about buying a very expensive amp, such as a Two Rock amp that costs upwards of $4000... it was going to take me a long time to save up for the Two Rock... in the meantime I found some old CD's I had laying around of some studio sessions I had done using the Carmen Ghia...
I had to laugh at myself and my foolishness of GAS'ing for a Two Rock (nothing wrong with Two Rocks, btw) when I realized after hearing the CD's of those sessions that the tone I had been "searching for" all along, that elusive tone in my head, was right there in my Carmen Ghia!
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Post by tjstrat on Nov 24, 2006 15:13:16 GMT -7
Record that bad boy... it wasn't until I started doing recordings with a Carmen Ghia until I fully realized what an incredible amp it is... my experience is that I was thinking about buying a very expensive amp, such as a Two Rock amp that costs upwards of $4000... it was going to take me a long time to save up for the Two Rock... in the meantime I found some old CD's I had laying around of some studio sessions I had done using the Carmen Ghia... I had to laugh at myself and my foolishness of GAS'ing for a Two Rock (nothing wrong with Two Rocks, btw) when I realized after hearing the CD's of those sessions that the tone I had been "searching for" all along, that elusive tone in my head, was right there in my Carmen Ghia! No foolishness in GASing, but I KNOW the Ghia sounds impossibly good for its apparent simplicity. I read reviews in the new GP about the 65, Genz Benz, Dennis and Victorias, felt a little drool gathering, and then remembered I had the Ghia I played Wednesday night for nearly 5 hours sitting donstairs atop a ZBest cabinet. Calmed the GAS right down. I remain convinced that the Ghia is the best amp I've ever owned, and just may be the best amp ever built...
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Post by zimmer on Nov 27, 2006 13:15:17 GMT -7
I've been kicking around a new amp choice for a while. Reading reviews, listening to clips, hanging out on forums. There's not much opportunity to hear many of the interesting amps in person without a serious road trip.
Are the Ghias pretty consistent, amp to amp? Is it reasonable to just order one and kick back and enjoy it? I don't mind tube swapping at some other point. And I kind of like "volume" and "tone" as the sole controls. The Ghia owners generally seem to be a satisfied bunch.
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Post by ajlove on Nov 27, 2006 13:40:51 GMT -7
Are the Ghias pretty consistent, amp to amp? Is it reasonable to just order one and kick back and enjoy it? . Absolutely, yes. I've owned 3 of them, and, since they are handbuilt, they have all been ever so slightly different (I'm talking very slight differences in tonal voicings) but the OVERALL QUALITY of all 3 has been nothing short of spectacular. Ghias respond so well to tube changes, too
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cosmo
Full Member
Posts: 156
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Post by cosmo on Nov 28, 2006 0:09:45 GMT -7
Zimmer, I've been playing the Ghia a whole lot this past week or so, at home and in rehearsal hall situations, and it is just one great, spectacularly musical amp. I have no basis for comparison with other Ghias, but mine sounds a lot like the Dean Parks video. Go for it--you won't be sorry!
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Post by Don on Nov 30, 2006 13:38:42 GMT -7
I have a few Ghias, and they are VERY consistent amplifiers. Experimenting with tubes will bring out slight variations in tonalities. I keep GTs in one and JJs in the other for a mix. You won't be sorry if you purchase one.
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Post by rhythmeister on Dec 7, 2006 14:17:09 GMT -7
Congrats on the Ghia, Cosmo!
Maybe one day we can jam in Van-groovy? I promise I won't hog your amp for 2 hours if you let me play it ;D.
Cheers, Blair
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cosmo
Full Member
Posts: 156
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Post by cosmo on Dec 7, 2006 23:42:18 GMT -7
Hey, Blair--Any time, man...as long as you bring your 6545 or SRV for me!
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Post by drew on Dec 8, 2006 9:55:05 GMT -7
I've been kicking around a new amp choice for a while. Reading reviews, listening to clips, hanging out on forums. There's not much opportunity to hear many of the interesting amps in person without a serious road trip. Are the Ghias pretty consistent, amp to amp? Is it reasonable to just order one and kick back and enjoy it? I don't mind tube swapping at some other point. And I kind of like "volume" and "tone" as the sole controls. The Ghia owners generally seem to be a satisfied bunch. I've read a couple articles where the good Doc states he uses high quality parts for consistency. I've had two Route 66 and Maz Sr amps and both are scary close. Tubes make an incredible difference in Zs. Tube experimentation is one of the fun aspects of the Ghia.
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