Specific Comparison of Carmen Ghia to other Z amps...

[gitaryzt1985]

I'm struggling to find an amp that is going to "stick" with me for a while.  I just bought a Maz 18, but sold it rather quickly because I just am not sure what I want and wanted to do a bit more research.  I LOVE the base Z tone that seems to be present in every amp the good Doc makes, but it seems I'm having a difficult time finding the right one for me.

I've owned a Carmen Ghia, M12, and Maz 18, albeit not all at the same time to compare.  I'm going to try to give you a rundown of my likes and dislikes of each, and I plan to be honest so you guys can help me nail down what I'm looking for.

Carmen Ghia - I like the base tone of this guy the best.  Actually, I love everything about it and the only reason I sold it was to help pay my car off a few years ago.  I'm leaning towards the Ghia, but I just can't remember how much clean headroom it had....surely as much as an M12?

M12 - Probably my least favorite of the 3.  I appreciate what it does, but I find that I'm not a fan of tone stacks with only a bass and treble knob.  I prefer to have either a single tone knob, or a Bass, Middle, Treble....call it my OCD.  I just wasn't as impressed with it as I am the CG or Maz.

Maz 18 - I love the tone, the headroom, pretty much everything.  But, I find it MUCH brighter than the CG or M12 at the minimal volumes I get to play 99% of the time.  Sounds great all around, but just slightly prefer the thicker tone of the CG.


So, my main question revolves around whether or not the Carmen Ghia would at least be a similar volume as the M12 when they start to really get to breaking up.  Hard to answer I know, but I just don't want to get another Ghia and be needing headroom with buckers.

[John]

Ghia will distort earlier than a Maz Jr.

I can't compare a Ghia to an M12. The Ghia is probably louder overall, but the M12 was built to be a clean platform amp.

Maz Jr is louder than a Ghia. (I've had both)  Especially the older Ghia models.  (newer models have slightly more headroom)

The Maz has the ability to dial out the brightness because of the treble and cut control. Don't be afraid to crank them DOWN.

You sold the Maz rather quickly...so apparently it didn't stick with you. So perhaps you could rule that out. And if you remember the M12 being the least favorite of the three...that would leave the Ghia. Fine choice. And remember, speaker choice makes a huge difference in tone and headroom.

[simpleton]

Speaker choice would of helped with the MAZ to tune the highs as well. I wouldn't get a Ghia and hope for high head room... These are all under twenty watt amps and the one with "head room" was your least favorite. My dad put a Canabis Rex into his MAZ and it warmed the highs up and brought him to loving it. My first Ghia required a speaker change for me to find my tone bliss....maybe the Therapy is more to your liking. Full tone stack, plenty of headroom if wanted but can get some sweet grind going like the Ghia.

Between your three choices I'd take the Ghia as it was my first love...I play with P90's and thought it was just about the perfect sound ever. I sold it after I got my Therapy...but nothing sounds like the Ghia, close but not the same. I need a first version Mazerati I think to get the early Ghia tone but louder.

[eggman]

Howdy,

I noticed increased volume with my Ghia when using the Weber AlNiCo Silver Bell (30 watts, pre-rola treatment) when compared to the 15 watt Celestion blue. Also, the Weber yielded more headroom, being 30 watts. It's not a huge difference though. Remember: If you want more headroom, get a bigger amp. My two cents and YMMV.

PS: My Ghia is more fun than M&Ms!

[Jaguarguy (Mike)]

If you want more headroom but Ghia tones keep your eyes out for Mazerati - especially a V1 (most V1 were pre-2001). The V1 was basically a double Ghia. Check out Bentop's (Steve) sound pages - great clips including a Mazerati!

[walt]

My Z experience is limited to the Therapy I own-35 watts with a master volume,you can get pretty loud and clean-IMO almost Blackface percussive shimmer,and then head for many stages of grit with the Volume knob.Check out the new Paisley demo in the Therapy section.

[bryan0418]

Jun 9, 2015 16:02:35 GMT -7 Jaguarguy (Mike) said:

If you want more headroom but Ghia tones keep your eyes out for Mazerati - especially a V1 (most V1 were pre-2001). The V1 was basically a double Ghia. Check out Bentop's (Steve) sound pages - great clips including a Mazerati!

I second that. I have a V2 Mazerati 1x12 combo with a Celestion Gold. Great amp, lots of headroom and takes pedals well. Only a single tone knob to set the voice.

[southmusic70]

I have a Ghia 25 Anni (10/50) and a Rati v2 (made in 2005). I use them for strictly different applications, but the truth is they both sound good for just about anything.

[gitaryzt1985]

This is a really tough decision, but the M12 has moved to the front of the pack. I found an old recording I made with the M12 and forgot that I really did like the M12, but sold it bc of financial reasons.

[John]

There's an M12 for sale in the Buy sell section

ztalk.proboards.com/thread/67568/fs-m12-head-combo

[paddywhacker]

...i've had five ghias, a maz jr and an m-12....(and a bunch of other z's)....i'm holding on to the m-12 fpr now as its the best Z for me at lower volumes that i mostly play at.....plus i'm a pedal guy and it really does handle them nicely.....

[gitaryzt1985]

I actually picked up an M12 head! Thanks guys!