Speaker

[nashman]

I bought a used Carmen Ghia and I am trying to identify the speaker. It says Dr Z P12Z, WEBER  designed speaker for Dr Z. Any ideas which Weber speaker this may be.

[John]

I was not aware the Doc had a business relationship with Weber....ever.

I tried googling P12Z and most of the hits are from over a decade ago.

I did find two threads where people says it's an alnico Weber Silver Bell.

And welcome to the forum.  I have a Ghia too.  Fantastic amp.

[nashman]

What speaker do you have in your CG?

[John]

I have the 1x10 combo, and I have a 10" gold in it. But I'm looking for that tele- country clean tone.  Speaker & cabinet choice can have a huge effect on tone...especially with an amp like the Ghia.  With so few components inside, it transfers tone on an incredible level. 

It really comes down to what your ears want to hear and what type of music you're playing. There is no 'right or wrong'. I would imagine that Weber speaker you have would sound VERY good for many applications. I would be in no hurry to get rid of it. ...unless of course your situation calls for it.

Other popular choices for the Ghia are:

1) 12" Gold/blue
2) V30
3) greenbacks

[Mark (Basement Enthusiast)]

Jan 26, 2016 6:19:46 GMT -7 nashman said:

I bought a used Carmen Ghia and I am trying to identify the speaker. It says Dr Z P12Z, WEBER  designed speaker for Dr Z. Any ideas which Weber speaker this may be.

Early on, Doc did get speakers from Weber, made specifically for Z's. The P12Z is likely, as John said above, a very close variant of either the Blue Dog or the Silver Bell.  I've never seen one to verify, but the "P" from Weber usually designates an AlNiCo magnet (as opposed to ceramic, for which he used "C").  My guess is that Doc told Ted Weber, "Give me an AlNiCo [insert Blue Dog or Silver Bell here] but change the dustcap and/or surround to [xxx]."

Edit: Check also this thread.

[nashman]

Thanks everyone. While we are talking any suggestions for tube replacements, not sure when the amp was last serviced.

[John]

I'd just replace the el84 tubes. I'd also check to see if the PI (closest to the el84) is a 12ax7 or a 5751.

The Doc says the Ghia is much easier on power tubes than most other el84 based amps.  So if you pop in another set of power tubes and don't hear a difference....just keep them as a backup.

Also, what year is it? What letter does the serial number start with? (That will tell us the year)

[nashman]

serial number begins with an R

[John]

It's a 2007 amp.

the reason I asked is the earlier models broke up somewhat quickly. As the demand for more headroom came along, Doc changed it a bit. (yours is not one of them.)

[lowbudget]

Jan 26, 2016 17:32:27 GMT -7 John said:

It's a 2007 amp.

the reason I asked is the earlier models broke up somewhat quickly. As the demand for more headroom came along, Doc changed it a bit. (yours is not one of them.)

John, which one is the 2007 not, the earlier break up or more headroom?

[John]

2007 is more headroom. Early breakups are back in the late 90's. (if I remember correctly)

[nashman]

Talked to the original owner of the CG , he said the amp cane with a G12H30, and he took the DR Z Weber Alnico Silver Bell out of a MAZ 18. He said the speaker is a 50 watt.

[John]

Jan 27, 2016 10:47:08 GMT -7 nashman said:

Talked to the original owner of the CG , he said the amp cane with a G12H30, and he took the DR Z Weber Alnico Silver Bell out of a MAZ 18. He said the speaker is a 50 watt.

Excellent decision!

You're new here to the forum, but I've made my feelings known about the G12H speaker in the past.  With it's big heavy 50 oz magnet, it has big firm bass. It also has very crispy highs...all at the expense of mids.  It's a very 'scooped' sounding speaker.  When playing with a band it's hard to hear those mids because they're being overpowered by bass and treble.

The H is fine for recording, but for gigging, I prefer speakers with more mids.

[eggman]

Howdy,

  Wish I could help.