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Post by 03bart on Mar 2, 2016 14:58:09 GMT -7
Greetings,
Almost 2 years ago I started playing guitar and bought a Les Paul Studio and a Dr Z Carmen Ghia Studio Combo w/ Red Fang. It's been great and I love playing. I am playing mostly at home right now and my Ghia with BrakeLite on 4 can still be a little loud for practice when I get the volume up into the 10-12 o'clock range.
I've been thinking recently about trying some some different sounds and have been considering getting another amp in addition to a 50's wiring rig for my LP. As I'm looking at amps I'm thinking maybe I should buy a cab and then I could buy heads instead of combos. What factors go into picking a speaker cabinet?
Thanks for the advice,
B
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Mar 2, 2016 15:03:14 GMT -7
Obviously the number of speakers - 1, 2, 4 in your cab. Speaker brand. Ohms of your cab - 4,8, and 16 being the most common configurations. Then there is whether cab back is open, closed, or convertible. And most important, color!! Red ones are louder, clearly!!
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Post by Mark (Basement Enthusiast) on Mar 2, 2016 15:09:18 GMT -7
I'm definitely in favor of a head + cab(s) with the Ghia especially;, since there's so few EQ options on the amp, the tonal chages brought about by different speaker combinations will be very noticeable.
What factors go into picking a cab? Size, weight, sonic characteristics, looks... and that's just the wood cab! I could go for about 30 paragraphs on the speakers. But the short answer is to read up on 'em, listen to a lot of demo's, and don't expect to always get it right on the first try.
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Post by 03bart on Mar 2, 2016 16:07:23 GMT -7
Sorry for my poorly worded question. Restated, if I were to buy a Dr Z Cab, what should I choose between a 1x12, 2x10, or 2x12? I could see that speaker availability may be different for the different speaker sizes, but what would drive me to pick a 1x12 or a 2x12 besides size?
If there's a reference somewhere I should be looking at feel free to send me there...
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Post by simpleton on Mar 2, 2016 16:12:20 GMT -7
Because you already have a 1x12 in the combo I would pick either a 2x12 or 2x10. I loved my Ghia with a 2x10 cab. You can get a Y cable and run the combo with the extra cab for an awesome voluptuous sound.
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Post by southmusic70 on Mar 2, 2016 18:07:18 GMT -7
People tell me I'm "old school," so take this for what it's worth from somebody who started playing in 1964 and for money in 1966.
Take some time (usually it will take a lot of time - I still practice every day) to learn the instrument, and you'll be glad you did. Also, if you make some effort to learn music in a general sense (and not just guitar), it will pay tremendous benefits to you as you move forward.
Don't rely on gear to make you sound better; what you develop in your heart and your hands will always trump any piece of gear you may acquire.
Remember that the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.
As for your choice of amp: VERY GOOD. I run mine through open back cabinets: 1x10, 1x12 and 2x12, with various speakers: Eminence (Ramrod), Celestion (Gold and Vin30s).
Enjoy!
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Post by nmz on Mar 2, 2016 19:01:28 GMT -7
If you are going down the head/cab road I highly recommend a Z 1x12 convertable cab. You get the best of both worlds in a great cab. It also allows you to easily swap speakers for the heads you might go through. The convertable Z cabs sound great with any brand head you might want to try as well. Shoot, ALL of the Z cabs sound great with any amp I have come across.
That and the advice from above.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Mar 3, 2016 6:27:49 GMT -7
If you are going down the head/cab road I highly recommend a Z 1x12 convertable cab. You get the best of both worlds in a great cab. It also allows you to easily swap speakers for the heads you might go through. The convertable Z cabs sound great with any brand head you might want to try as well. Shoot, ALL of the Z cabs sound great with any amp I have come across. That and the advice from above. That's exactly what I did, plus I bought a 2x10 baffle from another Z-talk brother on the BST section so I can go between 1x12 and 2x10 modes. |
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Post by ss "Shane" on Mar 3, 2016 7:13:40 GMT -7
First of all let me congratulate southmusic70 for such a great bit of advise....during my drumming days we had a technically amazing guitar player show up for an audition. We overlooked him and chose another guitar player with some grey in his hair who understood what it meant to play for the song and for the band. We wanted a player to blend in the mix and not constantly be out front doing too much at the wrong times.
Ok sorry to get off topic lol. Let me say that I got away from combos when I jumped on the Z wagon and never looked back. I was so frustrated with my NON Z combos rattling tubes at higher volumes. I have a Z convertible 1X12 and a Z stock 2X12. Both cabs sound great and I started with the 2X12. I decided that this cab was just too heavy to lug around to band practice and was louder than I needed for our practice space. This led me to buy the 1X12, which gets used about 90% of the time. I find the 1X12 easier to control for a sound tech and for myself. Not once have I thought to myself "man I miss my 2X12". However, I'll never part with my 2X12 because it does have its uses for me.
Speaker choice will probably be decided by your ears and not internet videos. My advise to to you would be to pay attention to veterans on THIS forum. These are the guys who got me to my lifelong set up. If you can't decide on speaker selection after much input from these guys, just ask Doctor Z and his crew what they would suggest for the Ghia.
So you just started playing and your using a Z rig? Wow! I had to start on a squire bullet and a frontman lol. I'm jealous! Good luck my friend!
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Post by John on Mar 3, 2016 7:43:13 GMT -7
Don't rely on gear to make you sound better; what you develop in your heart and your hands will always trump any piece of gear you may acquire. I wish I could get in a time machine knowing how true this statement is. Learning this lesson can be very expensive. |
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Post by LT on Mar 3, 2016 9:30:50 GMT -7
I had a Z 1-12 convertible cab and really liked it (I'd still have it but it's on "loan" to #1 son). Having the ability to turn it into either a closed or open back cab is really a great design by the Doc.
One thing about the Red Fang (I have the 10" version in my Ghia combo) is it's LOUD (103db rating). If you want to tame some of that volume, you could go with, for instance, a Celestion Gold (98db as I recall).
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Post by 03bart on Mar 3, 2016 11:08:22 GMT -7
Take some time (usually it will take a lot of time - I still practice every day) to learn the instrument, and you'll be glad you did. Also, if you make some effort to learn music in a general sense (and not just guitar), it will pay tremendous benefits to you as you move forward. Don't rely on gear to make you sound better; what you develop in your heart and your hands will always trump any piece of gear you may acquire. Right-on. I'm old enough to recognize my looking at new gear has more to do with not making the progress I want in my playing than anything else. Appreciate the words! |
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Post by 03bart on Mar 3, 2016 11:13:30 GMT -7
So you just started playing and your using a Z rig? Wow! I had to start on a squire bullet and a frontman lol. I'm jealous! Good luck my friend! That's the benefit to starting in middle age. Wish I had started 30+ years ago! |
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Post by 03bart on Mar 3, 2016 11:20:22 GMT -7
One thing about the Red Fang (I have the 10" version in my Ghia combo) is it's LOUD (103db rating). If you want to tame some of that volume, you could go with, for instance, a Celestion Gold (98db as I recall). Ok... so a speaker change would help with my volume issues? I figured it was not having a Master Volume or the fact that it's an 18W amp. I typically end up practicing with the volume at about 9-10 o'clock and then have to use an OD pedal to get some breakup (unless the family's not home, then the volume is at high noon  ). Brakelite is maxed out. B |
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Post by 03bart on Mar 3, 2016 11:22:56 GMT -7
I decided that this cab was just too heavy to lug around to band practice and was louder than I needed for our practice space. This led me to buy the 1X12, which gets used about 90% of the time. I find the 1X12 easier to control for a sound tech and for myself. Perfect! This is about what I was looking for. When I play with a band at church, I bring my amp and they mic it into the board. B |
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Post by nmz on Mar 3, 2016 11:25:35 GMT -7
One thing about the Red Fang (I have the 10" version in my Ghia combo) is it's LOUD (103db rating). If you want to tame some of that volume, you could go with, for instance, a Celestion Gold (98db as I recall). Ok... so a speaker change would help with my volume issues? I figured it was not having a Master Volume or the fact that it's an 18W amp. I typically end up practicing with the volume at about 9-10 o'clock and then have to use an OD pedal to get some breakup (unless the family's not home, then the volume is at high noon ). Brakelite is maxed out. B Yup, speaker efficiency can help quite a bit. Once I learned about how much a spraker plays in the big picture I saved a lot of money. |
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Post by southmusic70 on Mar 3, 2016 11:38:15 GMT -7
Gents,
I list my cabs above, but the fact is that I grew up on a '67 BF Vibrolux Reverb 2x10 combo (that I still have). I think there's a lot to be said for a 2x10 configuration, either alone or with another cabinet. Years ago for my jobs it was the VR 2x10 combo with a 2x12 cab underneath it, and later on I used the VR with a 1x15 under it; both of these rigs had substantial authority on the bandstand.
I think a 2x10 cabinet might get you where you want to be combined with the 1x12 you have.
Just saying...
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Post by ss "Shane" on Mar 3, 2016 11:41:12 GMT -7
I've found that I can control one 98 decibel speaker fairly easily because it's not as strong, sensitive and powerful as the ones in my 2X12. Plus, when I mic a 2X12 only one speaker can really be mic'd (although others may have a different opinion) and the microphone will pick up bleed over from the other speaker without a mic. Notice I haven't suggested specific speaker? That's because I have no clue as to what pairs well with the Ghia, but on the other hand, for your uses I would go with the 1X12 Z convertible cab.
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Post by LT on Mar 3, 2016 14:36:04 GMT -7
One thing about the Red Fang (I have the 10" version in my Ghia combo) is it's LOUD (103db rating). If you want to tame some of that volume, you could go with, for instance, a Celestion Gold (98db as I recall). Ok... so a speaker change would help with my volume issues? I figured it was not having a Master Volume or the fact that it's an 18W amp. I typically end up practicing with the volume at about 9-10 o'clock and then have to use an OD pedal to get some breakup (unless the family's not home, then the volume is at high noon ). Brakelite is maxed out. B I tried a Gold in my Ghia and found I lost too much clean headroom for my needs (8pc horn band). I put the RF back in and the headroom returned. There's a lot of love for the Gold here on the forum though (which is what prompted me to try it). I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think the general rule of thumb is a 3db gain in efficiency is the equivalent of doubling the amp wattage (and the reverse is true as well). Someone please correct me if that's not accurate. |
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Post by limenine on Mar 5, 2016 10:48:13 GMT -7
Yup - a five watt amp with a 103db speaker, a ten watter with a 100, and a twenty watt amp with a 97 would all be comparable, volume-wise. Assuming, of course, that the speakers being used were rated with the same testing methods - which is not necessarily the case.
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Post by limenine on Mar 5, 2016 10:58:44 GMT -7
Oh - also, when you say "studio combo", do you mean you have a 10" combo? The Z studio combo (compact 12" combo) is only offered for the MAZ sized amps. The cool thing about the 10" combo cab, if that's what you have, is that it can easily be converted to a 10" speaker cab if you source a head cab for the ghia. Then you will be on your way to having a head / multiple cab setup  |
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Post by 03bart on Mar 5, 2016 11:26:17 GMT -7
Oh - also, when you say "studio combo", do you mean you have a 10" combo? Doh! Noob mistake. I have the 10" combo. |
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). Brakelite is maxed out.
