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Post by dburns255 on Oct 17, 2016 19:23:59 GMT -7
New member here, just wanted to share the excitement of buying my first Dr.Z amp, a used Carmen Ghia. Still waiting for it to arrive cross country, but I'm feeling like the wait will be worth it.
Look forward to sharing pics and sound clips with the crew here.
FWIW, I play telecasters and will be running the head through a 1x12 cab with an Eminence Legend 1275.
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Post by bryan0418 on Oct 17, 2016 21:06:02 GMT -7
Congrats on the purchase. You will be happy with the tones you get and how easy it is to dial in.
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Post by zed on Oct 18, 2016 0:17:33 GMT -7
Congrats and welcome to the forum.
It's a great amp!
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Post by dburns255 on Oct 18, 2016 1:45:44 GMT -7
Thanks guys. I did my research and the CG seems like the one for me. Came across a real beauty on Reverb and couldn't pass it up.
I just have to find out how to post pics.
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Post by Maddog on Oct 18, 2016 4:01:38 GMT -7
Yer gonna love that one, brother!!!
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Post by detuned on Oct 18, 2016 5:11:13 GMT -7
I've had a Maz Jr, a Remedy, and an M12 (and I know other member's lists are much, much longer than mine), but never heard a Ghia in person. Always wanted to, though.
Enjoy your new (to you) amp, and welcome in, new Z brother!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2016 5:12:33 GMT -7
Congratulations and welcome to the forum.
The Ghia is a fine first Z amp...
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Post by doctorice on Oct 18, 2016 5:49:27 GMT -7
Welcome aboard. Two knobs and many great sounds in a Ghia.
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Post by lowbudget on Oct 18, 2016 6:07:22 GMT -7
Yeah, no way to go wrong here. You did good!
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Post by dburns255 on Oct 18, 2016 12:12:04 GMT -7
Appreciate the warm welcome from everyone.
Just got the shipping notice, I can't wait to get it and plug in.
Selling just about all my pedals except my Barber 1/2 Gainer and my Memory Lane Jr delay. The Barber just gives you more of your amp so I'm thinking it will be perfect with the Ghia. Also, the Ghia is an older pre-racing stripe model, with a really sharp maple front panel.
I've never used the term 'stoked' before, but gotta say I'm so stoked over this.
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Post by mrpendleton on Oct 18, 2016 13:20:07 GMT -7
I bought one earlier this year, and it's the best sounding amp I've ever had. You will be very happy!
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Post by eggman on Oct 18, 2016 17:37:54 GMT -7
Howdy,
Congrats. You are going to have a ball with your new Ghia!
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Post by deltone on Oct 19, 2016 20:18:30 GMT -7
Welcome, and congrats on the new to you Z amp. You picked a great one to start out with, and one you'll want to keep for the rest of your life. Enjoy it! Looking forward to your contributions here.
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Post by jhanks on Oct 20, 2016 6:55:07 GMT -7
Congrats! Great amp for a lifetime. Changed my approach to playing guitar, especially dynamics. ENJOY!!!
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Post by Joey Beverages on Oct 25, 2016 5:31:43 GMT -7
Congrats on the new Ghia.
Great amp indeed.
Volume and Tone - what else do you need?
cheers always,
Joel
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Post by dburns255 on Oct 27, 2016 19:20:01 GMT -7
Extremely annoyed right now. Amp was delivered but no one was home to sign for it.
The thing is, I just got put on night shift for two nights, 6pm start. At first I was glad, I knew the amp was scheduled for today (Thu.Oct 27) so I figured I'd be home alone when it came and be able to spend some time with it. Instead I waited all day until I had to leave for work around 5:40. My wife gets home right around that time but had to take our daughter to practice, which is only a 5 minute drive away, but the opposite direction I'm going. So sure enough, UPS came in that 10 minute window when no one was home.
Not sure when I'll have the amp now. I'm back on day shift tomorrow so I'm sure they'll come during the afternoon when no one's home.
Grand scheme of things it's not a big deal, but after a week of waiting I'm just jonesing to plug into this thing and rip...needed to vent.
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Post by John on Oct 28, 2016 2:25:06 GMT -7
Ouch...sorry to hear that. The amp will be worth the wait.
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Post by dburns255 on Oct 28, 2016 3:15:55 GMT -7
Update...spoke with customer sevice and they're going to keep it at the local sevice center. I'm picking it up today after work.
Works out good actually, even if I got it yesterday (5:49 pm was the delivery) I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it until tonight anyway. Should be a good weekend.
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Post by dburns255 on Oct 28, 2016 19:21:02 GMT -7
Well there's good news and bad news...
the good news is that the Ghia is as advertised, wow! When I first got it home I wasn't able to really play it. At around 8 or 9 on the volume it's a nice sounding amp, but nothing to really rave about. Fortunately I was able to take it down to my parents' house where I could quit pussyfootin' and really open it up. That's where the wow factor comes in. I'll spare the details since I'm sure you guys already know...but yea, it's the real deal.
The bad news...I don't think I'm a good enough player for this amp. Not that it will stop me from playing it...but seriously, I'm only half-kidding when I say that. It really accentuates everything in your playing, good and bad, but I guess that is a good thing since it will make me improve my touch/chops, which I thought were ok until tonight.
All in all, really happy with it. Love the amp.
Also, I posted pics over at TDPRI in a NAD thread in case anyone's interested. Like I said in a earlier post, it's a really nice looking amp. Almost looks as good as it sounds. I plan on eventually posting pics and video clips here too, just not really familiar with the forum yet.
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Post by doctorice on Oct 29, 2016 5:58:22 GMT -7
The bad news...I don't think I'm a good enough player for this amp. Not that it will stop me from playing it...but seriously, I'm only half-kidding when I say that. It really accentuates everything in your playing, good and bad, but I guess that is a good thing since it will make me improve my touch/chops, which I thought were ok until tonight. The Ghia will inspire you, and you'll likely find it to be a good "teacher" as well. |
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Oct 30, 2016 12:30:47 GMT -7
The bad news...I don't think I'm a good enough player for this amp. Not that it will stop me from playing it...but seriously, I'm only half-kidding when I say that. It really accentuates everything in your playing, good and bad, but I guess that is a good thing since it will make me improve my touch/chops, which I thought were ok until tonight. The Ghia will inspire you, and you'll likely find it to be a good "teacher" as well. THIS!!! I think you'll find that playing Doc's amps is not only challenging but immensely rewarding as well. It's true that there is nowhere to hide...but that can be a very good thing for a guitar player. Like Mike says, they're great "teachers". |
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Post by dburns255 on Nov 5, 2016 4:48:18 GMT -7
Yea you guys are right. I'm definitely inspired by this Ghia. It's like I don't even want to play the guitar unless I'm able to play it through this amp. When I'm out n about I just can't wait to get home and plug in. Had rehearsal with it last night and it was amazing. Best gear purchase I've ever made. Not having reverb isn't even an issue either, it takes my Memory Lane Jr like a champ. A subtle delay makes you forget all about that. Also just picked up the new Barber Direct Drive (BUSS) and that's killer too. That's where I'm getting my high gain tones. Couldn't be more happy. Thanks for the support and thanks to Dr Z. for making such a great product.
Now the only issue is that I eventually want another Z, possible a combo version of the Ghia, but we'll see. I don't want to make any rash decisions yet, but I do also have a Mesa Mark v25 head, which I really like, but not as much as the CG, so I gotta say that I would consider trading it for another Z. Not looking to do that now, but it's a possibility down the line if the right deal comes up. But in all honesty my thoughts right now are trending towards "how can I be expected to have only one of these" lol.
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Post by limenine on Nov 5, 2016 8:06:14 GMT -7
Congrats! May I humbly suggest that when you get the itch to add to the stable you might consider some of the other Z flavors available? So many choices...  Oh - and I feel your pain on the whole playing ability thing, believe me  |
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Post by doctorice on Nov 5, 2016 9:32:34 GMT -7
But in all honesty my thoughts right now are trending towards "how can I be expected to have only one of these" lol. This is how it goes.....  |
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Post by dburns255 on Nov 5, 2016 16:16:02 GMT -7
Right after my last post I checked Craigslist and there was a newly listed Maz 18 2x10 combo. Still not ready to go there yet, but it's funny how that happens.
But if it lingers on there awhile...who knows.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Nov 6, 2016 12:34:18 GMT -7
I bought my first Z amp just over 2 years ago...see my avatar picture for the current herd. They're positively addictive in a good way.
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Post by limenine on Nov 6, 2016 12:57:55 GMT -7
Now that's funny, Dave. I've seen your new avatar for a while now, but never really ~looked~ at it! It's like "Where's Waldo" Z-style!
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Nov 6, 2016 13:00:56 GMT -7
My wife got me to stack 'em all up and pose for it...playin' Peek-A-Z!!!
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Post by oloboy on Nov 7, 2016 16:27:36 GMT -7
I received my first Z, a 1x10 Ghia about 4 months ago. At first I was taken back by the immediateness of the amp. Now I'm addicted to it. Love the punch. A compressor, reverb (Flint) or OD as well as turning the tone clockwise can soften the Ghia a bit. That said, I prefer it straight/no chaser.
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Post by dburns255 on Nov 11, 2016 18:34:40 GMT -7
Had my first gig with the Ghia and it didn't disappoint.
I did have quite a scare tho. We were playing in an old Irish pub and during our quick little soundcheck a squealing, siren like noise started coming from my speaker. Totally freaked me out because first thing I'm thinking, something is wrong with my amp. Broke out my little backup Micro Terror and it was still happening. Long story short, after trouble shooting my rig it was my Volto power supply. Once I went straight into the amp everything was fine. I used a One Spot and my Direct Drive as my only pedal on the gig, had a great night from there. This was last weekend and I've been playing the amp at home all week with no issues.
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