Ghia clean tones reference

[swl75]

First post here . . .

From listening to clips of the Ghia online the clean tones seem to be a mix of thick/round "tweedish" tones but with some chime that I would associate with a "Vox" type amp.  Would this be a correct description, or is something else more appropriate?

I'm ideally looking for an 2-EL84 amp with great cleans that are chimey but thick and round - kind of a mix of tweed and Vox - and that can bloom into a relatively smooth overdrive. Would the Ghia fit this bill, or would another Z be more appropriate?  I find the simple control layout of the Ghia very appealing - set it for the guitar and play.  I'm not big on having to do a lot of knob twisting to find a good tone.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

[meanslide]

Welcome to ZTalk swl75 - The Ghia can be a great 'cleanish' amp. It's got alot of balls too. A big factor is what kind of speaker(s) you use. Then, what the tube layout is. The CG is awesome in that you can swap out tubes without having to bias the amp. There are some threads around here in the Ghia section that talk about the different tube configs and what changes can be made to either clean it up or make it more gritty.

Of course, what kind of pickups you use will also come into play. Humbuckers will drive it more (less clean headroom) and single coils will give you more room before the grind starts.

P-90's rock with a Ghia.

Read through the Ghia threads, there is alot of good knowledge in there.

[John]

May 24, 2017 13:15:29 GMT -7 swl75 said:

 a mix of thick/round "tweedish" tones but with some chime that I would associate with a "Vox" type amp.

I'm ideally looking for an 2-EL84 amp with great cleans that are chimey but thick and round - kind of a mix of tweed and Vox - and that can bloom into a relatively smooth overdrive.

Welcome to the forum!

In your post above, you have described the Ghia. 

I've said for years: The Ghia is 2 parts old Marshall.....1 part Vox. 

It's closer overall to an old Marshall, but the 2 x el84 give it some chime when needed.  Not as much as other 2 x el84, but it's there.  And it does the 'bloom' pretty well. 

I gigged a Ghia for years....a 1x10 with a gold speaker.  To me, it was the best club 'grab and go' amp I ever had.  (I don't gig anymore)  Great cleans, great overdrive..and just as important: great 'in betweens'.   (but I come from a Marshall background, so the amp may have appealed to me a bit more)  Depending on what tone you like, you may have to tame any brittle high end with the guitar's tone knob.  The tone knob on the amp is more in the 'mid sweep' category than a tone knob of a music playing device.....which is more of a bass/treble boost.

Just set the amp's tone knob between 10 & 2....turn up the volume and play.  That's all you need.  Let your fingers do the talkin'.

[TelePrankster]

May 25, 2017 3:36:24 GMT -7 John said:

May 24, 2017 13:15:29 GMT -7 swl75 said:

 a mix of thick/round "tweedish" tones but with some chime that I would associate with a "Vox" type amp.

I'm ideally looking for an 2-EL84 amp with great cleans that are chimey but thick and round - kind of a mix of tweed and Vox - and that can bloom into a relatively smooth overdrive.

Welcome to the forum!

In you post above, you have described the Ghia. 

I've said for years: The Ghia is 2 parts old Marshall.....1 part Vox. 

It's closer overall to an old Marshall, but the 2 x el84 give it some chime when needed.  Not as much as other 2 x el84, but it's there.  And it does the 'bloom' pretty well. 

I gigged a Ghia for years....a 1x10 with a gold speaker.  To me, it was the best club 'grab and go' amp I ever had.  (I don't gig anymore)  Great cleans, great overdrive..and just as important: great 'in betweens'.   (but I come from a Marshall background, so the amp may have appealed to me a bit more)  Depending on what tone you like, you may have to tame any brittle high end with the guitar's tone knob.  The tone knob on the amp is more in the 'mid sweep' category than a tone knob of a music playing device.....which is more of a bass/treble boost.

Just set the amp's tone knob between 10 & 2....turn up the volume and play.  That's all you need.  Let your fingers do the talkin'.

Thanks man, your posts are always inspiring for me.
I come from a strictly blackface Fenders background and I played completely clean for years with just amp's trem and verb. Despite that, I'm using my Carmen Ghia for everything these days, even pristine cleans. A swap of tubes abd/or a bigger speaker can  make a big difference, like you said.

[swl75]

Thanks for the information so far. So if I wanted a Z that was similar but leaned a little more towards the sweeter, smoother Vox side of things vs. more Marshall, what would it be? Or is there something like that?

Thanks again!

[John]

May 25, 2017 14:49:20 GMT -7 swl75 said:

Thanks for the information so far. So if I wanted a Z that was similar but leaned a little more towards the sweeter, smoother Vox side of things vs. more Marshall, what would it be? Or is there something like that?

Thanks again!

That's easy...Maz jr. 

Both the Maz Jr and the Ghia are incredible amps.

[swl75]

Thanks John - I kind of figured that would be the answer. I wish these was something on the "sweeter" side that had less tone controls and no master. I just like the idea of the simpler circuit and Z seems to be great at that sort of thing.

[detuned]

Just to muddy the waters further: M12?

ef86 front in, 2Xel84 back end - super chimey clean...

[swl75]

I have done some reading on the M12. I love the specs, but I'd like something that will get some tube overdrive, and most of what I've read about it leads me to think that's not what it's designed for. Also, as all the marketing seems to year it towards people who use pedals, I worry the clean tones may be a bit sterile. The few clips I've heard have kind of made me wonder that too.

[j4gitr (John)]

I think you have described what you like in the Ghia and what you want in amp synonymously. I suggest you scratch that itch, I doubt you will be disappointed. Playing mine last night I was remarking to myself how much chime I got from my ASAT. I was playing into Z 2x10 convertible. Into a 1x12 WGS Blackhawk or Creamback yields a slightly different flavor. Very chameleon like amp via tube, speaker or guitar swaps, but still totally Z. I think you've already decided in your heart, and I also think you'll be pleased with your decision.

[eggman]

Howdy,

 From "clean" to "mean", the Ghia's got it. I like to think of the Carmen Ghia as being like a big silver face Champ: Simple and good.

[TelePrankster]

I don't have any experience with other Z models but I'd keep my Ghia for cleans.

[swl75]

One more question - is there a clip or video on the web (besides what's on the Z site) that you think are a really good representation of the clean to semi-clean tones of the Ghia? I'm sure all of them are in one way or another, but I also know a lot of videos out there get distortion from the phone it's recorded on, etc.

Thanks again!

[Jaguarguy (Mike)]

Clearly the best way to proceed is to do it live.  Where are you located?  Maybe there is a Z-bro nearby that you can try some out.  If you are near S.E. Mich I have a few you could try out.

[meanslide]

May 29, 2017 10:24:46 GMT -7 swl75 said:

One more question - is there a clip or video on the web (besides what's on the Z site) that you think are a really good representation of the clean to semi-clean tones of the Ghia? I'm sure all of them are in one way or another, but I also know a lot of videos out there get distortion from the phone it's recorded on, etc.

Thanks again!

[2Cents]

Are not the JTM 45 (early Marshall)/Fender Bassman (5F6-A Tweed) close Cousins, and is not the EL84 the staple of the Vox family?

Dr. Z, Fender, Marshall, and Vox, all in one easy to dial-in amp: Maz 18 JR NR will be the first choice of many, but the Ghia weighs less, costs less, has one less tube to replace, and only 2-knobs.

For me, horseshoes, hand grenades, and simple trumps complex, all day long, every day!