|
Post by scottyc13 on May 10, 2023 13:40:37 GMT -7
I’ve been eyeing the Carmen Ghia for at least 20 years. I’m north of Boston and never seemed to be able to find one to play without an hour’s drive. Its simplicity fascinated me.
I kind of had a rule that I would have to hear one before buying. A head came up on eBay in Connecticut that I just couldn’t pass up, a 2012. I got it last week and plugged it in and gave it a whirl. It was a bit harsh, which surprised me. I tried several speakers but still it was bright and tough to tame. I suspected the tubes. The EL84s were Russian Golden Lions. I ordered a set of 6n14n from PerryR on Reverb. I installed them yesterday. Wow what a difference! The amp sounds glorious now. Warm and smooth but with a nice bite to it. The noise level dropped way down too.
I’m running it with a Weber 50W AlNiCo Blue Dog at the moment in a Rocket Memphis 1x12 cab. I play a wet dry set up with another amp I built that is basically a Tweed Bassman with a 6V6 power section. They sound awesome together. I have them both attenuated but will probably send the Ghia in for the master volume mod.
I’ve built several amps so I can appreciate what expert designers can do. We can build DYI amps with off the shelf components, but real builders have a mojo and ear that most amateurs don’t, especially with respect to transformers.
Kudos to Dr Z.
|
|
|
Post by LT on May 10, 2023 14:39:59 GMT -7
The Ghia is such a great amp. Wish I'd never sold mine (1-10 combo w Red Fang). Congrats on the find!
|
|
Zed
Full Member
Posts: 183
|
Post by Zed on May 10, 2023 19:31:13 GMT -7
I love my ghia! I’ll be sending mine in for master volume mod too. This amp is so fun. Congrats and cheers!
Zach
|
|
|
Post by GuitarZ on May 11, 2023 9:01:14 GMT -7
Congrats! Very Cool Amp!
|
|