Dr. Z amps - Page 2

nick_g · February 10th, 2006, 09:28 PM

Well, i got it last saturday and decided to keep quiet about it until i had some pictures to show you. It's a 2005 Carmen Ghia 2x10 combo in blonde with green jewel. I played all the zs in the store and after 3 hours extensive testing decided to go for the ghia. Believe it or not, i felt it was the best sounding out of them all, as well as it being the cheapest, lightest, most portable option.

Now i've had it a while and can give a full review. I love this amp! I have never got a better sound than guitar-cable-ghia. You probably all know this, i just felt it needed repeating. I could go on for hours about every little detail but i won't.

Here's links to a few pictures:

ghia
ghia panel
me playing through ghia

Beautiful.

I did some makeshirt messy recording through a crappy mic and a minidisc player made 10 years ago or something and the sound turned out pretty good actually, though absolutely nothing compared to hearing it in reality.

tele neck pickup through boss dm-3 through ghia
tele bridge pickup through boss dm-3 through ghia
same as above
tele into ghia, no effects
strat through dm-3 through ghia
same as above.

Enjoy! hope this gives you an idea of what it sounds like. Don't judge the amp on these though.

Crazyquilt · February 10th, 2006, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick_g

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dana

I think many people relate the Ghia to Vox as they are both considered to be class A amps. I know nothing about Vox amps so I couldn't say. But when I owned a Ghia people always said, "Oh, it's a Class A amp like a Vox."

Apparantly, neither a vox ac-30 nor a ghia is technically class A.

Yep. Generally speaking, if an amp has more than 1 power tube, it's running push-pull -- which is AB, not A.

(Now someone who actually knows what they're talking about can come in & correct me. :) )

sidneystreet · February 11th, 2006, 01:05 AM

I am very annoyed with you nick_g, just kidding of course. You have impressive chops, and an amp I would like to own. Congrats!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazyquilt

Yep. Generally speaking, if an amp has more than 1 power tube, it's running push-pull -- which is AB, not A.

You are right, in general. All the single-ended Class-A amps I see are just one power tube. Many cathode-biased AC-30 type amps are also referred to as Class A, though I think this is misleading. They may be sort of Class-A up to a point, but then switch to A/B when the power demands are exceeded.

BrianF · February 11th, 2006, 01:10 AM

Multiple power tube amps can still be operated Class A. Class A just means that all the power tubes are biased about about 50% and are conducting heavily all the time even in the absence of any signal. Class A is the most power in-efficient since it burns power regardless of any signal being delivered to the load (speakers). However from a fidelity standpoint...Class A is the lowest possible distortion (most pure).

Class B is sort of a technical condition only and is rarely used. It means that all the power tubes are biased OFF unless a signal turns them on. Techincally this achieves fabulous power efficiency but extremley poor cross-over distortion (when one tube turns off while another turns on)

Class AB is a practical compromise. All power tubes are biased on very conservatively....as a compromise of saving wasted power while minimizing cross-over distortion.

David Barnett · February 11th, 2006, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianF

Multiple power tube amps can still be operated Class A. Class A just means that all the power tubes are biased about about 50% and are conducting heavily all the time even in the absence of any signal. Class A is the most power in-efficient since it burns power regardless of any signal being delivered to the load (speakers). However from a fidelity standpoint...Class A is the lowest possible distortion (most pure).

CAN be, but all manufacturers of supposedly Class-A push-pull guitar amps are exaggerating if not out-and-out lying about it.

Spidercaster · February 11th, 2006, 08:19 AM

My Mazerati will be delivered today, and as I've yet to sell either of my other amps (an MMB and Reverberocket II), I'm looking forward to spending the afternoon comparing them.

Nick, once again, great playing! Thanks for sharing those clips.

zoppotrump · February 12th, 2006, 06:52 PM

hi,
i play a maz jr. with 2 x 12" weber blue alnicos loaded.
i never played a venue too big for this amp, for i mic it 80% of our gigs.
i love it most for that "almost clean" sound when i put my voodoolab sparkledrive in front of it.
way louder than my 50watt all tube backup amp, though it is only rated with only 18 (hahaha ) watts !
i play country from all time classics to chart tops and it fits like aglove for that style.
once i borrowed it to a friend, who is deeply into jazz and he was flatted when he strung his es335 into the maz.
best amp for me, i have played so far...
take care everybody

zoppotrump
:O)

Dana · February 12th, 2006, 08:49 PM

Just bought the red Z28 from the Gear Page.

Ahhh, it's great to be a Z owner again! :D

gls500 · February 13th, 2006, 10:48 AM

nick_g :

Tasty playing. Wish I could play like that when I was your age. Heck, I wish I could play like that now :D .

The Ghia is my favorite recording amp. I've been using it with my Z 4x10 for the album we're recording now, and it has ended up using it on nearly every song. It can do clean and punchy, fat & gritty Paisley type tone, and dark and crunchy. I love it.

Andre' · February 16th, 2006, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomK

I had a Maz-18 1x12 and was woefully let down.

But to be fair, I had the older, smaller cab version. The amp sounded very constricted, the reverb didn't work (even after being sent back for a paid repair and after I replaced the tank), power tubes blew, and boo-teek harward included DRYWALL screws to attach the rear panels.

Z and others on the net suggested I try a Celestion G12H to open up the sound . . . Excuse me? I just dropped how much $$$ on this thing? If that's a better speaker for the amp, why isn't it in the amp already?

I sold it at a loss.

Oh well. That's just my experience---which based on everything I've ever heard/read about Z's is probably unique. I still would consider trying a Maz Jr. 2x10 if I had the money.

nah your not alone....I had a maz18jr and I hated it, I took a loss on mine becasue that guy stu didn't want to return it. (because he knew it sucked!)

David Barnett · February 16th, 2006, 09:03 PM

I hear that Music Man is forcing him to change the name of his Stingray amp, since they're already using that name on a bass.

nick_g · February 17th, 2006, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Barnett

I hear that Music Man is forcing him to change the name of his Stingray amp, since they're already using that name on a bass.

Yeah, we're suggesting new names on the z forum. Most popular so far has been the "AZ-30" since the stingray is similar to a certain vox amp.

Shnook · February 17th, 2006, 07:12 AM

In this world of trademarks and such, why did Dr. Z overlook the fact that the name Stingray has been used for Musicman basses for years? I get the amp/car name relationship with their other amps, but from the get go I thought Stingray was a bad choice in names due to the fact that Musicman already uses it.

ruger9 · February 17th, 2006, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shnook

In this world of trademarks and such, why did Dr. Z overlook the fact that the name Stingray has been used for Musicman basses for years? I get the amp/car name relationship with their other amps, but from the get go I thought Stingray was a bad choice in names due to the fact that Musicman already uses it.

I think Brad sort of named that one- his favorite car is his Stingray. The amp was designed using one of Brad's old AC-30's, so it was pretty much designed for him.

Shnook · February 17th, 2006, 03:50 PM

Yeah, I can see how the name came about. Amp designed for Brad, named for his favorite car, but it just seems to me that from a business standpoint they should have looked into it more before advertising it. I'm assuming that Dr.Z is gonna have to redo the name and faceplates for these amps, which will probably cause a delay in the product reaching the market to the eager folks who want one.

detuned · February 17th, 2006, 04:21 PM

I can kind of see where EB/Music Man is coming from , but... well, not really.

It's not like Stingray was a name they made up from scratch, & it's not like anyone could confuse a bass for an amp.

Perhaps if they were trying to argue that folks would think they came from the same company...

What do I know? If I had my way, we'd still be playing "Broadcasters".

:-)

gls500 · February 17th, 2006, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by detuned

It's not like Stingray was a name they made up from scratch

I'm think there's a lawyer out there acting on the interest of a certain group of marine animals drafting a letter to EB right now :D

Daddy Elmis · February 17th, 2006, 05:22 PM

If I had a nickel for every time a client called to check on availability of a trademark AFTER they had already decided on the name and launched the marketing campaign . . .

ruger9 · February 17th, 2006, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shnook

I'm assuming that Dr.Z is gonna have to redo the name and faceplates for these amps, which will probably cause a delay in the product reaching the market to the eager folks who want one.

Actually, several Stingrays already shipped... they'll probably end up collector's items.

David Barnett · February 17th, 2006, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruger9

Actually, several Stingrays already shipped... they'll probably end up collector's items.

That would make a nice rig to go with a PRS single-cut...

ruger9 · February 17th, 2006, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Barnett

That would make a nice rig to go with a PRS single-cut...

Actually, PRS won that one. They can make single cuts all they want (unless Gibson decides to take it to the Supreme Court, which is the only option they have left.)

David Barnett · February 18th, 2006, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruger9

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Barnett

That would make a nice rig to go with a PRS single-cut...

Actually, PRS won that one. They can make single cuts all they want (unless Gibson decides to take it to the Supreme Court, which is the only option they have left.)

Yeah, I know, but for a while the single-cuts were collectibles.

February 10th, 2006, 09:28 PM	#41 (permalink)
nick_g Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oxfordshire, England Posts: 259	New 2005 Carmen Ghia 2x10 Combo Well, i got it last saturday and decided to keep quiet about it until i had some pictures to show you. It's a 2005 Carmen Ghia 2x10 combo in blonde with green jewel. I played all the zs in the store and after 3 hours extensive testing decided to go for the ghia. Believe it or not, i felt it was the best sounding out of them all, as well as it being the cheapest, lightest, most portable option. Now i've had it a while and can give a full review. I love this amp! I have never got a better sound than guitar-cable-ghia. You probably all know this, i just felt it needed repeating. I could go on for hours about every little detail but i won't. Here's links to a few pictures: ghia ghia panel me playing through ghia Beautiful. I did some makeshirt messy recording through a crappy mic and a minidisc player made 10 years ago or something and the sound turned out pretty good actually, though absolutely nothing compared to hearing it in reality. tele neck pickup through boss dm-3 through ghia tele bridge pickup through boss dm-3 through ghia same as above tele into ghia, no effects strat through dm-3 through ghia same as above. Enjoy! hope this gives you an idea of what it sounds like. Don't judge the amp on these though.

February 11th, 2006, 08:19 AM	#46 (permalink)
Spidercaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2005 Location: New York Posts: 1,091 5 Photos	on the FedEx truck for delivery My Mazerati will be delivered today, and as I've yet to sell either of my other amps (an MMB and Reverberocket II), I'm looking forward to spending the afternoon comparing them. Nick, once again, great playing! Thanks for sharing those clips. __________________ "Just keep one thing in mind............I may remember it all differently tomorrow." - Neil Young http://www.youtube.com/user/Richeray

February 12th, 2006, 06:52 PM	#47 (permalink)
zoppotrump Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: nuernberg, germany Posts: 431 13 Photos	vote for maz jr. hi, i play a maz jr. with 2 x 12" weber blue alnicos loaded. i never played a venue too big for this amp, for i mic it 80% of our gigs. i love it most for that "almost clean" sound when i put my voodoolab sparkledrive in front of it. way louder than my 50watt all tube backup amp, though it is only rated with only 18 (hahaha ) watts ! i play country from all time classics to chart tops and it fits like aglove for that style. once i borrowed it to a friend, who is deeply into jazz and he was flatted when he strung his es335 into the maz. best amp for me, i have played so far... take care everybody zoppotrump :O) __________________ may the twang be with you !

February 12th, 2006, 08:49 PM	#48 (permalink)
Dana Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ashland, Ma Posts: 1,696 8 Photos	Just bought the red Z28 from the Gear Page. Ahhh, it's great to be a Z owner again! :D __________________ www.good-ear.com www.miles.be Study music and not the musicians who play it. - Lincoln Goines

February 17th, 2006, 04:21 PM	#56 (permalink)
detuned Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Halloweentown, MA Posts: 444	I dunno... I can kind of see where EB/Music Man is coming from , but... well, not really. It's not like Stingray was a name they made up from scratch, & it's not like anyone could confuse a bass for an amp. Perhaps if they were trying to argue that folks would think they came from the same company... What do I know? If I had my way, we'd still be playing "Broadcasters". :-) __________________ Master of Disaster on the Stratocaster

February 11th, 2006, 01:10 AM	#44 (permalink)
BrianF Friend of Leo's Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Carlsbad, Ca Posts: 2,179 7 Photos	Multiple power tube amps can still be operated Class A. Class A just means that all the power tubes are biased about about 50% and are conducting heavily all the time even in the absence of any signal. Class A is the most power in-efficient since it burns power regardless of any signal being delivered to the load (speakers). However from a fidelity standpoint...Class A is the lowest possible distortion (most pure). Class B is sort of a technical condition only and is rarely used. It means that all the power tubes are biased OFF unless a signal turns them on. Techincally this achieves fabulous power efficiency but extremley poor cross-over distortion (when one tube turns off while another turns on) Class AB is a practical compromise. All power tubes are biased on very conservatively....as a compromise of saving wasted power while minimizing cross-over distortion.

February 13th, 2006, 10:48 AM	#49 (permalink)
gls500 Tele-Holic Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 894	nick_g : Tasty playing. Wish I could play like that when I was your age. Heck, I wish I could play like that now :D . The Ghia is my favorite recording amp. I've been using it with my Z 4x10 for the album we're recording now, and it has ended up using it on nearly every song. It can do clean and punchy, fat & gritty Paisley type tone, and dark and crunchy. I love it.

February 16th, 2006, 09:03 PM	#51 (permalink)
David Barnett Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: LIttle Rock, AR Age: 52 Posts: 5,491	I hear that Music Man is forcing him to change the name of his Stingray amp, since they're already using that name on a bass.

February 17th, 2006, 07:12 AM	#53 (permalink)
Shnook Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Roanoke, VA Posts: 402	In this world of trademarks and such, why did Dr. Z overlook the fact that the name Stingray has been used for Musicman basses for years? I get the amp/car name relationship with their other amps, but from the get go I thought Stingray was a bad choice in names due to the fact that Musicman already uses it.

February 17th, 2006, 03:50 PM	#55 (permalink)
Shnook Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Roanoke, VA Posts: 402	Yeah, I can see how the name came about. Amp designed for Brad, named for his favorite car, but it just seems to me that from a business standpoint they should have looked into it more before advertising it. I'm assuming that Dr.Z is gonna have to redo the name and faceplates for these amps, which will probably cause a delay in the product reaching the market to the eager folks who want one.

February 17th, 2006, 05:22 PM	#58 (permalink)
Daddy Elmis Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: USA Posts: 961	If I had a nickel for every time a client called to check on availability of a trademark AFTER they had already decided on the name and launched the marketing campaign . . . __________________ Elwood: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we're sure glad to be here in Cocomo tonight. We're the Good Ole' Blues Brothers Boys Band from Chicago. I sure hope you like our show. I'm Elwood, this here's my brother Jake.