Carmen Ghia w/ Greenbacks???

I have not tried that combo, but I'm not sure I've ever heard a greenback that didn't sound good with a low powered amp. Maybe I'm just partial to them, but I'd try that in a new york minute.

Oh yeah, if you don't want to buy the new chinese celestions, Mojo is making a greenback copy that is incredible. American made, British coils. Look for the model that ends in 25M.

 

I tried that and didn't like it at all. I think it needs a more efficient speaker. The G'back seemed very dark and no chance of cleans at any volume at all.
gregc

 

i played my ghia through a 1x12 greenback cab and i thought it was outstanding. i loved that sound. i sold that set up like and idiot. been tossing at night and waking in cold sweats ever since. i may have some clips somewhere. i know i recorded a demo with it................

 

There are definitely no hard fast rules, and I think this is especially true with the Ghia as it sounds so great with so many different speakers. It all depends on the end result you are looking for. Speakers are cheap, so why not just try them out and see if you like them? They are the most impactful way to shape any amps tone, and with the Ghia being relatively simple on it's own, I find swapping speakers/cabs to be the best way to get different sounds and volume levels out of it for different contexts. Greenbacks are at about the lowest end of the efficiency scale (db rating), so they'd be the ticket for the lowest volume drive tones for sure. Wouldn't be a good choice if you're looking for cleans, so you might try an H30 for that application. A Vintage 30 is also a great speaker with the Ghia.

 

The Ghia and a GB is a great combo. Really gets teh raspy Marshally thing going. The Ghia is a cool amp.

 

My definition of cleans is different than yours. I like dark broken-up cleans.

 

I've been meaning to do clips of my Ghia for years now... I wish now that I'd chronicled all the different stuff I've tried with this amp, from cabs/speakers to pedals to pickups.

I can tell you the Ghia gets that type of tone in spades through G12H30's... I like that speaker as it's very versatile -- capable of a good amount of chime, but also good punchy broken cleans. If you don't mind sacrificing a little chime, and want a bit more mid hump and a pretty significant volume drop to get to the goods, the Greenbacks would be the ticket. All this without any pedals whatsoever of course, and the different tones are available all at your guitar controls.

For the broken cleans at moderate volumes that you're asking for, and for the moderate prices that used and even new Ghia's sell for, I could almost give you a blind recommendation that you'd love it. Of course there are a lot of amps that do those tones, but I have yet to find one that does it better for my tastes.

 

I have owned two Ghias thru the years and I
thought they were not represented well by GB's.
Seems to limit their performance to my ears.

I thought Ghia's acheived their zenith either in
1x12 format with a Blue or in 2x12 with a G12H-30
and a Blue (one of the greatest speaker mixes ever)

 

I have a Gia with a custom built TRUTONE 2x10 cab loaded with Celestion Vox Blue 10s. I like the brightness and 'live' feel. Plenty of bottom end for me. That said, I always thought for a 2x12 cab, a GB and a Vintage 30 would be simply awesome!

Edited to add: We really need to add which guitar(s) you're using to the equation.

 

I think the Carmen Ghia sounds great with greenbacks. It also sounds pretty amazing if four of them are in a Marshall cab.

It is surprising how tight the low end is on the Ghia and a shock at how loud the amp is with a Marshall 4x12 cab.

 

5 year bump

A little demo I made of my new favorite amp:

 

^ Some great tone there! I've always been intrigued by this amp. I've really migrated to simple vol/tone amps.

What speaker is in that cab?