Dr Z Carmen Ghia for rock??

[M@tt C]

I'm finding my Mesa F 50 is just not "it" anymore....I've moved from doing modern rock to more classic rock/ blues based stuff (ZZ Top, Bad Co, Free, UFO, etc.) with some church praise music in the mix. I've begun to look for a low/ medium watt amp in the $1000 or less category than can get me those tones with a Les Paul, and the Ghia seems to have a lot of fans. Plus, the good doctor is in the NE area- gotta support the local economy!

I checked out the new Marshall 2061x, and was blown away- by the sounds, AND the price tag. I'm looking for something along those lines, without breaking the bank.

My thought would be to run the Les Paul >OD pedal (for a lead boost)> Ghia> 2 x12 Avatar closed back cab with V30's.

Good plan, or not??

 

[bitsandvolts]

Nothing 'Good' about Dr Z

 

[Laroosco!]

Nothing bad about Dr Z.

The Ghia should do it for you but don't rule out the Z28 or Maz Jr. They all sound great.

The Z28 kills for the ZZ Top stuff.

Check out the forum
http://drzamplifiers.proboards41.com/index.cgi

 

[G'OlPeachPhan]

Originally posted by bitsandvolts
Nothing 'Good' about Dr Z

Then don't say nuthin' at all... didn't yo mamma ever teach you nuthin' boy?!! j/k!

I have only good things to say... The Ghia is a superb rock amp. Period.

 

[esoteric pete]

Originally posted by bitsandvolts
Nothing 'Good' about Dr Z

judging from that statement, id say that youve never played a Z, or your hands are broken.

 

[pepi]

Originally posted by esoteric pete
judging from that statement, id say that youve never played a Z, or your hands are broken.

He likes the amp ... He just doesn't like the Administrator Edit Doctor


****NOTE - No personal insults will be tolerated on this board. Please refrain from doing it again or you will be suspended from posting here. Thank you - Scott Peterson, Administrator.*****

 

[RGB]

The doc can be a little "terse" (but if you need help with a problem, he's right there 24/7), and his amps are killer tone machines. The Ghia is a bare bones version of the Maz Jr, (kinda, no MV) and does classic crunch wonderfully....as does the Maz Jr (a little more versatile) for a few bucks more.

I love my Maz Jr!

 

[Maction]

I've had nothing but positive experiences with Dr. Z's customer service and amplifiers :AOK

I think a used Carmen Ghia and an Avatar 2x12" cab would have to be one of the best bang-for-the-buck blues/rock rig out there.

I don't own a 2061x or a Ghia, but having played both, I'd say the main difference in tone would be that the Marshall has more midrange girth, while the Z has more treble sparkle. I hope that helps your decision process.

 

[kselbee]

Never played a Z but on my list of stuff to try.

 

[jzguitar]

Originally posted by esoteric pete
judging from that statement, id say that youve never played a Z, or your hands are broken.

I'd say his ears are broken!

 

[Laroosco!]

Originally posted by pepi
He likes the amp ... He just doesn't like the prick Doctor

What makes the Dr a prick? Still pissed about that Wichita comment

 

[jpage]

I realize I'll get hung for saying this but I think the Dr. Z stuff are some of the most overrated amps out there. No brilliance or complexity on tap, and I've tried quite a few. They all seem to have one tone on tap, and it's never a very inspiring one.

Wildwood was a dealer a while back and every time I plugged in with a group we all wondered what the fuss was about. Flat and muffled.

I've heard players make the Zs sound great but that's a testament to their playing and not the amps. You shouldn't have to look far to find a better rock tone--a Fender Hot Rod series would do you better for about 1/2 the price. The clean tone alone would be worth the savings.

And I've owned at least 30 amps in my day and yes I can play--definitely well enough to tell whether an amp has the goods or not anyway. But I'm sure everyone will pile on and tell me how stupid and how much of an amateur I am...

 

[poipounder57]

I had a Ghia...Great amp for rock!!! I plugged her into a 2X12 open back cab loaded with a couple of Red Fangs. My fav Strat>Tim>Ghia tones to die for!!! It's a pretty loud 18 watter...wish I still had it.
My 18 watt GDS is keeping me a happy puppy for now

 

[Laroosco!]

Originally posted by jpage
I realize I'll get hung for saying this but I think the Dr. Z stuff are some of the most overrated amps out there. No brilliance or complexity on tap, and I've tried quite a few. They all seem to have one tone on tap, and it's never a very inspiring one.

Wildwood was a dealer a while back and every time I plugged in with a group we all wondered what the fuss was about. Flat and muffled.

I've heard players make the Zs sound great but that's a testament to their playing and not the amps. You shouldn't have to look far to find a better rock tone--a Fender Hot Rod series would do you better for about 1/2 the price. The clean tone alone would be worth the savings.

And I've owned at least 30 amps in my day and yes I can play--definitely well enough to tell whether an amp has the goods or not anyway. But I'm sure everyone will pile on and tell me how stupid and how much of an amateur I am...

I don't care for some amps that others here go nuts over. That doesn't mean I think they are crap. I haven't played a Bad Cat yet that sounded good to me. Does that mean they are bad? Not at all.

I don't think that everyone is going to.

If you think that all Z's only have one tone on tap then you either have no idea what you're talking about and haven't spent enough time with any of them to make a valid judgement.

jmo

 

[jpage]

If you think that all Z's only have one tone on tap then you either have no idea what you're talking about and haven't spent enough time with any of them to make a valid judgement.

I do have a great amount of experience upon which I base my findings--I do indeed have a very good idea as to what I am talking about.

That being said, my experiences with these amps is somewhat limited--I have played three models and each time it was in a store. Now maybe I couldn't find the "sweet spots" of any of these amps, or maybe I wasn't patient enough.

But how long should it take to dial in an amp with two knobs???

 

[jpage]

And BTW, I've never liked the Bad Cat stuff, either. Single note stuff sounds nice and fat, but note articulation when chording (esp jazzy stuff) is nonexistant.

Maybe if you were in a Santana cover band...

 

[Laroosco!]

Originally posted by jpage


But how long should it take to dial in an amp with two knobs???

LMAO!!!! Good point.

I personally love the Ghia aand the Mazerati but I can see how not everyone would like them

 

[Bx3]

Originally posted by jpage
...I think the Dr. Z stuff are some of the most overrated amps out there... No brilliance or complexity on tap, and I've tried quite a few... and it's never a very inspiring one. .. Flat and muffled.
... that's a testament to their playing and not the amps...You shouldn't have to look far to find a better rock tone--a Fender Hot Rod series would do you better ...

I know this has been written ad nauseum, but I respect anyones opinion on tone simply because it is such a *broad and subjective area*. But I gotta say pagey, your description above describes an amp line that would instantly be shunned and considered a failure in the music world if true. Fortunately, that is not the case.

Hey, if that's what your ears (and your friends in the music store) are hearing, then by all means save yourself a few bills and get a HRD. We're all just trying to have some fun and make a little noise, right?

 

[DrJamie]

I like my Pro Jr. way more than the Dr Z Ghia.

 

[SteveS]

My exp. with the z amps at the store were like yours.. I thought what`s all the fuss about these amps, I played a gia and a z28 and it didn`t inpress me at all at the store and I thought for that kind of money these babies should rock....I drove a 100 miles just to check these out by the way... so left dissipointed and keep reading how good these amps sounded so I broke down and picked up a Z28 off of a forum seller to give it a shot... when I got it plugged it in and it was er.. ok but not all that.... second day I got a better sound , .... that third day I got hooked... that friggin Z 28 gets it on , you just got to get it dialed in to your ear... I was jammin with some friends last nite with my Z and a 79 LP custom with a mosferatu od pedal.... you want old ZZtop tone, it nails it and a strat thru it sounds fantastic but you got to learn the amp !

those 3 knobs do a lot of different stuff !!