Dr. Z Carmen Ghia
Giri Iyengar
Well, it arrived a couple of days ago. Didn't take too long to form
an impression, so here it is.
*Disclaimer: This is a one-part review that simply can *not* compare
to sefstrat's multi-part, high quality reviews with tricky urls.*
(Seriously, I don't have the experience to write a review of the depth
one often sees here.)
I picked up the box from UPS and couldn't believe there was an amp in
there. Yes, very small. The first thing that struck me when I took it
out was the bright orange-red 'elephant' tolex, marshall-style. Along
with black hardware, panels and corners. And then there's the size.
14"Lx7"Dx8"H. Small! Looks like a cute little Tonka truck or something.
Very cool. This is the first amp that made my wife say "Looks cool."
Front panel: Input jack, volume, tone, indicator light, power switch.
Red engraving on black.
Rear panel: Output jack, power cord sticking out (not detachable).
Could it possibly be simpler? Well, I like simple amps, so I was beginning
to feel quite positive at this point.
Pick it up and the first thing you notice is that it lists. Why? Because
of the humongous power tranny in there. Pretty decent sized output tranny
as well. A shielded 12AX7 preamp tube. a 12AU7 phase splitter, 2 NOS Mullard
EL84s and a 5Y3 rectifier bottle. All protected by a mesh that runs across
the back. You'd need to take 2 screws off to change tubes. I believe Dr.Z
makes this amp on an old Hammond reverb chassis. I also believe he has
transformers and capacitors made especially for him, to his specs. Anyway,
the proof of the pudding and all that sort of rot...
Plugged it into one 12" Vox Bulldog in my stereo 2x12 semi-open back. Used
my Parker Fly. Set everything (well, all of the 2 knobs) to 12 o'clock.
Loved it right away. Tons of bottom end, aggressive mids and highs, and
extremely responsive to picking technique and guitar volume. Lots of
harmonic richness. Real easy to get feedback and pinch harmonics. Cleans
up easily when you back off. With normal humbuckers, it starts getting
dirty pretty early on. Not a clean headroom kind of amp, but we knew that,
right? It's extremely loud (nominally 18W), but still bearable when
cranked all the way up. Chords (especially with single coils) sound very
clear and stringy, even with plenty of distortion. A *definite* feel of
power tube distortion. I'd recommend trying this amp to anyone who asks
"What's power-tube distortion like?" I've never felt it so clearly. This
amp is definitely in the vintage-distortion zone, not modern high-gain.
It reminded me of Marshalls and brown Deluxes, strangely enough. Kind of
a cross between Fender and Marshall, but with a very distinct sound of
its own. Very clear and strong sound, doesn't get mushy at all. I could
get clean neck-humbucker-jazz tones at low volumes, but that almost seems
irrelevant. It just made me want to crank it up.
If you've ever played a Budda Twinmaster, this amp is similar to the
high-gain channel, but with less gain and more definition. The lead
channel on the Budda relies a fair bit on preamp distortion. Not so
here. But I think it has more gain than the Budda's "rhythm" channel.
Don't hold me to this, it's been a while.
The tone knob is a bit wacko. He's tuned it to sound like a wah-wah pedal.
If you turn it rapidly as someone plays, it does sound like one. I wasn't
too fond of the extreme positions of the knob. From about 9 o'clock to
3 o'clock, the difference is subtle but audible and usable. Most of my
use would probably be in the 10 - 2 o'clock range, depending on the guitar.
But it's nice to have something different from the usual treble cut knob.
Then I took it down to a friend's basement and we A/Bed with a Matchless
Hurricane head, through a closed back 1x12 with a Matchless/Celestion V30.
We used a Danny Gatton tele with Joe Bardens and a '53 Tele with original
pickups. The Ghia seemed to have more available colors with the tele than
with my Parker. Some knob twiddling with the amp and guitar(s) revealed
some extremely satisfying sounds. Bright and snappy to warm and thick. I
just need to do some more knob-twiddling with the Parker/Ghia to reveal
more of its abilities. But I'm *very* happy with it right now.
The Hurricane has a more delicate tone, with more upper-mid content and
smoother distortion. (This is my favorite Matchless, btw.) The Ghia had
more bottom (more than any small amp I've ever tried), more bark and
a more aggressive, stringy sound. Different worlds, really, but in the
same solar system, as it were. I would *love* to have one of each. I
just might end up with that set-up. I honestly couldn't ask for any
tweaking in the sound and feel of this amp. That would be like asking
for a different sound from a '59 Bassman or something. You want something
different, go somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, I still love the 15W
Matchless amps and the Budda and brown Deluxes, etc. etc. I'm just
saying that I think the Carmen Ghia really is up there with the best
of them all.
This amp is one of the few that gives you that elusive "finger-to-sound"
direct connection. I really, really like it and won't be needing the
10-day trial period. In spite of this review, forget the comparisons.
Small, simple and great. Handwired by a guy who really knows what he's
doing. I think this is on par with the Prescription head. And it most
definitely rates a 10 for coolness quotient.
Gripes? I'd probably like a slightly different tone stack, but it doesn't
particularly bother me. I'd also like a detachable power cord, but Dr.Z
told me he simply didn't have the room inside. I can believe that. I'm
trying, but I can't find anything to bitch and moan about.
There are scores of 2xEL84 amps out there today. Some boutique, some not-
so-boutique and some mass-produced ones. The most amazing thing about
this amp is that it's on par (or better) than any boutique amp out there
(Well, I've tried all the Matchless 15W ones and the Budda Twinmaster and
I think it's fair to say that those two are(were) at the top of the chain) at
about a third to half of the price. $425 is simply incredible, in my opinion.
The Matchless 2xEL84 heads now list at $1499 and sell for about $1175 or
so (best price I found). I *think* the Budda Twinmaster (2xEL84) head
now lists (*and* sells, like Mesa) for $999 or $1099, not sure. Troubleman?
One reason for the low price is that it is only available direct from Dr.Z.
Of course, the disadvantge is that you have to order one to try it, but
the 10-day trial period should help you make that decision. You should
certainly call him up or send him e-mail if you have any questions. He's
friendly and willing to chat. He's one of the good guys.
Pretty damn amazing.
..Giri
P.S. Apologies for the messy flow and any possible errors. It was quicker
to type this postscript than to proofread, edit and rewrite.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Info:
Dr.Z Amps
Cleveland, OH.
e-mail: d...@icgroup.net
Phone: (216) 429 2922
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Bac
Sounds like a nice little box from Dr Z. Looks like everyone (amp makers
that is) is on the 2xEL84 bandwagon. We've had so many heated discussions
on amps in this newsgroup too. I've avoided most of em but couldn't
avoid some. As many of you remember, I'm Mr. Soldano SLO-100 or as JAZ
(welcome back) has labeled it SLOBLO (which was pretty funny). We don't
need to reminisce over all the BS about which boutique 100 watter blos
and isn't overpriced. But what I find interesting is in this 2xEL84 space,
the Soldano Atomic 16 is only a mere $499 list. Got one - I dig it!
Cheers,
Mr. Joe Ray Soldanoski
David Blevins
On 21 Feb 1997 16:06:38 GMT, giye...@aec004.ve.ford.com (Giri
Iyengar) wrote:
<most of review snipped>
Great review...
>Then I took it down to a friend's basement and we A/Bed with a Matchless
>Hurricane head, through a closed back 1x12 with a Matchless/Celestion V30.
I got to this part and I'm going, "oh boy, the Hurricane is gonna get
slammed by a $425 amp"... Since I just got a Hurricane, I got a little
queasy here.
But, fortunately it seems the Matchless holds its own... <sigh of
relief> Although the bang for the buck is still a bit questionable
in this light.
So, is the loudness quotient about the same? I can't believe (nor can
my wife believe, or approve of) how loud the Hurricane gets for a 15
watt amp. How about the Dr. Z?
Cheers,
Dave Blevins
Mike Rejsa
So (buck for buck) how does the Fender Pro Junior hold up here
sound wise? I've seen a lot of raves about it... how about the
tone control? (All my old amps are single tone control, I find
myself sometimes wishing for a "bass" knob...)
Stevie Miker
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Lee MacMillan
David Blevins wrote:
> So, is the loudness quotient about the same? I can't believe (nor can
> my wife believe, or approve of) how loud the Hurricane gets for a 15
> watt amp. How about the Dr. Z?
My wife complains about my Champ! (I wonder if it's my playing;-)
Lee
Giri Iyengar
> >Then I took it down to a friend's basement and we A/Bed with a Matchless
> >Hurricane head, through a closed back 1x12 with a Matchless/Celestion V30.
> I got to this part and I'm going, "oh boy, the Hurricane is gonna get
> slammed by a $425 amp"... Since I just got a Hurricane, I got a little
> queasy here.
> But, fortunately it seems the Matchless holds its own... <sigh of
> relief> Although the bang for the buck is still a bit questionable
> in this light.
This "bang for the buck" thing has never been particularly clear to me.
Sure, it makes sense if you say "I just want a fine amp." But if you
want the sound the Hurricane gives you, *no* other amp is going to do
it. No range of prices, no options, nothing. One amp, one price. Want
it? Pay the price, if you can. At least, that's the way I look at it.
The same holds true for the Dr.Z or a Budda or any other fine amp with
unique voice. Not true if you're comparing, say, blackface and silverface
Deluxe Reverbs.
> So, is the loudness quotient about the same? I can't believe (nor can
> my wife believe, or approve of) how loud the Hurricane gets for a 15
> watt amp. How about the Dr. Z?
Loud. Loud. Loud. I'd say it's about as loud as the Hurricane. Maybe it
breaks up just a tad earlier, it's hard to tell. Both of them have very
basic preamps.
My dream set-up right now is a Hurricane *and* a Carmen Ghia into my
2x12 in stereo. Mmmm... Maybe with my AD-9 driving them both. Mmmm...
..Giri
Giri Iyengar
In article <5epkgp$6...@nnrp1.news.primenet.com>, Mike Rejsa <mi...@primenet.com> writes:
> So (buck for buck) how does the Fender Pro Junior hold up here
> sound wise? I've seen a lot of raves about it... how about the
> tone control? (All my old amps are single tone control, I find
> myself sometimes wishing for a "bass" knob...)
That's funny. I've been going the other way. In fact, I've even contemplated
*removing* the tone knob on my Z, after setting it where I want it. :-) No,
didn't do it, but I might as well have, since I leave it in the exact same
spot and do all my twiddling at the guitar.
As far as the Pro Junior goes, I only played it, very briefly, about 6
months ago. I don't recall being particularly impressed, but my memory
isn't what it used to be. I think..
..Giri
Giri Iyengar
> My wife complains about my Champ! (I wonder if it's my playing;-)
Haha! I remember when I bought a Champ. Me: "That's as loud as it goes.
Cool, eh?" Wife: "Very cool." (sly smile.)
..VibroGiri
Cosmik Debris
Giri Iyengar <giye...@aec004.ve.ford.com> wrote in article
<5essma$3d...@eccws1.dearborn.ford.com>...
A guitarist who still has a wife, that is very cool.
Lee MacMillan
I guess I'm a husband who plays guitar.
Lee
David Blevins
On 24 Feb 1997 15:42:19 GMT, giye...@aec004.ve.ford.com (Giri
Iyengar) wrote:
>In article <330f224a...@news.pacbell.net>, bl...@pacbell.net (David Blevins) writes:
>
>> But, fortunately it seems the Matchless holds its own... <sigh of
>> relief> Although the bang for the buck is still a bit questionable
>> in this light.
>
>This "bang for the buck" thing has never been particularly clear to me.
>Sure, it makes sense if you say "I just want a fine amp." But if you
>want the sound the Hurricane gives you, *no* other amp is going to do
>it. No range of prices, no options, nothing. One amp, one price. Want
>it? Pay the price, if you can. At least, that's the way I look at it.
So I agree with you, for the most part, on this. I guess I feel a
little weird for having shelled out almost $1K for a (practically
brand new) Hurricane 15 - trust me, I get a tremendous amount of
pleasure out of it but it is a HELL of a lot of simoleans for such a
single-purpose (well, it has tremelo!) fifteen-watter.
Then again, the front panel lights up, and it smells really nice when
it's warmed up.
But, what's this TONE knob do? So far, all I've been able to figure
out is that it goes from "Tone" to "More Tone"... 8^)
Dave Blevins
Troubleman
giye...@aec004.ve.ford.com (Giri Iyengar) wrote:
>..Giri
Ok, now I have to try one. I'll check on the prices of Budda
Twinmaster heads and report back. Giri, your gear appetite is
insatiable......
Troubleman
p.s.: the fender pro jr is a great little amp; probably the class
champ it price to performance...
Jonathan Schneider
I agree, the Fender Pro Jr is the best amp dollar for dollar. I got mine
used for 100$. For recording it is easy to work with if you don't mind
putting the effects on when you mix. I also have the DR Z (Prescription)
but that is in a class by itself.
Jonathan