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Hi there, welcome to my blog - La Revolution Deux. It's an odd name - but I like it! Here you will find all the info on my various DIY Guitar effects builds, amplifiers and guitars. Everything from a humble Ibanez tubescreamer to the holiest KLON Overdrive.

You may also find a few effects builds that I am looking to move on - usually in exchange for other effects/gear/cash. You can always check my ebay account to see what I've got up for grabs.

Have fun, enjoy the blog - Fred Briggs :-)

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Feel free to get in contact with me about anything you see on this blog or with any general questions about guitars, amplifiers and effects, I'll be happy to answer! Just click the button above to email me directly or alternately my email address is fredbriggs2007 [at] googlemail [dot] com

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Monday 30 January 2012

Dr Z Amps - Carmen Ghia


Ahhh, the Dr Z Carmen Ghia. It's long been ranked as one of the best sounding boutique amps available. It's an all out take on the classic Marshall 18 Watt, great for any rock tones you need but with a clean headroom that gives the amp some versatility. Here's the description from the Dr Z Website:

"At first glance, the Carmen Ghia looks rather, well, modest. This is why the Ghia leaves so many people floored from the first note. Clean notes come out with a warmth, complexity, and sustain like one has never heard from such a small amp. Every note has a hugeness to it that seems far beyond an 18 watt head. All this comes before the amp really starts to sing. As you turn the Volume clockwise, the fun factor increases. The big clean notes get even BIGGER than they were before. Sustain becomes as smooth and musical as you have ever heard it. Notes seem to sing forever. This is an incredibly fun amp, and you'll have trouble putting your guitar down. The Carmen Ghia interacts with the player because the player can feel the power tube distortion.
This amp has become a favorite in recording studios around the world. It's also a great little amp for small clubs. While many other small amps have trouble cutting through the mix and have a rather flatulent low end, your Dr. Z Carmen Ghia will always cut through the mix tightly and musically."

Here's a demo video of the Carmen Ghia in action:


Here's the schematic file ("The Phoenix Project"):


And here is the verified layout:


 For this build you'll need some transformers right? The 18 Watt (Marshall) style transformers from: http://www.mojotone.com will work perfectly....

 [Here's some guts of a real Dr Z Carmen Ghia]

[Here's a completed build (Dan_Mask's I believe..) build using the above layout]

6 comments:

  1. Thanks. It looks like an easy build, very clean. Do have the schematic for the Z Wreck? That's the one I really want.

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  2. Hi Briggs, great site!
    Can you suggest me ho to extrapolate only the preamp section? Ih ave to take the output after C14 right? I want to use it with another power amp
    Thx!

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  3. Just what I've been looking for! Do you have a parts list?

    (Buddy Wittington, watch your back!)

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  4. Perfect! I just built one of these using the Phoenix schematic and layout. Works beautifully! Thanks for sharing Briggs!

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  5. รีวิวเกมส์ ทดลองเล่น PG SLOT เว็บเกมออนไลน์น้องใหม่จากค่าย พีจี ค่ายเกมออนไลน์อันดับ 1 ที่ลูกค้าทั่วโลกต่างยกย่องให้เป็นเว็บเกมออนไลน์อันดับ 1 ตลอดการ

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcome on Revolution Deux. However, please do not spam links to unrelated sites - these comments will be removed! Thanks - Briggs.