On the forefront of high-end boutique design, the Carmen Ghia was Dr. Z’s first commercially accessible amplifier when launched in 1988, and has by no means been absent from the corporate’s lineup. So it’s becoming that the nice Dr. (a.okay.a. Mike Zaite) is celebrating it with a thirty fifth Anniversary model.

A hand-wired, single-channel 1×10 combo with a pair of NOS military-spec 6N14N (EL84 variant) energy tubes, two 12AX7s within the preamp, and a 5Y3 rectifier, the thirty fifth Ann CG makes an instantaneous impression with its measurement (small), weight (30 kilos), and bare-bones management panel with Quantity, Tone and Grasp knobs. The aesthetic could also be “too” easy for some, however make no mistake – all the things about this amp is severe.

With a Telecaster plugged in and all controls set at 12 midday, our tester generated pure Tele tone with superb readability and authenticity. Identical with a Les Paul, Strat, and Les Paul Junior; the Carmen Ghia has an incredible means to seize the character of no matter is plugged in whereas responding to nuances of 1’s play. Exceedingly articulate, with nice top-end chime, presence, and simply sufficient compression to really feel actually good below the fingers, it’s possible you’ll hear your guitars in an all-new manner. Low-end stays tight and punchy with a percussive really feel.

The Quantity and Grasp (positioned within the circuit after the part inverter) work nicely collectively and create quite a lot of sounds from clear to crunch at nearly any quantity. For bedroom-level grit, inch the Quantity up (with Grasp down), or go Quantity down with Grasp up for chimey cleans. Crank each for in-your-face crunch and maintain whereas utilizing the guitar’s Quantity knob to shave a little bit of hair. Tapping the ultra-responsive Tone management helps reveal a shocking pallet of coloration at your fingertips.

Doing its half is a light-weight, resonant poplar plywood cab with a ten″ WGS Veteran 30 speaker that renders a huge, musical sound that’s louder than you’d count on.

The Carmen Ghia is a flexible, compact tone beast that whoops the pants off many amps twice its measurement. Its harmonically wealthy, virtually 3D tone have to be skilled to be believed – and it simply suits within the again seat.

This text initially appeared in VG’s September 2023 concern. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.