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hateandwar
Gold Member
Australia
524 Posts |
 Posted - 09/22/2009 : 02:09:43
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Hello everyone. I have came to the conclusion that it is time for a new amp.
I currently use my Randall 100 watt combo amp. Which is good but not good enough. I need something louder for live band situations, and I want a tube amp.
Honestly, I don't know all that much about tube amps, but I had the oportunity to play a friend of a friends orange stack (not sure which one) and I loved it to pieces.
Here's the next thing, I play all sorts of music. But the main things ill need it to do I make an awesome clean tone , a great rock n roll tone and decent enough to get a good metal tone out of it.
I guess my question is, can orange amps do this? Should I be looking at other amps?
Any help will be greatly appreciated, cheers.
Jake. |
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RONanFEZ
Bronze Member
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 03:06:23
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Hi hateandwar,
If i was you i would look into mesa boogie first. you can get all the tones and volume you need. second if you have the cash to go to HiWatt or Soldano. I see a lot of orange stuff and most of the time they are powering the cabs with one of the three.  |
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verivorax
Platinum Member
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 04:27:58
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+! on the Mesa Boogie. You'll find all the tones you need PLUS have the ability to resell without losing your shirt. They're also much more durable than pretty much any other amp brand (Soldano's pretty amazing too, but tack an extra $500-$1000 for most of their products). Hiwatt makes sweet amps, but they excel at clean, not the chewy texture of an Orange, the cut of a Soldano or the versatility of the Mesa.
Good luck!!! |
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Brutalitarian Supremacy
Silver Member
USA
270 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 04:56:06
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I'm a very biased person when it comes to this...but as far as i'm concerned pound for pound Orange & Matamp are the best sounding amplifiers in the world...I own a Mesa Dual Rec(pre 500)and it's a very good amp if you are looking for a scooped mid sounding high gain piece of gear...a very grainy distortion kinda like a 5150 on steroids...more gain on tap than you'll ever need! Where as the original Orange gear had Baxandall Tone Stacks in them not FMV Stacks...
http://www.geocities.com/diytech_ct/orangetonestack.html
the amount of tones you can conjure up w/ an OR80 or an OR120 is staggering...if you want versitility then go w/ Orange...Mesa's do the clean & R&R thing very well also...it's just the scooped high grainy gain it puts out that I dislike...if you buy an Orange go w/ the old stuff the new sh*t comes equipped w/ the standard run of the mill FMV Stacks... |
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hateandwar
Gold Member
Australia
524 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 05:16:12
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Wow thanks for the quick response guys.
Money may be in issue but I guess im willing to save to get something that ill keep for ages.
Brutalitarian Supremacy, the amps you speak of, how old are the good ones? Where can I find them?
Also ill be buying a speaker cab too. what brand should I be looking at for them?
So many choices so confusing =( |
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verivorax
Platinum Member
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 13:35:46
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The Rectifiers from Mesa are indeed fizzy and scooped, the best hi-gain sound is their Mark series - the MarkIV or V would be ideal.
I've never heard a vintage Orange applied to extreme hi-gain, but from what Brutalitarian is saying.. and if you can find one.. hey why not? |
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Brutalitarian Supremacy
Silver Member
USA
270 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 15:09:20
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...thx for reminding me...the older Orange rigs will not do the ultra high gain & scooped proto-metal sound of today...at least w/out goosing the amp w/ something...hell they'll never do the uber scooped thing(thats good right?)but w/ an MXR Micro Amp or an OCD in front of her things can be very hellish sounding gain wise(that's very good also)...the OR80 & OR120 are the way to go...even the ones made in the mid-90's when Gibson owned the name are beasts(loudest 120 watts i've ever heard),and I'd stick w/ the Orange PPC412 matching cab as well(V30's rule the world!), don't get me wrong I love my Mesa at times...hell it's like that for me w/ all my amps...but my Oranges are the only amps I love ALL the time...I play in many different bands(all different genres)and the Oranges pretty much cover the whole spectrum...Verivorax heres an old Orange OR120 & OR80 being used in a very heavy situation...w/ a little bit of Fender thrown in the mix to boot...keep in mind i'm using something to goose the front end of the amp!
http://www.myspace.com/wearevarulvorden |
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Witloofboer
Gold Member
Belgium
513 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 21:21:08
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| Well, not an Orange, but still good & much cheaper: Laney AOR's. I believe SP-1 has one of these? Anyway, quite cheap, VERY (VERY) versatile. |
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jack
Platinum Member
USA
1418 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 22:49:25
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| Do you use mids in your EQ? I am starting to think Randall amps are crap, because the guy I play with has a 150 watt Randall half-stack that you cannot hear when the bass, drums, and my 120watt 2x12 no-name combo amp using a Keeley modded Boss MT-2 for distortion all kick in...I thought maybe it was his use of no mids on his EQ drowning him out, but maybe Randalls are just crappy amps? If you ARE using mids in your EQ, then yeah, its time to get a new amp. If you have your mids set to zero, there's a good chance you won't cut through the mix without being mic'd through the PA no matter what amp you use, but thats just my opinion and experiences, your results may vary... |
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verivorax
Platinum Member
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2009 : 02:39:05
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I'm never an advocate for a true "scooped" tone.. they're for bedroom players only - I usually dime my mids..
Brutalitarian - That's a great heavy tone, and I dig the songs.
I know some Mesa players approaching their tone in a similar way - low gain + high quality booster, helps to reduce some "fizz" - el34s help too.
I forgot to mention VHT/Fryette.. some great heads for heavy. NOT the currently produced VHT - they only have the name. |
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starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2009 : 05:11:58
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go shopping with your ears.
take your favorite pedals, and your 'most-used' guitar and try these amps out.
Yes. and DON'T go on Saturday afternoon at 2pm when all the high-school kids are practicing stairway to heaven in the store for their girlfriends.
sounds like you'll be shelling out more than $2K so ... don't be shy about trying them out.
do a bit of research and go see a few pro bands in good clubs, make note of their gear.... there is a reason Fender Twin blackfaces are STILL hunted down ... sure, you can spend big money on Mesa, Soldano, Rivera, or Orange and no doubt you will get an awesome amp; however, sometimes you don't need to spend that much to get the sound YOU want. |
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zerksies
Double Platinum Member
USA
3406 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2009 : 14:05:33
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| i would get a mesa, they sound great, and i mostly play fenders. i would pick one up if i was looking for an amp right now |
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starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2009 : 04:11:38
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| lol i play boogie, but I didn't want to sound all tired out over it. haha. of course i recommend boogie! |
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Topic |
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Buying a new amp (Orange) HELP please
