Hi all,
Don't post much over here, but read a few threads with interest about the new Bass Terror from Orange, and I've posted about it on another forum:
"Just a quick review after having spent 45 mins with one today. This is NOT intended as a full on long-term review but will hopefully be of use to those of you who are interested in one, but cannot get to a shop to try it.
GUITAR USED: Squier Classic Vibe Jazz / Squier VM Fretless Jazz
CABINET USED: Marshall 15" 4 Ohm
Okay, so let's begin.
Firstly, the thing is TINY - they are not kidding when they say these things are portable. Light enough to be carried in one hand, but very sturdy feeling with the strong metal chassis and handle. The controls on the front are simple and clearly marked, and the the power switch features a useful 'standby' mode - this isn't really to help protect the valves as such, but would be useful in the absence of a dedicated 'Mute' switch. Input jack on the front with passive/active button and the EQ controls. Seperate gain and volume mean YOU have control of the amount of edge to the sound. Other connections such as the DI are on the side and speaker connections and mains to the rear.
SOUND:
So this is really what I wanted to know, can something class D erase the bad memory of the Ashdown Superfly in my mind? The answer to this is a resounding yes! The first thing to know is there is a LOT of volume on tap. I was using a 4 ohm cab and the full 500w was available to me, and it felt like it. I would say that the output level here in terms of useable volume was on a part with the Hartke LH500 and Peavey Tour 450 heads.
The basic tone is VERY warm and punchy - we're not talking Trace Elliot levels of glassiness here, but something more earthy and gutsy, almost more 'natural' and it's a very likeable tone. There is no doubt you could use this for a variety of genres, but we feel VERY at home with Rock, Blues and even some Jazz too, such is the warmth on tap. All of the EQ controls make a big difference and small adjustments are quickly audible, as a result you can coax a lot of different tones out of this, but my favourite came from everything flat, with just a touch of treble to counter the fact I was running through a 15" cabinet.
The Gain and Volume controls interact very well, this is a very familiar setup to anyone who has had a valve guitar amp (stick with me) in as much as the nicest sounds come from the master volume being set at approx 12 o clock and then gain to taste, if you need more or less volume, then make your adjustments from that point - it's chucking out a decent amount of welly there, but it really feels organic and natural, not at all the sterile and lifeless 'Digital' sound that I was panic'd about!
Operation noise? Well, yes, there's a bit, but again this is only typical of the amount of power on tap - with a well shielded bass, there's nothing out of the ordinary. Home users MAY get a touch irritated by the fan as when the amp heats up, this seemed to speed up and did get noisier, chances are that most people wouldn't notice this as the amp is LOUD by this point.
So would I buy one? Yep. Easy as that, it's a good fit with the type of music I like, it's small, has truckloads of power and sounds good from the get-go, no fiddling required.
RECOMMENDED. "
The update today is I went back and bought it, it'll be rehearsed with tomorrow night and gigged on Friday - can't wait!
Cheers,
James
ORANGE BASS TERROR: The Review! 
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