Ampegs and Oranges

[fu22ba55]

Either one will give you enough volume to stay well mixed with the hardest hit acoustic drums

This is true 97% of the time, but I still think the Orange bottoming out at 4 ohms is a dealbreaker.

For the money, I'd want to have that second 8x10 in my back pocket if I needed it.

 

[brobot]

^^
Notice I said well mixed. Sure, you can have drummers that will compete with either volume-wise, but all you'll hear is stick/beater attack. Of course, if that's what you what, by all means. But, I personally like the resonance of the drums. There's no way you'll get any nuance frum the drums with a maxed out Orange through a 4 ohm 810.

 

[JimmyM]

^^
Notice I said well mixed. Sure, you can have drummers that will compete with either volume-wise, but all you'll hear is stick/beater attack. Of course, if that's what you what, by all means. But, I personally like the resonance of the drums. There's no way you'll get any nuance frum the drums with a maxed out Orange through a 4 ohm 810.

who's looking for nuance when they play a bright orange amp?

 

[CJ_Horror]

I was thinking 4x12's would be cool, with the Orange they'd be dynamite.

 

[Musicman20]

Orange, all the way. Why?

Very loud.
Dirty at low volume levels IF you need it. Obviously use your gain if you want it clean.
Lighter.
8 ohm capability.
It looks amazing!
Most bands Ive been following have flipped their SVTs for Orange amps (and they ARENT endorsed).
Made in the UK.
Cheaper IF you are based in the UK and shop around.
Sounds stunning with every cab Ive used it with. I now want a big beast of a cab for large shows.

I play in hardcore punk bands w/loud drummers and one bandf has two guitarists with 4x12s. Believe me, that Orange volume is MORE than enough even without PA.

 

[Devo-lution]

If your band can stay a bit reasonable volumewise, both should suffice.

sound is an apples and oranges thing. Pick which you prefer.

 

[Tim1]

It is interesting what a difference exchange rates, places of manufacture and import duties can make. Down here in New Zealand an SVT VR is $5299 and an Orange AD200 is less than half that at $2999! I still bought my VR as I needed the cleaner volume, but the Orange sure looks better value.
One question - I was under the impression that modern Orange amps are made overseas (China?) and not in England. Is this true.

 

[CJ_Horror]

I always found the Orange to be far tastier. I went and saw Gallows live and Stu Gilli-Ross was playing one, it sounded awesome! Beginning to feel satisfied that it's the right choice for me, the volume was the main factor for me really because I desperately want to cut through!

I find the Orange also has a really nice clean signal too, a really rounded bottom end, so it gets the best of both worlds. The only other head I would consider is the Marshall VBA400, but while it sounds awesome I don't think it's necessarily what I'm looking for. While Ampegs are also awesome (and LOUD) I'm really iffy about the Chinese/Vietnamese wiring quality because when you're paying that much you want something as reliable as the sun rises in the morning. Oranges are manufactured in the UK and I've heard no gripes about their quality and they do look rad.

Cheers for the opinions, it confirmed Orange in my mind

 

[coreyfyfe]

I was under the impression that modern Orange amps are made overseas (China?) and not in England. Is this true.

Depends on the series. As far as I know the AD series amps are still made in england but some of the others (combos, solid-state and hybrid amps) are made in korea.

I'm really iffy about the Chinese/Vietnamese wiring quality because when you're paying that much you want something as reliable as the sun rises in the morning. Oranges are manufactured in the UK and I've heard no gripes about their quality and they do look rad.

I wouldn't worry about location of manufacture. When a plant is up and running and operating smoothly with good QC, a trained workforce, and quality components then there will a quality product. Ampeg's asian production had it's early rough patch but has been solid since.

 

[JimmyM]

I wouldn't worry about location of manufacture. When a plant is up and running and operating smoothly with good QC, a trained workforce, and quality components then there will a quality product. Ampeg's asian production had it's early rough patch but has been solid since.

+1. i use newer ampegs all the time on the road, and now that i got this nifty micro vr stack, i'm also using new ampegs on gigs. the heads all sound and work as good as they ever did, and the cabs sound as good or better than any cabs ampeg has ever made, with the exception of the very earliest flatback 810 cabs. the new team at loud is much better than the last team, and they're really pulled ampeg together since firing the former head idiot.

 

[One Drop]

100% True. His last band rode him pretty hard. Lots of amps.

The problem is, now he's gotten ME used to the mighty 2 Ohm load, so we're both lost causes now. Now if I play a single 8X10 it sounds like a tinkertoy. (An awesome tinkertoy, but still a tinkertoy.) Once you move on to the hard stuff, the weak sauce just doesn't cut it anymore.

Just to avoid confusion, you're referring to the sound of an extra cab rather than the ohmage itself, right? Tube amps don't put out more or less power depending on the impedance load, if I understand the concept properly. They just need the correct tap from the transformer to handle a specific load properly.

 

[jordie65]

i use an AD200B with a berg HS410. ive played a few shows with a band whose bass player has a newer SVT (one with gain and master) and we have experimented with swapping the heads on the cab between sets. to me the biggest difference aside from the overdrive character is the mids, there is something about the mids on an SVT i cant cop on my orange, it seems to "sit" differently in the mix compared to the orange. both sit nicely but the Orange seems to sit just a bit higher to my ear. of course ive only fiddled with the SVT on the gig so maybe i could get it to sit like my Orange does but i havent been able to replicate that SVT mid-bump that sounds so sweet. if anyone has let me know!

 

[calypsocoral302]

Not to make your decision EVEN MORE confusing, but I thought I would introduce a third option:

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400 watts from 8 KT-88's, a powerful EQ section, and overdrives pretty nicely.

Sharlee D'Angelo, bassist for Arch Enemy, uses it.

 

[Basvarken]

I own an Orange AD200 MK1. This is the handwired turretboard version of the later Mk3.
We have a loud guitarist with a 100watt Marshall Super Lead.
The AD200 is absolutely loud enough for my band. YMMV.
I'm very happy with it. And it's way lighter than the SVT (that I used to have)


I tested an SVT VR the other day. It was made in Vietnam. It was disappointing. Very noisy and not nearly half as loud as the original SVT from 1973 that I compared it with...

I wouldn't buy an SVT VR, and I wouldn't buy the AD200 Mk3 either.

The new Ampeg SVT CL Heritage, and the older Orange AD200B Mk1 or Mk2 are good amps.

Have you considered a Matamp GT200 or Hiwatt DR201?

 

[JimmyM]

I own an Orange AD200 MK1. This is the handwired turretboard version of the later Mk3.
We have a loud guitarist with a 100watt Marshall Super Lead.
The AD200 is absolutely loud enough for my band. YMMV.
I'm very happy with it. And it's way lighter than the SVT (that I used to have)


I tested an SVT VR the other day. It was made in Vietnam. It was disappointing. Very noisy and not nearly half as loud as the original SVT from 1973 that I compared it with...

if that's the case, then there is something wrong with it, possibly a tube or two. might want to tell your friend to take it into the shop. the vietnamese vr's were made under the former head idiot, and they no longer make them there, but when they work they are as good as any other svt. definitely a fixable problem.

 

[Tim1]

All the VR owners I know would disagree with your statement, Basvarken, but it is possible that you were playing a dud or one with a bad valve as can happen with any amp. I have owned a vintage SVT and I swear that my Vietnam VR has more clean volume than my older one, almost to a fault as asking it to breakup is just about impossible. It just gets louder and louder without distorting - the only limitation seems to be the speakers. It is quiet and has performed faultlessly for me through many gigs and van trips.
The issue of handwiring and turretboards is a nonissue to me, the early and much sought after SVTs were all on PCBs and they are still going strong. This just seems to be an idea that owners or sellers of vintage amps seem to like to endorse to add to the myth (and value/sense of wellbeing). That said, I can be swung by the equally mythical "mojo".
I must confess that I am vaguely considering purchasing an AD200 to add to the stable, simply because it is much lighter than my VR and with its earlier breakup might be suitable for quieter gigs. However, the ones I have tried have gone fuzzy very early so I would want to try one through my Bergantino NV cabs first to see how much useable volume there is. And the colour and presentation is fabulous - if only there was some way I could fit my VR chassis into an Orange case.... no wait, perhaps I could retrofit orange tolex.... anhhh! sacrilege.....

 

[joeydavidson]

^Haha, the Ampeg VR is just as pretty as the Orange. I've been thinking about getting an Ad200 as well, mainly cos I want my next amp to be all tube and also to take advantage of the fact that they're considerably cheaper than an all tube Ampeg here (I live in Auckland).

 

[Basvarken]

All the VR owners I know would disagree with your statement, Basvarken, but it is possible that you were playing a dud or one with a bad valve as can happen with any amp.

Then it must have been a dud. The thing was practically new -as in hardly ever used- when I tested it.
Ampeg even admitted that their shortlived move to Vietnam was a mistake.

The issue of handwiring and turretboards is a nonissue to me, the early and much sought after SVTs were all on PCBs and they are still going strong. This just seems to be an idea that owners or sellers of vintage amps seem to like to endorse to add to the myth (and value/sense of wellbeing).

Yeah I hear what you say.
But, the big difference is in the components. The Mk3 has tiny little Alpha pots for instance. My Mk1 has double CTS pots behind each knob. The capacitors, resistors etc of the Mk3 are all the proper size. Whereas the Mk1 has these tiny little crap components inside.

Same goes for the difference between the old SVTs and the new VR ones.

 

[JimmyM]

But, the big difference is in the components. The Mk3 has tiny little Alpha pots for instance. My Mk1 has double CTS pots behind each knob. The capacitors, resistors etc of the Mk3 are all the proper size. Whereas the Mk1 has these tiny little crap components inside.

Same goes for the difference between the old SVTs and the new VR ones.

the vr's do use chinese components. i can't say for sure if they're the best chinese components money can buy but i can tell you that a vr sounds like any other non-master svt i've ever played and it feels very solid to the touch.

 

[CJ_Horror]

Have you considered a Matamp GT200 or Hiwatt DR201?

Matamp has been suggested to me previously but I've never heard one. I also considered Hiwatt (as well as Reeves) because I'm a massive Entwistle fan. The Hiwatt Custom 400 is a bitch to ship (and mega expensive because in Australia) so the Reeves was the major consideration or a while. I do love the Orange though, it sounds kick ass.

Any suggestions on the sound of the Matamp GT200? Just out of curiosity.