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are orange bass amps worth the $

#42
I bought an AD200b (MK III) last year and I'm extremely happy with it. I suppose my situation is unique because I found mine at a discounted price (20% off) and I justified the purchase by knowing that I'd only lose another 20%-30% in a sale, if I ever sold it. On top of that I knew that I'd have the 2 year warranty that I could use here in Canada, instead of having to deal with a company like Matamp in the UK or Reeves in the US.

I agree with other folks who suggest that this amp appeals to a certain type of bass player. For me, I can't stand all the bells and whistles on amps. Stuff like presence controls, EQ in and out, bass/treble boost and multiple channels are totally useless to me. I think these are often put in amps to make sales under the constitution of 'getting many different sounds' or being 'expandable', instead of being functional. Yes, I understand that people do end up using these features in certain settings but I'm willing to bet that the majority of bass players never use this stuff.

The sound I hear in my head that is my ideal bass sound is thick and warm. These are abstract adjectives, I know, but it's a sound that was present in much of the bass sounds of the 60's and 70's, before the 80's came around and bass players were devoured by metal head goons who had to play everything at '11'. This is an overgeneralization, but what Orange does with the Ad200b is return to the big, bloomy bass of the 60's and 70's that is so sweet and enjoyable. Yes, some guys will say they can EQ that sound in, and if you can congratulations, but I've never been able to achieve a sound like this with any of the Genz Benz, GK, Traynor, SWR or Ampeg equipment I've used.

In summary, the Orange delivers a fantastic, authentic sound, that is loud enough for a band setting and that is, so far for me, dependable. This, along with the local access to warranty work is what sold the amp for me. I'm happy with what I paid for it.
 
#45
The price is clearly relative to where you live. In the case of imported gear I have often wondered whether it is the importer or the manufacturer who decides the starting price. As I stated earlier, an SVT VR is $5299 in New Zealand and an AD200 only $3400. When you consider that the Orange becomes considerably more attractive. Similarly in England the Orange is cheaper than the SVT while in America the reverse applies. So local import deals obviously have considerable influence if you buy on value only.
 
#46
I agree fully with what my neighbour in Whitby posted. Many amplifiers are designed to be able to be everything to all players. My Carvin BX1500 has so many features that I simply don't use. It is a great amp but it is my #2. The #1 is a tube preamp I designed feeding a Carvin DCM1000L power amp. The pre has Gain, Level, Bass and Treble controls. The tone stack is one of the B15 variants.

Back in the day in the Cardiff area of South Wales, I did a little warranty work for Orange. I say little because there wasn't a lot going wrong. In those days the amps were well built and reliable. As for todays Orange I have no idea.
 
#47
I recently sold my GK RB800 after twenty years of hard use. (sob). Twenty years of nothing but cleaning the pots once in a while. I miss it but I bought an eden wtx. Which Is lighter. If GK is till building their gear to same level they were I doubt that Orange can match that reliabilty.

Ask around about more current GK gear from the people that own current gear.
 
#48
BassmanPaul said:
Back in the day in the Cardiff area of South Wales, I did a little warranty work for Orange. I say little because there wasn't a lot going wrong. In those days the amps were well built and reliable. As for todays Orange I have no idea.
Click to expand...

Compare the build of the mark 1 pictured earlier with the mark three that is available at current and you can see the change. The current ones have a build comparable to Ashton, maybe some more hot glue. The Orange name was built on amps made by Matamp.
 
#49
I have had no reliability issues at all with my current model AD200 mk III. I have a friend with the same model whose amp gets regular studio and touring use. Again no issues. The few other players I have spoken to with this head have reported no problems. Enough said.
 
#50
is fantastic with a Berg cab or two. Warm, rich, deep, punchy, hi-fi, but tubby at the same time. A superb little amp.

The 500 watt one is still good, but for $100.00 more, go for the 1,000 - it sounds profoundly deeper, and with headroom for days. I like it ALMOST as much as my IP rig.

The other amps in question all sound pretty similar - the Orange is in a league of its own.

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#51
TBH, I only ever use one bass sound, If I feel the need to vary it, I tend to play differently (Slap, Pick or finger) or roll off a little of the neck pickup on my jazz.

I have a TB500c and it has such a gorgeous tone to start off with.
 
#52
I owned an Orange Thunderverb 200 head and it was incredibly well built. I paid approx $1800 used (but mint) for it and but thought it was a great deal as the Thunderverb is a guitar amp that can be used for bass.

Sounded amazing for guitar... Just ok for bass, so I sold it as I play 95% bass.

The British made tube heads IMO are quality and sound great. A bit overpriced though.

The cabs don't impress me in the least.
 
#55
Orange amps always scored high in exotic appeal. They were so rare that having one made you seem like you knew something. In retrospect what it meant was that you had money to burn. There is and never was an edge in performance. They just look cool, and the story of the company is very interesting. There are much better values in terms of money spent. The downsides of uncommon brands like Orange are a limited resale market because of low brand recognition and getting them serviced properly when it is necessary.
 
#56
The above is probably fair comment in the States where they are priced out of the market. In other countries, however, it can be very different. My AD200 cost me less than half the price of my SVT VR, both new.
Sweeping statements justified by "which by most accounts was too often" add little value to the discussion IMO.
 
#57
Edward G. said:
Orange amps always scored high in exotic appeal. They were so rare that having one made you seem like you knew something. In retrospect what it meant was that you had money to burn. There is and never was an edge in performance. They just look cool, and the story of the company is very interesting. There are much better values in terms of money spent. The downsides of uncommon brands like Orange are a limited resale market because of low brand recognition and getting them serviced properly when it is necessary.
Click to expand...

The original Matamp ones were superb performers, Matamp were innovative and built to a very high standard. Just had decent distribution and marketing so they were seen a lot, and recognised even when they started knocking them out cheaply themselves. They are mostly really simple as well, so any service trouble will be down to having a really poor tech.
 
#58
I love my tb500c. I have had carvin/mesa/ampeg/acoustic bass amps and the orange is the sound I was always looking for. For me it was worth it, but I sold my ampeg svt and it payed for the combo. I don't regret it at all.
 

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