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NAMM 2016 New Orange 4 Stroke 300 and 500 amps
- Thread starter SpottedBass
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- orange
Huh, no gain control..? Wonder how that works out in practice. Does it mean that this is basically a clean amp?
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Orange and Aguilar turn me off so much by their looks that I don't even give them a second look....that coming from a guy who is ok with the looks of Markbass Cabs. This amp has attracted my attention for two reasons - 4 band semi-parametric EQ and class a/b power section. If it had a tube preamp and 1000 watts (like a Hartke LH1000 but with paremetric EQ) I would have one on order already...in spite of the ridiculous (IMO) signature Orange appearance.
A lot of standalone paremetrics are only 3 bands and usually built-ins are just two bands for the mids. Four bands built in is quite something. Would be nice of the para-bass went down to 30hz, but they are probably worried that some ham-handed users would fry their cabs with a 500 watt 30 hz signal.
Can anyone gaze into their crystal ball and guess at a price point for the 300w/500w heads? Most class D heads in the 500w area range from $400-$600 so I assume this will probably be a bit more?
I'm just the opposite. I think they easily have the best looking combo amps in the business. If it came down to me having to get rid of my Orange Terror Bass 500 combo or my GK Mb212 II and MBP115 cabinet the GK would be wheeled out the door. Even though I love the sound of the GK, the sound and looks of the Orange make it a keeper.
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
My crystal ball says $1099.00 for the 500 watt version (that is what its listed for at Sweetwater at the moment).
Just stuck one in my rack earlier this week. Thing sounds great--taking the place of my Mesa M6 Carbine (which is heading to CA for some needed "upgrades").
Very easy to dial in, the compressor works as sort of a gain, depending on how you play with it and the volume, can work without a speaker load (for rehearsal or recording) and is tight!
Will put it through its paces this weekend at rehearsal, but so far--nice. Very nice!
Very easy to dial in, the compressor works as sort of a gain, depending on how you play with it and the volume, can work without a speaker load (for rehearsal or recording) and is tight!
Will put it through its paces this weekend at rehearsal, but so far--nice. Very nice!
Attachments
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
300 watts can be very loud depending on which Cabinet or cabinets you pair it with. If 300 watts is the 4ohm load wattage, then you ideally want to be sending that to a 4ohm cabinet with multiple drivers , (say a 4ohm 2x12 or 4x10 , 6x10 etc..) or 2 8ohm cabinets for a 4ohm load and the most power you can get from the amp. My 2 cents anyways.Bump !
Anyone else tried these ?
Is the 300 version loud enough for a rock band ?
Cheers !
It's a real early version of the M6. Mesa identified Power Transformer issues with the early ones that cause the amp to cut out. Only fix is to send it in to Mesa and they will do the upgrades there. Mine just took longer than expected to show up.
It's a real early version of the M6. Mesa identified Power Transformer issues with the early ones that cause the amp to cut out. Only fix is to send it in to Mesa and they will do the upgrades there. Mine just took longer than
I've had the 500w in my rack for two months now. Gigged 5 times with it. Have the compressor set at 7, and have never had to turn it up past 3 on the volume. So yeah--as long as your speakers are solid, I would think a 300w would handle a rock band. Although, I don't know what style of music you're playing, how many "guitards" in the band, or how heavy-handed the drummer is.Bump !
Anyone else tried these ?
Is the 300 version loud enough for a rock band ?
Cheers !
Great sounding amp. GF and I both have a soft spot for Orange amps in general. They definitely have their own signature sound and look. I only wish they left the compressor out (I'm fussy about those and would rather use one I already own) and put a gain knob on it instead - that and included an effects loop.
If it had those it'd be on my shortlist since I'm shopping very slowly for a 'new' amp right now. I could live without gain. (I come from an era when we didn't have them so I know how to get around that.) And I suppose I could always just leave the compressor switched off, even though that would kinda be a waste of money. (And who knows? I might end up liking and using it.) But the effects loop is a non-negotiable item for me on an amp that size and price. I find having a loop just a little too useful for a variety of reasons.
I think I'm just destined not to get an Orange. I've come close to pulling the trigger several times over the last 40 years. I always liked their sound, and I'm not put off by their…um…iconic cosmetics. But there was always something that annoyed me about them (something different each time - but mainly some feature or design limitation) that kept me from getting anything but a Crush 35DLX as a gift for my guitarist GF. (She loves it btw. The onboard digital effects are kinda meh but the core sound is all Orange and spot on. Great little studio/practice amp.)
Oh well. <*sigh*>
If it had those it'd be on my shortlist since I'm shopping very slowly for a 'new' amp right now. I could live without gain. (I come from an era when we didn't have them so I know how to get around that.) And I suppose I could always just leave the compressor switched off, even though that would kinda be a waste of money. (And who knows? I might end up liking and using it.) But the effects loop is a non-negotiable item for me on an amp that size and price. I find having a loop just a little too useful for a variety of reasons.
I think I'm just destined not to get an Orange. I've come close to pulling the trigger several times over the last 40 years. I always liked their sound, and I'm not put off by their…um…iconic cosmetics. But there was always something that annoyed me about them (something different each time - but mainly some feature or design limitation) that kept me from getting anything but a Crush 35DLX as a gift for my guitarist GF. (She loves it btw. The onboard digital effects are kinda meh but the core sound is all Orange and spot on. Great little studio/practice amp.)
Oh well. <*sigh*>
