Greetings Orange lovers. I am considering getting an AD200 as my first tube head and looking for cab recommendations. I'm thinking of an SP212 or OBC115 on the Orange side. Besides that Barefaced BB2, Berg NV115, or Berg CN212. I play with a pick 99% of the time so don't need something super bright. Just want a cab that will get the full range of sound from the head. Probably will not be used for gigging. Just practice and recording. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Troy
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Official Orange Club II
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
I had both the OBC410 and the 115 and tried the SP212. They have different sound, in my ears 410s are deeper, 115s are punchier and Iso 212s are tighter (a good mixture of both). I could say all are almost equally loud. I kept the 115 since it was more the sound I like. I am now thinking of getting a second 115 and maybe in the far future building a 4x12 myself. I can't say anything about other brands, Orange boxes tend to colour your sound, but that's the colour I like so...
I have played my AD200 with Barefaced Four 10 and Bergantino NV115 and NV215. The Berg with its 6" midrange driver is a great fit to open up the Orange mids, and although the Barefaced is pretty special too my all time favourite with the AD200 is the Berg NV215 (or two NV115s).
To be honest I never got on particularly well with a single NV115 and sold it since I found myself consistently preferring and using the NV215. That said, of all my tube heads (Ampeg, Orange, Fender and Trace Elliott) I most preferred the AD200 with the 115.
Just debuted my sp212 stack with a Kustom kxb500 at an outdoor event with about 120ppl. We did a terrible job of one upping each other on stage volume and the drummer way over played. I do t think he completely closed his high hats the entire time. And I was right next to the drums.
Anyway I pushed the cabs and tried lots of combinations of gain up then master up pushing 500 mids the 700 mids. I think I was missing being able to get that 200-300 low mid punch. Getting very loud I ended up pretty muddy. I discovered that the seller left a moisture packet thing in one of the cabinets so I think that may have been part of the rattling I was getting. Also I'm not sure the stone patio was completely level so that may have been part of it.
Im gonna give it another go next weekend at a much more sensible gig with my regular band. I'm also gonna use my Mxr m81 preamp pedal to get a handle on the midrange (250-1000
Anyway I pushed the cabs and tried lots of combinations of gain up then master up pushing 500 mids the 700 mids. I think I was missing being able to get that 200-300 low mid punch. Getting very loud I ended up pretty muddy. I discovered that the seller left a moisture packet thing in one of the cabinets so I think that may have been part of the rattling I was getting. Also I'm not sure the stone patio was completely level so that may have been part of it.
Im gonna give it another go next weekend at a much more sensible gig with my regular band. I'm also gonna use my Mxr m81 preamp pedal to get a handle on the midrange (250-1000
Attachments
well it was not a quarter sized packet. I had trouble pulling it out of the bottom port. It was a large handful size. I suspect being unlevel had more to do with it. But overall it was not getting the right mid frequency to punch through. I was using a Nate Mendel p bass with custom shop 60s pickups and sadowskys blue label flats with a pick.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,518
- 19,954
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,518
- 19,954
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
It is also great with a pair of NV115's. Here's a not-so-great pic:
Here is someone else experiencing the same buzz.
From a sweetwater review:
Compact thunder
January 30, 2014
some guy in lbc, Los Angeles, CA
Music Background: bass player - unsigned indie scene - LA
The point of this cab is walking into the gig with everything you need in one trip. A giant rig is a blast to play, but, it's giant. How's that spine treating you? This cab can be a viable alternative for some.
I'll start with the most negative thing I've noticed: it's simply not that power efficient. It handles power, but it also *needs* power pumped into it. Compared to the GK 212 Neo cabs that I also own, the SP212 is dramatically quieter at the same settings on the head. Like, different class of volume. And it's probably a valuable comparison, as both cabs are 2x12 and similarly priced.
I'm not saying this cab doesn't get sort of loud, it's just not nearly as loud as some of your other options.
I'm using this with a P bass with a slightly overdriven rock tone, which is actually probably what this cab most wants to do. As such, I'm not missing the tweeter horn this cab doesn't have, nor am I missing the seismic lows that this cab doesn't deliver either.
If your standard tone is a warm, mid-heavy thing, this cab might work well for you.
I played a smaller room with it where the kick drum was mic'd but my bass was not in the mains. The musicians in the crowd commented later that they were surprised that all of the bass came from just that cab. So, it can fill a small room with a 500W class-D head driving it.
If your band is genuinely loud, and your instrument amps have to carry the room, this is probably not a candidate for your main rig.
However, if you're playing a venue that has massive house sound, this may be fine, since the mains are where the work will get done.
Style-wise, the Orange gets respect, so if you want to waltz in to the venue with this little box while the other bass players are dragging around their "small" Ampeg 410HLF boat anchors, you'll suddenly have a bunch of new friends because people want to check out the tiny thunder box. The 410 will still ultimately spank the SP212, but again, if you're not actually using all that headroom, the joke is on you for dragging that thing around. I would know. I have a 410HLF too, and I have bring my truck when I use it. I can just whip the SP212 in the trunk of my car.
When I first unboxed and plugged in the SP212, there was a terrible buzzing sound, and I thought I had a bad unit. Thankfully it turned out to be a silica gel pack that was hidden way back in the port. After rolling the cab over a few times, it fell out, and everything has been fine since then.
So, there's a ton of blab on the SP212. It's a good little box, if you ask the right things from it.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
That's really nice.AD200 with two OBC115's is indeed, very rewarding!
I joined the Orange club last night. I'm getting back into playing after an over 10 year hiatus and I needed a new amp because my little old Peavy has something wrong with it and it's not worth fixing. So I went to order a Crush Bass 50 and ended up with a Crush Bass 100. Next step is a new bass. Here it is next to the Peavy it's replacing.
I joined the Orange club last night. I'm getting back into playing after an over 10 year hiatus and I needed a new amp because my little old Peavy has something wrong with it and it's not worth fixing. So I went to order a Crush Bass 50 and ended up with a Crush Bass 100. Next step is a new bass. Here it is next to the Peavy it's replacing.
Welcome to the club! Crush combos are great practice and live amps! Is it a white or a black panel?
You get #185
Cool, I used to have a white panel, and I hear the new black panels are miles ahead! (Effects loop and redesigned circuit inspired by the OB series).
