Ive been playing bass for a year. I have a G&L L2000 Tribute bass and an Eden EC210. I play 60s,70s, and 80s top 40 rock. Just started a band.
I'm thinking about trading the Eden toward an Orange Crush 100. Is the 100 okay for small venues?
I'm even thinking about the OB1-300, but have wondered how it would be for practice in a small room with a group or by myself.
I'll have to make payments, and know I'll miss the aux in for my iPad when practicing by myself.
I have posted This twice, but I'm not getting much response. I will get an Orange combo amp soon. I would really appreciate your input.
As always, "it depends". How loud is your drummer and other guitarist? And how good is your PA for vocals?
Practice volume is not typically a bassist's friend. Loud guitarists can usually turn down, but loud drummers are a bit trickier, as they may be unable to play more quietly without it impacting their performance. A good PA can be used to not only allow the vocalist to be heard, but you could feasibly run a line out from the bass amp into the PA, which is what you would typically do for gigs as well.
If you plan on running out to the PA, pretty much any amp with a DI out should work. If not, then I'd avoid the Crush, simply because a single 15 and 100 watts won't get you very far. That OB1-300 is a bit misleading as well, as it depends on what cab you are running it through. If the total cab load is only 8 ohms (most single cab options), then you won't get the full 300 watts, more like 150-175 watts, and you won't be much louder than the Crush. If you can spring for 2 cabs or a two speaker cab like a 2x12 that runs at 4 ohms, then you get the full 300 watts.
However, in my experience, the OB1 itself is a little tricky, as I've found that there isn't much clean headroom, and you usually need to start blending in the distortion channel if you want to get a louder volume. That distortion obviously changes the tone, so I don't know how many pop songs call for stoner metal-ish fuzzy/grindy distortion.
I actually own both a 4 Stroke and an OB1. The 4 Stroke 300 would probably serve you better than the OB1, simply because it's clean throughout its total volume, and it's way more versatile than the OB1, due to the EQ options. The same ohm/watts situation applies though, and I don't know what your budget is, but that's where I'd start looking if I wanted an Orange in a band situation.
