Any of you guys gigging/recording with a AD200B? Would be very interested in your opinions and experiences.
Thanks
Thanks
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Orange
- Thread starter hired hand
- Start date
i gig/use a AD200B MK3. Great amp. It's got a real nice thick tube tone (clean). I like the overdriven and distorted tone as well (gain maxed), but some here don't like that tone as much.
It's a nice amp. Do you have any specific questions about it?
It's a nice amp. Do you have any specific questions about it?
markjazzbassist-
I am looking for something for our backline company. So just kind of wondering how well they hold up to the rigors of gigging, if they are easy to work on, hand wired or PCB? I know that Reeves makes a nice head. I appreciate your feed back.
Thanks a Lot
I am looking for something for our backline company. So just kind of wondering how well they hold up to the rigors of gigging, if they are easy to work on, hand wired or PCB? I know that Reeves makes a nice head. I appreciate your feed back.
Thanks a Lot
the MK3's are PCB, if you find a MK1 or 2 they are Hand wired Point to Point. They hold up well on the road (has for me). For tubes it has 4 6550's (or KT88's on the MK3) for Power amp, and 2 12Ax7's and 1 12AT7 in the preamp.
I wouldn't know if they are easy to work on, i have a tech that does all my work. sorry.
I was convinced the MK3s were still hand wired until I read this. Do you know why they switched?
if you want a new orange head thats hand wired, you could look to their american made sister company.
www.electricamp.com
www.electricamp.com
- Jun 3, 2006
- 780
- 9
- Disclosures
- Endorse:Artus-Basshanger-Dava-EC-Hartke-Orange-InEarz-SHS-Tigi
now you have me GASing for one of those amps!
curse you...
CURSE YOU!!!
so are they made by the same people as orange or what?
curse you...
CURSE YOU!!!
so are they made by the same people as orange or what?
Thanks for this SoLongJake, I've known about Reeves being an alternative to HIWATT for a while, I always wondered if there was one for Orange.
from what i've heard, the original orange amps were made by a company called matamp. Somewhere along the line orange started building for themselves. matamp sort of never stopped making them after that, and just made their own company. a LOT of bad blood between them. hehe.
Yeah that's kind of like what happened with Fernandes and Music City/Hiwatt UK, the HIWATT US brand name has been dragged through the mud ever since, despite the fact that Hiwatt custom heads are still designed and built in the custom shop in England, no matter where you order it from...
Well, sort of.
Orange was originally a studio, and contracted the original run of "Orange Amps" from Matamp. They actually said Orangematamp on the front panel. Eventually Orange started making their own amps, while Matamp continued on it's own path.
Flash forward to 1994: Joel Wheeler goes to see the band Sleep in concert, and noticed that they're using Green Amps. Like Orange, but with Green tolex, and different tones. Turns out these amps were inspired by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, and sound absolutely fantastic when overdriven. Joel immediately tries to get a Green head for himself, but the company won't ship overseas, because it's a small custom shop and they simply don't have the money. Eventually Joel preforms some Voodoo magic and get's like 1/2 priced shipping, so they send the head. He becomes such an advocate that he becomes head of the newly created Matamp USA, which handles American distribution. But Matamp USA and Matamp UK have some falling out, much of it having to do with the incredible volume that some Green users (like the great Al Cisneros) play at, and the image of the whole "Stoner Rock" scene. Eventually the two settled on the idea that Matamp USA would become Electric Amp USA and continue to provide similar heads as the Greens, while Matamp UK would go on to focus their energy elsewhere. And here we are today.
Orange was originally a studio, and contracted the original run of "Orange Amps" from Matamp. They actually said Orangematamp on the front panel. Eventually Orange started making their own amps, while Matamp continued on it's own path.
Flash forward to 1994: Joel Wheeler goes to see the band Sleep
in concert, and noticed that they're using Green Amps. Like Orange, but with Green tolex, and different tones. Turns out these amps were inspired by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, and sound absolutely fantastic when overdriven. Joel immediately tries to get a Green head for himself, but the company won't ship overseas, because it's a small custom shop and they simply don't have the money. Eventually Joel preforms some Voodoo magic and get's like 1/2 priced shipping, so they send the head. He becomes such an advocate that he becomes head of the newly created Matamp USA, which handles American distribution. But Matamp USA and Matamp UK have some falling out, much of it having to do with the incredible volume that some Green users (like the great Al Cisneros) play at, and the image of the whole "Stoner Rock" scene. Eventually the two settled on the idea that Matamp USA would become Electric Amp USA and continue to provide similar heads as the Greens, while Matamp UK would go on to focus their energy elsewhere. And here we are today.theres a page somewhere that has that whole matamp us/uk history. i read it a couple years back, pretty interesting, i'll see if i can dig it up.
I own a orange ad200 mk1. One of the few i've ever even heard about.
the mk1 and mk2's were handmade units all built by the same guy (ade emsley) in the orange customshop. The total production of the mk1's and mk2's were..app 90 units.. (!!!) so they ARE pretty rare. The demand for the amps were higher than the rate they could produce them so they unfortunately had to outsource the production. but why they switched to PCB's when the went into production is a mystery to me.
before the ad200 there was also made an ad140B which was made in limited number of units. They also produced a couple of 8x10's to accompany the ad140B but those a super-rare!
Orange was a shop on Denmarkstreet i London which ordered matamp-amps in orange tolex. Later they went past matamp and removed orange-matamp on the front so it just said orange.
about buildquality.. i've had my ad200 since early 2003 (it was build in 2001) and I have never(!!!!) changed the tubes.. (now it's starting to be really tired in volume so it's time for a change of tubes) and it still runs flawlessly.. it has been turned on without load, it has been switched of and moved outside to the my car and the cold before the tubes had the time to cool of a number of times.. i've dropped the head from knee-high onto the floor... it can't be built tougher than it is..
so.. if you like the tone it's a beast.
the mk1 and mk2's were handmade units all built by the same guy (ade emsley) in the orange customshop. The total production of the mk1's and mk2's were..app 90 units.. (!!!) so they ARE pretty rare. The demand for the amps were higher than the rate they could produce them so they unfortunately had to outsource the production. but why they switched to PCB's when the went into production is a mystery to me.
before the ad200 there was also made an ad140B which was made in limited number of units. They also produced a couple of 8x10's to accompany the ad140B but those a super-rare!
Orange was a shop on Denmarkstreet i London which ordered matamp-amps in orange tolex. Later they went past matamp and removed orange-matamp on the front so it just said orange.
about buildquality.. i've had my ad200 since early 2003 (it was build in 2001) and I have never(!!!!) changed the tubes.. (now it's starting to be really tired in volume so it's time for a change of tubes) and it still runs flawlessly.. it has been turned on without load, it has been switched of and moved outside to the my car and the cold before the tubes had the time to cool of a number of times.. i've dropped the head from knee-high onto the floor... it can't be built tougher than it is..
so.. if you like the tone it's a beast.
