artifex_adrift's Reviews
44 reviews Back to artifex_adrift's Equipboard
903
Less gain than the Rocker 15? Yes, but more tone.
I own a few Orange amps, and rather than buy a Rocker 15, I took a shot on the Brent Hinds Terror since they are often compared. The dynamic range of the mids was particularly attractive, and after swapping the stock tubes out for a matched trio of Electro-Harmonix gold-pin 12AX7 tubes in the pre-amp and matched pair of Tungsol EL84s in the power stage, this is one of my favorite amps to play. Aside from modular effects in the effects loops, I don't really like running anything through the front of my Orange OR-15. With this thing, however, the two channels provide me with enough tonal comparison, not to mention the headroom/bedroom switch, so I can run effect outputs up the scale from half a watt to 15 watts to try things out. A simple Seismic Amp 2x12 open-back with a couple Celestion Rocket 50s loaded in actually make a really neat and cost effective combo.
903
Awesome concept for a 20 year old amp!
I bought one of these about 20 years ago, and I have to say it has got more than the job done. The top two speakers are canted outward, so you can stand to the side of your amp while playing live and hear what the audience is hearing. I placed two beam blockers on the bottom two straight speakers, and this thing has RIPPED for years now. I eventually replaced the stock speakers with Cream Backs, and it started screaming all over again. This thing stays on stand-by in my shop, because with a Marshall MG 100RCD running any pedal board you can dream up through it, you've got yourself some great solid-state sound.
903
Great Clean Block Amp
This was the first solid state amp head I owned in the late 90s, and I have to say it is great at what it does. At 100 watts it can put out the power with a ton of headroom, and it takes a full compliment of pedals through the front as well as the highly versatile effects loop. There is a padding button and level control for effects, not to mention the VERY decent spring reverb that's onboard. I replaced the stock with a MOD long spring, long decay over a decade ago, and at high enough volumes it has the right amount of "washiness" if you care to dial it in via knob. As a "four" channel (two channel, each with press-button option), it can stand on its own. But I love modding pedals and running it through this thing first on a 4x12 cab.
903
Perfect little amp to have around for tests or practice
I swapped out the stock preamp tube with an Electro-Harmonix Gold-Pin 12AX7 High Gain tube, and this amp can give me perfect cleans for surf music or crank up to a very decent crunch. Decent enough to record with, and when layering tracks it sounds like a much more powerful amplifier. It responds very well to running distortion pedals through the front, and the FX loop is indispensable. Being able to run a reverb pedal in the loop on a sturdy 1x12 cab makes this amp sound larger than life, and at 20 watts it can certainly hold its own.