Tulossa huomenna… Coming up tomorrow… Spector
Review: Orange Terror Bass TB500C-212
****
Orange Amplification have a long and illustrious tradition in the building of guitar and bass amplifiers, a fact that shows in many of the company’s current products.
But that doesn’t mean that Orange are a backward-facing company – far from it. The brand-new Terror Bass combo, for example, is very much a contemporary product – a compact, yet powerful valve-hybrid amp.
****
The Orange Terror Bass TB500C-212 (current RRP in Finland: 994 €) melds the company’s 500-Watt BT-500H-head with their 2 x 12″ SP-212-cabinet.
The Orange TB500C is a valve-hybrid amplifier, which in this case means that its preamp section is powered by two 12AX7 valves. The tubes imbue the combo with a warm basic tonality, nicely seasoned with mild and organic compression. I’d also wager that a bit of overdrive will be on the menu at some point.
The power amp, on the other hand, uses modern technology to its best advantage: A Class D amplifier manages to produce lots of volume in a very energy efficient way. Because this technology cuts down drastically on heat dissipation as a byproduct of amplification, manufacturers are now able to build smaller and lighter amps.
Orange’s Smart Power bass cabinets are built according to the isobaric principle.
An isobaric speaker cabinet basically uses two identical speakers – in the TB500C’s case two 12-inch neodymium speakers – mounted one behind the other in a straight line, resulting in fatter tones and more sound pressure than you’d expect from a relatively compact design.
Take a look at Orange’s own video to get more of an insight into their Smart Power cabinets:
But we bassists needn’t trouble ourselves with too much theory, we only have to use the combo.
The front panel is typical of Orange-amps: There are the famous pictograms above the clearly labelled controls for gain and master volume, as well as the three-band EQ section, which make it even easier to know your way around the amp.
The amplifier section is connected to the combo’s speaker using the provided Speakon-lead.
Because the amplifier allows you to daisy-chain two cabinets…
…you will find the necessary impedance switch on the back panel underneath the Speakon-jack.
The other connectors on the back panel are for the effects chain and the balanced DI-output.
****
Whoa, watch out – this combo is a real shouter!
I’ve got to admit right away that I tend to dislike the use of single 12-inch speakers in bass amps. More often than not I find these designs to lack real bottom end and transparency in their tonal delivery.
But this isn’t a thing that you could accuse the Orange Terror Bass of, by any stretch of the imagination! The isobaric Smart Power cabinet is quite a different beast, sounding large and muscular, with more than enough clarity and punch for most applications.
In terms of its basic sound the Orange TB500C is clearly a dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying member of the Orange-family: If you’re looking for extreme clarity and hi-fi-style response, this isn’t really the right amp for you. We’re talking about earthy and muscular bass tones here. Dialling in more gain gradually adds delicious grit and graininess to proceedings. Above 3 o’clock on the gain control any bass will drive the Orange well into classic, glorious overdrive.
Even though the Terror Bass combo is part of Orange’s cost-conscious Terror-range, I am rather sure this powerful and compact bass amp will find its way into many professional backlines.
I recorded the audio clips using my trusty Japanese 1985 Squier Jazz Bass and my own P-Man bitser equipped with a MM-humbucker and passive controls:
****
Orange Terror Bass TB500C-212
current RRP in Finland: 994 €
Finnish distributor: Musamaailma
Pros:
+ size
+ power
+ valve preamp
+ sound
+ weight
****
Testipenkissä: Orange Terror Bass TB500C-212
****
Orange Amplificationilla on hyvin pitkä perinne kitara- ja bassovahvistimien valmistuksessa, ja se näkyy monissa firman nykyisissä tuotteissakin.
Se ei kuitenkaan tarkoita, ettei Orange olisi avoin myös uudelle teknologialle. Esimerkkinä kelpaa hyvin upouusi Terror Bass -kombo, joka on kompakti, mutta silti tehokas nykyaikainen putkihybridivahvistin.
****
Orange Terror Bass TB500C-212 (994 €) yhdistää firman 500-wattisen BT-500H-nupin ja kahdella 12-tuumaisella varustetun SP-212-kaapin yhdeksi kombovahvistimeksi.
Orange TB500C on putkihybridivahvistin, mikä tarkoittaa Bass Terrorin tapauksessa, että sen etuvahvistin on rakennettu käyttäen kahta 12AX7-putkea. Putkilla saa aikaiseksi lämpimän perussoundin, joka on valmiiksi höystetty miedolla ja orgaanisella kompressiolla, ja myös aitoa putkisäröä voi odottaa tästä kombosta.
Päätevahvistin taas käyttää huipputehokasta, mutta kevyttä nykyteknologiaa: D-luokan päätevahvistin pystyy tuottamaan paljon ääntä – tässä tapauksessa 500 wattia (rms) – hyvin kompakteilla komponenteilla ja energiatehokkaasti vähällä hukkalämmöllä.
Orangen Smart Power -bassokaapit rakennetaan isobaarisen toimintaperiaatteen mukaisesti.
Isobaarisessa kaapissa käytetään kahta samanmallista kaiutinta – TB500C:n tapauksessa kaksi 12-tuumaista, kevyttä neodyymi-kaiutinta – asennettuna peräkkäin samassa linjassa. Lopputulos on syvempi bassotoisto ja isompi äänenpaine verrattuna samankokoiseen perinteiseen bassokaappiin.
Tässä on Orangen oma video, jossa Smart Power -kaappien isobaarista teknologiaa esitellään tarkemmin:
Mutta Orange Terror Bass -kombo ei vaivaa basistia lainkaan sen sisäisellä teknologialla.
Ulospäin näkyy vain varsin perinteinen Orange-etupaneeli, joka tarjoaa gain- ja master-säätimien lisäksi kolmialueisen EQ-osaston.
Vahvistimen- ja kaappipuolien liittäminen tapahtuu mukaantulevalla Speakon-johdolla.
Koska kaksi Orange-kaappia pystyy ketjuttaa…
…löytyy vahvistimen takapaneelista kaiutinlähdön alla myös impedanssikytkin.
Muut liittimet ovat efektilenkin lähtö- ja tulojakki, sekä balansoitu DI-lähtö mikseriin.
****
Whoa, watch out – tästä paketista lähtee rutkasti ääntä!
Täytyy myöntää, etten ole yksittäisellä 12-tuumaisella varustettujen bassokombojen suurin ystävä. Usein niiden soundi on melko honottava ja vähän puuroinen alhaisessa keskialueessa.
Orangen Terror Bass -kombo on kuitenkin ihan oma tapauksensa! Isobaarinen Smart Power -kaappi kuulostaa ilahduttavan isolta ja lihaksikkaalta, ja myös potkua löyttyy mielin määrin.
Soundillisesti Orangen TB500C kuuluu selvästi samaan perheeseen kuin muut Orangen bassovahvistimet: täällä ei hifistellä, vaan tarjolla on reilu annos maanläheistä bassottelua. Gain-namikan avaaminen lisää menoon aluksi vain hieman lämpöä ja särmikästä rosoisuutta, mutta liikeradan loppupuoliskolla astuu kuvaan myös herkullista putkisäröä.
Vaikka Terror Bass -kombo on osaa Orangen edullisemmasta Terror-sarjasta, olen melko varma, että tämä voimapesä löytää tiensä myös monen ammattibasistin backlineen.
Äänitin seuraavat esimerkipätkät japanilaisella Squier Jazz -bassolla, sekä passivisella MM-humbuckerilla varustetulla P-Man-bassollani:
****
Orange Terror Bass TB500C-212
994 €
Maahantuoja: Musamaailma
Plussat:
+ koko
+ teho
+ putkietuaste
+ soundi
+ paino
****
Review: LTD MH-330FR + ESP Horizon FR-II SD
****
ESP Guitars offer plenty of different guitar models for the modern Wunder-widdler. The most classic of these is probably the Horizon – a typical Superstr*t featuring two humbuckers and a Floyd Rose -bridge.
Kitarablogi.com selected two Horizons for this review:
The LTD MH-330FR, which comes with two active ESP-pickups…
…as well as the pukka ESP Horizon FR-II SD equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncans.
****
The LTD MH-330FR (current price in Finland: 489 €) is a sleek and stylish piece of work, with the Electric Blue finish adding its own bit of panache.
The same cool finish is also applied to the maple neck and the back of the mahogany body.
All of the MH-330FR’s hardware comes in black nickel, which shines in a smoky, dark-greyish way.
The capsuled Gotoh-style tuners are of decent quality. A volute strengthens the area underneath the top nut to prevent breakages.
A beautiful piece of rosewood has been chosen for the LTD’s bound fretboard, which sports stylish inlays, as well as 24 nicely finished jumbo-sized frets.
The chamfered neck joint makes reaching the dusty end more comfortable, compared to a standard old-school bolt-on joint.
The MH-330FR’s active ESP-pickups look rather similar to EMG-units.
The controls comprise a master volume and a master tone, with a three-way blade switch for pickup selection.
A nice touch: The battery compartment lid is fastened with machine screws, which grip into metal inlets. This is a much better way of doing this than using plain wood screws.
The clean workmanship is carried over into the electronics cavity also, with graphite paint and aluminium foil taking care of shielding against interference.
The LTD’n Floyd Rose Special –vibrato is a decent-quality, less expensive licensed Floyd Rose, manufactured in South Korea. The most important difference between the Special and the full-blown versions lie in the cast bridge saddles and vibrato block. The Floyd Rose Original is equipped with steel saddles and a brass vibrato block.
Another nifty feature: Two openings in the MH-330FR’s spring cover allow you to adjust spring tension without having to remove the cover!
****
ESP’s Horizon FR-II (current price in Finland: 1.929 €) is a fine example of top-quality, Japanese workmanship. This model is part of the company’s high-quality Standard-range, and it is built with a through-neck.
The body is made up from two mahogany wings on the back, and topped off with a gorgeous flame maple top on its front side.
Depending on the finish, the Horizon FR-II either comes with black nickel hardware, or, as is the case with our Dark Brown Sunburst –finished test sample, with chrome hardware.
The tuners are genuine Gotohs.
The workmanship displayed on the LTD-Horizon was already on a high level, but the ESP-Horizon leaves you in no doubt that it is a pro-quality instrument: The smooth ebony board sports 24 jumbo frets, which have been finished carefully to give you the smoothest ride possible.
A very smooth neck-joint, indeed…
The ESP Horizon FR-II is also available with active EMG-units, but our review guitar is the SD-version, which has a Seymour Duncan ’59-model mounted in the neck position, with a JB-model near the bridge (JB = Jeff Beck).
The master volume is equipped with a nifty, spring-loaded push/push-switch. The up-position splits the Horizon’s humbuckers for singlecoil-type tones.
Outstanding workmanship coupled with quality parts – the mark of a top-class instrument.
Here we’ve got the real deal: A Schaller-made Floyd Rose Original –vibrato with steel saddles and a brass block.
The ESP Horizon comes with its own case.
****
The specifications read ”Thin U Neck Contour”, and I was a bit worried the neck might feel a little unsubstantial and 1980s-style flat. But I needn’t have worried: The LTD’s neck profile is a slim D, which still gives you plenty of flesh for easy playing and good sustain.
The MH-300FR’s Floyd itself works nicely, although I experienced some annoying trouble with the vibrato bar. I couldn’t get the damn thing to stay attached firmly to the vibrato. In use the threaded collar would work loose, causing the bar to start flapping around instead of staying put. Let’s hope this isn’t an endemic problem, but rather a one-off glitch on the review guitar’s Floyd.
Soundwise the LTD MH-300FR is a typical active electric guitar, with a very open and linear tone. Especially the mid-range stays much cleaner and more transparent than on most passive, humbucker-equipped guitars.
Here are two examples (both starting with the neck humbucker):
****
The ESP Horizon FR-II is very light and plays like a dream. The neck profile is a tad flatter than that used on the LTD, but still steers well clear of uninspiring flatness.
The fantastic fretwork and flat fingerboard camber result in a fast and extremely smooth playing feel – perfect for large bends.
The Floyd Rose Original is still the number one locking vibrato in my opinion, and it works just as it should on the ESP.
The Horizon FR-II sounds warmer and more organic, when compared to its less expensive LTD-brethren. The sound might be too warm for some Thrash Metal guitarists, but overall its earthy quality seems much more versatile to me.
Splitting the humbuckers gives you three more colours to work with, further broadening the ESP’s palette.
The example tracks both start with split humbucker (neck – both – bridge) before continuing with the full settings in the same order (neck – both – bridge):
****
This review left me in no doubt as to ESP’s guitar-making kudos – these are fine instruments.
The mid-price LTD MH-330FR is a serious guitar, with just the right active tones to satisfy the Hard Rock and Metal posse.
ESP’s Horizon FR-II is a top-drawer guitar for the virtuoso guitarist.
ESP Horizon FR-II & LTD MH-330FR – the audio track from the video
****
ESP ja LTD –electric guitars
Finnish distributor: Musamaailma
****
LTD MH-330FR
489 €
Pros:
+ bang-for-the-buck
+ workmanship
+ playability
+ active pickups/sound
+ Floyd Rose -vibrato
Cons:
– loose wang bar on our review sample
****
ESP Horizon FR-II Seymour Duncan
1.929 €
Pros:
+ top-quality Japanese instrument
+ workmanship
+ playability
+ coil-split
+ sound
+ Floyd Rose Original -vibrato
****
