jimmer_5
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2011
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Hey all,
I think it's become pretty obvious that I am a big fan of Orange Amps. I started with a Dark Terror, progressed to a Jim Root Terror, then graduated to a full boat Rockerverb 50 MKII. Well, after trying out a Rockerverb 100 MKIII recently, I started keeping an eye out, and when I found a deal, I jumped. I figured out that I could get the big 100 watt transformers, but still run it as a true 50 watt head at full power with the switch that cuts out two power tubes. I swore I would never own a 100 watt head again (I certainly don't NEED one) yet here I am.
I have only had about 30-40 minutes to play with the new amp, so I am not 100% ready to spout my opinion, but so far so good. I have learned from long experience that I really need a few days to cement my opinions. That being said, here are my thoughts:
Overall, I think this amp will be a keeper. It's still a relatively simple amp, but I am just scratching the surface of the new features. I am looking forward to A/B'ing it with my Rockerverb 50 MKII, but I am pretty sure you will be seeing the MKII in the classified section shortly. It's an amazing sounding amplifier in it's own right (the dirty channel is just HUGE), but I don't think I will need both.
I think it's become pretty obvious that I am a big fan of Orange Amps. I started with a Dark Terror, progressed to a Jim Root Terror, then graduated to a full boat Rockerverb 50 MKII. Well, after trying out a Rockerverb 100 MKIII recently, I started keeping an eye out, and when I found a deal, I jumped. I figured out that I could get the big 100 watt transformers, but still run it as a true 50 watt head at full power with the switch that cuts out two power tubes. I swore I would never own a 100 watt head again (I certainly don't NEED one) yet here I am.
I have only had about 30-40 minutes to play with the new amp, so I am not 100% ready to spout my opinion, but so far so good. I have learned from long experience that I really need a few days to cement my opinions. That being said, here are my thoughts:
- The power scaling options are a big change. You can also run the amp at 50 and 25 watts by running it at half power, cutting out two of the four power tubes, or doing both. There is a volume drop, but I still see this as more of a tonal palette shift than a way to make the amp more quiet (25 watts is still pretty loud). EDITED TO ADD: Ok, after more time with the amp, I have noticed that the volume drop when you got to 50 and 25 watts is significant. It is a viable way to drop some volume off. The cool part is that the tone is pretty consistent - it loosens up a bit going down to 50 watts (not in a bad way), but the character doesn't really change at all when you drop down to 25 watts from 50 watts. Obviously, it is the tightest at 100 watts, but all the power levels sound great and are usable. I also didn't notice a huge difference in tone and character when dropping out two tubes to hit 50 watts versus using the half power switch to hit 50 watts.
- The attenuator works as advertised. It really allows you to run the amp harder, but keep the volume tamed, and it will go all the way down to silent if you like that
As we all know, you need a certain volume to drive the speakers, and this still applies, but I thought it still sounded pretty good at lower volumes. More experimentation is needed, but I find it remarkable that I can run the head at 100 watts and not blow the doors off
- I need more time with the clean channel - it is definitely brighter and has "more chime". I like it, but I haven't totally nailed down my settings yet. I enjoyed the simplified controls, and enjoyed experimenting with the two band EQ. The older MKII clean channel was warmer and perhaps a bit thicker sounding by nature - not bad, just different. Personally, I prefer the new clean channel, but that may not be the case for all.
- The reverb has been re-voiced as well, and they toned it down A LOT. The old MKII reverb sounded fine, it was just over the top if you turned it up beyond 9:00 on the dial. I was surprised how subtle the new reverb is at low settings - I could hardly hear it until I had it close to halfway up. Not a negative - just more of a change than expected. You can still turn it all the way up and be drenched in huge waves of reverb if you want to go surfing.
- My biggest surprise came in the realization that I don't actually WANT to play that quietly. That's not to say that the attenuator is unnecessary, just that it's not as big of a game changer as I thought it would be. For people who live in apartments or have noise sensitive neighbors, it will be a revelation, but I found myself playing at my normal (louder) volumes, and using the attenuator just changed the way I interacted with the amp. That being said, the attenuator works so well that I can run the amp in full power 100 watt mode. It actually makes the half power and 2/4 power tubes switches less necessary.
Overall, I think this amp will be a keeper. It's still a relatively simple amp, but I am just scratching the surface of the new features. I am looking forward to A/B'ing it with my Rockerverb 50 MKII, but I am pretty sure you will be seeing the MKII in the classified section shortly. It's an amazing sounding amplifier in it's own right (the dirty channel is just HUGE), but I don't think I will need both.
