Contemplating move to Orange. soliciting advice

[brianbauer]

I am looking to make a move from my Germino Club 40 (JTM clone) to an Orange Rockerverb. I want something with a bit more gain and love the sound of Orange based on demoing a few

I have been looking at a few used rockerverb's on the market and had a few questions i was hoping the experts here could help me with

1) one option i am considering is a mk2 50w 1x12 combo. I am playing through a 2x12 THD cab today with their stock speakers but am not real happy with them on my current rig. My question. Do you think a 1x12 combo will be enough in a band practice/gigging situation with a pretty loud drummer? i know i could augment with a 2x12 cab but would prefer to either go 1x12 combo or head/2x12. my amp is miked most times when i gig out

2) the other option i am considering is a RV 50 mk1 head. I am interested in one with black tolex. The one i found online has a orange back metal cover over the power tube section on the head. Was this normal for the mk1? i noticed the metal back cover on the mk2 is black but havent been able find any mk1 pics from the rear view.

3) Anything else a newbie to Oranges should be looking out for when
purchasing a used rockerverb?

Your help is much appreciated. Looking forward to contributing to the forum in the future.

Brian

[Les Paul Lover]

Only one piece of advice: come to the orange side, quick!


More seriously, i have a RV50 mk1 head, it's an amazing amp.

You'll enjoy it more with a 212, but either way should be plenty loud enough - and more than nice enough!

No idea what black covering you refer to though? Pics?

[Ohara]

Welcome to the forum

I can't answer all your questions but can answer a couple of them

1- Yes a 1x12 is loud enough as that is what I use on stage and can hear myself fine, especially if you are micing as you generally have stage monitors so make sure you run your guitar through your monitor so that you can hear yourself. If you need more stage volume a second 1x12 cab is great if you are looking for portability, this also allows you to place the speakers at different spots on the stage to actually fill the stage with your sound, just depends on how much you move around. You also have the option that if you are micing the amp, you could always place it in front of you and use it as your own personal monitor as the FoH will be projecting the sound to the audience.

2- Never owned one, and honestly can't remember from the last time I was looking at one so sorry can't help on your question.

3- Oranges are the same as all the other amps when buying used. Look for signs of abuse, make sure all the knobs work the way they should when the amp is actually turned on and you are playing it. Tubes are always hit and miss, you never know how many hours the previous owner has on them, and you never actually know how many hours you can expect to get from a tube, if you power up and down properly (such as leaving it on standby at first start, and again putting it on standby when you are done playing for a minute or so will prolong the life of your tubes) problem is you have no idea if the previous owner followed these simple steps or not. Always check the amp for visible signs of it being apart, cause you also have no clue what the previous owner has done inside of the amp so take a quick look over to make sure everything looks the way it should. Check the power chord for visible signs of breakage or cuts (have bought an amp in the past with a sliced power chord) just for safety sake, plus it also gives you a clue as to how well the guy looks after his gear. When you look around while at the sellers house, take a look around the house as a general rule of thumb is that if they can't look after where they live, why would they bother looking after an amp (not always the case, but kind of like buying a car that is covered in dirt).

Hope this helps you out a bit, and post pics of whichever amp you choose when you decide to buy

[macg1]

I just left the Marshall camp. I am never looking back. The Germino is one of the finest marshall-amps out there, but if more gain, Orange will never disappoint!

[Randy Bass]

Yes, the orange metal back panel is normal on some older models with black tolex and yes, it looks silly. I'm glad to see that they have fixed that now, but I think all Orange back panels should be white to match the chassis as well as the footswitch enclosures. Anything metal should not be painted orange on an Orange.

[Les Paul Lover]

Do you mean that panel? That's a pic of my own RV50 MKI in black:

[jason41224]

a 112 will give you plenty of volume, but a more boxier sound. a 212 will sound fuller, but at the expense of your back muscles.

[brianbauer]

Yes, that is the back cover i was referring to. The RV50 mk1 i am looking at has an orange cover instead of black but has black tolex. Was wondering if that was stock or if the guys changed something.

Thanks

[irish_admiral]

1. Depends on the sensitivity of the speaker - if you're planning on using a 112, sure you thought of it anyway, but make sure the speaker has enough watts to handle what the amp is putting out.

It'll be enough for the stage & a hard hitting drummer in any circumstance, but the caveat is that you stand close enough to hear it, or tilt it back / hoist it up so it's pointing at your head. If you stand far away from it, you might want to think about a 212, 412 or higher sensitivity speakers. Alternately, use what you like & get some of your amp in your monitor, if you have them.

Many ways to skin this cat...

2. Answered above.

3. Just the usual for any amp. For Mk I RV50s, keep an eye out for issues with the reverb. There was a batch with some faulty cables which led to some noise issues. It was easily fixable with a new cable, but might give you some negotiating flex on price etc if you get a Mk I with this problem unsolved.

[Borderline Productions]

My guess on the black MKI head is that they put black tolex on an amp that had the orange metal when they first were trying this idea out. The problem with the reverb wires was early in the production of the MKIs.

A 112 cab/combo sounds like it would strangle the beast inside the RV50. It would be loud enough, but like someone said above, make sure it can handle the power load. The amp likes V30s for speakers, not sure if one can handle 50 watts. You could solve this problem by getting better speakers in you current cab.

[David Verb]

a 112 will give you plenty of volume, but a more boxier sound. a 212 will sound fuller, but at the expense of your back muscles.

And a 412 that has no wheels...?

[jason41224]

well, let's just say your chiropractor's wife won't like it.