loud and clean!!! or120 vs od120

[Gash/bite]

hi there im still on the hunt for that orANGE AMP THAT EATS PEDALS! fuzz pedals that is. lets think univox super fuzz, shin ei, fuzzrite, and big muff. something with punch and low end but a nice fuzzy bristle to coat those power chords! i like synthy octave fuzz obviously. i figure an orange that can stay clean loud with a pedal to chew on will do the trick but i would like to hear some feed back.

[n00b334]

Sounds like the OR120 would work but the OD120 would be more versatile because of the master volume. Have you considered a Hiwatt?

[Gladmarr]

Hiwatt is like an icepick, an OR120 is a fair bit smoother than that. A Hiwatt will never break up, while an OR120 will start to break up at high volume and the highs will roll off a bit correspondingly. If I understand what you're trying to do, an OR120 will be your best bet. I think an OD120 will actually get too compressed to hear what your pedals really sound like. The preamp distortion will begin to mask your pedals.

[OU818]

Hiwatt is like an icepick, an OR120 is a fair bit smoother than that. A Hiwatt will never break up, while an OR120 will start to break up at high volume and the highs will roll off a bit correspondingly. If I understand what you're trying to do, an OR120 will be your best bet. I think an OD120 will actually get too compressed to hear what your pedals really sound like. The preamp distortion will begin to mask your pedals.

No offence intended, but have you ever actually played a Hiwatt?

Icepick? Never. Punchy mids but never icepick highs.

No break up? Well, maybe not quietly but it does have Preamp vol and a Master. It can break up fine at gig levels.

[Gash/bite]

ya im really looking for highs in an amplifier but im really looking for mids and punch. i like upper octave fuzz but my thunderverb hates it. i like its bass response but i want some synthy fuzz i my sound aswell. i hear older orange amps take fuzz better.

[snickerpuss]

You probably can't go wrong with either. Unless it's a steal, be sure to try before you buy. You know anyone with a clone? If you're looking for mids and punch, I mean you just gotta get an amp with the HF drive (fist) on it, right?

[bclaire]

Hiwatt is like an icepick, an OR120 is a fair bit smoother than that. A Hiwatt will never break up, while an OR120 will start to break up at high volume and the highs will roll off a bit correspondingly. If I understand what you're trying to do, an OR120 will be your best bet. I think an OD120 will actually get too compressed to hear what your pedals really sound like. The preamp distortion will begin to mask your pedals.

Listen to Gladmarr... OD Oranges don't work well with pedals - 99% of the time you won't get any boost nor will you even hear a difference. Between the two, you really ought to go OR120.

[a.hun]

Hiwatt is like an icepick, an OR120 is a fair bit smoother than that. A Hiwatt will never break up, while an OR120 will start to break up at high volume and the highs will roll off a bit correspondingly. If I understand what you're trying to do, an OR120 will be your best bet. I think an OD120 will actually get too compressed to hear what your pedals really sound like. The preamp distortion will begin to mask your pedals.

No offence intended, but have you ever actually played a Hiwatt?

Icepick? Never. Punchy mids but never icepick highs.

No break up? Well, maybe not quietly but it does have Preamp vol and a Master. It can break up fine at gig levels.

I think Gladmarr is an owner too, no?

But sure, 'icepicky' isn't how I'd describe them, unless you set the presence and treble that way I suppose. Otherwise smooth and defined would be fairer IMO.

Loud and clean is definitely how I'd describe my '74 though. Setting the channel volumes high won't get distortion on mine until you also get the master pretty high = scary loud for guitar these days. Later ones (especially from the first 2 input models) did have progressively more gain though.

OR120s aren't really compressed either, quite the opposite IMO. They will obviously distort more easily than Hiwatts - they were designed to! But that is a different thing.

Fuzz pedals with an OR could be very hit or miss though. Should be do-able but you'd have to experiment to find the right one(s)...


Andy.

[Gladmarr]

Maybe my Hiwatt is brighter than others. I have a 90s Audio Brothers DR504 reissue - the best reissue since the original Hylights. That thing at 50 watts will clean the wax out of your ears before an OR120 will. The Orange will definitely compress before the Hiwatt. I had to modify the Hiwatt so it would break up a little earlier. It was that clean.

If you do go Hiwatt, you've gotta be really careful when picking one out. The genealogy of those amps is mighty confusing. You basically want a Hylight or an Audio Brothers. The Biacrowns are not quite right, the sterling imports are junk, and anything else is just some kind of amplifier with a Hiwatt badge slapped on it. You've basically gotta do a lot of homework before you go shopping for Hiwatts, so you know what to look for when you see one.

...or go with Hi-Tone http://www.hi-tone-amps.com/

[Gash/bite]

well today i tried an orange plexi pics with black emblem and that thing was amazing. it didnt like lower octave fuzz but it ate everything else and asked for seconds. telecaster deluxe and fuzz factory= *gasp!. exactly what i am looking for. it was in beat condition though. or 120 is the one for me. my new question is: do models from different years all sound the same or is there a significant difference in tone year to year?

[OrangePaul]

The pics/texts version which came out around 74/75 had a slightly different circuit in the PI...

Some prefer the early design some the latter. I have a '75 pics/text

One thing the later version does have over the earlier one is chasis mounted preamp tubes and a bias pot adjustment.

[OR73]

Maybe my Hiwatt is brighter than others. I have a 90s Audio Brothers DR504 reissue - the best reissue since the original Hylights. That thing at 50 watts will clean the wax out of your ears before an OR120 will. The Orange will definitely compress before the Hiwatt. I had to modify the Hiwatt so it would break up a little earlier. It was that clean.

If you do go Hiwatt, you've gotta be really careful when picking one out. The genealogy of those amps is mighty confusing. You basically want a Hylight or an Audio Brothers. The Biacrowns are not quite right, the sterling imports are junk, and anything else is just some kind of amplifier with a Hiwatt badge slapped on it. You've basically gotta do a lot of homework before you go shopping for Hiwatts, so you know what to look for when you see one.

...or go with Hi-Tone http://www.hi-tone-amps.com/

who makes em now? and are they worth a darn?

[Gladmarr]

If you check the hiwatt section of the Vintageamps forum, you'll get some idea of whether or not you want a new one.

[OrangePaul]

They are made by the one and only music ground

Their shops had troubles recently but they managed to keep the HiWatt business going..

[OU818]

Reeves Amps make great Hiwatt style amps as well. They keep them real close to the original with added options like FX Loops, Power Scaling and boosts like in the Jimmy Page model.

If I had to buy a new Hiwatt, I would go for one of these. The build quality is astounding.



http://www.reevesamps.com/custom50100.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I do own a modern Music Grounds Hiwatt as well and it definitely isn't the same amp. Admittedly it is the a Hi Gain model which I got as a backup amp (eBay sole bidder = ridiculously low price). It is meant to be the same circuit as the DR103... it isn't at all.