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OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 11:41 am
by mandala-studio
Hi guys,
I got offered a 1973 OR120PA in a trade, and I'm wondering what differences there are between the regular OR120 and the PA version. Is the preamp section the same? Is the power amp the same? Will it sound different? I'm asking this because I know Fender PA's had quite different preamps from the regular silverface amps..
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 1:05 pm
by bclaire
Cool! Welcome to the forum. If you look at the 1973 catalog scans I put up in serial numbers:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4674
you'll see the specifications. It looks like all tube, no solidstate preamp like other ones have had. If you think about it, these are the first master volume amps. Probably sounds really good....
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 1:07 pm
by bclaire
Quick look
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 1:33 pm
by Gladmarr
The PA front end is definitely more rare than the standard OR120, but the PA front end is also not designed to match with guitar. It might sound better with bass, but it’s most likely made to be used with a microphone. If you’re really thinking of using it with a guitar, try it out before you commit. You could probably have one channel desired iternally so it sound better for guitar.
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 1:34 pm
by mandala-studio
It's exactly the four inputs model! Has anyone ever had experience with one of these?
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 1:35 pm
by mandala-studio
Gladmarr wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 1:33 pm
The PA front end is definitely more rare than the standard OR120, but the PA front end is also not designed to match with guitar. It might sound better with bass, but it’s most likely made to be used with a microphone. If you’re really thinking of using it with a guitar, try it out before you commit. You could probably have one channel desired iternally so it sound better for guitar.
Thanks, that's exactly what I'm wondering about
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 2:15 pm
by Jondog
Very cool! I think it would be neat to mod it for guitar if it could be done non-invasively.
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 2:59 pm
by bclaire
My money is on no mods needed....
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sun May 20, 2018 4:03 am
by Gladmarr
mandala-studio wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 1:34 pm
It's exactly the four inputs model! Has anyone ever had experience with one of these?
This?
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Sun May 20, 2018 7:43 am
by mandala-studio
Gladmarr wrote: ↑Sun May 20, 2018 4:03 am
mandala-studio wrote: ↑Sat May 19, 2018 1:34 pm
It's exactly the four inputs model! Has anyone ever had experience with one of these?
This?
Yep, that model indeed
Re: OR120PA - different from regular OR120?
Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 9:35 pm
by Gladmarr
I’m thinking Benny might be right. It almost appears there’s a four input passive mixer going right into the front of a normal OR120 without an FAC knob. Might be just as easy as only using one input.