Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

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NYDolls
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Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by NYDolls » Sat Jun 09, 2018 9:02 pm

So last nite my glam project played out. It was a small room <250. I brought my Rocker 15 combo I purchased this year and they had an "original" Rocker backlined for our 2nd guitarist. I had never heard the original. One of the things that struck me as we were line checking is just how much thicker and larger the cab is vs. my 15! I know its comparing a 10 to a 12 combo, but that said the thickness of the wood was AT LEAST triple, if not more!

Sound-wise the Rocker smoked my amp by a fuc*ing MILE! Maybe even 2 miles.....

The thickness of tones coupled with the better and thicker wood made all the difference.

Mind you, I really enjoy the 15 for grab and go jams and recordings in the studio.

Looks like I'm going to have to track down the original Rocker as the thing had tones for days!

Gray
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Re: Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by Gray » Sat Jun 09, 2018 9:37 pm

The Rocker 15 Combo is $800 and Made in China while the Rocker 30 Combo was $1,600 and Made in England. Not disputing anything you said, just pointing out that these had very different prices to match the differences in sound/construction.

Used prices on R30 Combos are usually around half of what they retailed for so it's a pretty good deal if you want to go after one.

Ronnie Robinson
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Re: Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by Ronnie Robinson » Sun Jun 10, 2018 7:10 am

Yep track down a used Rocker 30 ! brilliant Amp and I'm always interested to hear how the R30 compares to the new ones.... Which I've never heard.

The fact the R30 is still talked about so much with such high esteem shows how highly rated some people (like me) rate these, I've just picked up one about a month ago (the third I've owned) which had been sat in a studio which the owner said he didn't get on with.

In the UK you can easily pick one up for around 300 as such they are a complete steal.
Orange AD30 HTC
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Orange Tiny Terror HW,
Fender elite Start, Gibson SG 61,fender telecaster

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Les Paul Lover
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Re: Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by Les Paul Lover » Sun Jun 10, 2018 1:14 pm

I think if you could run yours through a V30, the difference would be much reduced.

I think the original, especially past 2006, when they upgraded the transformers, sound bigger mainly because of the said bigger transformer to reach 30W, and the EL34.

Someone didnt comparison between the R32 and R30, and whilst there are differences, once played through V30, they aren't all that huge.

That said, tracking, an old R30 combo seems like a simply great idea.
Ant

Orange Gear: RV50 MKI, R30, AD15, PPC212
And.... Genz Benz Black Pearl 30
Past Orange: AD30TC Combo, TT, AD5


Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, Vigier Expert Retro 54, Gibson SG 70s Tribute, Aria Pro II RS X80, G&L ASAT Special Tribute

Surgeon
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Re: Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by Surgeon » Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:42 pm

Sadly I’m not surprised. The various terrors are great amps but I’ve never heard them in a live setting opposite a big bottle amp and found it sounded as rich and powerful. It wasn’t a matter of volume but of frequency response and richness of tone. Mind you, these experiences were all in heavier music.
For example, I quite liked my OR15 but the Rocker 30 head, through the same cab, was much deeper and punchy.
Again: nothing against the terrors, they’re extremely popular for a reason (or many) but, like all tools, they have their limits and the size factor has to come at a price.

satchmodog
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Re: Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by satchmodog » Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:14 pm

Before you go listening to people crapping o. Your Chinese made amp, remember your speakers and valves are new. That other Rocker you're hearing is years old and everything is well worn in, and it makes a difference, even old wood had a different resonance. This constant assailing if Chinese gear is the height of silliness among musicians. I remember people saying the same crap about Japanese gear in the 70s and 80s and now their stuff is second to none. Frankly, the Chinese gear now is far ahead of comparable gear from Japan back then. You can also blame Westerners and their refusal to pay for good pile of poop as part of the issue. The people who want 90 dollar amps get what they pay for, but all my 1000 dollar amps were either made in China or most of their innards are Chinese and they're all flawless. Also, my Chinese epiphone LP for 700$ is so much more a great value than my 4000$ Gibson. After a 120$ pup change, the epiphone plays far better. My frets are perfect, tuners are Grovers and the poly will still be wonderful when the nitro finish looks like ass on the Gibson.
There's nothing wrong either with good quality printed boards. Hand wiring an amp rarely does justify the price difference. Even printed boards need TLC from someone with a soldering iron.

adkguy07
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Re: Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by adkguy07 » Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:22 pm

satchmodog wrote:
Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:14 pm
Before you go listening to people crapping o. Your Chinese made amp, remember your speakers and valves are new. That other Rocker you're hearing is years old and everything is well worn in, and it makes a difference, even old wood had a different resonance. This constant assailing if Chinese gear is the height of silliness among musicians. I remember people saying the same crap about Japanese gear in the 70s and 80s and now their stuff is second to none. Frankly, the Chinese gear now is far ahead of comparable gear from Japan back then. You can also blame Westerners and their refusal to pay for good pile of poop as part of the issue. The people who want 90 dollar amps get what they pay for, but all my 1000 dollar amps were either made in China or most of their innards are Chinese and they're all flawless. Also, my Chinese epiphone LP for 700$ is so much more a great value than my 4000$ Gibson. After a 120$ pup change, the epiphone plays far better. My frets are perfect, tuners are Grovers and the poly will still be wonderful when the nitro finish looks like ass on the Gibson.
There's nothing wrong either with good quality printed boards. Hand wiring an amp rarely does justify the price difference. Even printed boards need TLC from someone with a soldering iron.
Nicely stated. It's true, too. Lots of us complain about owning buzzy sounding amps; and before tubes get burned in and speakers mature in their tone after breaking in.


adkguy07

Les Paul Lover
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Re: Live and in Action - Original Orange Rocker vs. Rocker 15.....

Post by Les Paul Lover » Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:28 pm

I dont think the country if manufacture is the issue, but rather the spec / price point some things are built to.

The terrors are budget amps, but even within the budget market, they're still relatively expensive.

One of the main real improvements on UK gear is the tramsformers, they have higher specs..... but a 15w transformer still remains a 15w transformer. I've had noticed the same thing between a Laney LC15 and Laney LC30 I used to own, the 30w model was punched, had more low end and oomph about it. It was just a plain bigger amp.

Same thing between my AD15 and an AD30 I used to own. The AD30 sounded huge in comparison. I still kept the AD15, as the small combo foot print is a lot more practical for me.
Ant

Orange Gear: RV50 MKI, R30, AD15, PPC212
And.... Genz Benz Black Pearl 30
Past Orange: AD30TC Combo, TT, AD5


Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, Vigier Expert Retro 54, Gibson SG 70s Tribute, Aria Pro II RS X80, G&L ASAT Special Tribute

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