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That’s a great bass record!

It’s the Voice of Bass this month at Orange and I have been asked to recommend some albums that celebrate some of the best rumbling bass lines known to the music industry. I have decided to pick albums because at heart I am a hipster who listens to vinyl and I also struggle to pick one song from an album. In this list I have picked some classic songs but I have also tried to steer clear of the really obvious ones such as “Another one bites dust” has i’m afraid been left out, anyway let’s go!

Stone Roses – Stone Roses

For me you cannot have list about bass without Manny being involved, i’ve chosen to showcase his work in the Stone Roses (easily could have picked ‘Screamadelica’) and the band’s debut album. The opening song ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ starts with a cacophony of sounds, then the rumbling bass tone comes in and brings in the rest of the band. I could have picked any of the songs on this great album, from the bass line that opens ‘She Bangs the Drums’ all the way through to the bass riff that is the main groove of the albums eight minute finale ‘I Am the Resurrection’. What impresses me so much is the groove that goes through all of Manny’s playing and how he is always locked in with Reni. They are one of the best rhythm sections I have ever seen live.

Paul Simon – Graceland

I made a promise to myself that I would not have slap bass in any of these selections and already I have broken my rule (I also think there is another one later as well). But in my defence, this is here because of the musicianship that occurs across the album and the standout part is the bass playing, closely followed by the drumming!  I had to choose as the example ‘You Can Call Me Al’ mainly because of the bass solo that occurs at 3.44, yes I know it is a slap bass solo but sometimes, just sometimes they can be done well. Throughout the album the bass is the key component in the songwriting, especially on ‘The Boy in the Bubble’ and ‘Graceland’ it takes centre stage with carefully considered slides and beats in the bass line that propel the songs forward.

Lou Reed – Transformer

Lou Reed’s ‘Transformer’ is a great record for many different reasons, the iconic bass line that makes up it’s most famous track ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ is one of the main reasons. The iconic sound was created by interlocking bass lines played on a double bass and then overlaying a bass guitar line over the top. Herbie Flowers who played bass on the track came up with the idea so he was able to charge double for his work on the track! Herbie played bass across many of the tracks except for “Perfect Day”, “Goodnight Ladies”, “Satellite of Love” and “Make Up” which Klaus Voorman played on. If you haven’t checked this album out (one where have you been?) I recommend it very highly.

Alexisonfire – Old Crows/Young Cardinals

Described by the band as being “f**king heavy” Alexisonfire’s final album before their hiatus opens with the grizzled bass tone of “Old Crows.” The album is full of great moments of bass playing with Chris Steele locking in with drummer Jordan Hastings through out. I picked this track mainly because of the tone that starts the track off, another highlight on the album is the locked in groove of “The Northern.” This slightly slower paced track sits in the middle of the album and has a classic bass tone and groove.

Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine.

It couldn’t be a list without Rage Against the Machine! But you can’t have a bass list without Timmy C from Rage Against the Machine. This album has so many high points for a 4 string player it’s a masterclass in different techniques. From the start of “Bombtrack” with the staccato finger playing to the slap bass from “Take The Power Back” (sorry about more slap bass.) This album should be taught to every bass player! I chose “Know Your Enemy” because the bass line has such a groove and swagger in the intro and then it just switches back on itself into a walking bass line for the verse with such ease. The album is full of musicianship like this, from start to finish not only is it a great record but exceptional bass record.

fin.

So i’ve missed out a lot of other great records for bass, I know but I made a decision to only choose five so you guys could comment and let me know more. Maybe you found some records that had passed you by and this makes you check them out. Leave in the comments your recommendations and I will check them out!

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Voice of Bass – Simone Vignola

Hello everybody, I’m Simone Vignola bassist and songwriter from Italy. Today, I’m here with my best travelling partner – This Orange Amplifier that I use both in live and studio sessions. You just listened to “Naufrago” It is my last album’s title track.

I’m playing these songs live just with bass and vocals as an evolution of my solo project which gives me the opportunity to play by myself with bass and vocals along with a complete background sound, the sound I can build thanks to this amplifier. Actually, the head I’m using is the new Terror Bass, a very new model which kind of looks like the Terror Bass 1000s little sister that I used during the last period.

A simple amplifier is what I need, I can control bass, mids and high in an easy and vintage way simply with a little knob. Just volume and gain and I can reach without any other additional gear a sound that seems already compressed and controllable even when I play with my loop station.

Obviously, my followers know that my style is funky oriented and Orange is often considered a rock amplifier but now we’ll try to change this point of view like transforming a cap into a hat and so the transformation of a rock amplifier into a funky one. I’m very very happy to talk about this.

Moreover here we have the isobaric 2×12 cabinet. There are two 12″ front facing speakers in an isobaric way. An excellent product that gives us a full low range covering but also a nice presence for slapping and for those techniques I like to use, so it gives me a great sound support. And today, this amplifier supports the Bellavista’s horse too. It was part of this video.

Goodbye everybody with another song called “Love Song.” A kiss.

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Interview: Gorilla’s Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane, take us back to the beginning – what triggered your interest in music?
Sarah Jane: I come from a musical household where my dad would experiment with home made hi-fi speakers and play bands such as The Beatles, Beach Boys, Johnny Cash and Dylan, as well as church and choral music. My mum, brother and sisters were also into music and would dabble in guitar, piano and singing. When high school came around, my older brother introduced me to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Doors, and it was around this time I bought one of my first records which was Hendrix live. After that I just wanted to play guitar like him, he was a huge inspiration! Strawberry Fields was also a mind blowing experience when I first heard it.

When I was around 18 I started playing my brother’s Les Paul and I stuck with guitar for about three years on and off, before switching to bass, mostly just because I found it more fun to play, and as we all know, bass is obviously the most important part of a bands sound… After about a year of practice, I joined my first band ‘The Morticians’. I never had any formal lessons as I A. couldn’t afford them and B. I preferred to develop my own style mainly playing by ear, using some tabs and watching videos of The Who, Black Sabbath and jamming with my own band. My advise to beginners would be to play what you want – the whole beauty of rock ’n’ roll is that there is no rules, so ignore the idiots trying to tell you otherwise. Do whatever you need to do to develop the style and sound that suits your own music, whether that is playing with others in a band or having lessons and learning covers, whatever you feel the most beneficial.

You mention your first band The Morticias, how did your current band Gorilla come to life?
Sarah Jane: When The Morticians split around 1999 guitarist Johnny and I decided to get another drummer and keep going as Gorilla, and we’ve been going ever since with different drummers. We’re currently on number 15 – they get worn out! Our latest victim Ryan is great, and has given us a new lease of life and inspiration, we’ve always just wanted to play music inspired by the bands we love ourselves, such as The Who, Black Sabbath, Grand Funk Railroad, Budgie, Blue Cheer, The Beatles, Jethro Tull, Mountain – you know, basically heavy 60s and 70s rock, which still remains our main influences. In the beginning we just scored as many gigs as we could until we got lucky and spotted by the bassist from Melvins who pitched us to a Swedish punk rock label who ended up releasing our first LP. We’ve released three full length LPs, one split LP and a single, with another album in the works.

Gorilla at London’s Dublin Castle in 2002 – Vintage Orange 1974 OR120 Amp with old Orange 4×12

Wow, drummer number 15! In true Spinal Tap spirit. What can you tell us about the upcoming album?
Sarah Jane: We’re heading to a new studio called North Down Sound in Folkestone which has lots of analogue equipment and is run and engineered by a friend called Mole, he loves the old vintage valve sounds and equipment. Musically you can expect maximum riffage, high energy rock ’n’ roll, basic ‘full on f*ck the safety net’ hell ride, in other words, business as usual Gorilla style! It will be released in June on Heavy Psych Sounds so keep an eye at our social media for updates and announcements.

Do you remember your first ever encounter with Orange?
Sarah Jane: I first saw Orange gear when watching Beatclub Videos where the Orange amps just looked and sounded awesome, all the bands I loved seemed to use them too, so I just knew nothing else would do!

What’s your own history and experience with Orange?
Sarah Jane: My first piece of Orange equipment I owned was a hard wired (no kettle lead) Early OR120 I purchased in 2001 from a friend for £250. I didn’t know how to date this amp so phoned the Orange Factory and spoke to a very nice bloke called Jeff, who had apparently worked there from the early days of Orange. After I got the amp I needed a cab to go with it, and luckily my guitarist from GORILLA,  Johnny, had a ‘spare’ 4 x12 which sounded amazing paired with it. The cab had it’s original Celestion speakers and was actually 15 ohms! The cab was previously owned by NWOBHM band, May West, and the logo was sprayed on the bottom. I had a standby switch fitted onto the back of the amp to preserve the valves as it didn’t have one.

The second Orange amp I acquired was sold to me from a friend for £100 in the same year, a late 70’s graphic model. This amp didn’t sound as good as my early OR120. Jeff told me that this could be because they had ‘drop mounted transformers’, which apparently were not as good as the early amps.

Sarah Jane with her 70s Hustler.

In 2003 I was walking past my local music shop and spotted in the window a flash of orange colour underneath a Peavey Flag. I went in to see what it was and spoke to the owner, who underneath the Flag dug out a brand new Bass Hustler Combo. He explained to me that this had been in the shop when his dad ran it in the 70s. The Combo wasn’t for sale it was being used to display tambourines and the Peavey Flag, but of course I asked how much he’d want for me to take it off his hands. I was delighted but tried not to look too happy when he asked just £50 for it! I call that a bargain!

I now own a new Orange Bass Terror which is 300 watts, an excellent amp to gig with, very Loud, and i can can actually lift it! I also used a Crush Bass 100 for a gig last summer, and I want one! I was surprised how great this combo actually was, I’ve used a hell of a lot of different combos before and I can honestly say this was the best modern bass combo I’ve tried. I was expecting to be totally drowned out by the drummer and the guitar amp but the Crush totally held it’s own. For something that is pretty small I was totally shocked how loud it was, and the quality of bass tone. I would totally recommend this amp for small gigs and practicing.

Sarah Jane playing a Bass Crush 100 as Gorilla plays a The Jonesing Jams gig at Blondies.

If you strip your record collection from the obvious rock ’n’ roll and artists mentioned above, what would remain?
Sarah Jane: My taste is actually quite varied and stretches from everything from 1940s blues and classical music to sixties garage and old school hip hop, particularly gangster! Lots of psych such as The Pretty Things, Zombies and Quicksilver Messenger Service to most of the 60’s San Francisco bands, Beach Boys and folk.

Despite ladies like yourself rock ’n’ roll is still very much a man’s world, what’s your experiences as a woman in such a male dominated genre?
Sarah Jane: Sadly some males in the industry, in record and music shops are still very intimidated by female musicians, and I’ve heard all the usual stupid and sexist remarks such as ‘You can actually play!’, ‘You play like a man!’, or ‘You’re really good for a girl!’, as well as having to deal with people’s surprised faces when I show my knowledge of guitars, amps or bands I like. I’ve also been ignored by male staff in music stores while they talk to my male partner – I just think it’s a bit sad that those old prejudices and attitudes are still around, maybe they’re scared of being shown up by a girl? Luckily it doesn’t bother me that much, and when it does I’m also lucky to say I’ve been blessed with a good aim and swift right hook, don’t let the bastards grind ya down! That said, most of the time people I meet are very positive about me and the music I play.

Follow Gorilla on Facebook // Instagram // Bandcamp

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Our Interview with Johnny from The Twilight Sad

My name is Johnny and I play bass in the ‘Twilight Sad’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38V41KJqu_k

I’d been searching for a bass amp, that I’ve really loved for years and years and when I first got hold of the AD200 which was probably about eight years ago or so, that was the first time I had heard an amp and thought “That’s the amp!”

So my bass rig just now is a 2X15 bass cab, with two celestions in it and then the AD200. But I have the OB1-500 just as a backup just now, in America I use two OB1-500’s one’s the main and ones the back up. But I’m thinking of experimenting slightly in using one for my main tone and using the other to switch on for my boost sections.

When I saw Orange were starting to do pedals, I absolutely love pedals! I was like I need to get these and try these immediately because I know they are going to be built like tanks and they are going to be pure. There is like no messing about they are going to do what they are supposed to do. So when I had the Two Stroke it immediately made the Rusty Box redundant. The Orange Two Stroke which I keep on all the time, it just gets the whole tone and crisps everything up and makes everything a lot brighter, everything comes through a lot better.

The first thing I would do to say to any bass player was, if you are looking for a bass amp, go Orange immediately! If you are using anything else right now, probably get rid of it and go Orange because it sounds amazing. It’s just the classic bass tone, I won’t go anywhere else now, that’s what I need thats what I want, its solid, it’s never let me down.

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Record Store Day 2019: A&R Rep Ella Stormark’s Current Top 10

Outside Reckless Records on Berwick Street in Soho, London.

Once again Record Store day is upon us, a day to celebrate music in physical form, all while helping musicians put dinner on their table. Record Store Day was started to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store.”, and is now on it’s 11th year after the 2008 launch. As much as I love Record Store Day and the idea behind it all, I must admit I tend to do my shopping at quieter times, when I don’t have to queue just to get into the shop. What can I say, I’m a lady of leisure! I prefer my records to be bought peacefully without anyone impatiently waiting for me to finish flicking through the 70s section. In honour of this year’s Record Store Day (as I also did for the last one), I’ve gone through my record collection to pick out my current Top 10. I say current, as these things change, and my collection keeps on growing. I do see a slight pattern here with all albums being released between 1968 – 78, so any later recommendations are also very welcome!

Free – Tons of Sobs
Released – 1968
Acquired – Sister Ray Soho, London

Free’s 1968 debut album Tons of Sobs might just be one of my favourite albums and the fact that they were all under 20 when recording it is just beyond me; a nineteen year old Paul Rogers (with sexy, sultry lyrics such as “You don’t need your horses baby, you’ve got me to ride, you don’t need your bed, I’ll keep you warm inside.”), an seventeen year old Paul Kossoff on lead guitar, nineteen year old Simon Kirke on drums and baby Andy Fraser on bass and keys, at the tender age of only sixteen, makes you wonder what they put in the water back then, definitely not social media and internet, that’s for sure. Anyway, during the bands short-lived career they proved themselves to be one of the great British blues bands of the late 60s and early 70s, with ‘Tons of Sobs’ proving why.

Human Instinct – Burning Up Years
Released – 1969
Acquired – Reckless Records, London

Sticking with the sixties blues, this one a year later than the last and from across the globe in the form of New Zealand’s ‘Human Instinct’ and their debut album ‘Burning Up Years’. The band stood out amongst their peers with their stand up drummer / singer Maurice Greer, who till this day is still active with the band, as well as guitarist Billy TK who was known as the “Māori Jimi Hendrix”. The album, which also carries elements of psychedelia featured several covers such as The Kinks’ ‘You Really Got Me’ as well as Neil Young’s ‘Everybody Knows This is Nowhere’. The album never got as big as it’s follow up ‘Stoned Guitar’, but it’s still an absolute gem and well worth a listen.

Slade – Alive!
Released: 1972
Acquired: Second hand store

When mentioning Slade it’s almost impossible to not think of their Christmas banger ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ and I mean, with good reason, it’s great pop tune and gets played a million times on the radio every Christmas. However, Slade is so much more than that, something that their 1972 live album ‘Slade Alive!’ proves. The entire album is great as it combines both ballads with boogie, but the opening track alone is worth this record being in my top 10; a mind-blowing cover of Ten Years After’s ‘Hear Me Calling’, the harmonies, the build ups and the absolute explosions, the song itself is a force of nature and I can’t even imagine the excitement of being in that audience.

Agnes Strange – Strange Flavour
Released – 1975
Acquired – Flashback Records stall outside Black Heart during Desertfest London 2019

Southampton’s boogie rock three piece Agnes Strange only released this one full length album, and later the compilation record ‘Theme for a Dream’ which featured unreleased material and demos. ‘Strange Flavour’ has a strange but delicious flavour indeed and contains just as much boogie as blues, as well as some spaced out Hawkwind vibes during ‘Travelling’ and psych jams, solos and pretty harmonies for ‘Loved One.’

Rainbow – Rising
Released – 1976
Acquired – Bought second hand for the outrageous price of £3

I was first introduces to Ritchie Blackmore through Deep Purple’s Machine Head, before my dad later sat me down and put on Rainbow Rising around the age of fourteen, stating “This is one of the best albums within this genre, listen.”,and listen I did, and right he was, as per usual. Opening track ‘Tarot Woman’ sets the bar for the album and became an instant personal favourite alongside “Starstruck”, and of course, the eight minute twenty six second symphonic showpiece of the record, ‘Stargazer”, which features Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. This was Rainbow at it’s finest, while they were still fronted by the late, great powerhouse of a man, Ronnie James Dio,

T2 – It’ll All Work Out in Boomland
Released – 1970
Acquired – Some Californian record store

T2’s 1970 album ‘It’ll All Work out in Boomland’ is probably what one could call a progressive masterpiece, which is mellow, melodic, melancholic and heavy all at once. T2 should be up there while discussing the likes of King Crimson, as well as carrying Pink Floyd-like elements and some heavy rock influences. My first ever encounter with the band was through the third track ‘No More White Horses’, which was enough for me to start the hunt to add the album to my collection. The record is only four songs long, with the fourth and final one, ‘Morning” being a 21 minute long epic journey through all the elements mentioned above.

Rory Gallagher – Calling Card
Released – 1976
Acquired – Apollon, Bergen

Rory Gallagher first made a name for himself as guitarist and founding member of Taste, before later going solo and recording and releasing names under his own name. Calling Card was Gallagher’s eight studio album and shows that he just got better and better with time. He was in 1972 voted Melody Maker’s International Top Guitarist of the Year, ahead of Eric Clapton. Also check out his “Live in Europe” album, “I could’ve had Religion” is the most beautiful blues song.

Judas Priest – Stained Class
Released – 1978
Acquired – Gift from my Dad

Judas Priest was and still is, one of the most influential heavy metal bands the world has even seen and is still going strong today. Their fourth album ‘Stained Class’ is absolutely spectacular and paved the way for so many bands after them, and is also often cited as being their best ever record. A must among heavy metal fans!

Hawkwind – Space Ritual
Released – 1973
Acquired – Brighton vintage shop (For the neat price of £4!!)

The fact that I’ve managed to make Rainbow’s Rising and Hawkwind’s Space Rituals part of my record collection for the total cost of £7 is just insane, take my money! This two-disc gem from Hawkwind’s heyday features Lemmy on bass before he was kicked out of the band, and gives you a teeny tiny insight into the madness that it must have been seeing the space kings live in the 70s as it was recorded on the road in London and Liverpool.

Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous
Released – 1978
Acquired – Bought second hand

Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous is a live double album recorded in London, Philadelphia and Toronto in 1976 and ’77 before being released in 1978. Since first hearing this album it’s been hard going back to their studio ones as the raw energy displayed on this record is nothing that could ever be transferred from stage and into the studio. “Is there anybody here with any Irish in them? Is there any of the gals that would like a bit of more Irish in them?” Phil Lynott politely asks before breaking into an extended jammy version of 1976’s “Emerald”, which is a personal favourite of mine, as well as “Suicide” and “Johnny The Fox meets Jimmy the Weed.”, to mention a few. All in all, the album showcases one of the finest rock ‘n’ roll bands I know at their absolute peak.

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Orange Bass Ambassadors (and how we snagged their endorsements)

A lot of people ask me what kind of work goes into acquiring new sponsorships from guitarists. They assume that I have to be very proactive in order to nail down endorsements. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Most of the time I have the pleasure of being reactive to endorsement requests. I rely on a network of managers, touring crew members, and even guitarists who introduce me to other guitarists. Sometimes it’s just a complete coincidence.

Here are four examples of how Artist Relations is all about who you know and timing.

Glenn Hughes

Glenn Hughes is one of the last true rock stars left on the planet. He oozes confidence and screams, “look at me!” It was at NAMM about 6 years ago when I first met him. Our Managing Director at the time saw Glenn walking the aisle and begged him to come into our demo room to test out some amps. Glenn came in to the room, plugged into the AD200B, started playing, stopped, put the bass back on the wall, and then looked at all of us and said “that’s the tone I’ve been trying to find for 40 years.” His mouth was literally agape.

Ever since then Glenn has been one of Orange’s biggest cheerleaders. If you’ve ever seen him live you understand why. His current rig consists of the AD200B, OBC810 and OBC115 cabs.

Geddy Lee

You’d think getting Geddy Lee on board would be a huge undertaking. He is, after all, arguably the most important bass player of an entire generation. When he gives his endorsement of a product you’re basically guaranteed an increase in sales. This was true for us as well. Within a year of putting out the infamous “Geddy sitting on his amp” picture we saw a nearly 75% uptick in bass profits.

However, it wasn’t hard to get Geddy to endorse the AD200B and OBC410 cab. In fact, believe it or not, Slipknot ended up doing all of the work. When Rush was in the studio writing 2012’s ‘Clockwork Angels’ they happened to be recording next to Slipknot. Geddy heard Paul Gray through the wall and sent his tech over to find out which amp he was using. Paul didn’t even endorse our products at the time. I had simply sent some extra gear up to Nashville for the band to try out. Within the hour I was on the phone with Geddy’s tech, Skully, coordinating the logistics of getting Geddy his new bass gear.

Even though Orange made up about 1/3 of Geddy’s stage tone (we were the overdriven, high gain portion) it was an endorsement that put us on the radar of a completely new demographic, and one that solidified our presence in the bass market. 

Steve Harris

Iron Maiden ‘Beyond Flight 666’ by John McMurtrie

Orange’s Technical Director, Ade Emsley, is an Iron Maiden super-fan. I’m not sure exactly how, but through some connection he maintained with the band’s management he was able to secure the opportunity to remaster Iron Maiden’s entire discography for release on iTunes. Yep, he’s not just an amp wizard; he can also master the shit out of a record.

Knowing that Steve Harris was looking to change things up with regards to his stage gear, Ade set out to design an amp based on Steve’s needs. The result was the (now discontinued) 4 Stroke 300, our first ever rackmountable bass amp featuring a 4 band parametric EQ. Steve loved it and has used it ever since for both Maiden and British Lion touring.

I’ll never forget when I was in London visiting our HQ and Cliff Cooper, Orange’s Founder and CEO, took me aside to let me know that Steve’s tech would be coming to the office shortly. Cliff had just returned from one of his many warehouses with four vintage Orange speaker cabinets that he had been hoarding away since the 70’s. They were brand new, in the box, never opened front-loaded 412 cabs with the original Eminence speakers in them. If I had to blindly assign a value to them I’d guess somewhere in the range of $8000. These were the only cabinets that Steve wanted and Cliff didn’t give it a second thought.

John McVie

Some of the best endorsements I’ve ever secured have been through tour managers, production crew, and guitar techs. John McVie is no exception. A few years ago Drew Foppe, one of the best techs on the road today, sent me an email explaining that John was interested in learning more about Orange. See, back in the 70’s, John was actually friends with Orange’s owner, Cliff Cooper. Over the years, they’d grown apart though. Now was my chance to rekindle their relationship.

I flew out to Los Angeles because Fleetwood Mac was playing The Forum in Inglewood. I’d get only about 20 minutes with John during soundcheck, so I went ahead and sent out multiple bass amps and speaker cabs to ensure no stone was left unturned. When I arrived, I was ushered into the venue and told to wait by a small tent that had been erected side stage. John came out and introduced himself, then took me into the tent, which I soon realized was set up purely for John to smoke cigarettes before and during the band’s set. There were two little chairs, some art on the walls (marine aesthetic), and a vintage floor ashtray. In that tent we discussed Orange and how he was trying to move back to LA from Hawaii “because general contractors on the islands never do a good job the first time.” Considering any building in LA is strictly no smoking, I thought it was an extremely “rock star move” that he was allowed to do so without any restrictions.

Afterwards we went up on stage and John tested out the AD200B. It wasn’t for him though, so we moved on to the Terror Bass. When he plugged that amp in the tone hit him like a lightning bolt. He immediately requested four of them to pair with multiple OBC410 and OBC115 cabs and the rest is history.

I do want to mention something I found interesting though: Mick Fleetwood has heaters blowing air at him while he’s playing live. Yes, you read that correctly. Mick Fleetwood, despite playing a nearly three hour set, was so cold on stage that he needed hot air blowing on him. It’s something I just can’t get over.

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Interview With Michael Karsh of Lawrence

Michael Karsh of Lawrence – ©David Nardiello Photography

My name is Michael Karsh, I am the bass player for the band Lawrence.

A big part of our live act is that we really love what we’re doing and we love to have a good time. My role is to just be the low end that can simultaneously compliment a song and elevate it into a place of really high intensity, in your face funk/soul/jazzy fusion kind of stuff.

So currently I’m using the 4-Stroke 500 Watt amplifier and I’m using the OBC410 and it is a true monster and it’s been a lot of fun to play. I very much try to have a sound that’s very rooted in old funk and soul, kinda like the classic Jamerson and Motown sound but I also like to have a bit more edge and punch to bring it into the modern age so I get all of that with the 4-stroke and the 410 and I feel that I’ve never sounded better with it than any other rig and probably that makes me play a little better because I’m just happier with how it sounds.

I definitely subconsciously saw them, (Orange Amps) all throughout my childhood when watching videos of my heroes playing from the 70s. Jimmy Page and Geddy Lee. Just seeing those amplifiers in the back definitely made an imprint on my mind. As I grew up and got more into equipment I would see them kind of along my musical journey pop up in many interesting places. It was like, “Oh, Wolfmother’s got that thing I remember that guy had,” and “Oh, Ler’s from Primus has got three interesting ones on stage that I haven’t seen before.” I just kinda saw them pop up everywhere and always had them in the back of my mind as a cool look and cool sound.

Hearing myself onstage is I feel, like the unspoken battle of the musician. My band personally has 8 people onstage so we’re all battling to hear each other, hear ourselves and there’s this cacophonous noise happening all the time, so honestly the advantage the OBC410 has given me is just clarity. I can dial it in so perfectly that wherever I go, I’m hearing myself exactly as I want to. Just everything is coming out so crystal clear. So the 410 gives me a good balance of midrange and low end that I hadn’t really found anywhere else. Using backline and borrowing gear, playing festivals I’ve played with these massive stacks like two storeys high and every variation. It doesn’t have that same sort of touch and clarity that the 410 has. It’s pretty interesting, I don’t know how that works, I don’t know how you guys did it but yeah, that’s been the biggest benefit by far.

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Going Nowhere Interview: Red Fang

I’m tired of normal interviews about guitars and amps. That’s why I created the “Going Nowhere” series. I wanted something that would extend beyond just us tech nerds, something that would appeal to the fans who couldn’t care less what amps the bands are playing.

My interview with Red Fang was the first one we filmed. I think Bryan reacted the most appropriately out of all the artists. He immediately recognized how ridiculous it was going to be and he added a lot of his own ideas into the mix. Also, we’d had a lot of beer prior to filming. It probably shows. – Alex

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The Voice of Bass

Iron Maiden, Steve Harris

Iron Maiden ‘Beyond Flight 666’ by John McMurtrie

4 Stroke

Steve Harris, where do we begin with Steve Harris? The only constant member in legendary British hard rock band Iron Maiden alongside guitarist Dave Murray, and is also the primary songwriter of the band. Since the formation of Maiden in East London’s Leyton in 1975 the band has released sixteen studio albums, toured the world a countless time in their own airplane flown by singer Bruce Dickinson and made their mark as one of the biggest heavy metal bands in history. Steve Harris has developed a recognisable way of playing such as the “gallop”. Paired with drummer Nicko McBrain and his unexpected clever ways, three guitarists and Bruce Dickinson sprinting and jumping across the stage throughout every single Iron Maiden show, and let’s not forget, fights Maiden mascot Eddie on a regular basis, their shows are nothing but spectacular. In addition to his bass playing and songwriting, Steve Harris has also produced and co-produced their albums, directed live videos and played keys for the band while in the studio. A Jack of all trades, so say the least.

Glenn Hughes

Crush Bass 100
AD200 MK3 Head
OBC810 8×10 Bass Speaker

Glenn Hughes is not just an incredible bassist, but a remarkable singer with the most astonishing vocal range. He first made a name for himself while in Trapeze, before joining Deep Purple in 1973 where he shared vocal duties with David Coverdale, and brought the funkiest bass lines to the band. With Deep Purple MK III he released “Burn” and “Stormbringer”, before Ritchie Blackmore left the band and Tommy Bolin was brought in on guitar for Deep Purple MK IV. They released “Come taste the Band” in 1975, before all going their separate ways the following year. Since then, he’s released a one of album with Pat Travers’ guitarist Pat Thrall, recorded with Gary Moore and fronted Black Sabbath briefly in the 80s. In more recent years, he released a one off album with his short lived band ‘California Breed’ with Jason Bonham on drums and guitarist Andrew Watt, as well as playing in Black Country Communion with Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian and again, Jason Bonham on drums. His latest venture is touring the world, twice, as “Glenn Hughes plays Deep Purple”, bringing back to life all the songs from way back when.

Rush, Geddy Lee

AD200 MK3 Head
OBC410 4×10 Bass Speaker
OBC810 8×10 Bass Speaker

Rush have over the past forty years pioneered progressive rock with their unusual compositions and musical craftsmanship, with each member repeatedly being listed as some of the most proficient players of their instruments. This has led to Rush being somewhat of a ‘musician’s favourite band, and they have been highly influential within their genre, although that has changed slightly over the course of the career. Geddy Lee first started playing music when he was around 10 years old, and got his first acoustic guitar at 14. Before this, he played drums, trumpet and clarinet. However, it wasn’t until he was introduced to popular music at the time and some of the great Brits such as Cream, Jeff Beck and Procul Harum, and cited Jack Bruce as one of his first and early influences.

The Bronx, Brad Magers

4 Stroke
AD200 MK3 Head

It wasn’t until in recent years that Bronx bassist Brad Magers got his hands on his first Orange and we are stoked to now have him as one of our artists. He’s got a few different set ups consisting of either the 4 Stroke, or an AD200, which he describes as: “A monster of an amp, it’s just such a simple set up but exactly what it needs to be. I hate when all these amps have all these annoying tweaks on them as there’s just a few things you really need. As long as there is gain I’m pretty much good to go – you set it up in like two seconds and then you’re just there like: “Well, that’s the best sound I’ve ever heard!”  When Brad isn’t busy with the Bronx, he puts on his mariachi suit and picks up the trumpet with side project Mariachi El Bronx. Rumour has it that there might be a surf band in the works as well, but we can’t say for sure – yet..

Radio Moscow, Anthony Meier

AD200 MK3 Head
OBC410 4×10 Bass Speaker
OBC115 1×15 Bass Speaker

Anthony Meier’s first encounter with Radio Moscow was back in 2012 when his other band Sacri Monti played a few gigs with some of Radio Moscow drummer Paul Marrone’s other bands, and they got chatting. However, it wasn’t until a year later when singer and guitarist Parker Griggs relocated to San Diego that the band started looking for a new bassist. Paul suggested Anthony and he was invited to jam with them. Needless to say, the jam worked out well, as Anthony’s still in the band over five years later. When not on the road with Radio Moscow, he still keeps busy with his other band Sacri Monti that’s due to come over to Europe this summer. He also DJs regularly at local San Diego / Oceanside bars, and is an skilled pool player, some might even say excellent.

Tom Petersson, Cheap Trick

Rockerverb 50 MKIII Head
PPC412 4×12 Speaker Cab
AD200 MK3 Head
OBC810 8×10

Cheap Trick bassist and Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee Tom Petersson turned heads in the early 70s when he came up with the idea of creating a 12 string bass. The reason behind this was wanting to make the band sound as big as humanly possible, and by adding (after inventing…) the 12 string bass, he was left with an instrument that almost sounded like bass and guitar all in one. This has become a vital part of the bands sound, and his amps plays a huge part in this. He is a big fan of both the AD50 and AD200, and plays them both straight out without any pedals.

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Artist Diary – Grutle from Enslaved

Grutle has been an endorsed artist with Orange amps for nearly four years now and has been using the AD200 and OBC810 around the world with Metal band ‘Enslaved’. When he heard news the Terror Bass was being relaunched he had to have a go.

Grutle: Good afternoon! This is Grutle Kjellson from Norwegian hard rock band ‘Enslaved’ and I want to talk a bit about this little gift I just got from Orange, it’s a reissue of their Terror Bass. It’s a 500 watt model, it’s a very powerful unit that weighs only about I think it’s a little more than 4 1/2 kilos (10/1 pounds). Which is pretty amazing for such a powerful unit.

It’s very simple, there’s on/off, standby, there’s a volume, treble, middle and bass, and gain. There is a clean and pad switch, the clean switch gives a bit more headroom and the pad switch is a active and passive switch. If you turn this switch down like I have, it’s for active basses and takes some input sensitivity off, about 6dB. There’s of course a balanced output, there’s an effects loop, it’s a very nice portable solution.

It’s a little bit difficult if you travel around a lot like we do. Try to get an AD200 amp onboard, it’s totally impossible it weighs a tonne. This is like not much bigger than a lunchbox, at least not for a guy like me, an ogre!

I’ve had this for a couple of months now and i’m really satisfied with it. Our sound guy actually told me that i’m not allowed to use anything else, so i even use this on tours. So let’s take a listen to it.

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