You've added an item to the cart! ×

Tag Archive for: PPC212

Orange Spotlight: Longheads

Who are Longheads?

Longheads are a five piece psych rock outfit. We all met in our home county, Norfolk but we are now based in South London. We are; Al Bishop (Guitar), Sam Mitchell (Bass, Vocals), Nick Oakes (Drums), Ben Reeve (Guitar), and Mitchell Corrigan (Synthesisers). 

The band started almost ten years ago when myself and Ben attended a King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard show in London. After witnessing a life changing live show we knew we had to start a band. Since then the project has gone through many names and a few line-up changes. In 2020 we settled on the name Longheads and began developing our heavy-ish style of psych. Our music is a combination of modern psych and classic rock with a sprinkling of prog, doom, kraut rock and proto-metal. In our last EP, Mars Doesn’t Feel Like Home Anymore, we explored odd time signatures and long extended jams. With our upcoming album we have continued developing some of those themes but have explored heavier tones, adding some doom and a thrash metal track into the mix.

What inspires Longheads?

Al: When I sit down to write a song, usually inspirations seeps in from whatever I’ve been listening to at that point in time, sometime in less than obvious ways. When we were composing some of the early Longheads tunes I was getting really into the band Death. I was super into there use of tempo and time signature changes. Although we never wrote any death metal tracks I did take huge inspiration from those elements. 

Deathcap Farmer, the lead single from our upcoming album features a riff that is heavily inspired by the intro to ‘Arrival’ by The Alchemist. I basically just took the rhythm, swapped the horns for some new heavy chords and added in an extra beat to give it some trademark Longheads weirdness. Lately I have been getting really into Rush and have been doing a deep dive into all their albums. I would one day love to experiment with going full prog but I don’t think my guitar playing is quite up to scratch yet!

What Orange gear is important to Longheads?

Al: For our upcoming album, Layers of Wax, we recorded two doom inspired songs. For these we used some classic OR120 tones. We were able to use a great selection of amps in the studio to really dial in our perfect heavy fuzz tone. 

Unfortunately we are not yet able to take a selection of 4×12’s with us to gigs. We are often at the mercy of house cabs. I am always happy to see an Orange cab when I arrive at a venue. Orange are my preferred cab of choice especially for live. The bass response and overall tone really gets me going when we are playing our heavier stuff.

Future Orange amps?

Al: I need to try a few out and go from there. I’ve had my eye on a Dual Terror head for a while as well as an OR30, defiantly something I need to check out in the future. I like to keep both small and larger heads on hand and often decide which one to use depending on the venue.

What does Orange mean to you?

Al: I’ve been aware of Orange since my early days of learning the guitar. However my favourite Orange moment has to be Matt Pike of Sleep’s rig rundown. Seeing him blast through some of the heaviest tones I’ve ever heard while standing in front of a huge wall of Orange amps is just the coolest thing. One day I’d love to try playing through a similar rig!

What’s the most memorable Longheads moment?

Al: My favourite Longheads moment is when we supported SLIFT two years back. That was our first big gig. There were around 400-500 people there whereas before we’ve only really played to 100 people at the most. We all went out to Bens place in the sticks to practise for a week to make sure the show was tight. All just for one show! We converted an old caravan into our practise space. It turned out to be a really special night though getting to support one of our favourite bands and the crowd (hopefully) digging our set.

What’s on the horizon for Longheads?

Al: We recently released our new album, Layers of Wax, which came out on the 4th of November. It’s been in the works and under wraps for almost two years at this point and I’m relieved it’s finally out.  After that we are hitting the road for some UK dates in December. Got some exciting things in the works for 2025 as well!

Gear Currently Used

Listen

Stoomfest pictures by Artur Tarczymil

Last month we hosted our first ever Orange Jams event at London’s Black Heart with US band Monarch. Hailing from the San Diego / Encinitas / Ocenaide area, Monarch are one of many bands who have followed in the footsteps of the mighty Earthless and Astra and turned the area into a psychedelic haven for both bands and listeners, contributing to a scene that’s been making waves way blowing minds for nearly two decades. Mixing elements of classic rock, psychedelia, prog, jazz and improv jams, Monarch seemed like the perfect fit for our psychedelic summer extravaganza and we could not be happier with how it turned out.

Support came from HECK / Haggard Cat guitarist Matt Reynolds, Swedish Death Candy drummer Marco Ninni and GNOB bassist Ben Kenobi-Marflar in the form of an improv psych jam. Despite frequenting different circles and having only met and played together once in early 2017, they all accepted the challenge in a heartbeat and blew all our minds when they came together to let their worlds collide.

We’d like to thank: The Black Heart and Matt for working alongside us to make this a night to remember, Mathmos and their lava lamps for adding to the visual experience, The Great Frog for their social support and gifting to the band, Liquid Death and Signature Brew for offering drinks to the band, Yorkshire Burrito for feeding the band and photographer Emily Power for capturing it all on camera.

Kryptograf by Olav Vikingstad.

In honour of their latest album ‘The Eldorardo Spell’, we spoke to Kryptograf guitarist Vegard Bachmann Strand about recording and working with Iver Sandøy (Enslaved) & Gaahl (Gaahls Wyrd, formerly of Gorgoroth), his early influences as a guitarist as well as, of course, his choice of Orange.

Kryptograf, can we get some background on the band?
We have been playing together in different bands since 2016. We all met when we went to the same school in Trondheim. I guess it all started when Odd and I became roommates in 2015 and started making music together. We decided to start Kryptograf in 2019 because we wanted a fresh start after playing for years in a different band with the same lineup plus a singer. We wanted a band with a clear direction where we could really dig into the proto-doom stuff.

Kryptograf just released their second album, “The Eldorado Spell”, what can you tell us about it?
When we started writing our new album we didn’t want to make the same album twice. While our first album was quite focused on the more primitive era of hard and psychedelic rock of the late 60’s, «The Eldorado Spell» kicks things up a notch. This album has more of a mid 70’s heavy metal feel to it as well as it contains more progressive elements and melodic twists. There’s also some inspiration from 60’s folk rock groups like Pentangle and Fairport Convention. The album was recorded live, mixed and mastered in Solslottet studio by our producer Iver Sandøy in 2021. He did our first album as well and we really like working with him. There is also some guest appearances on this album. Some vocals done by Kristian Eivind Espedal (Gaahl) and some trumpet by Ørjan Hammer Volvik.

How did you get Gaahl involved on the record, and how was it working with him? Obviously he’s quite a prominent musician not just in the Norwegian music scene, but in the black metal community on a global scale.
Gaahl’s participation on the record was actually a spontaneous idea we got when we were in the studio recording vocals. We needed a scary dark voice for some spoken words on the title track. Our producer Iver Sandøy has worked a lot with Gaahl and knows him well. Suddenly Iver sent us the finished master of The Eldorado Spell and there he was! I remember I got chills down my spine when I first heard it! Unfortunately I did not get the opportunity to be there when it happened, but I am very grateful that he wanted to join!

You’ve released both album’s on Bergen based Apollon Records, how did you end up with them?
We started working with Apollon when we released our first album. They just seemed like very honest and cool people. They did a great job with our first album and we wanted to continue working together on this one.

Opening track “Asphodel” is quite a progressive surprise compared to your previous work, was that an intentional shift in direction or just a result of your jamming and writing?
I think this is just a result of us jamming together in our rehearsal room. We don’t like to think things through so much when we are writing our songs, things just happen. We really liked the folky vibe of the last part and decided to work a bit on that by adding some acoustic guitars and stuff.

Your self-titled debut album was released just at the start of the pandemic, and you haven’t really had much of a chance to play those songs live. For this one, you’ve been playing full capacity, no-restriction shows. How has it been to be able to return to that?
It has been awesome! We just finished a Norwegian tour which included two sold out shows in Oslo and Kristiansand and we will also be playing at the Sonic Whip festival in Netherlands in May which will be very cool!

Which artists would you say played major roles as inspiration when you were young? Were there any musicians or guitarists in particular that inspired you to pick up the guitar, or perhaps a certain song?
I think I must say Black Sabbath was the biggest inspiration for me! I remember my mum took me to see them live in Bergen as a kid in 2005. I was completely mindblown! I loved all kinds of 70s rock music growing up, but my favourite guitar players must have been Tony Iommi, Angus Young and Ritchie Blackmore.

You’re an Orange guy, do you remember your first ever encounter with our amps, whether it was seeing them played live on stage or in a video, or playing them yourself?
I think the first time I discovered Orange amps was when I saw Black Sabbath using them in a TV show from 1970. I guess that’s a bit ironic since Tony was normally a Laney player, but those orange amps looked and sounded so cool! I also remember seeing Matt Pike using his gigantic walls of orange amps and I really liked the sound of them.

What’s your current rig, and how did you end up with that?
My current rig is a Orange OR50 and a PPC212 cabinet. Absolutely love that rig!

If you could add any Orange amps to your rig, which ones would they be, and why?
I would love to own some vintage Orange amps. For example, one of those old pictures only amps or a OR80. I also love the sound of a Rockerverb. Really versatile and great amps.

Check out Kryptograf’s 2021 Orange Jams session below:

Ever since he founded Orange back in 1968, Cliff Cooper has always believed that no other company could have cared more than us about innovation in guitar valve amplifier design and sound technology. However, it’s not just about design, it’s about how the sound is perceived – something that Cliff has always thought of as ‘the sound of the sound‘… it’s about the physical pleasure that the sound of an amp gives a guitarist as he plays. That is what really matters.

I’ll share some of my favourite ‘Orange Sound‘ devices that I use in my studio, live shows, demos, etc.

For example, let’s talk about the Kongpressor pedal, an analogue Class A compression pedal with an organic three dimensional quality.

Credit: Musicradar

Kongpressor’s effect is transparent at lower compression levels, but somehow fattening, adding mojo and a glossy sheen to your core tone that you’ll truly miss when it’s bypassed. Even at extreme settings, the tone always remains musical with great feel under the fingers. Outstanding for crystal clean country pickin’, but maintaining the bottom end that seems to get lost in many compression pedals, behaving impeccably with overdrive pedals or the lead channel of your amplifier, adding fullness and sustain.

Oooooooor, what about the PPC212, a closed-back 2×12″ featuring two Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, the PPC212 is in essence our classic 4×12 slashed in half, ideal for players looking for the the fattest possible tone when a 4×12″ would be too large.

Finished in our legendary 1968 livery, basket weave vinyl, woven speaker grille cloth, signature ‘picture frame’ edging and 18mm Birch ply construction… what a cab !! As Devon Allman described it “This ain’t your Daddy’s blues. It’s the next generation. It gets airborne. It’s fueled by Orange.”

I’ll keep picking favourites and bringing them to you, to maybe give you a new idea for your rig, an obscure gadget you should discover or the next classic to be Orange product.

“… we can always learn new skills and improve, we will also continue with our search for perfection.” – Cliff Cooper

John Dines by Mikko Malén

We pinned down Workshop Manager Mikko Malén and Product Demonstrator John Dines to answer some of your tech related questions. We received a whole bunch, and figured we’d do them in two parts so your eyes don’t turn square what reading. Here’s John’s answers:

Why does my TH30 make noise when effects loop is in use? Otherwise its fine.
John: The TH30’s FX Loop uses a series configuration and is always part of the circuit. Essentially, you’re always “hearing” the FX Loop even with nothing connected. This means the fault is elsewhere in your signal chain, not in the amp. Typical causes of noise in pedal signal chains are bad instrument leads/patch leads, incorrect pedal power supply specification or non-isolated grounding between power supply outlets, ground loops within the FX chain and other pedal faults. A good place to start is to check the pedals are receiving the correct power, then try connecting each one individually (do the same with your leads). Some power supply-related issues may only show up when using certain combinations of pedals, though. It’s a big rabbit hole to do down but, with some planning and structured troubleshooting, you can get to the bottom of it – and you’ll learn a lot in the process. Good luck!

Can we hear more about the process arriving at TremLord’s base tone? Been surprised at how nice the clean is yet impressed how distinct it is from other brands.
John: This is really a question for Orange Technical Director, Adrian Emsley but I’ll do my best to cover the basics. There’s actually quite a history of great clean sounds at Orange Amps. The Rockerverb, AD30 and Rocker 30 are all good examples. The Tremlord was always meant to be a bit different. Taking the bright and scooped character of the Rockerverb’s Clean channel and mixing it with an EL84 power amp and open-loop design makes for a unique non-master volume design that’s familiarly “vintage enough” for those seeking classic tones. A valve-driven reverb was a must, and a 2-spring tank was chosen (instead of the usual 3) to add to the splashy, retro vibe. As the name suggests, the real centrepiece of the amp is the all-valve bias modulation Tremolo. This kind of super-authentic circuit is usually reserved for very boutique amps so it helps to set it apart from other amps at the same price. And having two footswitchable speed controls is unheard of! Rather than make an all-out copy of a ‘50s amp (with all the problems too!), Emsley wanted to include vintage tone and features in an up-to-date amp, so footswitching for the Tremolo, Speed and Reverb was added, along with some useful output power switching options. Another modern addition is the valve-driven FX Loop. This meant taking the unusual decision to implement the Tremolo in the preamp (traditionally, Tremolo effects work in the power amp). This means that, depending how you connect your pedal chain, you can place a real, valve tremolo anywhere in your signal path. You can also drive stereo rigs with the Tremolo appearing in both channels. There you go. It was just meant to be a very Orange take on a ‘50s amp for the modern player.

I need my Engl to turn into an orange amp instead, any suggestions? 
John: This is really a two-stage process. The best method is to first turn your Engl into cash. It should then be possible to turn the cash into an Orange.

Can I use my Crush 12 for my bass? If so what’s the right settings for a good warmer tone?
John: While the use of a Bass guitar will not damage the amp, you must consider a few things. Firstly, Bass requires a lot more power than guitar to be heard at the same volume (there are some solid, scientific reasons for this but I won’t go into them here), so you will likely find the Crush 12 very underpowered, even for home use. Secondly, the speaker in the Crush 12 is designed for guitar and its frequency response will not extend as low as you would expect from a Bass speaker. Lastly, the gain structure and EQ controls are optimised for guitar so it will be difficult to dial in the perfect Bass tone. You will be able to “get by” at low volumes but this is the reason we make dedicated Bass practice amps. Even the entry-level Crush Bass 25 addresses a lot of these points: It’s twice as powerful, is voiced specifically for Bass Guitar with an EQ familiar to users of pro Bass gear, and has a dedicated Bass speaker in a ported cabinet. It’s best to have the right tools for the job.

100w transistor amp. How many watts is that equivalent to for a valve amp?
John:
I’ll start with the simple answer: 100W. It’s a common misconception that valve Watts and solid state Watts are different. It’s a universal measurement of power and does not discriminate. However, there are few factors that have contributed to this misconception. Firstly, valve power amps sound great when distorted whereas it’s generally considered to be the case that solid state power amps do not. Add to this that amps are rated at full clean power. An amp that is rated at 100W clean will produce 141W when the power amp is at full saturation. This will probably sound pretty good with a valve amp but not with a solid state amp. Thus, a valve amp can be thought of to have an extra 40% of “usable” power when compared to a solid state amp. Next, think about the decades over which this stereotype has formed. The older solid state amps in question were usually the “cheap option” and are more likely to have been rated somewhat generously. There is a possibility that some amps over the years, especially at the lower end of the market, have been given “downhill with the wind behind it” power ratings. Furthermore, solid state output power varies with cabinet impedance whilst valve output power doesn’t. Many of these assumptions about power could have been made when using a solid state amp that is rated at 100W @4 Ohms into a 16 Ohm cab. The amp would be producing somewhere between 30-50W in this case.

Then there’s the issue of speaker sensitivity. Again, considering that many solid state amps are designed as more affordable alternatives, a lower-spec speaker could also skew players’ perceptions. If you’re used to hearing your 100W amp through a 100dB* speaker, a 97dB speaker would suddenly make your favourite amp only sound like a 50 Watter. Higher sensitivity speakers tend to need bigger magnets. Bigger magnets cost more money (both in terms of materials and in shipping the extra weight). You see where I’m going with this. As this is an Orange blog, it’s worth noting that even Orange’s more affordable Crush Pro solid state amps use a 100dB speaker, just like the flagship valve gear. So, all things being equal (both amps running a fully clean signal into 100dB speaker of the correct impedance and rated honestly), a solid state amp will be just as loud as a valve one. Ask a bassist or PA engineer!

*speaker sensitivity is measured in dB @1 Watt @ 1 Metre

Have you ever used 6L6 tubes in a certain model amp?
John: They’ve been tried in some Orange prototypes but EL34s or EL84s tend to suit that amps better (at least in the opinion of Technical Director, Adrian Emsley – The Gentleman Genius). 

What amp settings go best with an air guitar?
John: This could turn out to be quite a long-winded reply so I’ll try and breeze through it. In fact, it’s best to start with Eric Gales’s settings and use those as a barometer. It should be easy to dial in something in that vane that’ll really blow you away. No pressure!

Is an attenuator the solution for getting the best out of the Dual Terror at a reasonable volume? As the Dual Terror doesn’t have an effects loop or line out, I was wondering why do some guitar effects particularly reverb pedals do very badly with the amp, especially on the Tiny Chanel when it is in high gain output. Is it possible that I need to change the preamp tubes, or is the Dual Terror just not the right amp to put guitar effects up front?
John:
The Dual Terror and the Tiny Terror on which it is based were designed with a large focus on achieving great power amp overdrive at the kind of volumes that are allowed on modern stages. This is why there are multiple output power settings – to allow the user to reach the “sweet spot” of the amp at more than one volume. However, knowing that players would need great tone at even lower volumes, these amps employ an unusual design that places the Master Volume and the Tone control after the Phase Inverter. This means you can dial in a low-volume sound that’s a lot closer to power amp saturation than you could expect from a more conventional master volume amp. What this does mean, though, is that all of the tone and mojo of the amp is created at a later point in the circuit than where you could place an effects loop. Even if one were fitted, you’d still have all the same problems as when running your time-based pedals up front – big Reverb into big Distortion just doesn’t work (and making it work would completely change and ruin the amp). Luckily, you’re on the right track with the attenuator.

A good attenuator (a reactive load is recommended and the correct impedance is essential) will allow you to solve both of your problems. Firstly, connecting an attenuator between your Dual Terror’s Speaker Output and your cab will allow you to dial in the perfect power amp overdrive tone and then turn down the volume to a more sociable level. Secondly, an attenuator that also features a Line Out will allow you to run your time-based effects cleanly in a Wet/Dry configuration (but you’ll need another amp and cab). Connect the Attenuator’s line output to the input of your Reverb and set the Reverb’s Mix control to 100% (or select Kill Dry if your pedal has this option). Connect the output to your second amp (something like the Terror Stamp’s FX Return input would be perfect). You’ll now get your dry signal through your main cab and the Reverb signal through whatever cab you connect the second amp to. This is a really professional way to run effects and will sound even better than an amp with a good FX Loop. Added bonus: in recording or live sound situations, the blend between Dry and Wet (Reverb) can be adjusted.

Can I put Pasta tubes in my amp? My old tubes broke. I heard when they begin to break in a bit it makes it sound extra crunchy.
John: It’s not recommended. Even if you wanted to, in the current global situation, it’s probably easier to find a matched quad of NOS Yellow Label Mullards.

Will putting loud stompboxes, like a fuzz, fuck up my preamp tubes in my sovtek mig60 even if I’m running it at low volumes? What if I run it hot?
John: Preamp valves have such an enormous amount of headroom when compared to the output of even the loudest pedals that you really have nothing to worry about. This is yet another reason why valve amps are great.

How does tubes produce tone?
John: Ah the age-old question. The RCA Radio Designer’s Handbook is a good place to start. Also The Valve Wizard is a very handy website for getting an understanding of this dark art.

Which od/dist/fuzz pedals stack well with Orange gain?
John: Which Drive/Fuzz pedals work best with certain amps is mainly a matter of personal taste so there is no quick answer, unfortunately. However, there are some general considerations that may help. When using an amp set clean, pretty much any distortion pedal will “work”, but it might not sound great. Typically, pedals that mimic the preamp of an amp, or create their own “sound” will be better. Some other drives and fuzzes (particularly older ones) sound strange, thin or horrible on their own but suddenly make sense when used with an already overdriven amp. Think about it: the old-school way was to distort an amp as much as possible and use a pedal to make up the extra gain, sometimes adding some character in the process. From your question, it sounds like you’re into the older approach. These days, and especially with Orange gear, there’s no shortage of gain available (read: more than anyone who doesn’t own a straightjacket could ever need), so it’s more about the tone. Typically, hard-clipping distortion pedals tend not to work as well into driven amps, especially if the pedal’s gain is set high. This combination can often “cancel out”, actually losing overall volume and pretty much removing any definition. Soft-clipping overdrive pedals work better, especially with the gain set low. These are the pedals I mentioned earlier – the ones that sound weird on their own. This type of pedal (there’s a famous green one and yellow one too) works well because they tend to roll off some bottom end – this stops the amp tone getting “flabby” or “mushy”, staying nice and “tight” instead. Used mostly as a clean boost, these pedals will push the amp further into saturation whilst the small amount of overdrive they provide, in combination with the tonal differences, will add some character and maintain some clarity, especially on low notes. Further to this, some drive pedals retain some of the clean signal too, which can help even more (there’s a gold one that does this – it’s expensive). Fuzz tends to be a bit easier to mix with driven amp sounds and will not suffer as much from the “cancelling out” effect that can happen with distortion. With fuzz, it’s really a case of picking the kind of character that works for you and balancing the gain of the pedal and amp so that it doesn’t become a wall of howling death (unless you’re into that). As far as Orange amps go, there’s a lot of gain and a very full, natural midrange. This means that clean boosts and mild overdrives can work very well, especially ones which don’t colour the tone too much (unless you want even more mids, which is also fine). The pedals Orange have developed are designed to sound good with pretty much anything, obviously including our amps. The Fur Coat Fuzz, Getaway Driver Overdrive (also works well as an “amp in a box” preamp) and the Two Stroke Boost EQ can cover pretty much all the territory I’ve mentioned but, as I’ve said, the real deciding factor is your ears. Check out the product pages and, most importantly, have fun!

What kind of tubes do I need for a tiny terror ? Brand, model, etc…
John: Orange Amps are currently finding JJ Valves to be the best option for preamp and EL84 types so that covers your amp. For other valve types (for the benefit of other readers), it may be that another brand is recommended and fairly regular testing is done to make sure that the best is always being used. It’s best to email in and check at the time you are replacing your valves in case anything has changed.

Best way to get rid of ground loop him when using Rocker 15 Terror or Jim root terror & having a pedalboard hooked with pedals in the effects loop & in front?
John: Ground loops occur in audio equipment when you are connecting together more than one piece of equipment which is referenced to ground. In the case of an amp and pedal board, the amp should be referenced to ground and also, the pedal power supply might be (although the outputs to the pedals should be isolated, removing the possibility of a ground loop). If you are experiencing problems with hum when using your amp with external effects, there are a few possible causes. The first possible cause is that you are using a pedal power supply that is both grounded and non-isolated. This will cause a ground loop when used with your amp. If this is the case, you will need to invest in a professional quality power supply with isolated outputs to the pedals. It may also be that one or more of your pedals is not being supplied with the correct power, causing unusually noisy operation. This would also require a properly-specified power supply. You would also experience a ground loop if you were using a mains-powered effects processor (such as a 19” rack unit) in conjunction with your amp. If this is the case and the processor has a ground lift switch, use it. Note: One piece of equipment in your rig MUST be grounded in order to be safe – in this case, it’s your amp. If there is no ground lift switch, you’ll need a ground isolator. If the processor is being used in front of the amp, you’ll just need one at the output. If it’s in the FX Loop, you’ll need them at the input and output. It is also possible that you have a different fault in your pedal board that is causing hum and being mistaken for a ground loop. This could be a bad instrument lead or patch lead, a pedal that is susceptible to noise (such as a wah or fuzz) being placed too close to a power supply or another fault with a particular pedal. Lastly, I might have misinterpreted your question and you are, in fact, using both amps at once. This will definitely cause a ground loop and require some isolation. If you’ve got them hooked up the simple way (FX Send from one amp → Stereo effects → FX Returns of both amps), then you will just need a ground isolator on the second amp. If you’re using both amps’ preamps and switching between them somehow, then routing to stereo effects and back into both power amps in stereo, you will need ground isolation at every connection to the second amp.

How do I clean my pots on a combo? Got a Rocker 15 with crackly pots on both channels. Awesome amp though – the dirty channel is everything I want in an amp. Make a 50W head with just that channel please.
John: There could be a few causes of scratchy pots. It could either be that they are dirty (and could be cleaned) or that they are worn out (and would need to be replaced). To be honest, either of those is quite unlikely in a new amp. It could also be that the preamp valves are worn. As valves wear, they can become susceptible to a phenomenon called Grid Conduction, which can cause a whooshing or scratching sound when adjusting the amp’s controls – especially the Gain and Volume. The fact that this is present on both channels makes me suspect that this is the problem. The only shared valve in the first ECC83, which handles the first stage of both channels. The other problems I’ve mentioned would likely be confined to one channel. There could also be a problem with grounding or a faulty capacitor, but this is also unlikely in such a new and well-designed amp. In any case, you should refer the repair to a good repair technician or, if your amp is still in warranty, contact your dealer. As for the 50W suggestion, I’ll pass that on to Orange’s Technical Director, Adrian Emsley but I think the Custom Shop 50 will suit your needs very well and I expect him to say the same.

Can I run the Terror Stamp on 18v or will it explode?
John:
You cannot run the Terror Stamp from an 18V supply. It requires a 15VDC 2.1mm centre positive power supply and is supplied with one. The product page will soon be updated with a figure for current draw so that users can specify their own power supply for use on pedal boards.

TH30 paired with a Jim Root PPC212, what results can you expect from those?
John: This will be a very good combination. The closed back Jim Root PPC212 will be tighter sounding and a little more resonant than the usual PPC212 Open Back. I suspect this difference will particularly suit the TH30’s Dirty channel when used for heavier styles.

A couple of months ago I went Orange and got a PPC212 AND a Dual Terror, I’m thrilled and happy, but at some point in the future I’d like to change the Dual Terror but not my cabinet. Which amp head do you recommend to go along my PPC 212 which is more powerfull than my 30 watts Dual?
John: There are a few options from the Orange range that would be a good upgrade from the Dual Terror (not that there’s anything wrong with that amp). If you really like the old-school Orange tone of the Dual Terror but could live with only one channel, the Custom Shop 50 absolutely nails the vintage Orange sound. The Class AB/Class A switch and Point-to-Point construction are also really cool features. If you like having two of the same channel but need a more powerful amp, the Dual Dark is the one for you. The channels are higher-gain than the Dual Terror but will both clean right up if you want them too. Obviously there’s the Rockerverb. It’s the choice for anyone who wants versatility and high power. And Reverb too! Any of these will pair nicely with the PPC212.

Can I run the terror stamp into a combo amp and get a “clean” tone ?
John: This is best answered in two parts:
1. The Terror Stamp can be used for clean sounds all the way up to heavy-enough-for-most-styles.
2. The Terror Stamp can be used as a pedal/preamp in front of a normal amp. Just connect the FX Send of the Stamp to the input of your amp. This will allow you to use all the sounds available from the Terror Stamp – including the clean ones.

I’ve got an Orange Crush 20L and it’s stopped working, plug it in and the light doesn’t come on and no sound. Would it be something to do with the fuse or do I have to have a deeper look?
John: This highlights a common misconception: the fuse is not the cause of the fault – it’s the indicator of it. It sounds like the fuse has blown but this will have happened because of a more serious fault in the amp (it blows to protect the amp from further damage). Your Crush 20L will need to be referred to a good repair technician to be fixed.

The Wombats have been using Orange amps pretty much since they first started as a band. So before their headline show at Wembley arena Jamie, ‘Murph’s’ guitar tech took some time out to run us through his rig. The three Dual Terrors are the rock of the rig and a Tiny Terror is used as a different flavour

Hi i’m Jamie Matthew Murphy’s guitar tech with the Wombats and this is his rig.

So we have got all these guitars here, we have got ‘Blue Bob’ which is his main guitar, a paisley telecaster from 96′ I believe. It’s the one he uses the most, on most tunes, it is in standard tuning. Then we have a spare which is a brown tele, we have got a strat he uses on three or four tunes as well. A black and a white jazzmaster and a Fender Coronado too.

These are all going through a Sennheiser wireless system which are then combined in a Radial JX44 combiner, I have a remote down here which I can easily switch them when we are doing guitar changes. Then it goes through a G2 gig rig pedal board, now all this is midi automated as I think there is only two or three songs without a click track, so every song with a click track ‘Murph’ doesn’t have to touch his pedal board other than to turn tuner on or off but that’s it really, it’s all pretty automated. We shall move on to the amps.

We have amp one and amp two which are both Dual Terrors, amp three which is a Tiny Terror. Amp one and amp two both go to 2×12 cabinets, amp one the sounds on both channels are very similar, i’d say it’s a clean sound with a bit of bite and then when he hits his footswitch to change his channels it gets a bit louder and a bit more of a gravely version of the first one. But there is not very much difference with that and amp two, the clean channel is all down so there is no signal passing through it until he hits the switch and then you get a really gainy, driven sound. Amp three goes through a 1×10 and that is a purely uneffected signal, so it bypasses all the pedals straight to the back of the amp and it just gives Pete at the Front of house or monitors something to get some clarity if the other two are raging.

I’ve personally always loved Orange amps because there is not twenty knobs on them, you haven’t got bass, treble and middle control for tone. It’s very, very simple you’ve got six knobs, three for each channel and you get everything you need out of them, you don’t any more. They are perfect for what you do.

If we go to America or fly gig they lugged about in a backpack and can literally hand carry them onto a plane, they can take a knocking about, there is not really any signal you can put through that it doesn’t sing, it doesn’t sound as it should. They are not venue specific, for instance we played Birmingham academy last night and we are doing Wembley arena tonight, you don’t struggle with volume or with control with the amp. They have got more than enough punch for Wembley arena.

You get that classic british sound don’t you, that classic british rock sound from all valve analogue amps. It’s the simplicity that makes them, that’s what makes the tone so good I think. There is very little taken away from it by adding more, there is not much there but what’s there is perfect for a classic British rock sound.

jonny-hall-heck

Photo: Jennifer McCord

Hey dude, who are you and what are you about?
Hi, I’m Jonny Hall, the one with the bigger beard in HECK. I play guitar and bleed on things a bit.

How would you describe HECK’s music and live performances to a stranger?
Musically, HECK are an intense beast. We have always seemed to thrive off relentlessness. It’s like that moment when you have that secret scream at the mirror to purge your frustration, except very public. The live shows are essentially an arena for everyone to sack off inhibition and join us in accepting that most of real life is bollocks, ‘so let’s do whatever the fuck we want for an hour’. It’s chaotic, extreme and powerful, and it’s fucking fun.

You released your debut album ‘Instructions’ earlier this year, how has life been ever since?
It’s been difficult but rewarding. Self releasing the album means there was no one to do our dirty work for us, so we plunged headfirst into a world we knew nothing about and we’re thankfully still afloat! We’ve done some amazing tours and played to thousands of incredible people. We’re frankly amazed by the response we’ve had, people seem to have really ‘got’ the album, bizarrely. The only downside is that everything awesome that you do only makes you hungrier for more. I’ll never be completely satisfied.

Can you tell us a bit about your history and experiences with Orange?
When I was a nipper just learning to play orange amps seemed like some unobtainable relic of guitarness. Pro’s played Orange, I couldn’t play it too, as I was clearly not good enough. I played about with a few different amps in my youth but nothing ever gave me the huge sound I’d been after. I wanted something with balls. Preferably several sets. The more superfluous the better.

When I started jamming with Matt (the smaller beard in HECK) he had a Rocker 30 running into a PPC212. It sounded to full that, despite the fact that my rig was considerably more powerful than his, I genuinely couldn’t hear my guitar due to it being made to sound so thin by his. I immediately applied for a credit card because clearly, owning an Orange rig was more important than any hint of financial security. Totally worth every penny of debt.

What’s your set up?
I currently run a Rocker 30 into a PPC212 and PPC412, drive channel only, with a ProCo RAT as a ‘death’ pedal before it. When i kick that in, it sounds like the amp-apocalypse.

Back to the band – if you were all zoo animals, who’d be what animal, and why?
Paul Shelley would be a walrus. He’s mighty, girth, stubbly and wise, with a touch of class and an air of authority. The rest of us would be the shitty pointless grubs they feed to the lizards in the reptile house. We’re there out of necessity.

You recently did a massive co headline tour with Black Peaks around the UK and Europe, how is it being back home after a month of madness on the road?
It’s rubbish. It’s difficult being in a touring band as it’s like getting post holiday blues every time you get home, but from the best holiday you’ll ever have, where you feel like you’re actually achieving something with your life, but it’s actually your job, that you love, and you want to do forever. Then one day it stops and you find yourself sitting in your pants eating microwave Tesco Value macaroni cheese and dry bread, watching six consecutive seasons of Friends because you can’t be bothered to click ‘back’ on Netflix. I do get to see my girlfriend though, which is nice.

Top ten songs played in your tour van:
Talk Dirty – Jason Derulo
(Repeat)
(Repeat)
(Repeat)
(Repeat)
(Repeat)
(Repeat)
(Repeat)
(Repeat)
(Repeat)

Tag Archive for: PPC212