Tag Archive for: Terror Bass

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Interview: The Dead Daisies’ Glenn Hughes

Photo by: Pedro Hernandéz / @picfromthepit

Our followers and fans will already be familiar with you through your previous work in Deep Purple, Trapeze, California Breed (the list goes on and on…) and solo career, but they might not all know The Dead Daisies, can we get a bit of an introduction of the band?
Glenn: The Dead Daisies are a musical collective, a family if you will. I’ve been aware of the band for a long time, we had been on a similar circuit around Europe. I was contacted by their management in 2019 in regard to getting together with the guys in NYC to have a little “jam session”. We clicked right away. Of course, I had toured with Doug Aldrich (guitarist in The Dead Daisies) previously as he was a member of my touring band in 2016 – so that was already set it stone. David Lowy is a solid guitarist and Deen Castronovo is a fantastic drummer with lots of flare. It was a natural progression to write together and go into the studio to record.

You just released your single “Bustle and Flow”, what can you tell us about it?
Glenn: We were recording at La Fabrique studios in the south of France, Dec 2019. The studio is an old Chateau set in a beautiful part of the countryside. We had recorded the music and I had most of the lyrics written. The setting of the studio was very inspiring, I could not fail to be influenced whilst living and working there. Find it here.

This year has been quite a bumpy road for most people, how have you adjusted to the ‘new normal’, and how do you stay creative and inspired during tough times?
Glenn: I have tried to maintain my own daily routines and rituals as much as possible. I meditate when I wake up, I like to walk, drink lots of water and read a lot. So personally, I have been able to stay creative within my own inner sanctuary.

Of course, in an Orange interview we gotta do some gear talk! You’ve been using Orange for quite some time, what’s your history and experience with our amps?
Glenn: I was using the AD200 heads live and, in the studio, but for the last 18 months I’ve been using the Terror Bass heads. They really sound amazing. I run 2 at the same time via the Orange ‘Amp Detonator’ pedal. I don’t use any distortion pedals, I use the gain structure of the amps, this allows me to get a far more natural crunch..

You’ve been in the game for a long time, and you’ve influenced a lot of people and musicians along the way. Was there anyone in specific who’s style of playing, way of writing or performing that inspired, of keeps inspiring you as an artist?
Glenn: I think like many people of my generation, The Beatles were a big influence in my youth. Their song writing is still hard to beat all these years later. As for bass playing, my roots are very much set in the early Motown recordings, James Jameson really was the benchmark for groove playing. Of course, more local to home we had guys like Andy Fraser who was an incredibly soulful bassist, he knew when to leave a space or two. I also read a lot of books and one of my favourite authors at the moment is Eckhart Tolle. I always have 1 or 2 of his books with me when travelling.

What would your advice be to aspiring musicians who’s just getting into playing?
Glenn: My advice would be to love what you’re doing, enjoy every moment and don’t take anything for granted. You need to dedicate your time to learning your craft and being the best, you can be. Walk through the fear.

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Interview with Vintage Caravan at Black Deer Festival

This year at Black Deer Festival Orange got the pleasure to sit down with Oskar and Alex from Icelandic rock band Vintage Caravan. The band had just played a set at the festival and chatted about their Orange rigs, the Rockerverb MKIII and the Terror Bass, we also found out about their influences and how Icelandic culture and weather helps to galvanise a band.

Oskar: Hi my name is Óskar Logi Ágústsson, I play guitar and I sing.

Alex: Hi i’m Alex and I play bass.

What inspired you to start playing music?

Alex: I remember starting to listen to ‘Rage Against the Machine’ and thinking that guy sounds pretty fuckin’ bad ass. That kind of propelled me into playing bass and stuff like that, really got the juices flowing!

Oskar: Ugh! I started playing guitar when I was 9, I watched School of Rock and that got me thinking, if they can do it, I can do it.

Alex: I think every kid our age got inspiration from that.

Oskar: Thank you Jack Black! When I head Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Hendrix, there was no turning back.

Tell us about the music scene you grew up with?

Alex: I mean the music scene has always kind of been very strong in Iceland, it’s kind of inspiring to grow up there but also there is not that much to do. The weather is awful all of the time or most of the time.

Oskar: It’s also dark for most for most of the day in the winter time, so you have to do something.

Alex: For nerdy kids like us that meant playing bass and guitar.

When was the first time you spotted an Orange Amp?

Alex: A guy I played in a band with, when I was like 11, he had an Orange combo. I can’t remember the exact model, it was such a noticable brand as there are no other Orange coloured amps. So immediately when you see it you can’t….

Oskar: You can’t get confused with anything else! For me it was seeing Tony Iommi, Paul Kossoff, seeing Fleetwood Mac and Peter Green. Seeing those guys using it, I was associating Orange with great tone and great playing, as they were flying the Orange flag, it was very inspiring.

Tell us about your current set-up?

Alex: I’m running an 8X10 and actually I have be running almost exclusively a new Terror Bass amp. Its cool because I can fly anywhere and it sounds amazing. I’ve tried a lot of these Class D, solid state amplifiers because there is a lot of them out now. Actually I have never tried one that has a weight to the sound, like you get from a really good solid state amp or a tube amp, that you don’t really see in a lot of those other small amps.

Oskar: For me I’m getting the Rockerverb 100 MKIII.

Tell us about why you choose this particular gear?

Alex: In terms of sound I always try to go for something that can stay full and rich but is immensely punchy. Because I have to have a lot of punch all the time, I don’t know maybe i’m compensating for something. Not every amp can do that, I really like how you can turn up the gain on an Orange amp, it seems to do something funny that makes it really fat and powerful, which i don’t see in many modern amps.

Oskar: The Rockerverb just gives me the wings to fly! A cliche yes! I almost teared up myself. It makes my guitars really sing and its super tight, I don’t know really how to explain it but it has that huge body to it and it sings. There is no part of it that is floppy, it is just there and great for the mix.

How does it feel to be part of the Orange family?

Oskar: Being an ambassador of Orange is a dream come true, it’s mind blowing just being part of the huge roster.

Alex: It’s a big honour for us, for sure, we are very happy to working with you guys,

Oskar: Super happy, it’s quite surreal seeing our names on the website. I know that man!

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Orange Ambassadors and the Terror Bass

The all new, re-designed Terror Bass has arrived and it sounds better than ever. With an all valve front end, the Terror Bass is a 500W hybrid bass amp with a valve preamp and solid state power amp, making it closer to the sound of our flagship AD200 than ever before.

Some of the top bassists have made the switch to the Terror Bass. Here’s what they think about this amazing lunchbox-sized piece of kit:

“This amp is wicked. It’s so damn good. The wirey sound and the gain blow me away. It’s enabled me to get a lot of frequencies on the bass I haven’t heard in a while. Sometimes small is better. The Terror Bass is the greatest amp I’ve heard in a long time.”
Glenn Hughes

Watch the video of Sergio Vega with the Terror bass

“The Terror bass amp is cool because it adds a lot of warmth, it adds a lot of detail, it kind of allows me to shape what i’m doing and give it its best possible presentation. A cool feature about the Terror bass amp that stands out to me is the clean switch, it basically allows the cleaner end of the approach to really sing. When I’m playing clean or when I’m playing my bass six, kind of on the higher strings, I still want there to be a lot of warmth. I don’t want it to start sounding too much like a guitar and this amp has really been instrumental in getting across what I want to get across.”
Sergio Vega of Deftones, Quicksand

For background on this pic, and to watch a hilarious video, click here

“I played the original Terror Bass for years. The new one is even better. It’s the only bass amp I want on stage with me!”
Richard Turner of Blackberry Smoke

Watch our interview with Steve about the Terror Bass

“The first thing I noticed about the Terror Bass was the tone that I could get out of something that was that small. I was completely blown away by it. Second, the portability. I remember ETID going on tour and a bunch of people being like:

‘What’s that? Is that head you’re playing out of?’

‘Yeah, it’s a bass head.’

People were shocked at how much tone and power you could get out of it. Then I remember six months later, almost every single hardcore band we toured with had this head.”
Steve Micciche of Every Time I Die

Watch the video

“Our sound guy actually told me that I’m not allowed to use anything else!”
 Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved

Dan at the Electric Ballroom, Camden. Watch the interview

“With the Terror bass I have found reliability and tone. It’s just flawless in every way.”
Dan Cunniff of Boston Manor

Reading Festival – Sunday – 26th August

“The controls of this amp are very easy to use, there is just a bass, mid, treble, which I like. I never really mess around with graphic EQ’s and stuff like that, so it’s perfect for me.”
Josh Finerty of Shame 

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Interview: Bad Day Blues

Described as the UK’s hottest new rock n roll band Bad Day Blues have supported greats such as ‘The Killers’ and ‘Manic Street Preachers on their way to getting radio play on Radio 2. The band’s bass player Adam came into Orange Amps HQ to go through the Terror Bass and why he thinks it’s the perfect touring rig. Adam was using the Terror bass through the OBC112 which a perfect combination of power and portability.

‘Hi i’m Adam Rigg from the Bad Day Blues Band.

Amps were kind of a necessity so I would us any old battered amp, whatever I could throw in the back of the transit van or whatever they had at the venue I would use. Until that is I started using Orange amps and then I was like ‘Ah, I kind of get the whole amp thing now!’ It sounds ballsy without being thin or weak, it sounds vintage, I like the tubes on it and it has a little bit of natural growl. Which is really hard to fake with any pedals or any kind of plug ins, it’s a very real authentic sounding amp. Which is why I use them. It’s not even about the sound of the amp it’s about the aesthetics of it, the look of it and the feel of it. It’s got that aura about it which is one of the reasons I dig Orange.

I really like the valves on the Terror bass, the fact that it’s small, its portable and i think it is Class D. But the preamp is the tube element, which means you get that natural growl. Which is perfect for the blues you want that kind of authentic vibe, you don’t want anything that sounds too clinical or too fake. I don’t use any pedals, I just plug my bass straight into it. I get a little bit of growl out of it if I want, or I can back it off and get it a bit cleaner with some palm muting. So it’s literally perfect for the blues.

That’s why Orange amps are so great, they are just so easy to use, I’ve never been one for loads of EQ’s and stuff. My bass has a volume knob and that is it and that is what I like about Orange, its an instant good tone. I always think if you get amps and guitars with tons and tons of switches on you are trying to make up for something, if it doesn’t sound great pretty much straight away then why bother with it.

I was surprised by the OBC112 because they are tiny or relatively small compared to the bigger amps next to them. But they are loud and they can handle it, I think they are 400 Watts, which is loud. I usually plug my terror bass into a OBC410 or I have had it in the 810 before and it is so loud. If anyone is wondering about a Terror bass and wondering is 500 Watts loud enough, it definitely is! If you can pair it up with a smaller speaker, you have a perfect rig. If you are jumping on the tube, you could carry one of those in your hands, bass over your shoulder and Terror bass in the other hand.

They are just one of those iconic brands, you have posters up on the wall when you learn how to play guitar of Orange amps. The fact that Orange amps are nice enough to be seen with me is lovely. The gear is great as well so that’s a plus!’

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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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Dan from Boston Manor discusses the Terror Bass.

Hi I’m Dan from Boston Manor and I play Orange.

Well I have always been a big fan of music and bands, I really loved Blink 182 and my favourite member was Mark Hoppus. He was my main influence I think because he sung and played bass and he jumped around a lot and I was really into all that. Picking up the bass as well, I was like this is different from guitar and not that many people I know play bass, so I thought it was a really cool instrument to play.

With the Terror bass what I look for is reliability and tone, it’s just flawless in every way.  I love playing it and being small it fits in the van, under my seat, that’s why I love it so much. The reason I got the new one is it has features of the older Orange AD200 which I used to play quite a lot but they were really heavy and big. I still really enjoyed the tone and sound of them, it kind of has those features all built into this one tiny terror bass head.

My setup on stage is, I have the Orange bass terror, the new one. I have the Orange 4X10 cab and then underneath it is a 1X15 cab and they are paired together. I put it on the clean switch and I also mess around with my pedals to kind of get a grittier tone and it works really well with a couple of pedals on the clean sound. I’m still figuring it out at the moment, I do like to try different things as much as possible. I feel like it sounds better live using the Orange stuff than using it in the studio because I always try to crank more for live, to give it a bit more gain. Once you really crank the gain on those things it really proper drives it and helps the song.

I just think Orange are cool, they have always been that cool, i’ve seen many punk bands using Orange as well. I’ve always just thought they looked awesome as well. We recorded our EP’s and our first record with them and like I said I used it at uni, I always thought Orange were the go to amp head and cabs as well. I’ve always just loved Orange and thought why not have one for myself.

It feels amazing, I never thought growing up, even five years ago when we first started the band I never thought we would one get to this point and two, have Orange who I have always looked up to, support our band and support me individually.  I feel blessed in a way because I never thought it would happen.

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Steve from Every Time I Die discusses the Terror Bass.

Hi I’m Steve and I play bass in the band “Every Time I Die”.

The first thing was the tone that I could get out of something that was that small and I was completely blown away by it. Second the portability, especially I remember ETID going on tour and a bunch of people being like:

“what’s that? is that head you’re playing out of?”.

“Ye it’s a bass head”

People were shocked at how much tone and power you could get out of it. Then i remember six months, a year later almost every single hardcore band we toured with, had that head.

I mean it was the choice of the touring hardcore musician, you don’t have to lug around something super heavy and bulky. It was very user friendly, very low maintenance, it was just everywhere and I loved those heads explode and takeoff and see every band use one.

 

So Dan from Orange brought down the new Terror head and I just tried it out and it is everything I hoped it would be. It has the low end of the AD200 which is fantastic, it’s got a lot of growl to it, the high end is punchy and very clear It definitely keeps up with AD200 as far as tone goes.

So as soon as the new Terror head comes out it will be in my rig stage right. Pairing it with the AD200, which has been kind of been my sound which i have been trying to do live and in the studio, Can’t  wait to get it back on the stage.

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Sergio from Deftones and Quicksand discusses the Terror Bass.

Ye! No fingers, picks!

Hi, I’m Sergio Vega I play bass in Deftones and Quicksand and i’m sitting here with Orange and we are going to be talking about the Terror Bass.

So my general impression of the Orange brand is legendary! The first time I saw an Orange amp was with Sleep. Their sound is massive and seeing the wall of amplifiers and cabs, it made a big impression.

For me playing bass is a very aggressive, kind of sensual and I play with a pick. It comes from bands that I grew up loving like the Cro-Mags, Amebixs, basically punks bands with gnarly tones and that was my thing and it still is!

The Terror bass amp is cool because it adds a lot of warmth, it adds a lot of detail, it kind of allows me to shape what i’m doing and give it its best possible presentation.

A cool feature about the Terror bass amp that stands out to me is the clean switch, it basically allows the cleaner end of the approach to really sing. When i’m playing clean or when i’m playing my bass six, kind of on the higher strings, I still want there to be a lot of warmth. I don’t want it to start sounding too much like a guitar and this amp has really been instrumental in getting across what I want to get across.

I play Orange amps with Quicksand and Deftones, Orange cabinets as well. They just sound meaty! One of the things i’m definitely really into about Orange besides the bass amps are the cabinets. Something in the construction of it, something in the wood, something in the weight that really stand out, in a way that I heard immediately and i’ve been stuck on.

To me I use digital processors, you know amp processors and I run them straight into the front of the Terror Bass amp so I can add the warmth from the tubes and the extra colouring from the EQ. But it has a really rad effects loop that I have messed around with as well, so if that’s your approach its totally there for as well.

I originally started using the Terror bass amps because it was helpful in taking all of the digital processors that I was using and adding extra girth and width and helping articulate the distorted aspects of my tone, all of the effects that I like to use. Also its really there for me for the cleaner end of what I do, now that they’re back and I have my chance to get my hands on them again, especially with the additional feature of the clean switch, i’m super stoked.

I’m looking forward to many years with this, don’t ever leave me again!

I’m Sergio Vega and I play the Terror Bass!

 

 

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Interview: The Bronx’s Brad Magers

Let’s dive straight into this – Orange, can you tell us about your history with the company?
Brad: Basically, I had an Ampeg deal back in the day so that’s where I started while Ken and Joby were the ones always using Orange cabs, and Joby having some sort of Orange connection. I always liked Orange, but I never had a deal, and the stuff I wanted was always a bit out of my price range, so it’s more in recent years I’ve gotten in on it as well. Joby reconnected with Orange recently and we did a bit of a revamp of our gear in the States and got some all blacked out Orange cabinets, and I got a 4 Stroke over there which I love.

Have you got the same set up for this UK and Europe tour?
Brad: On this tour I’ve got the AD200 which is 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!” 

Any other Orange favourites…?
Brad: Definitely the It’s the Terror Bass which you guys don’t make anymore but should totally bring back! I still have the habit of bringing a spare amp with me on the road, but from my experiences with Orange I’ll probably never need it, but then again, you can never be too safe, right? It’s so great it could easily be your main amp as well, it’s just amazing that something that small can sound so good, that goes for the guitar one as well. Obviously as a bassist it’s driving mad that you’ve gotten rid of the bass one! When I got mine it was broken, and you cant really get the parts to fix it anywhere in the states. Luckily, my Orange guys in the states let me send it back here to the UK to get fixed. Everyone at Orange is so nice that it was the easiest thing to do ever.

With The Bronx we’ve also got Mariachi El Bronx, which is two bands from completely different sides of the spectrum – punk and mariachi, you must have a pretty wide musical background?
Brad: It’s interesting with me, I actually play trumpet in our other band, and that’s my main – or I guess I don’t really have a main instrument anymore, but you know, main instrument.  I started playing horn in 4th grade and did pretty well at it. It was never my intentions for that to become my life, or such a big deal, especially not that early on, I was kind of just doing my thing until it snowballed and it took me to college. Early on, I was more of a classical guy, and my mum was really into classical music as well, and I was a classical trumpet player.

Somewhere in middle school I discovered rock ‘n’ roll, started a band and went down the line of straight up old school rock like Stones, AC/DC and that sorta stuff, then that went into a punk fase. I’ve always been into a lot of stuff, and blues might be one of my favourite genres. What’s interesting to me, is that there’s actually quite a few musicians where bass and trumpet is the combo, Flea’s one of them. Obviously I can’t remember anyone else now, but oddly enough there is at least another 4-5 big musicians where that is the combo, which to me seems like the weirdest thing ever, and every time I hear about some other guy with that combo I’m just like ‘How did that even happen?’ For me it was just circumstances, I dabbled a bit between everything, guitar and drums as well – I could play them all but not well, and only ended up playing bass as the band I was in at high school needed a bassist, and here I am, years later.

 

 

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Interview: Fizzy Blood’s Ciaran Scanlon

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your band Fizzy Blood? Have you been a member since day one?
I’m Ciaran Scanlon and I’m the bass player in a rock band called Fizzy Blood. I joined Fizzy Blood back in 2015 a few months after they had come out of the studio recording ‘Feast’. Our drummer Jake and I had been playing in bands together for years, and at the time we were both living together in Leeds, studying at the Leeds College of Music. When Fizzy needed a bassist, I joined them for a few rehearsals and we’ve been playing together ever since. As well as ‘Feast’, we’ve also released ‘Summer of Luv’, plus we’ve just come out of the studio recording our 3rd EP, which we did with the wonderful Alex Newport. This will be released in the next few months so keep an eye out!

You’ve got some impressive shows behind you with your three years in the band, what would you say has been the highlight for you?
For me, it has to be playing overseas. We performed over in South Korea for ‘Zandari Fest’ and Austin Texas for ‘SXSW’, which were both pretty surreal experiences. In the UK, this headline tour we’ve just done is definitely a highlight as well. The gigs we played in Leeds, London and Birmingham were really exceptional and the crowds were so energetic and responsive. It was a really unique moment for the band.

How old were you when you got into playing, and what led you towards playing the bass?
I have been playing bass since I was about fourteen years old, so for about eight years now. I first started when I was in secondary school when a few friends of mine were learning instruments. I used to turn up to the practice room, hang out, and try to get involved any way I could, and with bass being the one instrument none of my friends played I thought ‘why not give that a go?!’. Later I got a bass for Christmas, and the rest is, as you say, history. My dad was really into the bass as well, just as much as I was, so he got me lessons to help develop my learning of the instrument. A few years later I decided to pursue it further and study music at university, which is where I eventually ended up joining the band.

 

What kind of music did you listen to yourself growing up?
Growing up in an Irish household in Birmingham, I was exposed to lots of talented Irish music and musicians. My parents were very much into the Manchester music scene, so bands like The Smith, Oasis, Joy Division and The Stone Roses were always played on repeat.

Can you give us a lowdown on your history and experience with Orange?
When I first started playing I had an Orange combo practice amp, which was one of the first pieces of equipment I ever owned. The Orange amps I have used over the years range from everything from practice combo amps to a Terror Bass and an AD200. I’ve always been a fan of Orange, especially with Fleetwood Mac’s John McVie being a part of the Orange family and roster. From the moment I first played Orange I’ve been sticking to them due to their top quality sound and pristine production, and I’ve been really lucky to use Orange amps across a wide range of tours in the UK with Fizzy Blood.

So you’ve played the Terror bass and you’ve given the AD200 a go, what’s your current set up for this most recent UK tour?
For this as well as the last few Fizzy Blood tours I’ve been using the Orange 4 Stroke 500, it’s got everything I want and I’ve had such a great time playing it. I dont rely on too many pedals either, and my small pedal board consists of a tuner running to a Sansamp into a pedal called a ‘Steel Leather’, which is essentially a treble boost that emulates a pick sound as I play with my fingers. It’s been nice using the 4 Stroke as I normally use my Sansamp to control my tone, as the 4 Stroke has allowed me so much more creative freedom.

If you could go back in time and give your ten-year-old self some words of wisdom, what would it be?
Save up all your pocket money and get yourself an orange amp. You won’t regret it.

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