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Posted by: brandon Mar 20 2007, 05:21 PM

Well, I've decided resently that I am done with Marshall. I've been looking into getting something with a little more of that dirty rock n roll sound (ie-Pete Townsend). I've been thinking of going with either a Hiwatt or Orange. Unfortunitely I don't know much about the two companies and which models are the "good ones". I've definitely heard some that sounded amazing though. I know the Hiwatt Custom 100/DR 103 sounds amazing. I've read that the custom series is all handwired, so I'm assuming the 50 watt version is still a really loud amp. I've also seen that the 20 watt is class A, so that's probably as loud as a 50 watt marshall. If anyone has any insight or suggestions on this please share them. Also, I know nothing about orange, so any model suggestions for orange would be highly appreciated. I need something that would be good for playing shows and would definitely stand on it's own without being mic'd up.

Posted by: MickeM Mar 20 2007, 06:41 PM

As ironic as it may sound Marshall has a model 1959 which is Pete Townsend all the way.

Posted by: brandon Mar 21 2007, 08:06 PM

yeah, i used to have a '73 marshall plexi super lead (still handwired) and I know the new 1959's are the same schimatics and they handwire them again. the amp sounded amazing, but only if you cranked it up. i even tried a power brake , but it seemed to kill the tone some. so i eventually sold it to a friend. i would like something with the same tone, but more crunch....and can crank it so loud it will destroy people's brains, but can also be played at a decent volume where i'm not drowning everyone out.

Posted by: MickeM Mar 21 2007, 11:00 PM

Had the same problem with my JCM800, had to be cranked up like you say. I sold it a couple of weeks ago. Am perfectly satisfied with my Hughes & Kettner Switchblade though it doesn't produce the Marshall tone exactly. You can get a crunchy rock tone but not 100% Marshall "brown", still I think it's better.. with the volume at 1.
But I got it for it's versatility really, I got it both american and british with this one.

Never heard any Hiwatt amps, can't help you there. Never played any Orange amps either for that matter except for the Tiny Terror but I was not impressed. People keep praising it, I know, but it didn't cut it for me. And the 15W is far from enough for you on stage of course.

Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Mar 22 2007, 12:27 AM

Hey MikeM, since you are the Amp guy I'm curious - I've always used PAs. How much is enough for an amp on stage ? Of course it varies by the size of the venue, but in your experience how much power do you need for say small medium and large?

Posted by: Tank Mar 22 2007, 10:53 AM

Orange are not what they used to be. A guy who practises in our studio has an original orange head, and it's brilliant. He has a sound similar to Queens of the Stone Age, and it suits perfectly.
The newer Orange amps are mass produced, and while they are decent mid range amps, they aren't their former glory. And looking for an original Orange amp, is usually like looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

If you're looking for the original Orange sound, I would suggest looking at a company called MATAMP. They are the guys who used to make the original oranges, but are still producing a similar product, hand wired, point to point, under a different name.

Posted by: MickeM Mar 22 2007, 01:09 PM

"ampguy"

To keep it simple
Small 30W
Medium 50W
Large 100W

Of course you can play a small gig on a 50W or medium gigs at a 100W if it can only manage to sound good at low levels. My experience is that not many does so 100W in a small club is to over do things. However, I happened to find a 100W head that sounds great even at 1. A 100W Marshall wouldn't let you play a small gig with the volume knob set to 4. It will sound like shit. I've heard modern 100W amps that blows your mind even at bedroom levels, so if you find one of those (hint: it's not Marshall) I don't see why you shouldn't get one of those which you can use at any gig size... which is a defensive position from my side sice I got myself a 100W head but it wasn't available in 50W, if it had been I had got the 50W instead.
So one could say I've been surprised lately of what those new 100Watters can manage even while running at 20-30W only (menaing low volume, not a wattage switch)

And even more important than getting the correct Wattage for gigs is that you should always go for 12" speakers. For a combo 2x12 is just great. Forget about 10" or smaller!
If you get a 4x12" cabinet, even better. You can also run a cabinet from a combo that has a connector for external speakers, not all does, but you're not forced to use a head.

Anyway, I don't think one should overdo things. The advantage of using a 30W amp at a small gig instead of a 100W is that when you push it so hard cranked up you'll hear how it will like gasp for air when overdriven. A sweet sound indeed.

So, in general, most people would manage with a 30W amp, a 50W and you're covered for the rest of your life. If you become a huge rock star, go get a 100W head

Posted by: Andrew Cockburn Mar 22 2007, 02:45 PM

Hey thanks - very interesting. You're almost convincing me I should get a tube amp for live gigs I could use the pod for recording, but play live through the amp and just turn off all the modeling to still benefit from the variax guitar patch switching and the effects (I know, next you're gonna tell me that all of the modeled effects sound plasticky and that real ones are far better )

And yes, you are the ampguy - you always post on amp related threads and know a lot about the subject I'm not gonna hijack this thread any further, but I might have some amp questions for you in a few months when I start looking for an Amp in earnest.

Posted by: MickeM Mar 22 2007, 03:05 PM

I see I'm becoming predictable ...so I better say nothing further