EddiePlaysBass Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hi gang, I emailed a local music store to see if they are interested in taking over my Ibanez BTB. That was my first serious bass and I loved it dearly but I have to be honest with myself: I literally have not played it in 10 years, some noodling aside. So out it goes! The store has a load of Markbass amps but I am not too partial to that tone. They also have an Orange TB500H and that seems to suit my current needs quite well. Plus, the girlfriend digs its looks! Checked online, like the tonal variety (despite it being a one-trick pony kind of amp). Does anyone have any experience with this head? If you happen to have a barefaced cab I would be particularly interested in hearing it "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 My problem with Orange is that their amps tend to have a fairly narrow range of sounds, and as I play every genre imaginable, that isn't practical for me. The same goes for Eden. But you can sometimes get the TB500H cheap on blowout. Might be worthwhile at the right price. I am floored by my Mesa Bass Prodigy head. I really don't think there's a bass amp sound you can't emulate with that amp. I am pretty sure you would be able to get into Orange territory, Marshall, certainly Ampeg, etc. If you have a Mesa dealer nearby, see if they have one in stock. It's quite small for an all-tune model. I prefer mating it to Mesa's 1x15 Powerhouse cabinet, but there are some 2x10's and 4x10's that work well with it. Not as fond of pairing it with 12's. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 Just for a bit of closure, I ended up buying a second-hand OTB500. Damn loud!!! Got a rehearsal / jam session on Monday where I will use it for the first time. Very curious!! "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Eddie, hope it works out. If it doesn't, you can probably make back what you spent. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted March 6, 2017 Author Share Posted March 6, 2017 Oh it's what I hoped it would be! In a band setting it is loud but crystal clear - I finally heard every note I played. Now to find a good setting to get it to "sit in the band mix" the way I want it and I will be one happy camper. On a side-note, I tried out an envelope filter pedal thingie for the first time yesterday and now I am thinking of getting me some different pedals to try out. Rumour has it the OTB likes pedals... "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 My favourite envelope filter for bass is the one from Aguilar -- I sold all the others, even though they are good (all my other envelope pedals, and all my other Aguilar pedals) as I try to limit what I have once I feel I've made wide-context evaluations. I'm doing this from memory, mind you, and when I get home I may find that I replaced the Aguilar with a different envelope filter and forgot. But if so, it would have been a brand new product vs. another one already available, as I definitely found the MXR to not track as well or be as friendly to a wide range of basses and amp settings. As for the Orange, I think they require a longer warm-up period to stabilize their sound than many equivalent tube amps, so be aware of that when trying to find your sweet spots. I never got the chance to try one in a band setting; just soloed. So, your feedback is welcome, as I've passed by several opportunities for cheap ones. OTOH my Mesa Prodigy seems the ultimate chameleon, so I may never need a second bass amp regardless of genre, and of course my Fender Bassman '59 LTD reissue is working well for jazz duties even though for the most part this is more of a guitar amp and a lap steel, baritone, electric mandolin amp. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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