Category: Gear Reviews

I’ll review guitars, amps, cabs, pedals and accessories.

Orange PPC 212 Open Back Cabinet

by desertrockunited3960, posted in Gear Reviews

Outfitted with a pair of Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, the PPC212OB’s design accentuates the top end frequencies while softening the bass response. The split rear panel means the delivery is less directional, creating an airy, spacious and sound. The added presence and chime makes the PPC212OB especially suited for cleaner styles, or for players who want a more vintage combo-type tone from their amp head. The PPC212OB features an 18mm birch plywood shell with skid runners secured to the base to help acoustically couple the cabinet to the stage.

I have this paired with the Orange Brent Hinds Terror and the V30’s put out a really great warm tone for the clean channel. The open back gives the sound a less directional sound than a closed back cabinet. Cranking up the gain and distortion the V30’s are more than capable to handle it. At a little over 52 lbs. the weight is right at the limit of being easy to carry around. If you are gigging a lot a travel case and or outfitting with casters might be best. One thing you’ll notice is the sturdy construction, this isn’t a cheap, wannabe, this is the real deal and for list price of $649.00 you can’t go wrong getting this cabinet.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.0

Specs

ORANGE – BRENT HINDS TERROR (8.5)

by desertrockunited3960, posted in Gear Reviews

As with all Orange Terror amps, the Hinds Terror is very portable. It comes in at just under 12 lbs with a padded carry bag that has a big pouch for the power supply, and plenty of room for accessories or spare tubes. As with all Terrors, the vibrant colors and dimensions are available, the metal enclosure does add a touch of an industrial, workman-like aesthetic. The two-channel setup is powered by two EL84 power tubes, and three 12AX7s, and one 12AT7 in the preamp. Power-switching options include a bedroom and headroom settings of 0.5, 1, 7, and 15 watts.

The speaker outputs are for 8-ohm speakers and pair well with Orange cabs. I really like the clean channel and when the gain is set to 3:00 on the dirty channel this amp really has some bite. The only downside would be if you are seeking a heavier metal distortion you would need a pedal. Orange may not be selling this model new anymore, but I picked mine up used and there is clearly a market for this model.

MXR – DYNA COMP COMPRESSOR (7.5)

by desertrockunited3960, posted in Gear Reviews

The MXR Dyna Comp provides an easy way to even out the volume or provide a chunky, clicky clean guitar tone. Operation is simple – two knobs (Output and Sensitivity) which allows you to determine output volume and at what volume the Dyna Comp engages. I find the most effective setting to be Output at 12:00 and Sensitivity at 3:00. Keep in mind as you raise the Output, the noise level is also raised and can negatively effect your sound.

BOSS – DS-1 DISTORTION (7.8)

by desertrockunited3960, posted in Gear Reviews

From its simple three-knob interface, many different sound options can be elicited from the DS-1. Its two-stage circuit incorporates both transistor and op-amp gain stages. This approach is critical to the DS-1’s characteristic low-frequency fullness. The distortion knob offers an extremely wide range, from a mild boost for driving amps and pedals to full-throttle gain for monster rock riffs. Turning the Tone knob clockwise increases highs and decreases lows while going counter-clockwise has the opposite effect. My preferred setting is Level at 12:00, Tone at 12:00, and Distortion at 3:00.

MXR – Phase 90 (9.0)

by desertrockunited3960, posted in Gear Reviews

This little orange box has gone on to become the star of its effect category, and countless awesome riffs have benefitted from the sonic qualities of this pedal. Van Halen’s intro on Hear About It Later is one of the most famous. No matter the musical genre, Phase 90 has been there through it all to add its distinctly lush voice to a musician’s tone palette. With the twist of the Speed knob, you can take the Phase 90’s warm modulation from subtle, spatial shimmer to all-out high-velocity swirling. Try the Speed knob at 9:00 on your clean channel. I’ve tried this on some songs in place of the chorus and it can work in a similar way, but with a unique, unexpected twist on your sound.

MXR – M-234 Analog Chorus (8.5)

by desertrockunited3960, posted in Gear Reviews

With true analog bucket brigade technology onboard, changing the rate and depth controls gives you a wide range of chorus tones. Two EQ knobs give you the tone control and the level knob adds as little or as much effect as you want, from a subtle shift in your tone to a full-on sound.

Rate, Level, and Depth controls, as well as knobs for cutting High and Low frequencies allow ultimate tone control. Like all MXR pedals, the M-234 comes in a heavy-duty housing with durable jacks and switches. One downside if you are primarily using battery power is the requirement to unscrew the back plate to change the battery. This is a great, affordable, pedal for most guitar players, maybe a stereo chorus would be better for some instances, but I use this one all of the time.

Level – The amount of chorus effect delivered into the audio signal. When you increase the Level knob, you are able to attain more chorus in your signal.

Low and High EQ Knobs – These controls represent basic EQ settings. You can use them to adjust the high and low end frequencies of your music.

Rate – This knob allows you to adjust the speed at which the chorus flows. When you turn it up, the sound will get increasingly circular and swirly.

Depth – The intensity of the chorus effect is controlled using the Depth knob. By using this knob, you can hit a stronger punchy sound.

Orange Crush Mini 3-watt Micro Amp (7.5)

by desertrockunited3960, posted in Gear Reviews

I got this as a gift and when I saw the size I didn’t expect much, but as a portable practice amp it rocks. Classic Orange tone in a small, portable amp. The controls give you full tone control with gain, shape and volume. Backing off the gain and pushing the volume up results in British crunch, while pushing the gain up will give you high gain distortion. The shape control, cuts or boosts the mids, to fatten or scoop your sound.

I think the best feature is the 8 Ohm speaker output. Plug directly into an external speaker cabinet to open up even more tones. I run this through my Orange PPC 212 open back cab and the distortion has a surprisingly full sound. The Crush Mini also features a built-in tuner, as well as a headphone output that cuts the speaker for silent practice. The AUX IN makes playing along to songs really easy.

Keep in mind with a 1×4″ speaker and a weight of 2lbs. This amp does have some sonic limitations, but for the portability, price and speaker output it is hard to beat. I think the one downside was the lack of a true clean sound. I couldn’t get one once the volume and gain were boosted. If I am missing how to get one post in the comments.