NPD: Caline CP-18 'Orange Burst': Xotic BB Clone?

[discreet]

[b]NPD: Caline CP-18 'Orange Burst': Xotic BB Clone?[/b]

[url="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GC2F0UK/"]https://www.amazon.c...uct/B00GC2F0UK/[/url]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I was looking at grit-boxes, sound-shapers and bass pre-amps, as you do. I've tried a lot of 'em... VT Bass, Catalinbread SFT, MXR M80, MXR M81, Behringer BDI-21, all the various flavours of SansAmp. The usual suspects. One I haven't tried is the Xotic BB Bass Preamp, which gets love here and elsewhere - so I became curious. [/font][/size][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Not so curious that I wanted to spend £200 on a new one just to see what it's like, however. Thus followed the usual late-night trawling of the net and I stumbled across the 'Andoer Caline CP-18 Orange Overdrive Pre Amp Pedal for Electric Guitar'... otherwise known as the 'Orange Burst'.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Now, then... this is [i]apparently [/i]a reasonably accurate Chinese clone of the Xotic BB Preamp, but NOT the bass version - the guitar version. Cue more rummaging in the internet's pants to find out what the difference is between the Bass and the Guitar Xotics. I discovered that there are more similarities than differences. The guitar version has a different upper frequency range compared with the bass version, and there are one or two other minor tweaks and component changes. They are not THAT different. [/font][/size][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I found this interesting quote from Xotic: 'The amount of the distortion and the affected frequencies are different. The bass model is a bit brighter and less middly than the guitar model. The bass peak Q is 100Hz and the treble is 5kHz. [i]The guitar version has the same bass response[/i] [my italics] but the treble is 10kHz'.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So there you have it. Not a lot wrong with having more mids, surely? And if the bass peak Q is the same as the Xotic BB Bass version at 100Hz, then the fact that the treble is centred around 10kHz or 5kHz is of little importance - in my humble opinion, of course. That's what your amp EQ is for, isn't it? So when the Orange Burst arrived at my entrance I was eager to check it out. [/font][/size][size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#282828]Once you get the controls (apart from the Gain) set up so it sounds the same volume and tone-wise when it's ON or OFF (it's true bypass), you can start experimenting with the magic Gain control.[/color]

[color=#282828]You can go from very subtle brooding SVT-on-tickover through valve-type break-up to full-on crunchy fuzz - but, if you go for the maximum you will lose a [i]bit [/i]of low end. But that's an extreme setting and one I would never use. Round about 8-9 o'clock is more than enough grit for me, at which sweet spot my bottom remained intact. Fnarr. With the Gain at minimum you can get a very useful clean boost, too.[/color][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#282828]For £24 it's a no-brainer really - you couldn't make it for much less - and if you're currently looking for a dedicated hair-generator, grit-dispenser, crunch-box, disto-unit, valve-sim or OD conduit then I think you could do far worse than give this one a crack of the whip. It's fun! Bear in mind that the Xotic BB (Guitar version) is £200 or thereabouts. [b]Also bear in mind[/b] that I have [i]no [/i]idea how close the Orange Burst is to the Xotic BB component-wise or build-wise as I have no Xotic to compare it with. But if it [i]isn't [/i]a direct clone, then it has its own voice and works very well anyway. Recommended. I thank you! [/color][/font][/size]


[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#282828][/color][/font][/size]

Edited July 29, 2016 by discreet

[dannybuoy]

Nice find! My Yammie BB into my Xotic BB is still one of my favourite combinations ever.

[BigBassBob]

Sweet!

[Prime_BASS]

So you brought this?

I have an xotic BB and a guitar one on my board and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that they don't have the same bass response. Even more so when you have a lot of gain on either.
I'm not sure about the bass one being brighter either. I'd say definitely more open on both the top and bottom. I agree that the guitar one is very muddy though, glad I got the mid eq version to turn them down a touch.

For my regular tone;
Bass BB -
Vol 10 (o clock)
Gain 10
Bass 3
Treb 1.5
Guitar one
Vol 10
Gain 10
Bass maxed
Treb 12
Mid 9 (o clock)

They sound similar and behave similar, great touch sensitivity etc, however the guitar one is clearly voiced more for guitar purposes and I wouldn't choose it on its own for bass, where the bass BB sounds great on either bass or guitar.

[Sibob]

Yeah mines going to say, I've built a couple of clones of the guitar version (one assumes the same widely available schematic as what this Chinese company used, and the bass response were most definitely different to my BB Bass Pre

Si

[Happy Jack]

I'm guessing it won't take a 9v battery?

[discreet]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1470040086' post='3102782']
I'm guessing it won't take a 9v battery?
[/quote]

It WILL take a 9v battery.