BluRay

I have the 500. It’s a huge sounding beast, really versatile EQ, and the compressor (sort-of-gain/fattener) is an absolute gem. Cuts though the mix like a knife through butter, and snarls without being fuzzy. If I was replacing it, I’d go for the 300 version as the 500 is silly loud - don’t think I’ve had it past the second notch on the dial! Studio recording using a four stroke here (was mic-ed up with about 20% blend from the DI in the mix, and nothing else added).

For those looking at both... the 4 Stroke has a really fab growl which increases with the compression, but it doesn't do full-on fuzzy. Sounds (to me) rather like a value amp with the gain set just as it starts to bite, plus a very strong eq. I like it a lot. Studio recording with mic-ed up 4 Stroke here.

Got a live-in case for mine too ...

Dunno if its a class A vs D thing but FWIW.....I spent a band rehearsal switching between a GK Fusion 800 and the Orange 4 Stroke 500 - I have two identical 210 cabs, so it was a straight test side by side. With a fair bit of EQ faffing, I could get the Fusion (either with or without the tube pre engaged) to sound almost identical to the Orange. But cranked up to full-on band levels (with the same EQ settings intact, vol to match the drums) the Orange walks it. Its really ballsy and assertive. That said, I won't have any qualms about using the Fusion when there's lots of stairs involved, it sounded good too. To be fair :-)

Ah yes that rings a bell. When I ordered mine Mark @ Ashdown told me that I'd just nipped in before the price of neodymium was expected to increase. I didn't realise they'd stop making them altogether tho. Shame as they're bloody good cabs.

I gig mine all the time (2 x 210) - they're fab. They're clearer, louder, punchier than my ABM 410 - and significantly easier to carry. Not sure why Ashdown stopped making them? I seem to remember someone getting a custom ABM Neo 410 a few years ago.

Ah, can’t have been the amp then. Maybe the plectrum? Normally I’d have have used an ABM, but mine was out for repair. In the studio I honestly couldn’t choose between the 4 stroke and a Ashdown CTM - they both had a very similar sound despite being utterly different amps. I went with the Orange because it was new!

Needn’t have been tentative; 9/10 album review in Vive La Rock. All down to the Orange no doubt lol

[quote name='Raggy' timestamp='1508146146' post='3389995'] I liked that, (the tone and playing/song, cheers). I've been torn between one of these and the GK Fusion 550. [/quote] thanks! Coincidentally I've just landed a GK Fusion 800 as a BC swap, so have both - but I've only used the GK in rehearsal once, and haven't quite got to grips with it enough to make a fair comparison. First impression: I think the Orange wins in terms of overall authority and brute force, but the Fusion is likeable also! I'll try to AB sometime over the next few weeks.

A fleeting resurrection of this thread to (tentatively!) post some studio recordings, for anyone who might be interested (Yamaha 2024 bass via mic-ed up Orange 4 Stroke). Don't judge my haphazard playing lol - its only so you can hear the amp in a recorded / band setting, as I don't think there are many examples around. [url="https://bonesparkrider.bandcamp.com/album/there-but-for-the-grace-of-god"]https://bonesparkrider.bandcamp.com/album/there-but-for-the-grace-of-god [/url] [attachment=255502:IMG_3811.jpg]

[quote name='2elliot' timestamp='1501174036' post='3343106'] That is interesting. I take it the 4 stroke is a lot more versatile when it comes to altering the tone. [/quote] Yes very much so. The 4 stroke doesn't do crazy overdrive like the CTM but sounds very similar at moderate volumes (and the EQ is much stronger). The CTM feels a little "wider" when cranked, but the Orange cuts through more (and has stupid amounts of volume) so horses for courses really.