Gallien Krueger rb700mk2 or Orange Terror Bass 500

[funkyjimbob]

Hi!
I am thinking about buying Orange Terror bass 500 head (on the advice of a friend. Going to buy it today I think) and already own a Gallien Krueger RB700mk2. Now, being out of the loop in regards to amps these days I was just wondering if anyone had experience in the Orange and how it stacks up next to the GK...

I play mostly funk, RnB, soult, motown stuff and own 3 Warwicks (Streamer stage 2, Thumb bass dirty blonde, and Infinity.)

Is this much of a 'step-up' in terms of tone and if not, what would people suggest?
Thanks!

Edited October 22, 2014 by funkyjimbob

[Guinness21]

Don't know much about how the Orange sounds, but for me there's just too much clank baked into the tone of the GK.

[dannybuoy]

For those styles, the Orange Terror Bass sounds great. Now, just sell all those funky active basses and get a P Bass with flats and you'll be there!

[funkyjimbob]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1413976750' post='2584235']
For those styles, the Orange Terror Bass sounds great. Now, just sell all those funky active basses and get a P Bass with flats and you'll be there!
[/quote]

A P-Bass is literally my idea of hell!

[Lozz196]

Nice warm sounds from the OTB with a bit of gain - enough to blur the edges, not as much to sound distorted - should be real nice for Motown etc.

[hamfist]

THey are very, very different amps. The Orange has a good sound, but only one basic sound. The GK is much more versatile but is actually a very complicated amp to set up and a lot of folks don't understand them and get it wrong. IN fact it took me owning a 700RB mKII and then a 1001RB MKII to actually work it out. IMO, there is no inherent "clank" in the RB sound, but it can certainly get there if you want it.

A key difference is in the quality of the OD. The Orange will get a fuzzier edge to the tone as you increase gain, whereas the GK will get a slightly woollier (but great in the mix) phatness as you increase the boost.
With the GK, it's the level of the boost that is key, and is a main factor in giving you all the different tones that the amp can offer.

"My" way to set up a GK RB is this .......First, set your gain (input volume), for your input level, as per the owner's manual to avoid clipping at that stage. Then setting all EQ at noon, contour completely anticlockwise, experiment with different levels of boost. For me I find it rather unmusical greater than 11-12 o'clock, but that's just me. But without any boost it's sterile and clinical. Getting the right amount is key for your tone. Also you might need to tweak your gain down a bit (which will effectively reduce boost levels also).
Once you are getting a base level of clarity/fatness that you like, the next control I would look at is the contour, which is incredibly powerful. It'll cut out mids at about 500Hz. PLaying on your own you'll probably want to set it further clockwise to sound "nice", but with a band you'll need more mids and will need a more anticlockwise setting. I generally find the musical range with J and P basses to be between completely anticlockwise (off) and about 11 o'clock on the dial.
Fine tune the top end with the presence control (if you have a horn/tweeter) and only then do I look at fine tuning with the 4 x EQ controls. Then Master volume to get the loudness you need.

note .... Personally I don't find setting the master at 3 o'clock (as advocated by many) and then setting volume using the input volume control useful. What you get using that technique is a different tone at each different volume.

Using this I have discovered what an incredibly versatile amp these RB's are. FUzzy OD they won't do (pedals add that for me), but a more old school "valvely fatness" (perfect for motown) they will, along with a lot of other more contemporary clanky, clean and other tones.
People seem to be obsessed about saying how they sound like DUff McKagan's sound. And, yes they can do, but also so much more.

Edited October 24, 2014 by hamfist

[doctorbass]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1414055833' post='2585178']Using this I have discovered what an incredibly versatile amp these RB's are. FUzzy OD they won't do (pedals add that for me), but a more old school "valvely fatness" (perfect for motown) they will, along with a lot of other more contemporary clanky, clean and other tones.
People seem to be obsessed about saying how they sound like DUff McKagan's sound. And, yes they can do, but also so much more.
[/quote]

I completely agree with how versatile the 700RB-II is. A lot of people associate them with known users (Flea, Duff etc), but they can cover just about everything. I can go from bright clean to a great overdriven, almost valve tone. They take a bit of getting used to but once you know your way around the front panel, they are great. As usual, cabs play a big part too. Just for reference, I believe flat EQ is about Treble 11, Hi Mid 1, Low Mid 1, Bass 11 and the contour will drastically cut all mids.

[hamfist]

[quote name='doctorbass' timestamp='1414072142' post='2585516']
and the contour will drastically cut all mids.
[/quote]

Of course, it's just the frequency centre that is 500Hz.

[molan]

I also struggled with GK amps for ages but someone helped set one up for me and it was really nice.

I always find Orange to be a very love or loathe sound. It you like the time it's nice but if you don't then it's all a bit one dimensional. Personally I don't get on with them at all but their fans really rate them.

[KingChrome]

I´m playing a H&K Quantum QT600 and getting a GK 700rbII now as my second amp.
I used to play a lot of tube amps but my HK can get really close to the tube sound.
As a big Tool fan I have to give the GK a try.