Orange bass terror: 500 watts at ? ohms

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='ficelles' post='1299190' date='Jul 10 2011, 07:10 PM']Just wondering on the Bass Terror, is it really overdrive only or is there a reasonable amount of clean headroom?

ficelles[/quote]

Very little clean headroom, if any.

As others have mentioned, this is a one-trick pony of an amp. If that trick is what you want (so that's me, then) it's an absolutely brilliant amp which weighs very little, looks very cool, and goes insanely loud.

If that trick is NOT what you want, then you'll be standing to one side, wincing, and wondering what others see in them.

[4 Strings]

[quote name='sk8' post='500044' date='May 28 2009, 05:04 PM']Just found out that the Terror bass has a switch on the side to allow 500 watts output at either 4 and 8 ohms.[/quote]

Don't all valve amps have this? My old Hiwatt and all valve amps in my experience had a plug at the back and you just plugged it in the correct holes for your speaker impedance. Normally selections for 4, 8 and 16 Ohms.

Its only tranny power stages which can't do this and give reduced power with increasing impedance.

Edited July 10, 2011 by 4 Strings

[obbm]

[quote name='4 Strings' post='1299234' date='Jul 10 2011, 08:19 PM']Don't all valve amps have this? My old Hiwatt and all valve amps in my experience had a plug at the back and you just plugged it in the correct holes for your speaker impedance. Normally selections for 4, 8 and 16 Ohms.

Its only tranny power stages which can't do this and give reduced power with increasing impedance.[/quote]


It's not an all-valve amp, it's a hybrid. Only the pre-amp is valve, the power output stage is Class D solid state.

[yorick]

[quote name='ficelles' post='1299190' date='Jul 10 2011, 07:10 PM']Just wondering on the Bass Terror, is it really overdrive only or is there a reasonable amount of clean headroom?

ficelles[/quote]

Change the stock 12AX7 valves to 12AU7 valves, which lowers the gain on the pre-amp stage. Did mine yesterday and the change in gain is very noticeable. Was talking to the amptech who sold me the valves, and he told me that 12AX7 valves run at about 93% gain and 12AU7's run at about 73%. Hope this helps.

Nige

[Lozz196]

That is a considerable difference. When I had an OTB, I couldn`t have the Gain on any more than 2 (though even then, for gigs I still couldn`t have volume on more than 3, and that was really loud, usually it would be on 2). Having those valves will give much more flexibility - a major improvement, imv.

[ficelles]

[quote name='yorick' post='1299289' date='Jul 10 2011, 09:26 PM']Change the stock 12AX7 valves to 12AU7 valves, which lowers the gain on the pre-amp stage. Did mine yesterday and the change in gain is very noticeable. Was talking to the amptech who sold me the valves, and he told me that 12AX7 valves run at about 93% gain and 12AU7's run at about 73%. Hope this helps.[/quote]

I have some 12AU7s lying around, also some 12AT7s, can't remember which is lower gain. I actually have original Mullard versions of both, plus a Mullard 12AX7 (Now someone will probably tell me the correct designations for Mullard are ECC83, ECC82, ECC81). Goes back to my days of bass through a THD Flexi

ficelles

[incubass]

Reviving a really old thread because of a problem I ran into. 

Just bought a Barefaced One10 to pair with my BT500. But the One10 is rated 100-250W 8ohms. If I keep my BT switch at 4ohms that means it will only power 250W into the cab?

[jrixn1]

8 hours ago, incubass said:

Just bought a Barefaced One10 to pair with my BT500. But the One10 is rated 100-250W 8ohms. If I keep my BT switch at 4ohms that means it will only power 250W into the cab?

The One10 is (as you say) 8 ohms, so the Bass Terror should be on the 8-ohm switch.

The Bass Terror's 500W figure is the potential maximum - but it can deliver the whole range of power from 0W to 500W depending on the volume level.

Start with the volume low and you'll be fine.  If the speaker starts to distort or otherwise sound wrong, turn down.  (This is general advice for all amplification.)

Edited April 20, 2019 by jrixn1

[incubass]

3 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

The One10 is (as you say) 8 ohms, so the Bass Terror should be on the 8-ohm switch.

The Bass Terror's 500W figure is the potential maximum - but it can deliver the whole range of power from 0W to 500W depending on the volume level.

Start with the volume low and you'll be fine.  If the speaker starts to distort or otherwise sound wrong, turn down.  (This is general advice for all amplification.)

Thanks for you answer! The thing is I love the Bass Terror's overdrive. I usually crank up the gain and set the volume very low. I assume that it isn't safe to do this with this cab, right? 

I thought that with the switch set to 4ohms the head would only pump half the power into the cab, but I see I was wrong :)

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

19 minutes ago, incubass said:

I thought that with the switch set to 4ohms the head would only pump half the power into the cab

Even if that was the case the most difference it would make in maximum output would be 3dB, which is audible, but not significant. Those who think there's any real benefit to 'getting all the watts out of my amp' would find their time better spent chasing down unicorns. 😏

[Combed20]

So if I plug in 2 8ohm cabs, I set the Bass terror to 4ohms?