In my Orange Bass amp review and guide, you will find everything you need to know about this long-standing, British brand and hopefully find the right Orange amp for you. Choosing an amp to fit your needs now and for the future is a smart way to buy. Are you just starting out playing small basement venues and need something that can compete with the drummer, but dream of making the walls shake at bigger gigs? Or are you already touring medium-large sized venues and need to find a reliable partner as you set off on the road? All of the best bass amps come in either a head or combo format, or in some cases both. A head requires an external speaker cab to get any sound from – this can be good and bad, depending on the situation. Obviously, it means there’s another thing to think about when you want to use the amp, but for playing shows, many bands will share a bass cab, meaning that sometimes, you only need to bring your head. Some venues might even have a house cab that you can use. The last decade or so has been a pretty exciting time for the bass, and as such, the best bass amps reflect this. If you want a straight-up, simple bass amp that delivers a clear and clean tone, then there are plenty that do that. If you want to add some grit or even effects to your sound, then you’re catered for there too. An effect loop can be beneficial for effects like delay and a digital reverb, but could be an unnecessary expense for things you may not use much. 4 Best Orange Bass Amps Orange Amplifiers Crush Bass 100W 1×15 Bass Combo Amp

Connectivity options are also worth considering. An XLR output for a DI is commonplace on bass amps, which is especially useful for hooking up to a PA system. You might also find auxiliary inputs for playing your external music devices through your amp, line outputs for sending the signal elsewhere, or maybe even a USB output for direct recording. How we choose products Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides. The Orange 25W Combo emits a focused, clean tone, and while it is unreasonable to expect an amp of this size to produce room-shaking lows, there is ample bass that results in a balanced, well-rounded sound. Pros The bass and middle EQ controls provide up to 15dB of boost or cut, while the treble EQ offers 20dB of boost/cut. The midrange EQ also features parametric frequency sweep from 300Hz to 2.7kHz, providing precise control of an impressively wide variety of useful bass tones and textures. A Gain control adds distorted grit, and the Blend control allows players to dial in “bi-amped” tones that simultaneously combine two distinct layers of clean and distorted tones.If you’re a professional musician who plays for a living, it makes financial sense to go for the best quality you can afford. However, if you’re just testing the waters, then it may be wise to go with cheap and cheerful while you’re still undecided how far you’ll want to go with your guitar playing. Additional Features Hot on the tails of the wildly successful Katana guitar amps, effects and all-round guitar technology wizards Boss finally treated us to the highly anticipated bass Katana. Cliff had humble beginnings with his shop in London but was armed with the knowledge and hunger to succeed. But because it was such a small company, dealers wouldn't buy into the concept. This meant he had to bring production in-house which is what he did. For others though, a combo is the way to go. Your amp and speaker are all in one unit, and you’re ready to create some bassy rumblings with just that one thing. Well, that and your bass. Other features to consider Each side of the unit has inputs, outputs, selector switches, and controls, giving the player as much flexibility as possible. However, this is by no means a cluttered amp.

The treble EQ provides up to 20dB of boost, while the middle and bass EQ controls offer 15dB. A parametric frequency sweep from 300Hz to 2.7kHz from the midrange EQ gives precise control of a remarkable range of valuable bass textures and tones. The Blend control lets you dial in bi-amped tones, with distorted grit omitted from the Gain control. The Orange Terror Base 500W Hybrid is based on the AD200 amp, utilizing a 12AT7 vale for the FX loop and Send output and a 12AX7 valve in the preamp stage. The return input has a solid-state Class D output stage and solid-state stage. I noted how efficient the ventilation system is, ensuring the top and sides of the chassis remain cool at all times. There isn’t a distortion circuit, but the boom is helped via the rear port, and it has the same replete with programmable midrange, EQ, and a chromatic tuner. Moreover, there isn’t an effects loop, but I presume this would be surplus to requirements given the size of the amp.The likes of Aguilar, Ashdown and Trace Elliot are stalwarts of the bass world, each with superb reputations and huge lists of notable endorsees, while contemporary brands such as Darkglass have arrived and offer different options, particularly with more modern players in mind. You don’t have to spend a lot to gain a lot with an amp anymore, but it is down to you what is considered too much and what will be an investment.

When first plugging into this amp, one thing is immediately apparent – the Orange Amp Crush Bass 100W Combo is loud! I discovered that it is simple to dial in any tone you could ever possibly want, with this cabinet being perfectly tuned to provide articulate yet powerful tones across the genres.Orange Amps began in 1968 in a dingy basement shop in Old Compton Street in London, founded by Cliff Cooper who's still at the helm today. First and foremost, we are guitar players, and we want other guitarists to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can proudly say are the best bass amps on the market right now.

What makes the Orange Amplifiers Crush Bass 100W 1×15 Bass Combo Amp stand out from many other combo amps is the active EQ circuit, which has been inspired by the EQ in Oranges Stroke Series bass amps. For a brand that focuses on the simple, there is a lot of technology within this amp. Conversely, if you’re looking for an amp to keep at home, then something with a lower wattage is going to be ideal. You won’t need tons of volume, and you don’t want to be paying for power that you don’t need. If it’s a solid state amp you’re looking at, then you can run a big, powerful amp at low volumes and it will still sound okay, but it’s worth thinking about the size and how much space it’s going to take up. Head or combo? Meet the Orange Crush Bass 25 - The most compact Crush combo amp in the bass series, but offers an uncompromising low end reinforcement for your rehearsal space or as a home practice amp. All-analogue signal path with punchy 8" woofer and active parametric EQ What makes the best amp for you will depend on various things. To finish this piece, I will sum up the amps reviewed above to help narrow down your choice.Taking elements from our flagship 4 Stroke and OB1 series bass amps, and with enough power for smaller venues, the Crush Bass 100 is a seriously versatile combo in both sound and application. Using high-end engineering techniques not usually found on combos of this type, the key to the Crush Bass 100’s immensely fat and detailed tone is the amplifier’s 100 Watt output section. The choice of discrete components (rather than common integrated circuits) gives the amp sensational levels of clarity across the entire spectrum, and the internal 15” speaker means that even the most subterranean frequencies come through loud and clear.