Mesa DR [vs.] Orange?

[fender101punk]

I own a Mesa dual rec and have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes I like my tone but then other times I'm looking for something different and I can't seem to achieve that tone. The DR is muddy at times and is kind of flabby with sharp highs. My guitar is a strat with an alder body, maple neck with rosewood board, and a single seymour duncan invader in the bridge.

I was on the Orange forum asking what are the sound differences between the Dual Rectifier and the Orange Rockerverb 50 and of course got a lot of responses saying Orange amps are awesome. I would go try out an Orange if there were any dealers close to me.. and youtube isn't very accurate when comparing amps.

so now I want to know what the boogie board thinks. What are the sound differences between the two amps?

 

[fatoni]

id take the orange over a dr unless it was a roadster or rk. its not so much the sound as how they feel

 

[wilson]

i haven't tried a rockerverb. i did play a rocker 30 combo and a tiny terror a couple days ago. i really liked them both.
a lot of youtube demos are hard to compare stuff with but rob chappers does some good orange demos.
here's his rockerverb 50 metal demo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slEboEJGlls

 

[fender101punk]

awesome, sounds like I really need to get my hands on an Orange.

I've watched that video of Rob Chappers quite a few times actually and I really like the sound of the amp. I've also watched a few other videos that have me really interested in the rockerverb. Only downside is... they are expensive and hard to find used.. but I'll keep my eye out.

Would the Orange 412 and the Mesa 412 cab sound the same? pretty sure they both have v30's.. I could probably survive with the Mesa cab for a while if I went for the rockerverb.

 

[scruffydoo]

I have a rockerverb and a roadster, there both very different beasts, the orange naturally has a british slightly harsher sound, its a very lively amp and feels really dynamic under the fingers if you get me, its fabulous to play although the clean channel is a bit pants but takes pedals well. The roadster just pips it for me cos the clean channels are superbly rich and thick and I like the modern sounding hi gain channels also.

I'm tormented every time I play them as to which one is best, in the end I just try and play one per session instead of constantly flicking between them for minor comparisons, I also blend them occasionally through a voodoo amp selector, sounds massive. If I were you I'd keep the DR and save for an orange its the ultimate combo.

 

[Elpelotero]

In my opinion, the Orange will always pair much better with a Strat than a DR will. DR's typically pair best with fat humbucking type guitars.

 

[fender101punk]

I would buy a rockerverb head if I had the money but I can't afford to have both. Hoepfully I find one used because I am not going to buy a new one.. way too expensive for me

But when I get my new guitar I will play it with my Mesa for a while since my new guitar is totally different than the guitar I have now.. Then I will see if I can test a rockerverb and a DR side by side at a guitar store and we'll see if I like the rockerverb

 

[CoG]

+1 that you have a bad guitar/amp match. DRs and Strats aren't meant to go together, you need a warmer-sounding guitar with a Recto.

 

[MetalMike]

Orange Rockerverbs are awesome amps my co-guitarist uses an orange and it can do everything from ac/dc to hardcore its an amazing amp really opens up when you put better tubes in it.

They are very different beasts to a dual rec which is what i have. The Orange has that british sound and is pretty much a plug and play amp it sounds good no matter the settings and its really loud. But it can do lower level settings as well

 

[Riff Blister]

I've always wondered how the Rockverb stacks up against a Stiletto.
It's kind of been on my wish list.

 

[fender101punk]

About a month till my new guitar comes.. The waiting sucks..

 

[phyrexia]

+1 that you have a bad guitar/amp match. DRs and Strats aren't meant to go together, you need a warmer-sounding guitar with a Recto.

I disagree. They work great together for some styles. If you want destructo level gain you probably should be using HBs anyway.

 

[Setzer]

Have to agree with the previous post about Strats and DRs not going together well.

I really dont see the point in putting a thin sounding guitar together with a massive sounding amp.

Dont get me wrong I love Strats and Teles but one with a DR??

 

[fender101punk]

Have to agree with the previous post about Strats and DRs not going together well.

I really dont see the point in putting a thin sounding guitar together with a massive sounding amp.

Dont get me wrong I love Strats and Teles but one with a DR??

My strat has only one pickup and it is a seymour duncan invader. It's not really thin sounding because it is not a regular strat. But my new guitar is going to be here on Monday so after I get it put together I will probably make a comparison video for youtube.

 

[fender101punk]

I found an Orange Rockerverb for $1200 CAD in mint condition (says the owner) includes footswitch. If I traded my Mesa Dual Rectifier head and footswitch, which is showroom condition with tags, about a year and a half old, would this be a good deal? considering both are mint.. don't know how old the Orange is yet or haven't seen any pictures but just wondering your thoughts.

I want a warmer tone without that razor sharp highs of the DR, but I still like how the DR has balls.

 

[MF]

A mint rockerverb for $1200 seems like a pretty solid deal to me. Don't they usually retail for over 2 grand here? I haven't looked at a price tag on one in a long time :lol:

 

[fender101punk]

I emailed Long & Mcquade and these are the prices:

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier head $2350 plus taxes.
Orange Rockerverb 50 head $2425 plus taxes.

I thought $1200 was a good deal also. By researching, and watching youtube videos, I really like the rockerverb over the Mesa. Haven't been able to play the rockerverb in person and L&M only has the Tiny Terror in stock and that is a 50 min drive. I wish I had the money to just buy the Rockerverb so I wouldn't have to choose right away. If I didn't like it I could easily sell it and make a profit. After buying a new guitar I'm broke!

 

[cradlefish]

I might be the few that prefers a DR over the RV50. I used to own the RV50 and it sounded great at the store. Took it home and started to get mix feelings. Then I decided to take to band practiced and that's when i saw it's short comings. It sounded muddied. The clean breaks ups when you're volume it about 11-12. It lacked dynamics even with the switch in the back didn't help that much. The distortion was either too much or too little for me. I had a hard time trying to get a good medium from it. Overall I was starting to get disappointed at the RV50. The final test was taking it to a gig. Uggghh!!! I even tried swapping out preamp tubes with NOS and it didn't do much. After 6 months of owning it. I sold it. I later went to see one of bands that opened up for Dashboard Confessional using Orange RV50's and matching cab and it sounded like prickly muddiness.

 

[MF]

this picture is why i want to own an Orange amp

 

[fender101punk]

Thank for replying, nice to know you actually owned both. I'm going to try to play one before buying anything. I could love the amp from the reviews and hearing it on youtube, but it could all change when I hear it in person. I don't want to be trading my boogie just to find out I don't like the Orange.. if I bought it for cash, I could probably make a profit quite easily but I'm in debt right now :shock:

A new cab could change the tone also? I see quiet a few people using marshall cabs with recto amps. Might give me a tighter sound instead of the flab