Mesa vs. Orange?

[rightintheface]

Hey guys and gals
Just thought i'd hunt for a few opinions here: i'm looking at buying a 2x12 cab of some variety to go with my 50w hughes and kettner switchblade combo. i'm not big on the idea of a 4x12 (bad back), and more like the "visual" idea of having a combo sitting on a 2x12.

as it stands at the moment, i'm torn between the mesa rectifier 2x12, and the orange PPC212. i would prefer the mesa visually (not huge on the..ahem.. ORANGE side of the Orange cabs  :-\), and they both come with v30s and good reputations. however, i've searched around the web quite a bit, and here in Oz i'd be looking at approx $300 difference between the two. the orange is cheaper (and my local dealer can discount orange gear, but not mesa gear), so obviously gains browny points. i don't wanna bitch out and buy the much much cheaper randall, and would rather pay for something that has better reviews etc etc. and i find that this forum is far more helpful than Harmony central and the like.

i play in an original band that does classic/hard rock/blues, with the nirvana mentality towards songwriting (clean part, heavy part etc), and like to add heaps of variety in there. pretty much i just want something that has a righteous set of balls.

oh, and further down the line (once i have more dosh) i may lash out and buy the OTHER one; so i'd hav the HK switch combo on top of a mesa, on top of an orange  :toothy12: something a bit different from the standard 4x12 marshall  :icon_thumright:


any thoughts? much appreciated  :headbang:

 

[jimh]

I've got an Orange 2x12, and it's a monster.  Use my Ceriatone Marshall 50W plexi clone through it.

it's heavy, but possibly not as heavy as the Mesa.  I'd say that they are both the best constructed of the 'off-the-shelf' cabs you can find. Unless you wanna spend some serious cash and get one of the mega cabs like Basson or a custom build.

They are both seriously large cabs, and can generate some thumping low end (that's why I got one, as opposed to a 'flimsy' Marshall).  They'd be perfect for what you are going for, though I might say that the Mesa might be a little more mid range focused for that 'Rectifier metal' sound.  The orange might be a little more 'vintage'.  Dunno, I've never played through a Mesa.

The Orange has a pair of Celestion Vintage 30 speakers in it. Think the Mesa has EV's or Mesa's own brand.  Not sure, never used one. 
I happen to like the Orangeness of the Orange, and it's way cheaper.  Just as good sounding in my opinion.

I love my Orange. But I guess it's horses for courses.

 

[stubhead]

Most important, I think, is the sound - do you like speaker distortion? If so, a cab built around Celestion 30's is the way to go. I prefer a high-fi, tube-distortion only sound. All kinds of people from Duane Allman to Zakk Wylde to Frank Zappa went this way, in which case you'd want Electro-Voice, Peavey Black Widow, Altec-Lansing or JBL speakers. I prefer Black Widows in separate cabs for the stereo spread, you can pick up a pair of 112E cabs for around $300. You could get the speakers new for around $200 and have a 2X12" cab built for another $200 or so. Won't that amp eat 30-watt speakers alive? There's a reason Marshall used eight Celestion 30's for a 120-watt head. Decent 12" P.A. speakers can handle 300 watts a piece.....

 

[dbw]

I dunno, my Mesa 4x12 handles 100W without a problem.

rightintheface, you really need a review from JamesL!  He has a full stack with a Carvin head into a Mesa 4x12 and an Orange 4x12, so he's the only person who can give you an A/B comparison.  PM him if he doesn't chime in.

 

[koshersteel]

I would highly recommend looking into a THD 2x12 cabinet. I spent a few months trying every cabinet I could get my hands on last year and nothing even comes close to the THD. I power mine with a Marshall JMP-1 pre into a Mesa Power amp and it's the best tone I've ever had.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I put Vintage Greens in my Marshall cab.  Made a great difference in the ability to get a nice "rock" sound.  The 4 x 75 watt things that were in there were crap for sound for me.  I have a much lower than 100 Watt head so I don't worry about overloading the drivers.  But, after saying that, I would have bought these had I known, at about 1/2 the price.

http://www.warehousespeakers.com/

They might not be as great as the Celestions vintage series head to head, but they are much better than the stock things that came with the cab.  For the price they are a pretty nice compromise.  From the folks I have chatted with that have them, they are a great upgrade.  Only one snobish guy said he'd have to have the Celestions.

While I am pretty confident that the Cab makes a difference, the speakers are what squak out the noise first.  I'd start there.
Patrick

 

[tallman]

Go Orange.  I have the 2x12 and it is absolutely fantastic.  Mesa is overpriced and for metalheads -but if that's whatcha want... by all means go for it!  Orange gear also looks really striking and cool on stage.

 

[SlingBass]

I've heard good things about this company from folks I know that have them - but I can't say 'first-hand'. A fair selection of options, however...

http://avatarspeakers.com/

 

[SrDeMaFp]

I've heard good things about this company from folks I know that have them - but I can't say 'first-hand'. A fair selection of options, however...

http://avatarspeakers.com/

Despite the price, Avatar has some quality shit!

 

[rightintheface]

i was actually reading JamesL's topic on the full stack the other day. whats your verdict james, orange or mesa?

hmmm, i've seen avatar stuff on ebay, wasn't sure how good it was...  they have gotten brilliant reviews on harmony central, which i just read today. they seem to be of the same/similar kind of spec as the mesa 212 i was looking at too. has anybody here got an avatar cab, or used one??

also, it would save me another $200 on the orange, and about $500 difference to the mesa.

i dunno. maybe i should just do it, slap out the old credit card...  :sad:

decisions decisions

 

[Shmoopie]

while we're on this topic, lets veer off coarse, over here to this topic -->  Eminence speakers, what are your opinions?

 

[Wyliee]

I've heard good things about this company from folks I know that have them - but I can't say 'first-hand'. A fair selection of options, however...

http://avatarspeakers.com/

Despite the price, Avatar has some quality shite!

I've used a couple of their bass cabs and they're quite good.  I know a couple local pros that use them on short tours instead of bring nicer, larger cabinets.

 

[SrDeMaFp]

i was actually reading JamesL's topic on the full stack the other day. whats your verdict james, orange or mesa?

hmmm, i've seen avatar stuff on ebay, wasn't sure how good it was...  they have gotten brilliant reviews on harmony central, which i just read today. they seem to be of the same/similar kind of spec as the mesa 212 i was looking at too. has anybody here got an avatar cab, or used one??

also, it would save me another $200 on the orange, and about $500 difference to the mesa.

i dunno. maybe i should just do it, slap out the old credit card...  :sad:

decisions decisions

I own an Avatar 4x12 and it is quite good. I'm selling it now though 'cuz I'm moving into an apartment and I really don't need a half-stack. Sounded good but, I can't judge on quality for gigging since, well...I never gigged it. 

 

[dudesweet157]

I have an Avatar 212 with a Vintage 30 and a G12H30 and it is awesome.  I've gigged it 50+ times since I got it last october, and it's still going strong except for a few tolex tears.  They really are great, and the build quality is just as good as Mesa/Orange.