cakes wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 10:28 am (I think I might need to buy another Voyager because the switch is giving out on mine and it's probably not worth fixing, consider the price of pedals these days.)

https://www.walrusaudio.com/pages/warranty-and-repair

Worth an email to see if they’ll do it regardless of how much eligible criteria you think you meet. Earthquaker will fix just about anything. And I’m sure they see them as their #1 direct competitor.

tommy wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 11:28 am

cakes wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 10:28 am (I think I might need to buy another Voyager because the switch is giving out on mine and it's probably not worth fixing, consider the price of pedals these days.)

https://www.walrusaudio.com/pages/warranty-and-repair

Worth an email to see if they’ll do it regardless of how much eligible criteria you think you meet. Earthquaker will fix just about anything. And I’m sure they see them as their #1 direct competitor.

I have a Walrus Julia chorus that got fucked up perhaps because I used a power jack with the wrong polarity. I asked them about service, completely fessing up to my potential abuse and they fixed it free of charge, no questions asked. Great service.

TylerDeadPine wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 10:29 pm Blumes - probably does exactly what you’re hoping it will. Three modes are different enough can probably find something that works for whatever you’re doing #2 is my jam. J-bass players would probably love the options.
Best part? They didn’t use the same mega-ultra bright LED that the plumes did. That was way too much for any kind of low light.

I just got some time with my Blumes and I agree with everything you say. I absolutely love the middle position. I really like it with the Ampeg SGT. Just with the preamp on with Blumes in the middle position, it sounds really close to the bass tone I used in Fake Limbs (that was a Gk800RB with a Klon). Engaging the drive channels on the SGT gives more depth/choices. I can see these two pedals are going to be great together.

I got a used Oranger Rockerverb 50 2x12" combo (first version, now what people call Mk I). I like these amps in general, but I've only really used the later versions. I got this one because it was broken and the price was fantastic. It turned out that it just needed power tubes and cleaning. Super exciting!

My initial thought is that it sounds looser and more midrange-y than the Mk III. I DO need to plug it into a familiar cab rather than the combo cab to really verify this. Overall, though, I really dig the sound and I'm dreaming up ways to incorporate this into my guitar setup.

The combo is very heavy. I'm also thinking it might be good to build a head shell for it, possibly?

There's something about a lot of Orange circuit designs that is both clever and also limiting. They often use concentric potentiometers for the gain controls, so it adjusts the gain level at two places.
For instance, a Soldano preamp goes like this.
Tube Stage 1 -> Drive knob controlling level - Tube Stage 2 -> fixed level reduction -> Tube Stage 3 -> fixed level reduction -> Tube Stage 4 -> Tone controls

The Orange preamp is this setup:
Tube Stage 1 -> Drive knob controlling level - Tube Stage 2 -> drive knob controlling level -> Tube Stage 3 -> fixed level reduction -> Tube Stage 4 -> Tone controls
and the two drive knobs are actually on one pot.
I love this idea, and have used it on my own amp designs, but I always allow the two drive potentiometers to be individually tweakable. A lot of interesting tones and textures are possible when the drive controls are separated. When they are combined, it the result is that it's pretty clean from about 0-4, it has a range of good and complex crunch from 4-6, and then it's high gain saturation from 6-10.
I wonder if I can find a concentric pot with the same physical dimensions and pin out?

So, the amp is pretty great, but I can't help but go right into mod mode, like I do with almost all guitar gear.

cakes wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 4:24 pm

TylerDeadPine wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 10:29 pm Blumes - probably does exactly what you’re hoping it will. Three modes are different enough can probably find something that works for whatever you’re doing #2 is my jam. J-bass players would probably love the options.
Best part? They didn’t use the same mega-ultra bright LED that the plumes did. That was way too much for any kind of low light.

I just got some time with my Blumes and I agree with everything you say. I absolutely love the middle position. I really like it with the Ampeg SGT. Just with the preamp on with Blumes in the middle position, it sounds really close to the bass tone I used in Fake Limbs (that was a Gk800RB with a Klon). Engaging the drive channels on the SGT gives more depth/choices. I can see these two pedals are going to be great together.

Yeah that’s exactly what #2 spot sounds like to me. I’m looking forward to getting it in front of my 800

TylerDeadPine wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 10:29 pm Best part? They didn’t use the same mega-ultra bright LED that the plumes did. That was way too much for any kind of low light.

FWIW they must've changed this at some point, my Plumes has a normal-bright yellowish LED.

Do people not like the Plumes? I like it ok, I haven't done a direct a/b but I think it sounds more hifi and less grainy than my real screamer.

benadrian wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 7:17 pm I got a used Oranger Rockerverb 50 2x12" combo (first version, now what people call Mk I). I like these amps in general, but I've only really used the later versions. I got this one because it was broken and the price was fantastic. It turned out that it just needed power tubes and cleaning. Super exciting!

I have a similarly limited UK-made Orange of the same vintage, and I love it. Mine's the single channel AD30R combo, with useless reverb and basically zero headroom; but what it does it does really well. Those cabinets are truly weighty though.

MoreSpaceEcho wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2024 11:20 am

TylerDeadPine wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 10:29 pm Best part? They didn’t use the same mega-ultra bright LED that the plumes did. That was way too much for any kind of low light.

FWIW they must've changed this at some point, my Plumes has a normal-bright yellowish LED.

Do people not like the Plumes? I like it ok, I haven't done a direct a/b but I think it sounds more hifi and less grainy than my real screamer.

That’s the way I felt, I liked it fine but doesn’t replace the od808 I have. The ‘hifi’ or more full range sound is what made me want the Blumes, because the Plumes sounded good on bass but didn’t pass as much low end - considered modding it, but then Blumes

I've read some complaints about the level knob on the Blumes being a linear taper instead of audio taper, so it's hard to dial in a usable level. Anybody here care to comment?
Some people are also saying that there's almost too much gain available.

Van Zandt strat pickups.. I got them used, no idea which model, but they’re all around 6k.

They all sound good and balanced. Normally with a Strat I feel like I need to re-eq the amp every time I switch pickups, but not with these. Plus, the stinko in-between positions sound really good. The guy who setup my guitar was asking about them, so that’s sort of an endorsement right there.

There’s something about the sound of a Stratocaster that I really hate, yet here I am. Between a set of these or Fralins you can’t really go wrong.

Edit: oh yeah, and i had the guitar setup with Curt Mangan’s Hendrix strings - 10 - 38. Just because I had a couple packs for some reason, and I figured if I were going to use them I should do it on a Strat.

They feel really good. I feel like the low strings benefit from a slightly lighter gauge on Fender guitars… it’s tough to get that shitty twang if you go too heavy.