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Post by Colchar on Sept 21, 2021 4:34:05 GMT
It is probably stupid of me to ask this considering that this forum is full of enablers, but I need help making a decision.
I used to have an Orange AD30 amp that I really liked. I stupidly traded it away, and regretted it almost immediately.
There are a couple of AD30 combos available right now at good prices, and I am trying to decide whether or not to buy one.
The thing is that I don't need the amp right now. Hell, I don't ever actually need it as I just play at home so could easily get by with one amp. At the moment I have a Traynor YGM-3 reissue that I am very happy with so the Orange would be a bonus, nothing more.
I cannot decide whether to buy one now when there are some available at good prices, or leave it for now and take the chance that there are none available at good prices when I do eventually give in and get one (and let's face it, we all know that I'm going to give in at some point).
So should I grab one while prices are good? Or should I leave it, keep the money for the time being, and risk having to pay a fair bit more later on?
What say you?
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Post by johnreardon on Sept 21, 2021 7:38:18 GMT
Orange make great amps. I have both a Tiny & Dual Terror. I used the Dual Terror on our album. I nearly bought an AD30 head some time ago, but ended up with a Blackstar Artisan head instead. If I hadn't had the Terrors, I would have bought the AD30. So the AD30 is a great amp, but the question I would ask myself is 'why do I want this if I'm never going to gig?'. 30 Watts of an amp like the AD30 is way too powerful for home use only. In fact I would say the Traynor is too loud as well. Unless you have very good soundproofing or neighbours live far away, you would be better off with a much smaller amp, say a 5 watter. Solid state instead of valve as well. I rarely use an amp at home, but when I do, it's a Vox AC4TV, so 4 watts. Even that is too loud. If you do buy the AD30, then you really need to get out there gigging with it.
I voted Wait, but would have preferred to have a 'Don't option'
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Post by laristotle on Sept 21, 2021 9:06:36 GMT
If you have the opportunity and the cash to replace your regret, go for it. When those ads disappear, you'll regret not doing so.
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Post by Die Bullen on Sept 21, 2021 11:05:23 GMT
As JR points out, for a home setup something like this is way too powerful and even at good prices, this is a lot of money.
I vote wait because of the above, however if you know you are going to buy one sooner than later anyway, and the money is present and burning a hole in your pocket, you might as well go ahead and buy it if the prices are right...
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Post by Colchar on Sept 21, 2021 13:28:02 GMT
Orange make great amps. I have both a Tiny & Dual Terror. I used the Dual Terror on our album. I nearly bought an AD30 head some time ago, but ended up with a Blackstar Artisan head instead. If I hadn't had the Terrors, I would have bought the AD30. So the AD30 is a great amp, but the question I would ask myself is 'why do I want this if I'm never going to gig?'. 30 Watts of an amp like the AD30 is way too powerful for home use only. In fact I would say the Traynor is too loud as well. Unless you have very good soundproofing or neighbours live far away, you would be better off with a much smaller amp, say a 5 watter. Solid state instead of valve as well. I rarely use an amp at home, but when I do, it's a Vox AC4TV, so 4 watts. Even that is too loud. If you do buy the AD30, then you really need to get out there gigging with it. I voted Wait, but would have preferred to have a 'Don't option'
I'll never gig. I have no aspirations to do so. But I am used to playing loud amps at home. I think big amps sound better at low volumes than smaller amps do. In no particular order my last few amps have been: Marshall JVM210H (100 watts), Vox AC30, Fender Twin Reverb, Orange AD30, 1983 Marshall JCM800 2203 (100 watts).
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Post by Colchar on Sept 21, 2021 13:56:51 GMT
Just to give some extra info...........
The AD30 combos are no longer made. The heads are, but the combos aren't.
L&M sold one during their sale on Friday for $900 (I am boycotting L&M because of this - I called the Vancouver store to snag that, an employee had it in their hand for me, management wouldn't sell because I wasn't there in person, Steve Long tried to rationalize this, so I no longer shop at L&M). The two I am looking at are priced at $1100 and $1200.
There is only one on Reverb right now, and it is priced at $2000 + $300 shipping. According to their price guide, $1100 and $1200 aren't as good a prices as I had originally thought but seem to be about average. Here is their price guide for the combo (other info removed due to formatting, and the prices shown are from January 2021 to now):
Sold Price $918.67CAD $691.82CAD $1,130.85CAD $1,286.14CAD $1,263.94CAD $1,064.33CAD $1,056.47CAD $1,197.38CAD $1,330.40CAD $1,130.85CAD
When checking Kijiji, other than the two I have already mentioned there are three for sale in Canada. Those are priced at $1700, $1900, and $1950.
So as I said, the prices on the ones I am looking at aren't as good as I had thought, but are about average.
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Post by Die Bullen on Sept 21, 2021 16:03:50 GMT
Just to give some extra info........... The AD30 combos are no longer made. The heads are, but the combos aren't. L&M sold one during their sale on Friday for $900 (I am boycotting L&M because of this - I called the Vancouver store to snag that, an employee had it in their hand for me, management wouldn't sell because I wasn't there in person, Steve Long tried to rationalize this, so I no longer shop at L&M). The two I am looking at are priced at $1100 and $1200. There is only one on Reverb right now, and it is priced at $2000 + $300 shipping. According to their price guide, $1100 and $1200 aren't as good a prices as I had originally thought but seem to be about average. Here is their price guide for the combo (other info removed due to formatting, and the prices shown are from January 2021 to now): Sold Price$918.67CAD $691.82CAD $1,130.85CAD $1,286.14CAD $1,263.94CAD $1,064.33CAD $1,056.47CAD $1,197.38CAD $1,330.40CAD $1,130.85CAD When checking Kijiji, other than the two I have already mentioned there are three for sale in Canada. Those are priced at $1700, $1900, and $1950. So as I said, the prices on the ones I am looking at aren't as good as I had thought, but are about average. So based on the additional details you have provided, it appears that you have a very limited supply item and since they are no longer produced, scarcity will rise over time. If this is really the amp you want, go for it. You have the money in hand and barriers to finding them will probably only rise over time (unless they are reproduced at some point).
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Post by infant on Sept 21, 2021 22:45:59 GMT
Hmm this is a tough one as you don’t gig. Do you need 2 amps? They are both loud amps for in home use.
I’ll say that if you can afford it, buy it and sell the Traynor down the road. If this is so rare, this may be your only chance to get one for a while. You’re in Canada, Traynors can be had everywhere.
So go for it!
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Post by Die Bullen on Sept 22, 2021 1:06:47 GMT
Hmm this is a tough one as you don’t gig. Do you need 2 amps? They are both loud amps for in home use. I’ll say that if you can afford it, buy it and sell the Traynor down the road. If this is so rare, this may be your only chance to get one for a while. You’re in Canada, Traynors can be had everywhere. So go for it! I was also thinking that BTW!
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Post by zontar on Sept 22, 2021 5:33:46 GMT
If you have the spare cash & all that--why not get it when you have the chance to do it, as long as you are being fiscally responsible--go for ti.
but then I may just be enabling you.
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Post by Colchar on Sept 22, 2021 5:48:37 GMT
Hmm this is a tough one as you don’t gig. Do you need 2 amps? They are both loud amps for in home use. I’ll say that if you can afford it, buy it and sell the Traynor down the road. If this is so rare, this may be your only chance to get one for a while. You’re in Canada, Traynors can be had everywhere. So go for it! It is nice to have different sounds available. The Traynor is very Deluxe Reverby (although it kills modern Deluxe Reverbs) and the Orange would offer a different set of tones.
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Post by zontar on Sept 22, 2021 6:00:26 GMT
Hmm this is a tough one as you don’t gig. Do you need 2 amps? They are both loud amps for in home use. I’ll say that if you can afford it, buy it and sell the Traynor down the road. If this is so rare, this may be your only chance to get one for a while. You’re in Canada, Traynors can be had everywhere. So go for it! It is nice to have different sounds available. The Traynor is very Deluxe Reverby (although it kills modern Deluxe Reverbs) and the Orange would offer a different set of tones. Well it's like who some women have multiple purses & shoes to match their outfit ro mood. It's the guitar player version of it. And unlike a pair of shoes-you can play more than one amp at a time.
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Post by highdeaf on Oct 3, 2021 16:49:03 GMT
One of the best purchases I made, that ended this conundrum for me, is the Fryette PowerStation. I'm addicted to power tube distortion and the only way to get that from big amps at home-friendly volumes is to drive the amp into a dummy load (hopefully reactive) and then reamp or peel the signal off into DAW or headphones.
So a PowerStation or Unleash or one of those fancy load boxes, like the Torpedo-type things, would make any amp 'small enough'. Personally, I like the reampers because they also make small amps big, so I can play my 5E3 head or 5 watt amp on stage with a drummer. They're expensive, but they are very useful.
TLDR: Buy more stuff. It's only gonna get more expensive going forward.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 3, 2021 17:04:06 GMT
One of the best purchases I made, that ended this conundrum for me, is the Fryette PowerStation. I'm addicted to power tube distortion and the only way to get that from big amps at home-friendly volumes is to drive the amp into a dummy load (hopefully reactive) and then reamp or peel the signal off into DAW or headphones. So a PowerStation or Unleash or one of those fancy load boxes, like the Torpedo-type things, would make any amp 'small enough'. Personally, I like the reampers because they also make small amps big, so I can play my 5E3 head or 5 watt amp on stage with a drummer. They're expensive, but they are very useful. TLDR: Buy more stuff. It's only gonna get more expensive going forward. That's neat. I have never heard quite a few of my amps distort. At ~120 tube watts my Ampeg v4 would probably smash all the windows in the house before those 7027's would start sounding gnarly
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Post by highdeaf on Oct 3, 2021 17:15:39 GMT
One of the best purchases I made, that ended this conundrum for me, is the Fryette PowerStation. I'm addicted to power tube distortion and the only way to get that from big amps at home-friendly volumes is to drive the amp into a dummy load (hopefully reactive) and then reamp or peel the signal off into DAW or headphones. So a PowerStation or Unleash or one of those fancy load boxes, like the Torpedo-type things, would make any amp 'small enough'. Personally, I like the reampers because they also make small amps big, so I can play my 5E3 head or 5 watt amp on stage with a drummer. They're expensive, but they are very useful. TLDR: Buy more stuff. It's only gonna get more expensive going forward. That's neat. I have never heard quite a few of my amps distort. At ~120 tube watts my Ampeg v4 would probably smash all the windows in the house before those 7027's would start sounding gnarly
But it would be glorious! You know, until you stunned yourself into unconsciousness.
I'm horrified by how loud I/we used to play 40 years ago. That's why I have a constant high B in my left ear now. Could be worse, I know some who's tinnitus is quite debilitating, mine's just a minor annoyance.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 3, 2021 17:43:41 GMT
That's neat. I have never heard quite a few of my amps distort. At ~120 tube watts my Ampeg v4 would probably smash all the windows in the house before those 7027's would start sounding gnarly
But it would be glorious! You know, until you stunned yourself into unconsciousness.
I'm horrified by how loud I/we used to play 40 years ago. That's why I have a constant high B in my left ear now. Could be worse, I know some who's tinnitus is quite debilitating, mine's just a minor annoyance.
Yeah Tinnitus scares the heck out of me. Friend of mine who played for many years professionally had very bad Tinnitus and said at times he literally wanted to kill himself to make it stop. I Was never a crazy loud player, even as a teen, partly because I couldn't afford a decent amp at the time.
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Post by Bill h on Oct 18, 2021 18:10:32 GMT
But it would be glorious! You know, until you stunned yourself into unconsciousness.
I'm horrified by how loud I/we used to play 40 years ago. That's why I have a constant high B in my left ear now. Could be worse, I know some who's tinnitus is quite debilitating, mine's just a minor annoyance.
Yeah Tinnitus scares the heck out of me. Friend of mine who played for many years professionally had very bad Tinnitus and said at times he literally wanted to kill himself to make it stop. I Was never a crazy loud player, even as a teen, partly because I couldn't afford a decent amp at the time. I’ve had tinnitus for so long I don’t even notice anymore. My ears have been ringing since the 90’s. I have the gift of being able to tune things out in my mind. If I’m in a quiet are I notice it more but for the most part I have learned to live with it. To many tiny practice rooms mixed with not so tiny amps back in the day did the trick.
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Post by Colchar on Oct 18, 2021 19:19:00 GMT
Just an update.
The seller dropped their price so the AD30 was under the average selling price on Reverb. I contacted them and told them that I would arrange shipping. We were figuring out the taxes (he thought I should pay Ontario tax, I thought different because it is being purchased out of province and I am arranging shipping), and he asked me to call him so that we could finalize it and I could give my credit card number. I have called twice, left messages, but have no received a call back. I took that as a hint that I shouldn't buy the amp.
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Post by Sgt Rock on Oct 18, 2021 22:38:08 GMT
Just an update. The seller dropped their price so the AD30 was under the average selling price on Reverb. I contacted them and told them that I would arrange shipping. We were figuring out the taxes (he thought I should pay Ontario tax, I thought different because it is being purchased out of province and I am arranging shipping), and he asked me to call him so that we could finalize it and I could give my credit card number. I have called twice, left messages, but have not received a call back. I took that as a hint that I shouldn't buy the amp. by him not getting back in touch with you, it sounds to me that he's already sold the amp. I would also be wary of giving him my credit card number over the phone.
all of that being said, I say buy the AD30 while the prices are still down. as others have said, the prices will go up and the amps are becoming rare.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 19, 2021 1:54:01 GMT
Just an update. The seller dropped their price so the AD30 was under the average selling price on Reverb. I contacted them and told them that I would arrange shipping. We were figuring out the taxes (he thought I should pay Ontario tax, I thought different because it is being purchased out of province and I am arranging shipping), and he asked me to call him so that we could finalize it and I could give my credit card number. I have called twice, left messages, but have not received a call back. I took that as a hint that I shouldn't buy the amp. by him not getting back in touch with you, it sounds to me that he's already sold the amp. I would also be wary of giving him my credit card number over the phone.
all of that being said, I say buy the AD30 while the prices are still down. as others have said, the prices will go up and the amps are becoming rare.
I'd give it a day of him not getting back before I wrote it off entirely. If the guy is a reputable dealer, I'd give him my credit card on the phone- just check into him first
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Post by infant on Oct 19, 2021 2:16:30 GMT
Just an update. The seller dropped their price so the AD30 was under the average selling price on Reverb. I contacted them and told them that I would arrange shipping. We were figuring out the taxes (he thought I should pay Ontario tax, I thought different because it is being purchased out of province and I am arranging shipping), and he asked me to call him so that we could finalize it and I could give my credit card number. I have called twice, left messages, but have no received a call back. I took that as a hint that I shouldn't buy the amp. No PayPal? That’s all I would use in this case.
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Post by Colchar on Oct 19, 2021 17:43:18 GMT
Just an update. The seller dropped their price so the AD30 was under the average selling price on Reverb. I contacted them and told them that I would arrange shipping. We were figuring out the taxes (he thought I should pay Ontario tax, I thought different because it is being purchased out of province and I am arranging shipping), and he asked me to call him so that we could finalize it and I could give my credit card number. I have called twice, left messages, but have no received a call back. I took that as a hint that I shouldn't buy the amp. No PayPal? That’s all I would use in this case. It never came up.
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Post by Colchar on Oct 19, 2021 17:45:55 GMT
Just an update. The seller dropped their price so the AD30 was under the average selling price on Reverb. I contacted them and told them that I would arrange shipping. We were figuring out the taxes (he thought I should pay Ontario tax, I thought different because it is being purchased out of province and I am arranging shipping), and he asked me to call him so that we could finalize it and I could give my credit card number. I have called twice, left messages, but have not received a call back. I took that as a hint that I shouldn't buy the amp. by him not getting back in touch with you, it sounds to me that he's already sold the amp. I would also be wary of giving him my credit card number over the phone. all of that being said, I say buy the AD30 while the prices are still down. as others have said, the prices will go up and the amps are becoming rare.
Even more rare are the original single channel AD30s. There was a head version (never see these anywhere except on stage with Jimmy Page!), and a combo version. The combos are rarely found, but there is one on Reverb right now. The seller is an amp shop in Poland, and they have confirmed that the amp has a switch to change it over to 110v for North American use. I am seriously considering making an offer on that amp.
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Post by Sgt Rock on Oct 19, 2021 19:27:33 GMT
by him not getting back in touch with you, it sounds to me that he's already sold the amp. I would also be wary of giving him my credit card number over the phone. all of that being said, I say buy the AD30 while the prices are still down. as others have said, the prices will go up and the amps are becoming rare.
Even more rare are the original single channel AD30s. There was a head version (never see these anywhere except on stage with Jimmy Page!), and a combo version. The combos are rarely found, but there is one on Reverb right now. The seller is an amp shop in Poland, and they have confirmed that the amp has a switch to change it over to 110v for North American use. I am seriously considering making an offer on that amp. that's right, you're in Canada, which is more international than here. when I was in Europe, everything we bought was able to be changed over to 110v/50hz(?). as long as you feel you can trust the shop in Poland, go for it. it sounds like these amps are very rare.
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Post by Colchar on Oct 19, 2021 19:35:05 GMT
Even more rare are the original single channel AD30s. There was a head version (never see these anywhere except on stage with Jimmy Page!), and a combo version. The combos are rarely found, but there is one on Reverb right now. The seller is an amp shop in Poland, and they have confirmed that the amp has a switch to change it over to 110v for North American use. I am seriously considering making an offer on that amp. that's right, you're in Canada, which is more international than here. when I was in Europe, everything we bought was able to be changed over to 110v/50hz(?). as long as you feel you can trust the shop in Poland, go for it. it sounds like these amps are very rare. Shipping will be expensive but I think I might be able to lowball the seller because according to Reverb the amp has been listed for more than a year. They can take my money, or sit on it longer. Over on Guitars Canada someone suggested an additional option for the poll - buy nothing. If I can add that here I will because there is a valid argument to be made for that position.
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 19, 2021 21:52:27 GMT
that's right, you're in Canada, which is more international than here. when I was in Europe, everything we bought was able to be changed over to 110v/50hz(?). as long as you feel you can trust the shop in Poland, go for it. it sounds like these amps are very rare. Shipping will be expensive but I think I might be able to lowball the seller because according to Reverb the amp has been listed for more than a year. They can take my money, or sit on it longer. Over on Guitars Canada someone suggested an additional option for the poll - buy nothing. If I can add that here I will because there is a valid argument to be made for that position. My advice is be extremely careful with dealing with Poland, or anywhere in eastern Europe. I would want to talk to this guy on the phone and ask questions that no scammers would know the answer to. I'm also very wary about shipping even if this guy is legit. A heck of a lot can go wrong when shipping an amp- I bought an amp from guitar center years ago and when we opened the box at the store they shipped it to, the first thing we noticed was broken glass- smashed tubes from the journey. They promised to make it good and they ultimately put $500 of repairs into that amp. The guy in Poland will never do that
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Post by Colchar on Oct 20, 2021 1:32:37 GMT
Shipping will be expensive but I think I might be able to lowball the seller because according to Reverb the amp has been listed for more than a year. They can take my money, or sit on it longer. Over on Guitars Canada someone suggested an additional option for the poll - buy nothing. If I can add that here I will because there is a valid argument to be made for that position. My advice is be extremely careful with dealing with Poland, or anywhere in eastern Europe. I would want to talk to this guy on the phone and ask questions that no scammers would know the answer to. I'm also very wary about shipping even if this guy is legit. A heck of a lot can go wrong when shipping an amp- I bought an amp from guitar center years ago and when we opened the box at the store they shipped it to, the first thing we noticed was broken glass- smashed tubes from the journey. They promised to make it good and they ultimately put $500 of repairs into that amp. The guy in Poland will never do that This is his store listing: reverb.com/ca/shop/amp-broker
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Post by Die Bullen on Oct 20, 2021 1:57:10 GMT
My advice is be extremely careful with dealing with Poland, or anywhere in eastern Europe. I would want to talk to this guy on the phone and ask questions that no scammers would know the answer to. I'm also very wary about shipping even if this guy is legit. A heck of a lot can go wrong when shipping an amp- I bought an amp from guitar center years ago and when we opened the box at the store they shipped it to, the first thing we noticed was broken glass- smashed tubes from the journey. They promised to make it good and they ultimately put $500 of repairs into that amp. The guy in Poland will never do that This is his store listing: reverb.com/ca/shop/amp-brokerLooks legit but I'm still wary. My red flags on this one: 1- eastern Europe- little recourse if something goes wrong 2- international shipping 3- not able to reach him on the phone Maybe it's great but be careful. Sometimes the lowest offering price is not the cheapest option...
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Post by Colchar on Oct 20, 2021 4:24:13 GMT
Looks legit but I'm still wary. My red flags on this one: 1- eastern Europe- little recourse if something goes wrong 2- international shipping 3- not able to reach him on the phone Maybe it's great but be careful. Sometimes the lowest offering price is not the cheapest option... For this one it isn't about lowest price, it is about availability. I'm wary, but wonder if Reverb doesn't offer a degree of protection? Thus far I've only used it to buy from sellers in Canada.
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Post by laristotle on Oct 20, 2021 6:37:27 GMT
Looks legit but I'm still wary. My red flags on this one: 1- eastern Europe- little recourse if something goes wrong 2- international shipping 3- not able to reach him on the phone Maybe it's great but be careful. Sometimes the lowest offering price is not the cheapest option... For this one it isn't about lowest price, it is about availability. I'm wary, but wonder if Reverb doesn't offer a degree of protection? Thus far I've only used it to buy from sellers in Canada. Drop a line with them and ask?
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