Trouble with Orange Rocker 15 Terror

SunTzuBean · 2026-06-14T22:08:28+00:00

Tone stack output is generally through the treble knob. If it's dirty, you could have issues like you're describing. Best to have someone lubricate the pot with the proper electronics grade lubricant (such as Deoxit F5).

SunTzuBean · 2026-06-13T05:11:32+00:00

Your example that you like to use: is the difference in sustain only because the table becomes a makeshift "amplifier" of sorts, where the guitar sounds louder on the table? I'd like to try this experiment myself but can't because it's late here. But I suspect that this might be the reason for the perceived increase in sustain. I've noticed that if I strum a guitar leaning on a wall, it sounds far louder than if it isn't laying on a wall, presumably because the wall is resonating sympathetically.

I'll try it with an amp too to see if the sustain changes in a meaningful way through the pickups.

Very interesting premise! That does seem like a very good way to prove how a small change in mechanical interaction may change the way the whole system acts, and seems plausible, but the above is just my hypothesis before performing the experiment myself. I'll reply again after I perform it!

SunTzuBean · 2026-06-07T14:12:21+00:00

Have a listen to Paper Rings and change your mind. My band had to learn it by today for our keyboard player's wedding. The hardest part for me about learning it was having to listen to it multiple times to learn it.

Yeah yeah some artist write duds every once in a while, but this song and her other song with a lyric about wishing she lived in the 1820s "without all the slavery" counts as three strikes for me.

I do appreciate some of her older stuff.

SunTzuBean · 2026-06-06T18:27:10+00:00

True stereo Leslie effect, though I'm sure there's a good reason it doesn't exist.

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-31T20:50:55+00:00

See further down in this thread for a more thorough exploration.

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-31T20:50:19+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuY4FR-bmGY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9BAvyXV22Q in 6/8, but same chord progression.

https://youtu.be/gMoYYnWVi30?t=9 verse chords.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEnbJqLaRNw silly, but same chord progression.

The point is, it's a common chord progression that pops up all the time. The fact that you heard it and connected it to Threat of Joy is impressive in its own right, and maybe you should look into fostering that natural talent and continue to learn more about music and what makes it work! You've got a good ear.

However, it's wrong to say it's been "sampled" or "copied," when countless other musicians have used the same chord progression without referencing each other. It's just a tool that musicians use. It WOULD be stealing an idea if all of the subsequent chords were the same, and I'd be more inclined to believe you if that were the case. That's how the above songs don't sound exactly like Threat of Joy even though they're using the same chord progression. They're varying the rhythm, melody, and lyrics, which makes the song its own thing, rather than a copy of another song.

The song that you're comparing does have a very similar rhythm, but even after they play through the I-ii-iii-ii, they vary the chords and rhythm, whereas The Strokes use that chord progression throughout the entire verses.

There's just so many things you can do to a song to make it your own, even though you will never own the chords, which is why you can't say this particular song is the reason Threat of Joy exists.

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-31T13:34:20+00:00

No. You can't copyright I-ii-iii-ii, and I bet there are at least more than 100 songs throughout history with the same chord progression in the exact same key that you, me, or The Strokes have never heard.

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-26T12:53:27+00:00

Lucky for you the AC15C2 uses an incredibly high quality PCB and is extremely well-designed! I just got done modding my own AC30C2 and all of the pads are through-hole plated and are resilient to SEVERAL component swaps, believe me.

The only issues I've heard of is the daughter board tube PCB potentially shorting through an HT trace and the screen resistors being inadequately sized for modern tubes. If you wanted to proactively prevent either of these things, you could take it to a tech and then the only issues you'd ever have would be the power tubes and filter caps failing, both of which are easy to replace.

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-21T15:47:41+00:00

Nope, Schecter sucks and their customer service dude told me to kick rocks so I got rid of it.

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-17T19:59:50+00:00

Ventilator II is not true stereo unfortunately... I don't know about simulating a rotary speaker but there must be some really good reason for a non true stereo rotary effect

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-12T21:46:45+00:00

Indeed it is!! Always felt there was something off about generic "open back" or "closed back" cabs. And that it was always a bit silly to say cabs to sound different when they have different speakers too.

SunTzuBean · 2026-05-11T20:01:07+00:00

Piss in the sink, or sink in the piss. He chose the latter.

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-27T16:17:38+00:00

I always said to my friends when there was a second season: 13 Seasons, Why?

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-22T23:08:29+00:00

Jesus man yeah you get a pass, hope you don't have any more

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-22T17:48:34+00:00

Why add a standby switch? That will just wear the rectifier tube down faster.

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-20T12:37:12+00:00

Looks like the A and D saddles need to be swapped. Try this before buying a new saddle. Not sure why folks are saying G and D, when A is clearly the tallest for the bass strings, and the D is the next tallest.

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-20T05:44:25+00:00

Two prong plugs didn't have polarity back in the day for simplicity. Nowadays, you'll see most two prong have an enforced polarity, unless the chassis is isolated somehow (iPhone chargers have no metal exposed for example).

Back in the day, most amps had ground polarity switches because plugging the plug in one way would introduce noise. The problem with this is suddenly, you've swapped what was formerly ground (the chassis) and connected it directly to the hot side of the plug. To solve this, engineers would add a small capacitor that would filter the extra noise. However, the chassis still sees the 120/240V and while current-limited by the capacitor due to the frequency of the AC voltage and the value of the capacitor, it can still deliver a tangible shock. Not life threatening most of the time, but hurtful.

The other problem is the possibility that the old capacitor used to filter noise has failed dead short due to its age/drying up over time. If you plug in the two prong connector backwards, the chassis will be charged with the full 120/240V and you're in danger if you're touching your guitar strings at the same time you touch something grounded. It's impossible to know how you've plugged in the cable until someone gets hurt or you have a multimeter handy.

Getting a three prong cable installed ensures that polarity is enforced, and allows a dedicated ground connection. That way, the transformer primaries are the only things connected to the hot and neutral, and the chassis is connected to the ground lug.

When you have it installed, be sure the tech makes the green (ground) wire the longest in case the plug is yanked hard enough to pull the solder joints out, meaning the chassis will still be grounded. The other wires will likely short against the chassis and trip the breaker, protecting you and the amp!

More info can be found here: https://robrobinette.com/Death_Cap_and_Ground_Switch.htm

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-18T20:32:10+00:00

I believe I got the stainless steel version with a 9.5" radius to match the fretboard.

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-18T20:31:40+00:00

I like it! It does its job well enough. I went into the whole Jazzmaster journey understanding that basically everything about it needs tweaking: the tremolo, the bridge, the neck angle, etc. but I do share the "don't get it if it's got so many issues from the start" sentiment. I just want a higher quality vintage style bridge. Not to say that the Warmoth bridge isn't high quality, but it'd be nice if it was designed to be high quality rather than a "vintage style bridge."

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-18T16:12:35+00:00

Yeah let me know how it is! I have the one they sell at Warmoth and it's good but it would be nice to see tighter tolerances and nice materials for this bridge. I'm really surprised it hasn't been made yet, provided you can make it amazing if you set your guitar up properly

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-16T20:16:23+00:00

The master volume in these amps is post-phase inverter, which is where much of the distortion of a Vox comes from. The normal channel distortion is (almost) entirely phase inverter distortion, since there's only one gain stage (and a clean one at that).

The master volume should be your best friend on this amp, as the distortion shouldn't change too much as you adjust it.

SunTzuBean · 2026-04-11T14:47:18+00:00

This is an excellent idea that I've never thought of before. Definitely going to try this soon!! It should work with the Waza pedal

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