Buy new or used for an Orange TT?

[Armchair Bronco]

I'm gearing up to get myself an Orange Tiny Terror for Christmas.  I have two options: get a new one for $549 from the Orange dealer in Seattle or buy a used one off eBay for around $420 + shipping.

Total costs would be something like the following:

New = $549 + tax @ 9% = $600
Used = $420 + $50 shipping = $470

So: what does the extra $130 get me?

1. A certified Orange dealer (Emerald City Guitars) that will stand behind the amp not only for the standard 1 year warranty but probably beyond.  With an eBay purchase, I probably wouldn't get *any* warranty.

2. A guarantee that I'll be getting new and unused tubes.  In the worst case off eBay, I might have to replace all 4 tubes which would be (what?) around $50?

3. The newer Chinese layout that has the standby switch between the 7- and 15-watt selector.  I've heard that this is a better spot for the standby than on the On/Off switch.  Almost all models for sale on eBay are the Korean-built ones from the last manufacturing run.

4. Some goodwill with the Orange dealer in Seattle.  The owner of Emerald City Guitars is a nice guy, and that counts for a lot in my book.

So: is the extra $130 worth it?

[indysmith]

yeah i think the extra is definately worth it. Go for a new one

[sgmypod]

yup in case it goes wrong like mine just did

[hamfist]

Why anyone in the USA would rather have a TT than something like a Crate V33H head at $399, or one of the Crate V33 or V3112 combos (or even a Classic 30 head) is utterly beyond me.
 the TT is very cheap in the UK, and therefore makes sense. But, for the money you have to pay for one in the States !!   Hmmm, I'd think twice !! Seriously. The TT's actually have little in common with the better quality Orange amps.

 just my opinion, YMMV etc.

Alan

[Armchair Bronco]

Why anyone in the USA would rather have a TT than something like a Crate V33H head at $399, or one of the Crate V33 or V3112 combos (or even a Classic 30 head) is utterly beyond me.
 the TT is very cheap in the UK, and therefore makes sense. But, for the money you have to pay for one in the States !!

Your advice would make sense if I were buying this amp based only on cost.  But I'm not.  I'm buying it based on tone and feature set.  You're also assuming that the Crates have the same (or identical) tone as the TT, which they don't.

I've been researching the TT (and many other low-wattage amps) for a couple of months, and I can say with certainty that the overwhelming majority of people who own a TT are very happy with their purchase.  For the tone I'm looking for and at the volumes I plan to play at, nothing else comes close.

I drive an Audi A4 Turbo with a 1.8 liter engine.  There were cheaper American made cars available when I bought it, but there were NO other sporty, turbo-charged 4-door sedans available with All-Wheel Drive from a company with a long history of making AWD cars.  None.  So I paid a lot extra for a German-made import in order to get the features I wanted.

[Philly Q]

yup in case it goes wrong like mine just did

A Korean one, or Chinese?  What's gone wrong?

[ailean]

I'd buy new. I'd want to be saving a lot more than that before I considered a used one. New tubes aside you just don't know what's happened to a used amp, at least with a warranty if it's been abused you can replace it.

I'm very happy with my TT, I hope it works out for you too.

Also Orange tend to frown on re-sellers discounting the TT in the UK, but if you buy it in a shop you can probably knock them down a little (if it's the same in the US). I got 10% without even trying.

[Twinfan]

I
3. The newer Chinese layout that has the standby switch between the 7- and 15-watt selector.  I've heard that this is a better spot for the standby than on the On/Off switch.  Almost all models for sale on eBay are the Korean-built ones from the last manufacturing run.

My TT is Koren with the standby between 7 and 15 watts.  This was a change that happened fairly early in the TT's life.  It's because you're supposed to switch to standby before changing output power setting, and moving it to the 7 and 15 watt toggle forces you to do this.  A sensible idea in my opinion.

I didn't they they were going to move production to China any more?  The original plan was to move after 1000 units had been made, but they've now sold over 10,000 in 12 months  :o  I doubt they'll move it now.

[hamfist]

Why anyone in the USA would rather have a TT than something like a Crate V33H head at $399, or one of the Crate V33 or V3112 combos (or even a Classic 30 head) is utterly beyond me.
 the TT is very cheap in the UK, and therefore makes sense. But, for the money you have to pay for one in the States !!

Your advice would make sense if I were buying this amp based only on cost.  But I'm not.  I'm buying it based on tone and feature set.  You're also assuming that the Crates have the same (or identical) tone as the TT, which they don't.

I've been researching the TT (and many other low-wattage amps) for a couple of months, and I can say with certainty that the overwhelming majority of people who own a TT are very happy with their purchase.  For the tone I'm looking for and at the volumes I plan to play at, nothing else comes close.

I drive an Audi A4 Turbo with a 1.8 liter engine.  There were cheaper American made cars available when I bought it, but there were NO other sporty, turbo-charged 4-door sedans available with All-Wheel Drive from a company with a long history of making AWD cars.  None.  So I paid a lot extra for a German-made import in order to get the features I wanted.

Eloquently put. And agreed - if it does what you want it to, and has the tone you want, then its the right amp for you !!

  And just for everyone's amusement, this is what I drive !

http://www.box.net/shared/static/bta3o90rr1.jpg

Isn't she a beauty !!

Alan

[sgmypod]

*L*

[hamfist]

*L*

??

[Armchair Bronco]

And just for everyone's amusement, this is what I drive !

http://www.box.net/shared/static/bta3o90rr1.jpg

Isn't she a beauty !!

(My Audi Anecdote...)

The Audi was my "Mid-Life Crisis" car, and a couple years after buying it I had some Buyer's Remorse wondering whether I should have paid as much as I did for the car.  (Mind you, we're talking about an Audi here, not a Mercedez Benz, but even so the Audi was significantly more expensive than the All-Wheel Drive Subaru Legacy station wagon it was replacing.)

Then, last winter, we had two hellacious snow and ice storms in the Seattle area, and the only cars that were able to brave the roads were Hummers and Audis with Quattro All-Wheel Drive.  In my neighborhood, there were literally thousands of cars that were abandoned by the side of the road and at the base of the plateau where I live.  But my Audi just kept right on going as if the roads were dry.  I was utterly amazed. I love my car, and will never own another car that doesn't have all 4 wheels spinning around all the time!

[ailean]

And just for everyone's amusement, this is what I drive !

http://www.box.net/shared/static/bta3o90rr1.jpg

Isn't she a beauty !!

(My Audi Anecdote...)

The Audi was my "Mid-Life Crisis" car, and a couple years after buying it I had some Buyer's Remorse wondering whether I should have paid as much as I did for the car.  (Mind you, we're talking about an Audi here, not a Mercedez Benz, but even so the Audi was significantly more expensive than the All-Wheel Drive Subaru Legacy station wagon it was replacing.)

Then, last winter, we had two hellacious snow and ice storms in the Seattle area, and the only cars that were able to brave the roads were Hummers and Audis with Quattro All-Wheel Drive.  In my neighborhood, there were literally thousands of cars that were abandoned by the side of the road and at the base of the plateau where I live.  But my Audi just kept right on going as if the roads were dry.  I was utterly amazed. I love my car, and will never own another car that doesn't have all 4 wheels spinning around all the time!

Always nice when a luxury spend turns out to be a sensible choice after all :)

[sgmypod]

Can see the reason for the upgrade..subaru sensible but a tad boring compared to the Audi