Not content with turning Orange Amps purple with his signature Crush Bass 50 combo amp back in 2021, Glenn Hughes has given its O Bass the same treatment. It’s the British brand’s first signature instrument, and it too is given a vibrantly purple treatment ahead of NAMM 2024.
Its lightweight African Okoumé body is partnered with a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 pickup in contrast to Orange’s custom-wound split coil pickup in the standard model. It has a strong maple neck with a purple fretboard which vie to give a clear and transparent tone.
Dimensions-wise, it features an 864mm scale length with a 43mm top nut and comes in at 3.9kg, just a smidge heavier than the standard’s 3.77kg weight. It also features a nickel four-saddle bridge and open gear tuners.
Another key differentiator from the standard model is the chequerboard binding found around the body and headstock for a subtle but lovely touch. As king of fashion Hughes would never be seen dead in the same outfit twice, it also comes with two changeable ivory and jet-black three-ply scratchplates for those all-important mid-gig costume changes.
Longtime Orange Amps ambassador Glenn Hughes, known by many as the ‘Voice of Rock’ was a key player in the British hard rock scene as it transitioned into early heavy metal. With a storied career – and he has many to tell – he’s played with Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore and Dead Daisies.
Having played more gigs than most of us have had hot dinners, he makes the perfect candidate for a signature bass. He’ll take it out on the road in 2024 as he celebrates the 50th anniversary of Deep Purple’s iconic record, Burn.
Says Orange Amps: “Orange Amplification takes great pleasure in launching the Glenn Hughes Signature Purple O Bass guitar. The luxurious colour evokes the 1960’s and ‘70s as well as the beginnings of heavy metal. Whatever the music played, this eye-catching deep purple bass guitar will certainly make a statement on any stage or studio.”
The O Bass was first introduced by Orange in 2015, with an initial small run succeeded by a large-scale rollout in 2022 which saw it go through some minor changes. It was designed in England's capital by Orange Technical Director and lead designer Adrian Emsley who had dreamt of creating a unique-looking, lightweight and classic, P-Bass-esque sounding bass guitar.
Influenced by his time working with bassists in LA throughout the '90s, the bass features custom pickup positioning that emulates the modification many of those players were making to their basses. Hughes’ endorsement of the instrument is a shift for the rock legend, whose career has thus far been defined by the sound of Precision and Jazz Bass guitars.
To keep up to date with the latest instrument, amp and pedal releases as NAMM 2024 draws ever closer, head over to our guide to the latest NAMM 2024 news.
For more information on the new O Bass, head to OrangeAmps.Com
