Orange Amps

LunaticFringe

LunaticFringe

New member
Does anybody here have some experience with orange amps? I'm mainly interested in which ones are good for which types of music. I'm not looking for high gain, just some nice thick crunch. Is it advised to get a vintage one or are the new ones better? I see them on ebay sometimes, usually models from the 70's and they don't look like bad deals but I have no way of telling. I don't know what models they offered back then and how they compare to each other.
 
Re: Orange Amps

i've played one at guitar center and have heard them played by pros on two occasions. when i played it, i found it to be very marshally sounding with a nice solid tone. i didn't get a lot of gain from it, but then again i didn't crank it that much. i ended up buying a jvm.

when i heard a really great player use that same amp though, i wasn't that impressed. it did sound very good but honestly i liked the marshall tone better. maybe the older ones are better, i don't know. they're expensive and kind of an eye sore, so i personally prefer marshalls at this point. i'd really like to hear some clips of a classic one though.
 
Re: Orange Amps

threads about orange amps really P*** me off. I've been GASing over an Orange rockerverb 50 for soooo long now.
 
Re: Orange Amps

I own an Orange Rocker 30 Combo, and the only reason I plan on ever replacing it is I need an effects loop.

Now the Rocker 30 Combo is awesome for gigs (barely get it past half, and past 7 or 8 on clean), and also for home use, not to mention it's so much easier to transport.

But the Effects Loop is the killer for me. And it just seems spending 400 more on a used 50/100, then spending the money on a Cabinet, You're up to 1,800 or so for a half stack assuming you either get a really good deal on a used 4x12, or get a cheaper one.

For much less I'm personally thinking of going for the Marshall DSL 50 Stack which with some good Ebay deals I could have for 1,100, more like 1,200. Now I've only played the Marshall DSL once at a gig as a backline amp, and it was really sweet. I didn't get enough time to really assess it's qualities but I could see myself feeling like I didn't compromise much if any at all by going with that, other than not have a cool looking orange head on stage next to me (and let's face it, colors grab people, I'm surprised by how much guitar gear is frickin black!).

I'm actually at a dilemma on which to go for. I'm moving towards the DSL as it had a bit more aggressiveness to it. The Orange has the perfect crunch, but it can get grainy sometimes depending on the volume. But it also cuts through waaaaay better than any other amp that I've played. While listening to the other bands playing the Backline DSL amp (the other was a TSL), the player playing the DSL always had a hard time cutting through. That 500-600 dollars could go towards a really sweet pedalboard though.

If Orange would make the 30 with an effects loop, that would just be perfect, ok maybe with a slightly louder clean channel. I'd imagine the price of adding an effects loop to my amp would be the same as just going ahead and getting the 50/100 used.

In Conclusion: For me and my style (Experimental/Hardcore) it is absolutely perfect. I really can't see any other amp that would make me happier. I just wish there was a **** effects loop on the Rocker 30.
 
Re: Orange Amps

Orange amps are nothing like marshall - that's why I love them. Thunderverb is an amazing piece of gear and is on my GAS list after I round up my "a must" Laney collection. If you can pull it off do it, I have yet to hear an Orange clip that I did not love.
 
Re: Orange Amps

If you love the basic tone so much I'd just split your signal and run whatever you would run in an effects loops directly into another amp. This preserves the tone integrity of your main amp and gives your effects someplace to go. Here's how I set up:

guitar>wah>compressor>trem>overdrive>distortion then the signal is split with a cable. One goes directly to my main amp which is usually a DC30 or Ampeg Reverberocket.


the other follows this path:

chorus>delay>volume pedal>amp. The amp is usually something that has a really nice clean tone like a Bassman, Twin, or Deluxe. It's also cool to set them amp so it dirties up the higher you raise the volume pedal. You can also add a channel switching amp and get even more grunt out of your tone by being able to switch between the clean and drive channel. The volume pedal helps me blend the second amp perfectly with the first depending on how much effected tone I want. It's also very cool to use a totally clean amp like a Jazz Chorus or Fender Ultimate Chorus. The second amp doesn't have to be expensive.

It's important to note that the effects placed before the split will affect both amps. I only use the distortion box when I want both amps to distort with the same distorted tone. I usually use the first amps ability to distort as my main tone. For leads I hit my overdrive pedal which will boost both amps.





Mllerrin said:
I own an Orange Rocker 30 Combo, and the only reason I plan on ever replacing it is I need an effects loop.

Now the Rocker 30 Combo is awesome for gigs (barely get it past half, and past 7 or 8 on clean), and also for home use, not to mention it's so much easier to transport.

But the Effects Loop is the killer for me. And it just seems spending 400 more on a used 50/100, then spending the money on a Cabinet, You're up to 1,800 or so for a half stack assuming you either get a really good deal on a used 4x12, or get a cheaper one.

For much less I'm personally thinking of going for the Marshall DSL 50 Stack which with some good Ebay deals I could have for 1,100, more like 1,200. Now I've only played the Marshall DSL once at a gig as a backline amp, and it was really sweet. I didn't get enough time to really assess it's qualities but I could see myself feeling like I didn't compromise much if any at all by going with that, other than not have a cool looking orange head on stage next to me (and let's face it, colors grab people, I'm surprised by how much guitar gear is frickin black!).

I'm actually at a dilemma on which to go for. I'm moving towards the DSL as it had a bit more aggressiveness to it. The Orange has the perfect crunch, but it can get grainy sometimes depending on the volume. But it also cuts through waaaaay better than any other amp that I've played. While listening to the other bands playing the Backline DSL amp (the other was a TSL), the player playing the DSL always had a hard time cutting through. That 500-600 dollars could go towards a really sweet pedalboard though.

If Orange would make the 30 with an effects loop, that would just be perfect, ok maybe with a slightly louder clean channel. I'd imagine the price of adding an effects loop to my amp would be the same as just going ahead and getting the 50/100 used.

In Conclusion: For me and my style (Experimental/Hardcore) it is absolutely perfect. I really can't see any other amp that would make me happier. I just wish there was a **** effects loop on the Rocker 30.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Re: Orange Amps

Orange rocker 30 combo owner here. I love it, despite its lack of fx loop and built in reverb, but I'm not much of an fx guy anyway. The rocker series is supposed to be higher in gain than other oranges, except for the thunderverb (beast). I say go try one at your local GC or an orange dealer, you can't really judge oranges by what a buncha random internet dudes say.
 
Re: Orange Amps

There is room for both a Marshall and an Ornage in a collection. They do both have the distinct British flavour, but I find Marshalls to have more bite, and Oranges to have more thump. To be technical. The modern ones have morein common with Marshalls, but the original ones are really quite different sounding. Plus, look at 'em. Totally cool.
 
Re: Orange Amps

I have a Marshall and I've played an Orange Tiny Terror. They sound very similar, but a Marshall, to me, has more upper mids, while the Orange had more lower mids. Like Kyuss said, Marshalls have more bite, Orange has more thump.
 
Re: Orange Amps

I played a Rockverb 50 for a year ,and i have to say ,it's one of the best rythm tones ever..
I am not a British tone kind of guy ,so it was not my cup of tea..But the quality is there...

The Rockverb series are just most versatile amps Orange ever produced..The FX loop works well ,and the gain structure is just right.
It accept pedals really well ,so an overdrive would be a great compliment.

If you buy a Rockverb 50 ,a good OD pedal and a MXR 10 band EQ in the fx ,you are going to get 4 channels ,4 different great tones.

Best bang for the Buck...

OH ,BTW ,it's nothing like a Marshall..It's british yeah.But not Marshall kind of British...
It has more thumb ,more punch ,more definition ,and less ear scattering buzz..The tone is more round ,cutts well and the midds are wider...All in all...The Best British amp you can get for that price!
 
Re: Orange Amps

I'm thinking of trying a combo one day of a blues deluxe or some other such amp cranked to get it ripping and an orange running simultaneously. I think it would give a really awesome sound. I've only fooled around on an orange once though and I don't know which one it was. None of the stores around here have 'em in stock. But I've played one and liked it, got the gist of the orange 'sound' and I saw a band about a month ago that was playing one and it sounded great. Plus on recordings I've heard 'em. What do you guys know about the old ones? Worth checking out? What's out there and what's good? I know page used them, what kind did he use?
 
Re: Orange Amps

LunaticFringe said:
Plus on recordings I've heard 'em. What do you guys know about the old ones? Worth checking out? What's out there and what's good? I know page used them, what kind did he use?
Click to expand...

Page never used Orange Amps... not publicly anyway. The older ones are thicker & 'crazier'/bigger sounding then the new ones. New ones seem to have a wider range of tones as well...

Marshalls have more upper mid bite, more overall 'presence' to the tone & Orange of any vintage is thicker, meaner...darker. Both good.

I played a Tiny Terror last week... dug it a lot.
 
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