NAD - Orange Rocker30 Combo

Teacherphil

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BCxkTKwY8NHZJSw48
I've been after one of these things for years I finally pressed the button after a few beers last Sunday. £275. An absolute bargain.
First impressions is that it looks small, and is pretty lightweight. A lot easier than my AC30CC1. The clean channel is a bit lifeless until you crank it up and you get some really nice power amp valve breakup. The real joy of this is the dirty channel. It's just a really angry little amp and sounds like a marshall with a boost in front of it.12oclock is classic rock and cranked right up it sounds massively overdriven but smooth.
I've read lots of things about Celestion Vintage 30s but they sound great with this amp and really push the sound forward. You can plug in external cabs and so far I've tried it with 4x12 greenbacks and 1x12 G12H30. Both of these cabs sound great. Through the 4x12 it sounds like a marshall. The G12H30 smooth out the sound a bit. Overall I prefer The Vintage30. It just suits it.
I've tried it with 4 guitars.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LLzUAAKiGY1N1TQK7
SG with P90s, SG with 57 classics, Les Paul with bareknuckle mules and a Firebird with creamery mini humbuckers. They all sound different but great. I would say it suits the brighter pickups a bit more.

Can't understand why these things are so cheap. I have a JCM800 head that was 3 times more than this and the Rocker sounds better.
Can't wait to crank this up at rehearsals on Tuesday.

longjaw

Congrats - £275 is a great price! 

timmysoft

They're great little amps, i've owned a couple and they're easily the best value 112 combo you can buy. I prefer the amp with an H30 over the stock V30, i think that on the whole orange amps sound more balanced with the H30. They're loud enough for gigging in a one guitar band but i found they disappear a little in a two guitar mix. I did find it very difficult to record though.

ICBM

That’s an absolute steal. In my opinion it’s the best-sounding of all the modern non-reissue Oranges and the one that gets closest to the character of the original ones, even though the circuit is actually entirely different. Also very well-made, reliable and doesn’t seem particularly hard on the valves.

I also think it sounds better with a G12H-30, or if you’re worried about putting a 30W speaker in a 30W amp, a G12H-75 Creamback... but the V30 is fine if you want that more aggressive Marshall crunch.

The clean channel takes heavy fuzz and distortion amazingly well when it’s cranked up - the dirty channel is better with overdrives and boosts.

The guitarist in my band has the head version which he uses with a couple of Marshall 2x12”s, either a Greenback/G12H-30 or a Creamback G12M-65/G12H-75 - best sound he’s ever had, and he’s been through a lot of amps!

Teacherphil

I have a creamback 65 in my AC30CC1. Might give it a try.

sticker

I have one and used it in my 80's New Wave/Power Pop covers band , it takes pedals really well and £275 is a proper bargain !

ragingben

The head was been my gigging amp (when I was gigging!), it's a cracking amp and easily my favourite of the amps I've owned. I always find it hard to balance the clean and dirty channels though - seems fine at rehearsals and then sound man always asks to turn the dirty way down, to the point it seems a lot quieter on stage but must be balanced well FOH. 

paganskins

ICBM said:

That’s an absolute steal. In my opinion it’s the best-sounding of all the modern non-reissue Oranges and the one that gets closest to the character of the original ones, even though the circuit is actually entirely different. Also very well-made, reliable and doesn’t seem particularly hard on the valves.

I also think it sounds better with a G12H-30, or if you’re worried about putting a 30W speaker in a 30W amp, a G12H-75 Creamback... but the V30 is fine if you want that more aggressive Marshall crunch.

The clean channel takes heavy fuzz and distortion amazingly well when it’s cranked up - the dirty channel is better with overdrives and boosts.

The guitarist in my band has the head version which he uses with a couple of Marshall 2x12”s, either a Greenback/G12H-30 or a Creamback G12M-65/G12H-75 - best sound he’s ever had, and he’s been through a lot of amps!

Are the 15w rockers any good in your experience @ICBM ?

ICBM

paganskins said:

Are the 15w rockers any good in your experience @ICBM ?

I've only heard the Brent Hinds one so far - although in the Orange demo video it does sound much better than the standard Rocker 15, in practice it's a lot brighter and a bit harsher than the Rocker 30. The same friend also has one as his backup/lightweight second amp - I had to change a couple of cap values to make it sound more similar to the Rocker 30, and it still has more gain.

I would need to compare them in person, but I'd probably be inclined to try the standard one first unless you want that more Marshally sound.

paganskins

ICBM said:

paganskins said:

Are the 15w rockers any good in your experience @ICBM ?

I've only heard the Brent Hinds one so far - although in the Orange demo video it does sound much better than the standard Rocker 15, in practice it's a lot brighter and a bit harsher than the Rocker 30. The same friend also has one as his backup/lightweight second amp - I had to change a couple of cap values to make it sound more similar to the Rocker 30, and it still has more gain.

I would need to compare them in person, but I'd probably be inclined to try the standard one first unless you want that more Marshally sound.

No, don't need a marshally sound, I've a mini jubilee for that