Orange amplifiers

AJS

What are the main differences between the 
OR series
The AD series
and The Rocker series of amplifiers

I have never owned an orange amplifier but am thinking of trying one out

Are there any to look out for and any to avoid

Col_Decker

I'm a bit an orange fanboy but I couldn't give you much technical info about them. Never had a combo but had few heads: Dual terror (el84), Rocker 30 (el34), and the current amp is an OR30 (el84). 

All were great, wish I'd kept the Rocker 30, but OR30 is best of the ones I've had. You won't get Fender cleans, and you won't get Marshall metal, but they have their own sound. Phat. They weigh a tonne though. 




* Also had the Micro Terror which was a bit shit but good enough for band practice.

noisepolluter

Loads of Tiny Terrors out there for around £200 - they are super simple and huge amounts of fun. 

Rocker 15 Terror has similar sounds but also an effects loop, clean channel and power reduction 15/7/1/0.5 watts. Works particularly well with a treble boost or equivalent to tighten up the amp’s response. 

GazAus

I'm a big Orange fan, I've had an AD15 combo for nearly 20 years, and recently got a Rocker Terror head as well. 

As noted above they have their own sound, but it's still classic British crunch themed, just thicker (kind of like darker Vox and/or old Marshall sounds in some frequencies).

Again as noted above, a Terror (Tiny, Dual or Rocker) would be a great place to start. 

Here's a possibly helpful video to get a sense of what the smaller wattage Oranges can do.

DanR

Easiest way to think of them is as follows.

AD30 - Classic rock from the 60/70s sort of era gain but never played one.

OR30 - More modern Doom/Grunge sort of vibe but it does clean up well im, also takes pedals well.

Rocker - Kind of Marshally vibe but it was the Brent Hinds terror i used and was voiced a bit different.

The AD and OR are very loud for the wattage.

I own an OR30.

Moe_Zambeek

Old OR series amps up to the 90s reissues are quite different to the modern ones. Thumpy, punchy, thick sounding with what everyone calls (or used to) ‘foggy’ overdrive. Basically very much low-mid focussed and fuzzy ish when pushed. Old school gain levels. Kinda stiff and muddy when clean unless its edge of breakup clean. IME not particularly reliable.

New era Orange really started with the AD series, which were kind of ‘inspired by’ earlier amps but to my mind tweaked other designs to be more orangey, so a little bit like Orange meets Vox. 

The terrors I think have more of a Marshally feel in the preamp, especially the rocker terror and Brent Hinds. Rocker 30 seems similar to me.

TH series are really quite compressed and high gain. Very mid focused.

Rockerverb is more modern sounding gain,
and lots of it, on board verb and a clean channel.

New OR series I would split between the old OR50 (fat fuzzy gain) and OR100 (as 50 but with a clean channel), then the 30 and 60 which seem similar to each other - modern gain but not too tight, single channel, aggressive, loud, slightly less of the low mid focus, very useful presence and bright switches, and easier to play.

CS50 is pretty Marshally just with less cut and treble focus, maybe like a lower gain OR30 actually. 

It’s all about the mids and the clarity with them I think. No doubt in my mind that the OR30 and OR60 are the most versatile of the current range. 

Alex335

Tremlord- terrible name but an absolute sleeper once you change the horrible stock speaker 

it’s a clean machine with fantastic reverb and trem ( obvs )  great pedal platform. 

Fenderish preamp with a voxish power amp is how I’d describe the sound of that makes sense 

AJS

Thanks folks for all the info

Beexter

I remember seeing Orange's amp designer Ade Emsley talking about the Tiny Terror on a YouTube video saying he wanted it to do the first 3 AC/DC albums and Never mind the Bollocks....

matone

GazAus said:

I'm a big Orange fan, I've had an AD15 combo for nearly 20 years, and recently got a Rocker Terror head as well. 

As noted above they have their own sound, but it's still classic British crunch themed, just thicker (kind of like darker Vox and/or old Marshall sounds in some frequencies).

Again as noted above, a Terror (Tiny, Dual or Rocker) would be a great place to start. 

Here's a possibly helpful video to get a sense of what the smaller wattage Oranges can do.

Ad15 with a vintage Blue in it sounds Voxy ! 

AJS

i cannot get the video to play

GazAus

Source: YouTube https://share.google/MGJ3CG1moORXeUU5A

Hope fully the above link works?

noisepolluter

GazAus said:

Source: YouTube https://share.google/MGJ3CG1moORXeUU5A

Hope fully the above link works?

I do actually have an OR15 in black for sale on here if someone fancies making an offer…

DrJazzTap

I had a rockerverb 50 mk1, should have never sold it. It was a cracking amp. Great clean channel and super chunky overdrive channel. It weighed as much as my car though.

ICBM

Beexter said:

I remember seeing Orange's amp designer Ade Emsley talking about the Tiny Terror on a YouTube video saying he wanted it to do the first 3 AC/DC albums and Never mind the Bollocks....

Which is quite funny when you think that NMTB was recorded with a 70s Fender Twin Reverb . I’m not certain about AC/DC but I’m assuming it was Marshalls.

DartmoorHedgehog

ICBM said:

Beexter said:

I remember seeing Orange's amp designer Ade Emsley talking about the Tiny Terror on a YouTube video saying he wanted it to do the first 3 AC/DC albums and Never mind the Bollocks....

Which is quite funny when you think that NMTB was recorded with a 70s Fender Twin Reverb . I’m not certain about AC/DC but I’m assuming it was Marshalls.

Perhaps he should have added "at usable volume"