The Guitarist's Guide to Orange Amplifiers
Published on 12 November 2024
There is nothing quite like that sweet British amplifier tone - am I right, fellow guitarists?
The “Big Three” have shaped the sonic landscape of rock music history throughout its peak popularity and continue to do so with modern bands plugging their guitars into the enduring classics. But one of them - Orange amps - stands out. Why? Well, these amps are a tone purist’s dream – Orange WILL deliver the perfect cleans & electrifying distorted tone unlike any other amp. Thus in today’s blog I’ll talk you through the most popular choices when it comes to Orange amplifiers.
Contents
A short history of Orange Amps
The Orange Amps Range Explained
Join the British Sound Club by Playing an Orange Amp
A short history of Orange Amps
Orange were founded in London in 1968 by a musician and electronics designer, Cliff Cooper, and quickly became a gigging musician's gear of choice thanks to their unique thick & tight sound as well as striking bright orange tolex that stands out on stage. Another reason why musicians world over fell in love with Orange is because their amps have always offered the highest quality components, straightforward controls and a beautiful, easy-to-dial tone. The vibrant hippy movement of the 60s & 70s brought upon the iconic designs we know Orange by to this day (floral motifs, psychedelic font and colours). While the majority of Orange amps and cabs are still made in the UK, some production has moved overseas (e.g. TH and Crush series are made in China).
How To Choose Your Orange Amp
When choosing an amp, my rule of thumb is to go for one that offers the sound matching the genre you tend to play the most as well as one that your idols/favourite band uses. We’ve already established that you want an Orange amp - now we need to narrow it down to the very model that's going to work for you best. My honest advice is to come into your local guitarguitar store and try a couple of different models - hear them for yourself! Bring your own guitar you play the most (otherwise we’re more than happy to let you try our stock model that’s the closest to your own axe). If you don’t live near any of our (or any at all) music stores, you can check out our video playthroughs of most popular amps or - simply trust your gut and pick the same amp your guitar hero plays! With Orange as your main amp you can rest assured that every sound is covered - from clean tones through sizzling crunch to chunky, wall-shaking fuzz. But we’ll break it down in more detail by range below.
Who Plays Orange Amps?
When A-list rockstars can choose any amp they fancy and they reach for Orange - you know there’s something magical about the sound. So let’s take a look at some of the more prominent Orange artists to make sure those are the bands which sound you're after! There’s a whole separate blog that covers this in more depth right here so I’ll only drop a few names for context + the amps they’re known for using the most. Notice that the genre spans quite a bit - from the depths of doom and metal, through stoner & psychedelic rock all the way to classic rock, blues and folk (further proof Orange can cover it all!).
Peter Green - Fleetwood Mac (AD30HTC)
Geddy Lee - Rush (AD200 bass)
Glenn Hughes - Deep Purple (Crush Bass 100 / AD200 bass)
Stevie Wonder (Rockerverb 50)
Nancy Wilson - Heart (AD30HTC)
IDLES (AD200 + PPC212 cab)
Orianthi (Oriverb, Rockerverb 50)
Turnstile (Rockerverb 50 + PPC 412 cab)
Billy Gibbons - ZZ Top (Micro Dark)
Frank Iero - My Chemical Romance (Rockerverb 100)
Theo Ellis - Wolf Alice (Crush Bass 50; AD200)
The Cribs (AD30; Crush 35RT)
Lankum (Rockerverb 50)
Slipknot (the Bass Butler pedal)
The Sound of Orange
I think one of the main big differences between the American and British sound comes down to the valves. Orange’s charm is anchored in the EL34 (or EL84) power valves. They offer more focused mids, tend to break up nicely at higher volumes, cutting down on the headroom and introducing a more compressed sound which results in sweet sounding distortion with a fuzzier, creamier tone. There is something insanely amazing about the way an Orange amp sounds. You get the classic British tone yet it’s completely different from a Marshall or a VOX. On top of that, and contrary to popular belief, Orange amps aren't just for metal, fuzzy psychedelic rock or doom. The most popular Orange cab is equipped with a Celestion Vintage speaker which is one of the most popular choices for any recording studio due to its versatility - and there you have it!
The Orange Amps Range Explained
Orange Crush
The Crush range are all solid state amps So what’s a solid state, you may ask? The solid state amps don’t use valves to amplify the signal and instead use transistors; all-analog, digital or hybrid technology to produce a sound. Their key feature is the ability to create lots of different guitar sounds and effects. This makes them extremely popular as both practice and beginner amps.
Now with Orange Crush popularity, I’m willing to bet that most of you dear guitarists have either owned one of these as your first practice amp or are looking for one right now (hence you’re reading this!). The Crush family spans from the cutest little 3 Watt Mini amp all the way to the Super Crush 100 (head and a combo) and also offers Bass range.
What’s so cool about these? Well, what isn’t should be the question! The Orange Crush not only pack a punch with their classic British tone that sounds phenomenal in this solid state form but they are also super easy to use for a complete beginner and even come equipped with a built-in tuner.
The absolute bestselling ones out of the series are the Crush 12 and the dual channel Crush 20 / 20RT combo practice amps and I can confirm that to be a fact since I’ve sold countless units of those powerful little soundboxes whilst I worked as a salesperson at guitarguitar Glasgow.
I’m also thrilled about the most recent addition to the lot - the Orianthi signature model with fancy white tolex! It’s not only a fancy addition to the already awesome Crush family but also the first female artist signature Orange amp (aside from the boutique Oriverb) and an affordable one for young fans of the artist - nothing more inspiring than that. So, cool points to Orange!
Orange Terror
The Orange Terror are an incredibly popular range of what is known as “lunchbox” amps. Compact, easy to carry and contains all the goods your hungry musical soul may need - hence the reference. Why Terror? That’s because these unsuspecting little things can absolutely terrorise the listener with mighty tone, loud output and extreme gain levels (despite most of them having typically just 15 watts). And yes, these bad boys are decidedly swinging more towards the metal terr(or)itory. You can choose from a sub £100 sweet miniature version called Micro Terror (yes it’s got a valve and it needs a cab!), the iconic & versatile Rocker 15 or the Dual Terror (with Fat and Tiny Terror channels) both offering “bedroom or headroom” wattage control - same huge sound but at a more manageable volume. And then there’s the Dark Terror unleashing pure riot of a tone, Sabbath-worthy fuzzy growl apt for the most demanding and gain-thirsty metalheads. All in all, the Terror hits the sweet spot for a contemporary guitarist.
There’s also the latest addition to the Terror family: the Terror Stamp. This amp-in-a-pedal is the most compact of Orange Amps' iconic Terror series and a perfect addition to your pedalboard if you’re after a compact option.
Orange Rockerverb
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, the Rockerverb series is a living proof that a workhorse amp can be a master of all trades. Originally the Rockerverb was preferred by the heavier sounds aficionados but it quickly found its way onto the hearts of blues and vintage tone purists. The Clean channel has a more chimey response and a higher headroom (and a gorgeous spring reverb), yet it still retains the warmth and vintage character of a non-master-volume design.
Orange AD
The old school Orange - AD, is a timeless classic one-stop shop for all shades of pure British chime and crunch. The AD30HTC is one of my favourites: a two-channel retro amp with valve rectifier, shimmering cleans, sizzling jangle and grizzly yet classic crunch - the AD has it all and comes in a road-proven package.
Orange OR
If you’re looking for something with a little bit more of a boutique style sound, then check out the OR15 / OR30. The OR15H combines superb tone with a stripped-back layout that focuses on tonal purity. From smooth sounding cleans right through to full-on heavy crunch and high-gain, the OR15H is a great way to experience Orange's distinctive style. The OR sports 2 x EL84 power amp valves and 3 x ECC83/12AX7 preamp valves resulting in pure vintage-style tone at its best.
Orange Cabinets
Orange cabs have been one of the most popular choices for a touring musician for decades now. The main models (and the most popular) are known as PPC (Power Projection Cabinet) and are equipped with the Celestion Vintage or Neo Creamback speakers which are both a very popular choice for classic tone and heavier guitar sounds alike. Orange cabinets are available in two of their tolex finishes: orange and black and are made for guitars and for basses. Orange cabs can be heard on countless studio recordings we’re all familiar with and one they are built to last! I can certainly testify to the latter as I’ve been using my PPC 112 on the road for over 6 years now (it has taken on many staircase falls and beverage spillage - courtesy of my lovely bandmates).
Orange Bass Amps
Bassists, you best believe Orange has not forgotten about you. Better yet, they actually offer nearly the same equivalent of bass amps as they do of their guitar amps, unlike many other manufacturers. Orange bass amps follow exactly the same quality and versatility: you get the chunky, creamy tones, with wall-shaking powers and edge-of-breaking crunch - it’s all killer no filler here, bass players! Our Orange bass amps range from the smallest practice combos, to OBC cabs and AD & Terror heads.
Join the British Sound Club by Playing an Orange Amp
Choosing the right amp should be a great adventure and a fun experience rather than a daunting task. I hope today’s blog shone some light on the phenomenal Orange amplifiers for you. Orange’s legacy in rock music history is a testament to these amplifiers’ tonal greatness. So be brave and go discover those sounds for yourself - add some bright tolex to your stage rig and dial in the tone of your dreams and rest assured - Orange will make you sound good.
BROWSE ALL ORANGE AMPLIFIERS HERE
