Orange Amps is one of the well-known brands in the music tech world. It is known for its sound technology and innovations. Products from this brand are used by lots of artists. Some of these artists include Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Page, Jim Root, and Billy Gibbons, among others.
Though Orange Amps’ products are used by lots of famous musicians alike, are they that good or just full of hype?
As you may be aware, good publicity and marketing are enough to sell almost anything, no matter the quality or usefulness. Due to this uncertainty, the question on most people’s minds is, “are Orange Amps any good?”. If this thought has ever crossed your mind, then this post is for you. Read along to ascertain the truth.
Orange Amps are not just good; they are excellent. Something that sets Orange Amps apart from other amps is that they have great build quality, are very easy to use, and you can achieve any amp tone you’ll possibly need and more with them. And they are versatile for many different styles of genres besides rock, metal, and more.
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Brief History of Orange Amps
Orange Musical Instrument Company (Orange Amps) is a British musical tech company founded in 1968 by Cliff Cooper. It has its headquarters in Borehamwood, England.
The company originated from the basement of a London shop. However, since its inception, the Orange Amp company has grown to be one of the three biggest amp manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom (UK).
Orange Amps started as a basement recording studio. It then transitioned into a music sales shop before finally branching into manufacturing. The company has a large range of products under its belt.
Orange Amps, as a company, specializes in manufacturing amps for electric guitars. Aside from guitar amps, Orange also produces other musical equipment such as amp combo, speaker cabinets, cables, graphic tees, and headphones.
The company is committed to developing quality and innovative musical equipment. Thus, Orange Amps commits a great deal of time and resources to ensure that its products are good quality. This is achieved through extensive studying, experimentation, and testing of products.
Most Orange Amp products are manufactured in the UK, with only a few being manufactured outside. The Orange Thunderverb Series (TH Series), in particular, is manufactured in China.
What Is Unique About Orange Amps?
I think the most obvious and unique thing about Orange amps is their color. Unlike other companies that build amplifiers and cabinets with black Tolex, most Orange Amps products come with a unique orange-colored Tolex.
The aesthetics and appearance of Orange Amps are one of their unique features. Orange Amps products come with the signature orange picture logo. The cabinets and combos are also designed to have classic styling and a basket weave front grille. However, these widely recognizable logos and bright orange covers are not the only unique thing about Orange Amps.
The company prides itself in making amplifiers that are easy to tweak. This means you’ll be able to dial in the sound you need much faster than their competitors. There are only a handful of knobs on many Orange amps.
Orange Amps products, particularly Orange Amps amplifiers, are powerful as well. They have a mid-range tone that is distinct. The amp tone produced by Orange Amps is incredible. It is so incredible that you do not need significant EQ adjustment before applying it to a polar opposite style of music.
The amp tones produced by Orange Amps are one of the best tones you can get from amps.
In fact, the sounds they produce are good enough to rival any other similar product on the market. This is because the sound they produce is lively and dynamic as well. It is crystal clear as well.
Orange Amps is committed to making amps that are of the highest quality. Products from Orange Amps come with simple designs. They do not pack their products with unnecessary features or silly switches.
What Types of Music Are Orange Amps Known For?
Without a hint of exaggeration, I would say Orange Amps has left a legacy in the area of metal and rock and roll. Orange Amps have made a great name for themselves in metal and modern rock music. Thus they are the preferred option by lots of metal and modern hard rock music players.
This is because they work well when it comes to playing aggressive and snappy tones and sounds. It is not surprising that Orange Amps is endorsed and used by lots of seasoned metal and rock artists.
That notwithstanding, Orange Amps products are highly versatile. They are ideal for lots of musical genres as well. Orange Amps amplifiers can be used for blues, country music, doom, stoner rock, and all other fuzzy music as well.
Some Orange Amps product models such as the Rockerverb series and Tiny Terror are known to produce great classic tones.
What about Orange Bass Amps: Are they any good?
Orange bass amplifiers are incredibly good and unique. Orange bass amplifiers deliver the purest tone you can ever imagine and are ideal for any situation. Most amplifiers produced by Orange Amps are extremely versatile and can serve up a wide range of tonal options because of their knob controls.
Orange bass amps are produced using high-quality components as well. I may have to do a full review on Orange bass amps in another article.
One thing I admire about Orange bass amps is that they have really simple controls. And once you learn and understand what every knob does, you can dial in just the tone you need in a few seconds.
If you’re in the market to purchase a bass amp for practice purposes and playing in small to midsize venues, then the Orange Crush Combo Amp series is an excellent option you should definitely consider. The 50W Orange Crush Combo Amp (on Amazon) is actually the one I would recommend.
Check out the review by Scott of Scott Bass Lessons on the Orange Crush Combo Amps below.
Therefore, Orange bass amplifiers are a good choice when looking to acquire a bass amplifier. I will spend time talking about the best Orange Amps amplifier to acquire to read along.
Best Orange Amplifiers
There are a lot of amps under the Orange Amps franchise. Amplifiers manufactured by Orange Amps are part of the best amplifiers you can get on the market. These amps are quite versatile and can be used for a number of roles. This leads to the question, “which amplifier from Orange Amps will be best for your needs as a musician?”
When you are going in for an amp, there are a few things you have to consider. You need to consider the intended use of the amp and how often you plan on using it. There are many reasons why you may want to acquire an Orange amp. It might be because you seek to create a particular tone in your music, financial reasons, durability, aesthetics, etc.
Unfortunately, I cannot make recommendations to match each individual reason. I will limit myself to three basic but important criteria. This article will arm you with valuable information in that regard.
Orange Micro Dark Head: Overall Best Orange Amps
The Orange Micro Dark Head (on Amazon) is a solid-state amp that has a tube in some part of the preamp. It is a hybrid electric guitar amp. This is a new version of the Orange Micro Terror Head, which has been discontinued.
This amplifier from Orange Amps has revolutionized the guitar and amp world. It produces an efficient sound that retains the tube tone it carries. This amp produces a great sound at an affordable price.
It is built to have a 20-watt solid-state power amp and hi-gain preamp that has a 12AX7 valve. This is responsible for giving this device an amazing and authentic valve crunch.
The Orange Micro Terror Head is extremely versatile and can be used in studios and for practice as well. This amp is able to produce a wide range of tones, thus suitable for different genres of music. It can be used for heavy metal, rock, classic, etc.
Despite its small size, this amp is able to deliver a very powerful sound. It can also be paired with a cabinet for a more powerful and bigger sound. The Micro Dark Head amp is compact and possesses controls that are easy to navigate as well. This makes it convenient to use.
Orange Micro Crush Mini Combo: Best for Beginners
There are lots of great amp options for beginners. As a beginner who might be looking for a practice amp, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the numerous amp option available. If you have only started playing and are looking to acquire your first amp, look no further than the Orange Micro Crush Mini Combo (on Amazon).
The Orange Micro Crush Mini combo is a solid-state circuit amp that is designed to deliver great sound. Despite its size, this amp is able to produce all the classic amp tones that Orange Amps has come to be known for.
This amp comes with an in-built tuner and basic three-band EQ control. It can be powered using either an AC adapter or battery. Since it can be battery-powered, you can carry it anywhere.
This amp is ideal for beginners and serves as a great practice amp. It is a perfect option when browsing for your first amplifier as a beginner. This Orange Micro Crash Mini is quite cheap and costs only a few dollars.
Since it is relatively less expensive, it is a good amp option when you are on a budget.
Orange Rockerverb 50 MKIII: Best for Gigging
The Orange Rockerverb 50 MKIII (also on Amazon) is a twin-channel guitar amp. This amp is ideal for gigging and offers a great array of tones with amazing clarity. It also gives you the flexibility needed for both studio and live performances. This provides users with lots of tone options to choose from.
This is a high-end guitar amplifier and is the most versatile Orange amplifier available. It has more features than most of the other amplifiers produced by Orange Amps. This Orange Rockerverb 40 MKIII amp is engineered to be an all-valve guitar amp.
It comes with a built-in attenuator and carries a 50 Watts head as well. This wattage is variable and can be set to work at either 30 watts or 50 watts.
Amps that are ideal for gigging and touring should be durable and have great volume. This is exactly what you get from the Orange Rockerverb 50 MKIII.
Are Orange Amplifiers Good for Beginners?
Well, this depends on the type of Orange amplifier in question. Orange Amps has different amplifiers that are ideal for various groups of people or musicians. The Orange Amps brand makes amplifiers of different models, with each having different tones and features to suit every individual.
In plain terms, they have something for every type of individual. This means Orange amps have great products that are ideal for beginners as well. A typical example of an Orange amp that is good for beginners is the Orange Micro Crush Mini.
I have already talked about the Orange Micro Crush Mini earlier in this article. Another Orange amplifier that can be used by beginners is the Orange Crush 12. This is a great practice amp and can be used by beginners for practicing as well.
What Speakers Do Orange Amps Use?
Speakers play a significant role in guitar amp combos and cabinets. The type and the quality a speaker has, affect how its sound turns out. This means, even if you have the best amplification, your sound will turn out worse if your speakers are lousy.
The type of speaker found in an Orange amp combo or cabinet varies from product to product. However, most Orange Amps guitar combos and cabinets are fitted with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. This speaker is amazing and is known to produce superb tones and tight sound responses.
Other speakers used by Orange Amps include the Celestion G12K-150 speaker. This is a variation of the Celestion Vintage 30 speakers I mentioned in the previous paragraph. The Celestion G12K-150 speaker is found in the Orange Super Crush 100 combo. This speaker is a great speaker that produces an amazing sound.
Another set of speakers used by Orange amps are the Eminence Kappa 15″ and Eminence Beta 10 speakers. These speakers are able to produce fat bass tones. They also produce sounds that are highly focused with great low-end and mids.
The Eminence Kappa 15″ speaker is found in the Orange OBC115 bass cabinet, whilst the Eminence Beta 10 speaker is found in the Orange OBC410 cabinet.
It is worth noting that Orange Amps produce a speaker of their own. This speaker is referred to as the Voice of the World Speaker. The Orange Crush Pro 412 cabinet houses this Orange Amps’ custom-designed Voice of the World Speakers.
Are Orange Amps Good for Pedals?
Orange Amps are good for pedals. These amps take pedals really well. You can connect overdrives, boosters, delays, etc., to them without having any issues. The sound these amplifiers generate when you connect pedals to them sounds great as well.
Most people hold the view that Orange amplifiers do not work well with pedals. Unfortunately, that’s not true. Orange Amps amplifiers work well with pedals. You can use all sorts of pedals with your Orange amplifier. I
If you doubt what I am saying, you should take time to critically observe live bands that use amplifiers from Orange Amps. You would realize that they use these Orange amplifiers with tons of pedals without any issues popping up.
One thing to note is that Orange Amps do not only make guitar amps. They make guitar pedals as well. Their guitar pedals are rigid, tough, and of high quality as well. You can use these pedals in conjunction with your Orange amplifiers.
Are Orange Amps Good for Clean?
Yes, Orange amps are good for clean guitar sounds. This is because they are built to have a clean channel circuit that produces a bright clear tone. Thus, Orange amps can produce razor-clean sound.
Guitar amps that produce clean provide you with the platform to create the tones you desire. Fortunately, Orange amps are examples of such amps. They are capable of producing excellent clean tones. Watch this video below to hear how good Orange Amps clean tones sound.
Do Orange Amplifiers Have Reverb?
Nowadays, lots of solid-state amps come with built-in effects. One of these built-in effects is reverb. This is responsible for giving your tone an airy-like feel. Sound effects such as reverb are amazing and can elevate your music to another level.
However, not all amplifiers from Orange Amps come with a reverb effect. Most of the Orange amplifiers do not have reverb. Only a few of them have reverb in them. Orange amplifiers that have built-in reverb effects include the Tremlord 30, the Orange crush 20RT, and the Crush 12.
That notwithstanding, you shouldn’t worry if your Orange amplifier does not have reverb in it. This is because, though reverb effects are amazing, orange amps sound great without them. This means you will not even miss the reverb while using Orange amps.
Aside from Orange amps, other guitar amp manufacturers also produce guitar amplifiers that may not have reverb effects built into them. In case you own or use such amps, you can incorporate effects to your sound by adding guitar effects pedals to your setup. If you are open to or thinking of buying a guitar effects pedal for your setup, I would advise you to read this article first.
Are Orange Amps Worth it?
Orange Amps are worth every dime you spend on them. Products from Orange Amps always deliver a great performance. Orange Amps products, especially amplifiers, are among the best amplifiers you can get for bass and electric guitars.
Orange Amps, as a compnay, is known as a “music first” company. This is because they put quality first before profits or any other thing. All Orange Amps products are durable and have a long life span. Therefore, any amount of money you spend on Orange Amps is worth its weight in gold.
Conclusion
Orange amps is a household name in the musical world. This company is regarded as part of the best amp manufacturing companies in the world. Orange amps produce high-quality and durable amplifiers. Products from this brand are good and have an amazing tone.
Hello, I’m Elijah. A writer on Geek Musician, based in Ghana-West Africa. I am a writer with a passion for research and reading. I usually spend my free time playing chess or watching movies. For more info, check out my about me page. Or read more of my articles here.