What do you think about Orange Amps?

jp_sousa · #1 01-25-2013, 04:31 PM

Hey guys, i'm currently using a Orange Bass Terror 500 + Orange SP212.

IT'S DEMOLISHING!!!

Anyone tryed other Orange amps?

**CL400Peavey** · #2 01-25-2013, 04:33 PM

IMHO
Orange amps = good.
Orange cabs = overpriced, and heavy.

seamonkey · #3 01-25-2013, 05:21 PM

Orange is brilliant
They have been around 45 years. They aren't one of the many sticker brands that have been bought and sold through the years.
They're keeping to their roots and keeping up with state of the art.
Read this interview
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/forum/vi...hp?f=27&t=2395

SolarMan · #4 01-25-2013, 05:26 PM

Those isobaric cabs are amazing. They have been criticized as not being any louder (SPL) than a single driver, but that misses the point. It is deeper - and DEMOLISHING!

(I haven't tried the Orange heads, just the isobaric cabs, and I want one!)

TolerancEJ · #5 01-25-2013, 05:27 PM

I don't have an Orange bass amp, but I do have an Orange Micro Terror with 2 PPM108's (8" speaker enclosures). It's basically a full guitar stack that is just barely taller than my knees.

But I cannot turn it to volume 1 without my wife shouting downstairs to turn it down. Hehe. I've not yet ventured into volume 2 territory yet.

**mjac28** · #6 01-25-2013, 05:27 PM

I love them it's some gear I will eventually get to I think they have a certain flavor of their own.

jp_sousa · #7 01-25-2013, 05:33 PM

hahaha, yes playing at home above 1 is not a very good idea.
you can ask my cat

iualum · #8 01-25-2013, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CL400Peavey

IMHO
Orange amps = good.
Orange cabs = overpriced, and heavy.

Yes.

Bassmec · #9 01-25-2013, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seamonkey

Orange is brilliant
They have been around 45 years. They aren't one of the many sticker brands that have been bought and sold through the years.
They're keeping to their roots and keeping up with state of the art.
Read this interview
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/forum/vi...hp?f=27&t=2395

When I had a saturday job at Orange music in denmark st it was just a guitar shop mostly full of secondhand gibsons and some fenders with no amp production what so ever it had a small studio downstairs was a four track.
The amps we sold as Orange were all made by Matamp in yorkshire and now they are made even further away and without any of the same components, with a board of directors that none of them even went to the funeral of the owner of either Orange music or Matamp (formerly Huddesfield Radio) and what this product was originally, bears no similarity to what they sell today. sorry!

PS. The only thing built like an Orange today is still a Matamp.

Mr. Foxen · #10 01-25-2013, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seamonkey

Orange is brilliant
They have been around 45 years. They aren't one of the many sticker brands that have been bought and sold through the years.
They're keeping to their roots and keeping up with state of the art.
Read this interview
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/forum/vi...hp?f=27&t=2395

They started as rebranded Matamps, then they started making them elsewhere, then the name was sold, to I think, Gibson, who started having Matamp make them, then sold the name on again before any of the new Matamp ones were actually released.

Matamp was the one that passed to the sons of the founder, and was bought by one of the workers from the founder's time running it, so that is the one with a solid lineage.

Rob Martinez · #11 01-25-2013, 06:24 PM

This guy uses them! The first part is about his basses, then his cool Orange rig!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qQcYLDoEcY

Bearded Wizard · #12 01-26-2013, 01:43 AM

I just got an Orange OR50H. Orange has their own sound, they're not for everyone, but I like them.

shackled · #13 01-26-2013, 01:50 AM

I really want an Orange guitar amp in my local store, to pair with a bass cab. Not sure of the model, but it sounds fantastic!

Bassmec · #14 01-26-2013, 04:51 AM

Anyone up for some pervy pre & post Orange era matamp porn.
Here's my 4 X EL34, 2 X 5U4G rectifier Lab series from 1968,

The amp at the bottom was custom built for Rolla Celestions brand new loudspeaker test shop at Foxhall road in 1968.
It's not stereo one meter reads output Amps and the other output Volts
It has two simple pentode dual triode pre amp channels one says bass and the other says guitar.
But I use the old grey STC pre amp to drive the Matamps power amp in studio because it has oodles of very very naughty gain with very little noise and beautiful old school Pultec like EQ.

There are some more lovely Matamps.

Bassist30 · #15 01-26-2013, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassmec

Anyone up for some pervy pre & post Orange era matamp porn.
Here's my 4 X EL34, 2 X 5U4G rectifier Lab series from 1968,

The amp at the bottom was custom built for Rolla Celestions brand new loudspeaker test shop at Foxhall road in 1968.
It's not stereo one meter reads output Amps and the other output Volts
It has two simple pentode dual triode pre amp channels one says bass and the other says guitar.
But I use the old grey STC pre amp to drive the Matamps power amp in studio because it has oodles of very very naughty gain with very little noise and beautiful old school Pultec like EQ.

There are some more lovely Matamps.

The cabinets are cool, but the amps and power are amazing. That is to much porn for me to see. I bet that set up sounds amazingly sick. With all the gear that has come after, things like micro and digital, I bet that set up would murder anything out there. And to ad I never even seen Most of that gear before. It just looks like it wants to fight. Thanks for the picture.

jebmd · #16 01-26-2013, 05:56 AM

I had a Bass Terror 500 and although is was fat and very loud, the tone wasn't for me. The guitar amps are amazing IMHO. I have a TH30C and it rivals the tone of the 60's & 70's Marshall stacks I owned in my youth. All in a portable, 50lb package.

godofthunder59 · #17 01-26-2013, 08:18 AM

I bought the Terror Bass for small gigs, back up and have even used it for recording. I also bought two 115s to go with it. Yeah they are a little pricey but this set up delivers thick, meaty gritty, vintage tone in spades. Highly recommended. A short clip of me laying bass tracks earlier this month with my Orange Terror rig. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=2&theater

Jim C · #18 01-26-2013, 08:30 AM

Basmec & Mr. Foxen,
This thread peaked my interests and off to eBay I went to look at what's available regarding older Orange, Hiwatt, and Sound City amps.
Seems as though some of the amps for sale had replaced output transformers.
I'm assuming that the Partridge transformers played a role in the tonality of these amps.
Would an amp with a Mercury Magnetics transformer be very close to the original sound (assuming good caps and tubes)?

Mr. Foxen · #19 01-26-2013, 08:59 AM

Most Oranges and plenty of Matamps didn't have Partridge transformers. Not having Partridge transformers never stops ebayers claiming amps have them though. Hiwatt and Sound City mostly did, Sound City went to similar looking Electro Voice ones, they sound the same. As long as the transformer is specced right, they'll sound the same, modern ones don't tend to be as the lamination standards have dropped. Mercury Magnetics are overpriced for what they are, unless you buy loads, there are people with NOS laminations that make proper transformers for things, and you can get them rewound using the original iron. Now I'm thinking about it, I'm not even sure any Matamps or Oranges I've seen have Partridges, people tend to claim any lacquered transformer is Partridge, but the Yellow sticker is the only real identifier.

seamonkey · #20 01-26-2013, 10:09 AM

Many companies get their start by having another manufacturer make their stuff. Even after they are full grown. It's no dig, and doesn't distract from the goal. It's a good thing to focus on the part you can make the most difference in.