PMT Guide To: Orange Amps

Orange is the youngest of the arguably four biggest brands that defined rock'n'roll amplification: founded in 1968, it missed the first wave of American rock'n'roll in the Fifties (dominated by Fender) and the 60's British Invasion led by Vox. After Marshall (and Eric Clapton...) inaugurated a new era of high-gain rock'n'roll, Orange arrived at the right time to put its mark on the new heavy rock sound of the Seventies, and has since become one of the go-to brands for any guitarist who wants power, "grit", great tone and a very distinctive look, too!

The thing was, these new peculiar-looking boxes sounded great, and some big bands soon began using them, including Fleetwood Mac, when still fronted by Peter Green. Both Green and co-lead guitarist Danny Kirwan used Orange amps live and in the studio.  Peter Green's Gibson Les Paul + Orange Amp combination in Fleetwood Mac was responsible for some of the most remarkable guitar sounds of the late sixties!

Some people still have doubts whether Peter Green actually used Orange amps, because there's so little visual evidence of it, and rare footage of the Mac live shows Fender amps. But according to a very detailed Guitar Magazine article (Volume 7 number 3 January 1997), Green did indeed use a GT120 Orange amp to create pretty much the most legendary early Fleetwood Mac songs, such as 'Green Manalish' and 'Oh Well'. Both songs are fine examples of that classic "Les Paul-meets-Orange" tone, and no doubt influenced many guitarists since.

Shortly after this, other big acts of the time started snapping up the products for use as part of their usual set up, such as Stevie Wonder, Paul Kossoff of Free, Marc Bolan, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page stills uses Orange as part of his live setup:

The Eighties were not a great time for Orange, but slowly and surely the brand experienced a renaissance in the late Nineties - and one of the bands to lead the charge were Oasis, as Noel Gallagher chose Orange amps when it came to turn up the volume for their loudest record to date, 'Be Here Now' (1997) and its accompanying world tour.

The release of the AD series (1999), Crush series (2001) and Rockerverb series (2004) cemented the triumphal return of Orange, now more successful than ever. All these models are still currently in production and very popular amongst pros and beginners alike. The new Orange Crush series is remarkable - affordable, solid-state amps that sound really good, packing a tone you'd expect from more expensive, valve amps.

Orange amps sound equally good in indie rock or heavy rock, but even though acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Wolf Alice and The Cribs use or have used Orange, today it looks like it's the heavy rockers who've truly found a soft spot for the brand, and a list of current Orange Amps users is a who's who of some of the best names in heavy rock today, including: Mastodon, Slipknot, Sepultura, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Eagles Of Death Metal and Blackberry Smoke, besides some rock'n'roll legends still active such as ZZ Top, Rush and Fleetwood Mac.

It's a tough choice selecting the best 5 offerings from Orange, so let's start by NOT choosing everyone's favourite, the Tiny Terror, because that'd be too obvious! Here's our top 5 Orange Amps today, and why we chose them:

This tiny head amp is a new version of the popular Orange Micro Terror Head, and has a 12AX7 valve for the hi-gain preamp, giving it an authentic, delicious valve crunch. At £135*, this 20-watt amp is superb value, and very versatile, making it the perfect amp to use at practice or in the studio, when paired with a PPC108 cab. And sounds awesome when paired with a 412 cab, too! VIEW MORE

Just playing in the bedroom? Then this Orange Crush 12 is the perfect for you! This is not a "modeling" amp, all you get is a 100% pure analogue signal path for that classic Orange tone. However, it also comes with a new "cabinet simulation" technology, which means when you plug the line out from this amp to your headphone or multi-track, it'll sound more natural, as if you were miking a 4x12 cab! Great fun to play. If you're thinking about playing live, a Crush 20 or Crush 35 will be better options, but if you're just using at home, you can't go wrong with the £85* Crush 12! VIEW MORE

We all love valve amps, but sometimes you got to admit - a solid-state model can sound just as amazing. At over £300, and 60-watts loud, the Orange Crush CR60 is a "pro" amp perfect for the gigging musician, and, quite possibly, one of the best solid-state amps right now... if not of all time! This amp doesn't compromise on tone, and reacts to your playing in pretty much the same way a valve amp would. VIEW MORE

Yeah, the original Tiny Terror was great... but what to say of the Orange Dual Terror? Well, what about this - it's twice as good! At 30-watts, this all-valve head is super loud and packs a great punch when plugged to a 412 cab, but itcan also be switched to 17- or 7-watts modes, perfect for smaller gigs or recording.  VIEW MORE

Year after year, the humble and very cute Orange Micro Crush is always very popular with our customers, especially near Christmas. It's easy to see why! This little thing is super cheap (only £40*) but sounds great. Perfect as a first amp for someone who's also getting their first guitar, but even experienced players will have fun using the Micro Crush. The newer models now come with strap buttons for extra portability - perfect, since it can also be used by buskers who want to amplify their instrument. VIEW MORE

If your appetite for Orange amps has not been satiated yet, then why don't you visit one of our PMT Stores? As Authorized Orange Dealers, we got a fantastic stock of Orange gear at our stores - where you can try a few amps for yourself, or chat to our experts in case you have any questions. Visit your local PMT music shop for the best stock and the best deals on Orange guitar and bass amps, fx pedals and accessories.

ORANGE AMPS AT PMT. BUY WITH CONFIDENCE FROM PMT - AN AUTHORIZED UK DEALER OF ORANGE AMPS!

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