Review: Orange AD30HTC

[gabrielstigmatic]

When I first came onto this board. I asked if this amp would fit my needs. From psychedelic rock to mathcore. I had so many people say that this amp is "only good for 60's-70's rock". When I tried it and cranked up the gain, it didn't sound "fizzy" like some were saying.

I was most definitely able to drive it hard enough to play really heavy pile of poop. Sure, this is no "gain monster" but if I have my guitar volume up to 10 and the gain on the amp all the way up it's all of the gain I ever need. If anything it not being a "gain monster" makes my sound a lot tighter and more manageable. I've found playing metal, or any heavy music for that matter, has a lot more to do with how you play your instrument and how you tweak the settings on your amp than the amp itself.

There is no "best guitar" to play metal on either. I've owned a Tele and gotten some gnarly metal tones out of it, you can play metal with any amp. Also, anyone who says Mesas are the "best" for metal is a dumbass and I'm not sorry for saying so, they are. Maybe it's the best in their opinion, but give me any amp, I'll tweak it and make it sound good for my needs. Sure, every amp has a different flavor, but when it comes down to it, tone comes from the player's hands.

If you're wanting to get an AD30 and wonder, "can this handle heavy music". The answer is yes. Any kind of heavy music: metal, stoner metal, black metal, death metal, grindcore, mathcore and all of those other cores. It may not have enough gain to make your sound muddy to the point that no one can hear what you're playing. So I guess if you suck and want to cover up the the myriad of dollywaggle ups that you make on a bar to bar basis, then don't get this amp.

Don't let people tell you that you can't play a certain genre with the instrument you have or the amp you have. They don't know what they're talking about, they're just obsessed with being right and wanting to be an authority. I don't give two damns whether anyone thinks I'm right or not. I will use the gear I want to use and play what I want to play and make it sound good.

[wrath]

I couldn't agree more. I always said orange amps are good for every kind of music. You can get great metal sounds out of them it's just that everyone's used to your typical mesa or marshall sound when playing those kinds of music. I've heard people getting awesome and very heavy tones from orange amps. The only problem is if you downtune lower than D...in that case i'm not sure lower wattage amps can't deliver powerfull enough bass. I've found my RV50 lacking in that department...although this could also be because of 6v6 tubes in the power amp. oh, and yeah...you can't mask your bad playing with orange amps...that's so true....

[tsikaboom]

Although I generally agree too, we have to admin there are amps that can't do heavy tunes (metal or whatever) on their own.
Sure, if you stick the right pedal in front of a Deluxe Reverb you can play black metal, but I guess we're talking for the amps themselves here.

[a.hun]

Though I might have been one of the 'probably not the best amp for the job' brigade, I'd generally agree with you too gabrielstigmatic. A good player can usually get what they need out of any decent gear.

For starters gain certainly isn't everything. I've said before that a lot of the biggest and best rock sounds used surprisingly little gain, and I totally stand by that. My R.30 for example has way more gain available than I'd almost ever need. I think of it as having pretty high levels of gain available, but a lot of people seem to think that it is only a 'medium gain' amp. Whatever, there aren't that many amps where the sounds stay usefully tight and manageable when you get to those levels. At least the gain it has stays that way.

In terms of musical genres I don't like pigeonholeing stuff too much. I know these labels are handy but I've found good and bad - my only real categories of music - in most every style of music. And I certainly don't think that only Mesa amps and pointy guitars can do Metal. (Or that Mesa amps can't for example do jazz either. My small Mesa combo would be near perfect for small jazz gigs too!)

I guess I have found though that some guitars and some amps lend themselves more easily to certain jobs than others. But hell, if you can't do it well with a Tele and an Orange it probably isn't worth doing anyway...

So rock right on. If it works for you it works for you, thats all that counts. Do whatever you want to do with whatever you want to use, and most importanly DO it YOUR OWN WAY!!!


Andy.

[Randy Bass]

Everyone knows that playing metal through an AD30 will void your warranty .

I think the point being missed is that it is easier to dial-in the particular sound that you are after with certain amps. Anyone can sound sufficiently metallic whilst playing a traditional "metal amp" like a Mesa, but novices would have a much harder time getting the tight, scooped sound they want from an AD30. The AD30 may sound better, but that doesn't mean that they'll like it. I was recently in a band with a couple of novices who didn't like the sound of my Oranges. They preferred using their Metal Zone pedals through solid-state amps. Needless to say, not everyone is ready for an Orange.

[danbond]

tone comes from the player's hands.

For me, tone comes from expensive gear, played by my imprecise, clammy hands.

[Bink]

... but give me any amp, I'll tweak it and make it sound good for my needs. Sure, every amp has a different flavor, but when it comes down to it, tone comes from the player's hands.

I read a Clapton quote at some point (can't remember but think it was in one of his album notes) where he said you could give him any guitar and any amp and he'd still sound like him. I guess some of it is in the settings we naturally go to and the rest is just in the hands.

[bodhi2600]

tone comes from the player's hands.

For me, tone comes from expensive gear, played by my imprecise, clammy hands.

amen. try to get cream at the fillmore tone with a kent guitar and stewart amp.
although recently i watched chappers play a yamaha sg2000 and he produced absolutely screamin tone.
he handed off the guitar to a young dude who could not seem to create the same high quality sound as the Monkey lord. it's worthwhile to note that i have heard this young guitar slinger draw great tone from other gear... hmmm
i suppose the hands might play an equal part to the guitar and amp.

[Le Chat Noir]

The tired old cliche of 'tone is all in your fingers' is irrelevant when it comes to talking about the relative differences between amps. Of course good technique is very important, but you still need the right tools for the job to get the most out of your playing. If gear didn't matter, the only advice we'd ever need to give is 'save your money and buy the cheapest practice amp, because tone is all in your fingers'

Example... could a technical metal guitarist who has spent years perfecting his shredding still shred through a Roland JC120 with no pedals? Of course he could, but it'd likely sound horrible and he'd be much better suited with an amp that compliments his style.

To say 'the AD30 is perfect for all styles' would be totally misleading. Sure, you could use the AD30 for any type of music, but mid gain rock is where it excels. You could use an AD30 for death metal, but it just isn't going to sound as good as something tighter with more bass.

When people on here advise that the AD30 is most suited to mid-gain, old school rock type tones, that is very good advice for someone who hasn't played the amp. It'd be wrong to say 60s-70s rock is all it's good for, but I don't recall anyone here ever saying that! I'd say overall the opinions voiced on this forum tend to be fairly balanced and rational compared to most gear forums, which should always be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't know where you heard people call the AD30 fizzy, I'd say it was more fuzzy to be honest - in a good way

In the end, I'm happy you find the AD30 works for you, but I think anyone reading this who is looking to buy an AD30 for high gain applications would be advised to actually try the amp before shelling out on one, or risk the possibility of severe frustration and disappointment!

[tsikaboom]

The tired old cliche of 'tone is all in your fingers' is irrelevant when it comes to talking about the relative differences between amps. Of course good technique is very important, but you still need the right tools for the job to get the most out of your playing. If gear didn't matter, the only advice we'd ever need to give is 'save your money and buy the cheapest practice amp, because tone is all in your fingers'

Example... could a technical metal guitarist who has spent years perfecting his shredding still shred through a Roland JC120 with no pedals? Of course he could, but it'd likely sound horrible and he'd be much better suited with an amp that compliments his style.

To say 'the AD30 is perfect for all styles' would be totally misleading. Sure, you could use the AD30 for any type of music, but mid gain rock is where it excels. You could use an AD30 for death metal, but it just isn't going to sound as good as something tighter with more bass.

When people on here advise that the AD30 is most suited to mid-gain, old school rock type tones, that is very good advice for someone who hasn't played the amp. It'd be wrong to say 60s-70s rock is all it's good for, but I don't recall anyone here ever saying that! I'd say overall the opinions voiced on this forum tend to be fairly balanced and rational compared to most gear forums, which should always be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't know where you heard people call the AD30 fizzy, I'd say it was more fuzzy to be honest - in a good way

In the end, I'm happy you find the AD30 works for you, but I think anyone reading this who is looking to buy an AD30 for high gain applications would be advised to actually try the amp before shelling out on one, or risk the possibility of severe frustration and disappointment!

+1

[Rodolfo]

The tired old cliche of 'tone is all in your fingers' is irrelevant when it comes to talking about the relative differences between amps. Of course good technique is very important, but you still need the right tools for the job to get the most out of your playing. If gear didn't matter, the only advice we'd ever need to give is 'save your money and buy the cheapest practice amp, because tone is all in your fingers'

Example... could a technical metal guitarist who has spent years perfecting his shredding still shred through a Roland JC120 with no pedals? Of course he could, but it'd likely sound horrible and he'd be much better suited with an amp that compliments his style.

To say 'the AD30 is perfect for all styles' would be totally misleading. Sure, you could use the AD30 for any type of music, but mid gain rock is where it excels. You could use an AD30 for death metal, but it just isn't going to sound as good as something tighter with more bass.

When people on here advise that the AD30 is most suited to mid-gain, old school rock type tones, that is very good advice for someone who hasn't played the amp. It'd be wrong to say 60s-70s rock is all it's good for, but I don't recall anyone here ever saying that! I'd say overall the opinions voiced on this forum tend to be fairly balanced and rational compared to most gear forums, which should always be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't know where you heard people call the AD30 fizzy, I'd say it was more fuzzy to be honest - in a good way

In the end, I'm happy you find the AD30 works for you, but I think anyone reading this who is looking to buy an AD30 for high gain applications would be advised to actually try the amp before shelling out on one, or risk the possibility of severe frustration and disappointment!

+1 couldn't agree more

[jason41224]

i just gotta say, sorta off topic, i'm impressed. mathcore is awesome. i love it, haha. good to see oranges even penetrating that genre

[ironlung40]

The tired old cliche of 'tone is all in your fingers' is irrelevant when it comes to talking about the relative differences between amps. Of course good technique is very important, but you still need the right tools for the job to get the most out of your playing. If gear didn't matter, the only advice we'd ever need to give is 'save your money and buy the cheapest practice amp, because tone is all in your fingers'

Example... could a technical metal guitarist who has spent years perfecting his shredding still shred through a Roland JC120 with no pedals? Of course he could, but it'd likely sound horrible and he'd be much better suited with an amp that compliments his style.

To say 'the AD30 is perfect for all styles' would be totally misleading. Sure, you could use the AD30 for any type of music, but mid gain rock is where it excels. You could use an AD30 for death metal, but it just isn't going to sound as good as something tighter with more bass.

When people on here advise that the AD30 is most suited to mid-gain, old school rock type tones, that is very good advice for someone who hasn't played the amp. It'd be wrong to say 60s-70s rock is all it's good for, but I don't recall anyone here ever saying that! I'd say overall the opinions voiced on this forum tend to be fairly balanced and rational compared to most gear forums, which should always be taken with a pinch of salt. I don't know where you heard people call the AD30 fizzy, I'd say it was more fuzzy to be honest - in a good way

In the end, I'm happy you find the AD30 works for you, but I think anyone reading this who is looking to buy an AD30 for high gain applications would be advised to actually try the amp before shelling out on one, or risk the possibility of severe frustration and disappointment!

+2......with no offense given to the OP because I understand his point, I just feel like it is too much of a blanket statement. I mean if I was a kid wanting to sound like Metallica, I wouldn't want a salesman selling me and AD30 because I'd be disappointed...even though it may be able to get good heavy tone for another interpretation/voicing of the heavy metal genre.

[gabrielstigmatic]

I will agree that if you want super high gain, this will not suite your needs. Personally, I don't find super high gain to be necessary even in the heaviest of music, that's just my opinion. I still listen to music with super high gain and think it's great. However, when I play music, I don't find it necessary. It kind of muds things up if you're planning on playing particularly fast imo.

I understand bands wanting more bass and what not. If you want lots of bass in your guitar, then get a different amp. I actually like my bassist to be heard, not covered up by the mess of frequency masking. As many have said on here, try the amp before you buy. A tip I have for anyone planning to try it out, take an mp3 player or a cd player with headphones.

Listen to music with guitar stuff that you like and then try it out. Hell, even bring your demo tracks and/or cd then play the same stuff on the amp. Keep in mind that the two channels do sound different. I've found that the lead channel is more what I prefer, especially for metal stuff. I'm thinking about modding the amp so that channel one is the same is channel two.

Anyway, really make sure it's what you want, it's quite a chunk out of the wallet.

[Le Chat Noir]

Well, there you go - it suits your personal preferences for not needing lots of gain and not needing lots of bass. However, a lot of people who play heavy music do quite specifically want those things!

I think it's also not just about the amount of gain, but the type - the AD30's gain is very gritty, fuzzy and old school, I love it too but it definitely won't be to everyone's tastes, especially someone who wants that modern saturated, smooth kind of drive tone.

For what it's worth, I'd prefer channel 2 to be more like channel 1 - just shows you that different folk like different things!