My brand new orange th30 is got to mutch treble or so?

[Les Paul Lover]

Is that metallic click only happening in the few minutes after switching your amp on???

If that's the case, it's probably the sound of the valves warming up. They are subjected to quite high temperatures and I think their glass shell makes that noise as it dilates.


As to excess treble - it's a difficult one.

If the youtube video's you've seen have had their mic off centre when recording, they won't pick up up so much treble, and may then be missleading. This tone can be had, positioning your mic at different places around the speaker is a well used trick in recording.
Try standing a few meters away to the side of you amp and then straight in front of your cab, you'll know what I mean.



Oranges are much brighter amp than people give them credit for.
Opening up the volume also helps balance the sound frequencies.
The clean channel on TH30, as for the RV amps, is quite a bright channel.

Lovely tones though (IMO).

[Deadlock]

Thanks for the swift reply!

Regarding the click sound, I think it happens during the whole time the amp is on, but it can takes many minutes between every time. If I play for an hour or so, I hear it maybe 2-3 times. I notice it, but I don't count it, so I may be off on this.

It sure is a tricky one, but I've come to think there really is something wrong, as the sound when using the preamp easily gets fizzy/fuzzy/muddy, with the high frequencies pronounced the most. It really dominates the sound and annoys the hell out of me

I don't know what to think, because the amp works fine enough (except that one time I had a very short drop of volume), but the sound is not impressive. I only play through the loop return input (with GT-10 acting as preamp) on the back because of this sound. The difference is worlds apart!

The clean channel is trebly, but I don't mind that for cleans. If I hook up an overdrive/distortion, it quickly gets 'that' sound on clean channel, and the dirty channel manages to do it all by itself without any aid

[Surgeon]

Weird indeed because I've had mine for more than a week and used it a lot already. However, being too trebly's far from being a problem.

It's definitely darker than most amps I've had before. With humbuckers (seymour duncan Custom in the bridge and Seth Love in the neck), I have to have my treble almost maxed in order to have a nice jangly clean tone.

I completely retubed it 2 days ago and it hasn't improved that aspect of it by that much (it did change the tonal characteristics for the better however).

I'd be one to suspect your preamp tubes as well... maybe buy one and swap it around if you don't feel like buying all of them right now...

Good luck


Oh: this is my first post around here... hi guys!

[Les Paul Lover]

Indeed deadlock & surgeon, welcome to the forum!!!!


Deadlock, it might be that one of your preamp tube's had it. Might have gone microphonic, which would explain the random click noise.

I'm not a specialist as I've not changed a valve on both my amps yet, though I suspect my rockerverb will soon need a retube...... It works fine for now, but I've had it over 2 years now, so it's bound to happen. 4 6V6, 5 12ax7, 1 12at7 I think.... gonna be costly......

[Deadlock]

I just played a little with and without the GT-10, and I find that the clean sound on Clean channel is good enough, but it doesn't take distortions well on that channel.

The biggest problem is definitely the dirty channel. With the gain at 10-12 o'clock or higher (increasingly worse the higher gain goes), the more harsh and unpleasant the sound gets.

The four visible tubes on the back glow differently for some reason. When seen from behind the amp, the two on the left are the most glowing, while the two on the right are maybe half or a third the glowyness of the other two. I tested this with the 4 output tube mode on the back and Full mode on the front.

What should I be seeing?

[Surgeon]

Don't give up on it... I may be still in the honeymoon phase but darnit this is an amazing amp...

[Wolfe]

Don't give up on it... I may be still in the honeymoon phase but darnit this is an amazing amp...

agreed but, don't try do modern metal on it it just doesn't work out well, it doesn't sound natural.... it's almost like your getting a bear and putting a muzzle on it and then shaving it's fur, cutting it's claws, removing it's teeth and then expecting to go hunt for food and survive by itself. whereas if you get an amp designed for the job it will sound natural and everything. It wasn't the amps fault for not doing modern metal, it was my fault for choosing the wrong amp for the job

[jason41224]

Hello guys, first post here Sorry for reviving the thread, but this is my problem basically.

I have sort of the same problem as the thread starter, and I think it makes the dirty channel and even the clean when using any form of distortion pedal way too trebly. It isn't as 'dark' in the sound compared to any clip I've heard.I think it's the preamp somehow, as I can run the 4CM with my Boss GT-10 through the back of the amp (bypassing the preamp) and it sounds good. Any time I use the preamp, it's all trebly!

One thing I've also noticed is a metallic 'click' sound coming every once in a while from the amp.

Any tips?

Thanks :p

if there's a metallic click sound coming from your amp, you might want to try swapping some valves. not sure what exactly what that would be, or if it's even a bad thing, but it is strange...and you are correct, the TH30 (like most oranges) are somewhat dark sounding amps. if you find this isn't so, try swapping some valves and see if that improves anything. otherwise, you might want to get a hold of Orange and see if they can do anything about it.

question though, are you using the drive/amp model section of the GT10? that could possibly explain why it's too trebly. Orange's are sorta picky when it comes to selecting drive pedals.

[Deadlock]

if there's a metallic click sound coming from your amp, you might want to try swapping some valves. not sure what exactly what that would be, or if it's even a bad thing, but it is strange...and you are correct, the TH30 (like most oranges) are somewhat dark sounding amps. if you find this isn't so, try swapping some valves and see if that improves anything. otherwise, you might want to get a hold of Orange and see if they can do anything about it.

question though, are you using the drive/amp model section of the GT10? that could possibly explain why it's too trebly. Orange's are sorta picky when it comes to selecting drive pedals.

Can I do this without the fear of breaking something? My brother is here for the weekend, and while he knows quite a bit about electronics, he knows less about the tech inside amps than I do. I don't know a whole lot in the first place, so that can easily end in disaster

Hmm well, when going through the front of the amp, I try using only the guitar with no effects or pedals. Even then the drive channel will sound harsher the higher the gain is set, with alot of high frequencies. It doesn't sound 'broken' though, but obviously the sound isn't nowhere near as great as I could expect from an amp in this price range, hehe.

I use the GT-10's preamp section through the effect loop return on the TH30 for distortion sounds, or any sound really. This sounds good, or as good as it gets with the GT-10, so I suspect the preamp is funky somehow.

[jason41224]

i would try taking your GT10 completely out of the circuit. try guitar and amp by itself. the "proper" way to use distortion in front of an amp is to go in front, not in the loop. it could be that your unit just happens to sound very trebly (which isn't uncommon of modeling units). if you ask me, using amp models kinda defeats the point of owning a $1000 tube amp...

i don't think you should have any fears. just as long as you order a matched quartet of power valves (el84s), you should be fine. if you are new to tubes, i reccomend trying a dealer like Eurotubes.com. they carry JJs, which generally sound good in oranges, and they have plenty of info that can be really helpful.

changing tubes in cathode biased amps (like the TH30) is really simple; no need for a tech. first, take the chassis out of the headsleeve by unscrewing the rubber feet on the bottom of the amp (if you have the head version, that is). be very careful NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING on the underside of the amp, where all the circuitry is. it has plenty of voltage that could easily kill you. to change a tube, wiggle it out in a circular motion while also pulling up, but gently. when you put the new tube in, put some contact cleaner on the pins and wiggle it in and out of the socket (in much of the same manner as you took it out) a few times to clean the socket. then make sure the tube is properly seated, and voila!

[Deadlock]

i would try taking your GT10 completely out of the circuit. try guitar and amp by itself. the "proper" way to use distortion in front of an amp is to go in front, not in the loop. it could be that your unit just happens to sound very trebly (which isn't uncommon of modeling units). if you ask me, using amp models kinda defeats the point of owning a $1000 tube amp...

As I said, I can only make it sound good with the GT-10 in that configuration

And as said, most of the things tried was done without the use of the GT-10. I also have an actual distortion pedal to go into the front, but it doesn't sound very good through the front and on the clean channel.

But yeah I follow your point on owning a tube amp like this. That is why it kills me that it doesn't sound very good, and also the fact that the BEST sound I can get out of it is with a digital device like the GT-10.

Me and my brother took the thing 'apart' and studied it. I played it and used the controls while he tapped all the tubes with a wooden thingy. Nothing semt out of the ordinary. One thing that made us both stop up was the fact that somewhere on the bottom side of the PCB had traces of something that would look like dried up fluid. I can post a picture if needed.

About changing the tubes, I'll probably get the local guitar tech guy to take a look at it. Would hate if I couldn't contribute anything to what's wrong other than 'I don't like the sound!'

Edit: You say it's easy. Don't I have to deal with bias or something when changing to new tubes? Sorry for the nooby question

[Surgeon]

The point remains (IMHO) that the amp should sound really good without anything else in your chain (other than the guitar). So, changing the tubes would at least allow you to know whether or not the problem lies in the tubes (what I'm suspecting).

As far as bias is concerned: no need with this type of amp, just put a matched quartet of el84s in there and play.

Pre-amp tubes (12ax7) never need biasing.

Let us know how it turns out!

[Deadlock]

I will do something about it when I hear from the people I wrote during the weekend. I wrote alot of emails to various people about this, I hope I can get to the bottom of this I have some different choices I can make about it, and that choice will be done once I get some replies.

Meanwhile, I have uploaded the picture of this 'dried fluid'/whatever phenomena I saw on the PCB. Anyone know what it may be?



Looks very mysterious! Note the 'grime' on the circuit board, and the discolored C11 component down in the lower right corner.

[Ddjembe Mutombo]

PRS Tremonti.

When you play that guitar with arms wide open... will it take you higher?

[OrangePaul]

I will do something about it when I hear from the people I wrote during the weekend. I wrote alot of emails to various people about this, I hope I can get to the bottom of this I have some different choices I can make about it, and that choice will be done once I get some replies.

Meanwhile, I have uploaded the picture of this 'dried fluid'/whatever phenomena I saw on the PCB. Anyone know what it may be?



Looks very mysterious! Note the 'grime' on the circuit board, and the discolored C11 component down in the lower right corner.

Thats likely to be flux residue from the manufacturing process and might not necessarily be anything to be overly concerned about...
I agree with those who say preamp valves, especially as you say it sounds fine from the loop return.
Its a good idea to carry a spare set anyway. I've had a few fail on me recently.