Noob question....

[bcole]

Hey guys,
I joined this forum because I want an Orange amp. For the past 13 years I have played through the JCM800 2203. Tried and true this beast has gotten me through everything from living room shows to main support for 10 Years. Well... I don't do mush of either anymore and when I do I am mic'd. I want to sell my 2203 because I want more versatility and less volume. I am considering the TH30. I was wondering if I could get as many opinions as to how the TH 30 compares to the 800(not competitively, but gain and tone wise, etc.). I know it is nowhere near as loud... but I like that the clean channel will dirty up when cranked and that it has higher gain than say, the AD 30 which is more vintage voiced. Am I correct in my assumptions? I don't have the option of playing these amps, but have played other Oranges and I am hooked. Your help is much appreciated.

[the_blue_bomber]

Noob question....

+1

[jason41224]

actually, you'd be surprised how little of a volume difference there is between a 30W amp and a 100W amp. only a few db, instead of being over twice as loud. the main difference is in headroom and bass response.

i wouldn't consider the TH30 to be a very close sounding amp to a 2203. not at all; it's definitely aimed at at a different set of players who want quite a bit of gain, though it can still do blues, rock, and other styles. if that's the sort of thing you want, then i'd go for it, or alternatively look at something like a Rockerverb (which is also extremely versatile).

if you ARE looking for an amp really closely related to your 2203, i would start with a Rocker 30 (no bias here, honest to god! ). both the JCM and R30 are super dynamic and highly responsive to picking dynamics, where some other Oranges (TH30, Rockerverb, AD30 to a degree) have a slightly more compressed feel. and i'd say the R30 has a little more gain than a stock 2203 (though not as much as a TH or RV), which could help if you're looking for that.

best of luck!

[Nork]

yea. i wouldn't go from a jcm800 to the th30. R30 would get you in the same ballpark. those little things are great. maybe find an ad30 as well? but it isn't going to be that much quieter.

[Le Chat Noir]

both the JCM and R30 are super dynamic and highly responsive to picking dynamics, where some other Oranges (TH30, Rockerverb, AD30 to a degree) have a slightly more compressed feel.

I have to chime in here and say the AD30 is one of the most sensitive and dynamic amps I've ever tried! I personally felt the R30 was stiffer and less responsive than the AD30 when I owned both. The AD30 has a more open sound, the Rocker is tighter and more defined - at least that's how I remember it.

Having said that, the R30 is definitely closer to that JCM800 kind of sound overall, though to be honest they're still very different sounding amps.

I guess the distillation of Orange vs Marshall can be summed up as low mid content vs high mid content, fuzz vs fizz, dark vs bright.

[Mrjones2004x]

Ok, having not owned an 800 or ever played one this is purely from what I've been told and read myself.

Not orange but the jet city jca20 is very similar in sounds gain and tone wise. I own the 20 watt combo and it's awesome. Like I say I can't say from personal experience but lots of people says its a Miny 800.

Sorry not orange but thought I'd offer opinion outside the box

[jason41224]

both the JCM and R30 are super dynamic and highly responsive to picking dynamics, where some other Oranges (TH30, Rockerverb, AD30 to a degree) have a slightly more compressed feel.

I have to chime in here and say the AD30 is one of the most sensitive and dynamic amps I've ever tried! I personally felt the R30 was stiffer and less responsive than the AD30 when I owned both. The AD30 has a more open sound, the Rocker is tighter and more defined - at least that's how I remember it.

Having said that, the R30 is definitely closer to that JCM800 kind of sound overall, though to be honest they're still very different sounding amps.

I guess the distillation of Orange vs Marshall can be summed up as low mid content vs high mid content, fuzz vs fizz, dark vs bright.

the AD does react well to picking dynamics, but moreso in terms of gain, not in volume. which is why i think it's more compressed. the Rocker 30 can go from whisper quiet to really loud and dirty by varying your strumming. otherwise, no disagreement here. i guess what i was trying to get at was that the R30 could be described as an "Orange flavored" (lower mids, fuzzy, darker) JCM800.

[bcole]

I think I meant to post the TH30 vs. Dual Terror on here... sorry about that. Now I am wondering about the differences between the TH30, Dual Terror, and the Rocker 30. I watched some videos and the Rocker 30 has a different thing going on than the others. I can't tell why though. Played a TH30 combo today and loved it. I was shocked that I liked the Shape function. Very simple, but does a great job of getting rid of the super bright high end(via Marshall) that I have come to detest. I put the gain at 12 o'clock, shape 1130, volume at 1 o'clock and was elated. I am going to take my cab and guitars and play the combo through the speakers I am most familiar with. Thank you guys for all of your help. Kind of nervous and excited to just change up my tone.

[iblastoff]

I think I meant to post the TH30 vs. Dual Terror on here... sorry about that. Now I am wondering about the differences between the TH30, Dual Terror, and the Rocker 30. I watched some videos and the Rocker 30 has a different thing going on than the others. I can't tell why though. Played a TH30 combo today and loved it. I was shocked that I liked the Shape function. Very simple, but does a great job of getting rid of the super bright high end(via Marshall) that I have come to detest. I put the gain at 12 o'clock, shape 1130, volume at 1 o'clock and was elated. I am going to take my cab and guitars and play the combo through the speakers I am most familiar with. Thank you guys for all of your help. Kind of nervous and excited to just change up my tone.

i guess it depends on your needs but i love my dual terror. sounds great on its own and definitely loud enough for band practices, etc. if you really need an effects loop and a cleaner clean tone though, the th30 is the way to go. for me i always like grit in my cleans, so the 2 channels on the dual terror suit me just fine.

i also have a rocker 30 but i never even use the clean channel on that, leading me to believe i doubt i would never really utilize the clean on the th30 either.

[bcole]

Does the Rocker have different tubes than the Dual Terror?

[bcole]

Also... do the 30 watt heads project well through 4x12's?

[jason41224]

yes, the Rocker has 2xEL34s, and both the Dual Terror and TH30 have 4xEL84. The TH will have the most gain, then the Rocker, then the DT. but all of them have plenty on tap.

the Rocker sounds great through a 412, and though i can't speculate for the other two, i'd imagine the same. if you're looking for speaker breakup though, you might be disappointed.

[Randy Bass]

For the sake of comparison, think of the Rocker 30 as a 50-watter. It has two EL34s and acts like it. A 4x12 cab can work very well with a 30-watt head if you choose the right speakers. G12H and G12M variants are good choices with Oranges.

[DiabloS]

i guess it depends on your needs but i love my dual terror. sounds great on its own and definitely loud enough for band practices, etc. if you really need an effects loop and a cleaner clean tone though, the th30 is the way to go. for me i always like grit in my cleans, so the 2 channels on the dual terror suit me just fine.

+1

I just got back from a long jam with my dual terror and even after a year of regular use I get excited to play it every time cause it just sounds so damn good. We even busted into master of puppets kinda jokingly while jamming tonight, I didn't use any pedals and had a guitar with P90's and there was enough gain to pull it off, I was actually surprised at how well it sounded even for that song, and I only had the gain at 2 o'clock. I'm not a fan of super high gain fizzy amps though, so it depends what you like. Those amps you mentioned will all sound good through a 4X12 too. I don't think you can go wrong with either amp (TH30, Rocker 30, DT) unless you need an FX loop, then the TH30 is your only option.

If you can't play each one for yourself, I'd listen to good youtube clips of each amp with headphones on and pick out the characteristics of each amp's tone to see which you like best.

[a.hun]

both the JCM and R30 are super dynamic and highly responsive to picking dynamics, where some other Oranges (TH30, Rockerverb, AD30 to a degree) have a slightly more compressed feel.

I have to chime in here and say the AD30 is one of the most sensitive and dynamic amps I've ever tried! I personally felt the R30 was stiffer and less responsive than the AD30 when I owned both. The AD30 has a more open sound, the Rocker is tighter and more defined - at least that's how I remember it.

the AD does react well to picking dynamics, but moreso in terms of gain, not in volume. which is why i think it's more compressed. the Rocker 30 can go from whisper quiet to really loud and dirty by varying your strumming. otherwise, no disagreement here.

Both 100% right IMO. In their different ways the AD30 and R.30 both have great dynamics. They are just near different ends of the spectrum, so you aren't talking good and bad, just compressed and bold.
The AD30 is an extremely squashy compressed type of amp, so its response to different picking is very controllable in terms of subtle flavours of clean to overdrive making it really great for expressive electric blues etc.
The R.30 is way less compressed and when set around the clean / crunch threshold will go from cleaner / quieter to rather dirtier / louder than the AD.

These two different styles of amps tend to appeal to different players, some preferring one, some the other. (OT: Probably find the same people could often also be divided by a preference for lower or higher string heights on their guitars. Lower actions can lend themselves to more moody expressive playing, higher ones to more raunchy styles. Just a theory though!)
Myself I find it all good, but I've got my hard to beat old Vox AC30 for the more squashed dynamic, both my Oranges being 'boldies'. (And I use some of my guitars with much lower actions than others, my Strat being the one which - for me anyway - works best set highest.)

I guess the distillation of Orange vs Marshall can be summed up as low mid content vs high mid content, fuzz vs fizz, dark vs bright.

Yep, exactly how I hear it too.

I think I meant to post the TH30 vs. Dual Terror on here... sorry about that. Now I am wondering about the differences between the TH30, Dual Terror, and the Rocker 30. I watched some videos and the Rocker 30 has a different thing going on than the others. I can't tell why though. Played a TH30 combo today and loved it. I was shocked that I liked the Shape function. Very simple, but does a great job of getting rid of the super bright high end(via Marshall) that I have come to detest. I put the gain at 12 o'clock, shape 1130, volume at 1 o'clock and was elated. I am going to take my cab and guitars and play the combo through the speakers I am most familiar with. Thank you guys for all of your help. Kind of nervous and excited to just change up my tone.

No worries bcole. Haven't played the TH30 or the DT myself, (only a TT), but I'd say apart from the different controls we are probably still talking similar (but a bit smaller) dynamic differences.

The TH30 and DT will almost certainly be somewhere in the middle between spongy (AD) and tight feeling, with the R.30 being rather tighter / less compressed than any of them. Partly down to the R.30 having a stiffer EL34 power stage than the various EL84 amps, but also to the different preamp designs.

If you really liked the simple but really effective TH30 shape control than you might already have found your amp. But if you get a chance to try a R.30 you may well find a lot to like in its dynamics, especially if that was a big part of what you liked about the JCM800. It'd give you more of the '800 'feel' but with the Orange sound. It was another simple but great sounding amp. Great pity it is now discontinued, but they do come up second hand.


Andy.