OR15 questions

[Nerrad]

Ive been drooling for an Orange for a year or so now, and when I found out about the OR15 I was intrigued instantly. The OR50 is what ive wanted, but Im tired of dealing with not being able to get my amp over 3 and a half or 4 live. Especially with my Laney ProTube 50 Watt head.

A 2x12 Orange cab (even though its the 60 watt Vintage 30's) and the OR15 together seems like a reasonable rig that's portable and able to get a great tone without causing hearing damage on stage lol. Im more of a blues rock guy, chasing the Clapton sound with the BluesBreakers and the OR50 always seemed to intrigue me, as does the OR15. whats your opinions on it? And is this British built? I did some research but couldn't find a solid answer. Im dead set on wanting to get an Orange. This seems like the best deal for what Im looking for, at least in my opinion.

[msmith4432]

I have owned both and I currently own the or50. I have gigged with both and my suggestion is get the or50. Yes in many venues you will not be able to crank it. But it sounds very good and medium volumes. IMO the master volume at 9 o'clock on up sounds very good. The or15 is surprisingly loud and i think you will find you are not going to be able to crank it as much as you think.

What I found was that at band volumes even in a very small setting say 30-50 people the or50 is just much better. At one point i was using both and after using the or15 for several gigs in a row i brought back the or50, after we got done playing my bass player said please use that amp from here on out, it fills its place in the band so much better and the bass response gives so much added depth to our sound. He went on to say when I use the or50 he is able to hear me much better across the stage. I always set the volume about the same but something about the 50 watt just gave a more pleasing and full overall sound. Take it for what its worth, the or50 will also allow you to get clean sounds if you want, the or15 has next to 0 headroom. The or15 is a good little amp and I'm not bashing it but the or50 is not an overly loud 50 watt amp and it has a great master volume so imo go with it

[Spaceboy1]

The 2x12 closed back isn't as portable as you may think. It's heavier and wider than most 2x12s. I cart mine around everywhere because it sounds great, but it's as cumbersome as many companies' 4x12 cabs. If you have to deal with any stairwells, it can be a real pain in the ass to wrangle solo.

I can't speak too much about the OR15. I've played it in a store a couple of times and, to me, it sounded more like a Rockerverb than an OR100. It has way too much gain, especially if you're more into a Bluesbreaker tone, but a pre tube change would fix that. I believe the headshell is plywood, which means it's likely made in China rather than England, but I'm really not certain on that. It has the same board as the Jim Root Terror which is based on the Rockerverb, so that could explain some of the similarities.

I would think that maybe the open back 2x12 would be a better choice for someone into blues. It's not as wide, it's lighter, and will sound more "full" in the room. The closed back is very directional, although if you're mic'd at gigs that's perfectly fine. It has a lot less bass too, which really isn't needed for most amps but may be needed with a 15w head. There's also the 1x12 cab if you really want portability and a closed back sound.

[jasondunringill]

The 2x12 closed back isn't as portable as you may think. It's heavier and wider than most 2x12s. I cart mine around everywhere because it sounds great, but it's as cumbersome as many companies' 4x12 cabs. If you have to deal with any stairwells, it can be a real pain in the ass to wrangle solo.

I can't speak too much about the OR15. I've played it in a store a couple of times and, to me, it sounded more like a Rockerverb than an OR100. It has way too much gain, especially if you're more into a Bluesbreaker tone, but a pre tube change would fix that. I believe the headshell is plywood, which means it's likely made in China rather than England, but I'm really not certain on that. It has the same board as the Jim Root Terror which is based on the Rockerverb, so that could explain some of the similarities.

I would think that maybe the open back 2x12 would be a better choice for someone into blues. It's not as wide, it's lighter, and will sound more "full" in the room. The closed back is very directional, although if you're mic'd at gigs that's perfectly fine. It has a lot more bass too, which really isn't needed for most amps but may help with a 15w head. There's also the 1x12 cab if you really want portability.

The closed back is indeed a beast of a 212 to transport but if you go for the open back ppc212 you'll find it much smaller (the speakers are slightly offset, got the same v30' s that the cb has) and lighter and no bother to move around, as I said in another thread I can manage mine with one hand when required ( opening a door or such like)

[Nerrad]

Well this kinda totally changes the game for me, seeing as I do like the OR50 more. After I posted this I watched every video I could find. Hmm, well im happy with my normal 4x12 with vintage 30's in it. Maybe ill just get the OR50 and skip on the cab for now.

Let me ask a stupid question, is the OR50 more Oranges "plexi" style amp? I got intrigued by Orange because of Rival Sons guitarist Scott Holiday. He switched from Plexi clone amps to Orange when they started touring a lot

[Randy Bass]

...Let me ask a stupid question, is the OR50 more Oranges "plexi" style amp? I got intrigued by Orange because of Rival Sons guitarist Scott Holiday. He switched from Plexi clone amps to Orange when they started touring a lot

Yes it is. If you crank the Master Volume, it can stay fairly clean and behaves a lot like an old Plexi. It has lots of fuzzy gain on tap if you need it though. The Master Volume is really good, so it still sounds good at lower volumes. It is ideal for the Rival Sons sound, except for maybe some of his harsher "Supro-style" lead tones. The intro to "Tell Me Something" would be a perfect example of the OR50's character.

I also found the OR15 to have more gain than anyone could ever want, making it difficult to dial-in the right midgain sounds. The OR15 doesn't quite sound like the OR50 to me, though I did like it for more modern tones. The OR15 is assembled in China, but I don't think there is any noticeable difference in quality. It still looked well-made to me.

[Nerrad]

[/quote]
Yes it is. If you crank the Master Volume, it can stay fairly clean and behaves a lot like an old Plexi. It has lots of fuzzy gain on tap if you need it though. The Master Volume is really good, so it still sounds good at lower volumes. It is ideal for the Rival Sons sound, except for maybe some of his harsher "Supro-style" lead tones. The intro to "Tell Me Something" would be a perfect example of the OR50's character.

I also found the OR15 to have more gain than anyone could ever want, making it difficult to dial-in the right midgain sounds. The OR15 doesn't quite sound like the OR50 to me, though I did like it for more modern tones. The OR15 is assembled in China, but I don't think there is any noticeable difference in quality. It still looked well-made to me.[/quote]
I like the master volume cranking. thats what im looking for. Im not a super fuzz player besides for leads(like Clapton). But I definitely like me some fuzz lol. the intro to "Tell me Something" is definitely something id go for. I think the OR50 is the sound im chasing. Id LOVE to just have a bluesbreaker combo and call it a day but im not spending the money on that.

[msmith4432]

The blues breakers can sound great but IMO the or50 will give you a little more versatility than the BB

[Nerrad]

I think I decided, though id like to play the exact rig im going to buy. But thats probably not going to happen. Gonna go with the OR50, now I just have to decide if I want an open back or a closed back cab

[Jondog]

The blues breakers can sound great but IMO the or50 will give you a little more versatility than the BB

Played a BB not too long ago. Nice amp, but WOW it needs to be loud to sound good. Not very versatile IMO.

[Nerrad]

The blues breakers can sound great but IMO the or50 will give you a little more versatility than the BB

Played a BB not too long ago. Nice amp, but WOW it needs to be loud to sound good. Not very versatile IMO.

thats really one of the reasons I never even thought about buying one. And thats part of the reason I have never bought a Plexi. I dont want to spend an extra 300 or more on a good attenuator in order to achieve the sound I want. This OR50 sounds incredible on all levels. I really try to get close to the Jimmy Page sound for myself, or at least inspired by. I play the middle position a lot on my LP.

Once my cabs sell, I think im going to get the open back cab. Is there a huge difference between open and closed back? I know someone up top mentioned it. I personally have only played open back combos. My cabs have always been open back, but If I am remembering correctly, didnt The Allman Brothers use open back cabs? I like that the 2x12 open back is less money too.

[Les Paul Lover]

Open back will fill in a room more, but be less punchy with less low end.

I have the PPC212 and love it, both good options. The OB212 is smaller and weighs less too - a much easier lift on your own.

[Randy Bass]

I think you'd want the PPC212-OB for the types of music you'll be playing. I have the matching PPC412-LTD cab with my 40th Anniversary OR50, but I'd go with the OB 2x12 if I was buying a regular OR50 today. I had a PPC212-CB and it was ridiculously large and awkward to handle. It sounded great if you were right in front of it though.