About to buy an 1972 Orange OR120 Pics only

[Gladmarr]

If those were new speakers in those cabinets, I'd say you're okay running a 120W amp into a 120W cabinet. I do run a OR120 into a single 4x12 with Hellatone 30s in it. I've never had any problems in the four years I've been running it for practices and gigs. However, since those are probably vintage speakers in your cabinets, you may want to play it safe and stick with both. It seems much more of a shame to mess up vintage speakers.

Beautiful stack, by the way.

[a.hun]

If those were new speakers in those cabinets, I'd say you're okay running a 120W amp into a 120W cabinet. I do run a OR120 into a single 4x12 with Hellatone 30s in it. I've never had any problems in the four years I've been running it for practices and gigs. However, since those are probably vintage speakers in your cabinets, you may want to play it safe and stick with both. It seems much more of a shame to mess up vintage speakers.

Beautiful stack, by the way.

Bit +1 to all that. If those are original vintage G12H30s you are a lucky guy. Don't blow them!!!

Yeah, Celestions (and the Hellatones of course) rated for 120W will take normal (ab)use from an OR120 no problem. Though setting everything on full (including the FAC) might not be smart. (Also doesn't get the best results!)

Doesn't apply to most other speaker makes though. Celestion are very conservative with their specs, others tend not to be...

Great grab. Hope you'll be happy with the stack and that it is loud enough for you!


Andy.

[Kralmestrand]

If those were new speakers in those cabinets, I'd say you're okay running a 120W amp into a 120W cabinet. I do run a OR120 into a single 4x12 with Hellatone 30s in it. I've never had any problems in the four years I've been running it for practices and gigs. However, since those are probably vintage speakers in your cabinets, you may want to play it safe and stick with both. It seems much more of a shame to mess up vintage speakers.

Beautiful stack, by the way.

I just checked, and they got Celestion G12H 30W (75Hz peak resonance) in them, which as far as I can tell from googling is the original speakers.
That's cool, I didn't really put much thought into that when buying them, but will definitely treat them nice and with caution from now on.

Like I said before, I will get a 16 Ohm Hotplate and run it at -4dB which as far as my math can tell would put the output at 50W something, which should be safe for a single cabinet.

a.hun:
Thanks! Really getting a better and better feeling about this purchase. The whole chebang cost me just over what two brand new PPC412, or a brand new Rockerverb 100 costs here (in Norway, and just as a reference), so I thought it was a great deal.

Will treat them with respect, after all, they are about 20 years older than me! And it's definitely loud enough, I haven't been able to turn it up yet, but the amount of volume I have heard from it kinda scared me..

[Gladmarr]

The way I see it, it's your amp now, if you want to abuse those speakers, it's your prerogative. Yeah, they're vintage and all the stuff, but it all might sound amazing cranked wide open. Point is, don't baby the speakers just because someone else says so - do what you want with your amp.

My only hope when I buy new toys is that they'll make me play 1) more often, and 2) better. So, go rock that stack!!

[jojo68]

Killer score !! Crank that baby up, that's where she sounds the best !!!!

[burnscs]

Drool. Where was this scored from? This setup is way to impractical, you should barter it for a nice 1975 OR80r 212 combo with reverb.

[Kralmestrand]

Drool. Where was this scored from? This setup is way to impractical, you should barter it for a nice 1975 OR80r 212 combo with reverb.

It was from a norwegian website for selling pretty much everything, and I just made it a task for each day to go in and google for various items ("Orange PPC" tried finding a used PPC212 to no avail, "Gibson SG Custom") every day, and suddenly this baby popped up.

I didn't have the money for it but was awestruck seeing it available for purchase her in Norway. I figured not that many of these made it over here back in the 70s. The work that I temp for decided they want me to stay next year and hired me fulltime, so I got some money together and bought it for myself as a congratulations gift.

I agree it is a bit impractical, but I will never get a different amp and I think I will buy a new PPC412 which will handle it fine and just use that along with an attenuator.

We play heavy stoner doom-type music and I really want at least a halfstack backing me up from behind to complete that big, mean look.
I could have used a OR80 head, but a combo is just not for me, I think.

[a.hun]

I wouldn't call putting an OR120 through 8 x vintage G12H-30s abusing them - that's just a good meaty workout. I'd not dime the amp into four oldies, that's all I'm saying here. Even though when new they'd probably have taken it no problem.


Andy.

[Gladmarr]

The work that I temp for decided they want me to stay next year and hired me fulltime, so I got some money together and bought it for myself as a congratulations gift.

Congratulations indeed!

[Les Paul Lover]

Congrats!!!!



That stack is amazing!!! and for the price of a new RV100? That's an amazing deal. Really GREAT value whichever way you look at it.

As for the speaker, my take would be that yo can try it. ou should hear when you start getting some cone break up anyway. When you hear that - assuming you try that incrementaly, you shouldn't hurt it if you stop then and step your volume down one or 2 notch.




In related subject, I;ve read somewhere the OR80 and OR120 were 50w and 100w amp, not 80w and 120w as is assumed. Can anybody confirm if that's true or not?

[bclaire]

No, they are fully capable of producing those wattages.

My old Marshall Superleads were 100 watt amps- and produced 137 and 145 watts each...

[Gladmarr]

Yeah, the power "ratings" on tube amps are almost arbitrary. People have measured their OR120s at 140W and higher.

[bclaire]

Yeah, the power "ratings" on tube amps are almost arbitrary. People have measured their OR120s at 140W and higher.

Exactly. Which is why 4 EL34's in an AD140TC are called a 140 watt amp!

[a.hun]

Most modern 4xEL34 'hundred watters' do tend to actually put out about 100W (cleanish). Many older quality ones did tend to get silly though. Up to about 140W odd cleanish (and much more fully distorted) from four old EL34s (Mullards etc) was pretty normal. Some of us just called them all '100 watters'. Basically just meant 'enough power'!

Never have measured my OR120 with it's Teslas, but my old tech (who has recorded with it cranked!) reckons it'll probably punch out a shade more than my (100W ) Hiwatt which he'd measured at 135W clean with it's current Mullard set.

What OrangeAde said on the Orange AD(e) 140:

The AD140 does actually make (depending on tubes) between 125 and 145 watts (clean) but the master must be on 10 to get this power! EL34`s run at around 450 vdc (plate and screen)in most amps of around 100watts, using four of them. However, the AD140 puts 550vdc on the plate and 380vdc on the screen (from separate transformer windings) giving more actual power! If the amp is good working order with a good healthy set of tubes, it should make the kind of power mentioned above.
Best regards to all

Ade Emsley
Orange amplification

Yeah pretty fair price on that stack. Good that you can sometimes still pick up great vintage amps for realistic prices.
Grabbed my '74 Hiwatt about 5 years back. Cost me (with currency conversion) under 200 Eurobucks more than a new Rocker 30 Combo then did over here. And just a shade over half of what I'd have had to fork out for a brand new UK built Hiwatt.

But then my '78 OR120 only cost me GBP150, nearly new s/h in 1980. Well, Orange had just shut up shop and that that was the going price then. The '80s through early '90s would have been a great time to pick up more of these sort of things. Looking at the classified ads in guitar mags from back then could make you vomit. Half stacks by Orange and Hiwatt, old AC30s and even Plexi Marshalls, all these were going for just a couple of hundred quid, often less. Compared to the then current production amp prices they were astounding value.

Thing was nobody really wanted them back then, they thought all the new stuff was 'the real poop'. In fact Orange amps especially were about as lusted after as a fart in a space suit! Luckily I was never a dedicated follower of fashion and couldn't have cared less. I just loved the tones, so was always very happy with my ugly old Orange!

Enjoy your even older ugly old Orange Kralmestrand!


Andy.

[yossarian83]

I've never tested for CLEAN power but my 90's OR120 reissue puts out ~180 watts at full crank, depending on what tubes are in it.