A NAMM observation, what do you reckon is next for orange ?!

[pattyzero]

As cool as orange's new gear is , I was thinking there aren't really any new guitar amps . And in fact orange have discontinued one great one!

I was looking round guitar shops this week, and it looked like they were trying to get rid of the big amps on clearance.


I was wondering (and hoping) that there was something spectacular in the pipeline , which would explain the lack of Amos in this years catalogue .

What do you guys reckon ??! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 30 watt tiny terror hard wired with a foot switchable solo boost ...!!!

[markjazzbassist]

Orange doesn't seem like a company to rest on their laurels they always want to push new boundaries. I think the TT has run it's course and they'll be trying to make the new great guitar amp. They created the whole lunchbox phenomenon with Vox and Traynor copying so I think they'll be trying to do something similar with a small format all tube but with more options.

[BobJM]

Good points but I don't know how true that is. Peavey and Mesa are two more companies that have done small amps that are loaded with features. Suhr have the Corso. Soldano have the Hot Rod 25. Everyone has dipped a toe in the lunchbox game. Orange itself still has the Dark Terror, OR15, Jim Root and the Dual Terror. Options on amplifiers isn't really an Orange thing either, which is something I like to be honest. They also limit themselves to that rack width chassis, so something like a 3 channel amp with all the bells and whistles will be a squeeze! I guess they could go really low wattage perhaps? Or maybe something ultra clean? Or maybe the future is headphones and they'll do what marshall have done?

[ironlung40]

unfortunately, I think the next direction is non-tube amps...I think Orange will keep trying to push that boundary....I bet we see even more solid state stuff and modeling headed our way....

Hope I am wrong...but some of it may be really cool at any rate.

I am still waiting for them to reissue the vintage orange line true to spec...guess we will see...but part of me doesn't want them to do that either as I have an OR120 and I like that it is a bit of a rarity these days.

[orangebassman]

As a bassist I'm just stoked for all of the bass gear Orange has released in the past couple of years. Now you guitards know how us bassists have felt regarding Orange for pretty much forever up until a few years ago! All we had was the AD200 for so long...

[bclaire]

It's an interesting topic for sure.

The trend for the past few years would seem to be realistic wattage amps; the need for a stadium-filling amp is really unnecessary and I think people are finally realising it. Orange sold a lot of Tiny Terrors... it was an innovative step to introduce it and everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Maybe the market is saturated?

That said, Orange's solidstate offerings are at the top of the pack - an affordable but "real" sounding amp. And they introduce some other really cool gear - the Bax for example, and the two new pedals that just came out.

I have to say, this is the longest period of time in my musical career that I've been happy with my amp sound and not looking to find something better. I've said it before and I'll state it again, my AD30TC combos are the best amps I've ever played and do everything that I need an amp to do. (and as of this year it's been 14 years of happiness!)

If Orange ever did a three channel AD30 of some sort I'd be really interested in exploring that. At one point, my Marshall 30th anniversary with three channels and an overall master was my go-to amp but that vanished (and hasn't been out of its roadcase in 6 or 7 years) once I heard the AD series amps.

Orange has always been a company that isn't afraid to go out on a limb and introduce something radically different from other companies... maybe a Triple Tiny is in the works!

[BobJM]

I'd say the market has a lot of lower to medium wattage amps. Especially in that 15 to 25 watt region. The 0.5watt and up area may still be a bit open but since a real tube amp at that power would probably have the same parts as a 15watt amp I think pricing such things can be hard.

I've also never fully got behind this "realistic" wattage thing although I totally get it. I've had amps that have had all kinds of outputs. With the bands I've done over the years I couldn't use a 15watter without a PA, and a lot of shows we played didn't have the capability. I've struggled using 20watt tube amps at practices. I'm talking everything from outdoor festivals to squats and basements. I'd still feel a bit nervous touring with a 30watt (circuit depending). Also, I like the tone I get from EL34's or 6L6's but I still favour 50 or 100watts. Something in the low end versus EL84's. Not that EL84's sound bad. I just always think of the guys I know still playing in bands or starting them and I know the shows they play and I think they would struggle in certain situations even with a 30watt amp, mainly because that was my experience. Also certain styles of music just love a bigger bottle output with more headroom. Horses for courses. It's true not everyone needs big loud amps but all too often I hear people in stores convincing customers that nobody needs big amps any more and I don't think that's true. I do! I still have big amps but I use a Crush at home.

I have to say the AD15 is killer. I've tried the AD30 from time to time but I stick to one channel on it. I can't remember which but I just don't get on with one of them, not that there is a HUGE difference. Ha.

[bclaire]

I'd say the market has a lot of lower to medium wattage amps. Especially in that 15 to 25 watt region. The 0.5watt and up area may still be a bit open but since a real tube amp at that power would probably have the same parts as a 15watt amp I think pricing such things can be hard.

I've also never fully got behind this "realistic" wattage thing although I totally get it. I've had amps that have had all kinds of outputs. With the bands I've done over the years I couldn't use a 15watter without a PA, and a lot of shows we played didn't have the capability. I've struggled using 20watt tube amps at practices. I'm talking everything from outdoor festivals to squats and basements. I'd still feel a bit nervous touring with a 30watt (circuit depending). Also, I like the tone I get from EL34's or 6L6's but I still favour 50 or 100watts. Something in the low end versus EL84's. Not that EL84's sound bad. I just always think of the guys I know still playing in bands or starting them and I know the shows they play and I think they would struggle in certain situations even with a 30watt amp, mainly because that was my experience. Also certain styles of music just love a bigger bottle output with more headroom. Horses for courses. It's true not everyone needs big loud amps but all too often I hear people in stores convincing customers that nobody needs big amps any more and I don't think that's true. I do! I still have big amps but I use a Crush at home.

I have to say the AD15 is killer. I've tried the AD30 from time to time but I stick to one channel on it. I can't remember which but I just don't get on with one of them, not that there is a HUGE difference. Ha.

Ha! That's funny.... might as well find a single channel AD30 then!

My AD30TC blows away 50 watt Marshalls... it's plenty loud enough for any situation I've found.

[BobJM]

Nah, just get an AD30TC and mod the channels the same. Switch between settings. It'll probably be discontinued soon though.

My point is sort of like, the TH30 has the Rockerverb dirty channel in, albeit with the shape control but It's got a 30watt cathode biased EL84 output. If I had the choice and price was no object, I'd feel much better taking out a 50watt Rockerverb even if it had a shape control (so more or less a Dual Dark 50 running the Dark Terror channel). The preamp circuits are all very similar but the back ends are very different. I'd rather run the Rockerverb "quietly" than the TH30 cranked up. Very different tonalities and the Rockerverb can go to 11 if you need that extra push over the cliff.....

[markjazzbassist]

It's an interesting topic for sure.

The trend for the past few years would seem to be realistic wattage amps; the need for a stadium-filling amp is really unnecessary and I think people are finally realising it. Orange sold a lot of Tiny Terrors... it was an innovative step to introduce it and everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Maybe the market is saturated?

That said, Orange's solidstate offerings are at the top of the pack - an affordable but "real" sounding amp. And they introduce some other really cool gear - the Bax for example, and the two new pedals that just came out.

I have to say, this is the longest period of time in my musical career that I've been happy with my amp sound and not looking to find something better. I've said it before and I'll state it again, my AD30TC combos are the best amps I've ever played and do everything that I need an amp to do. (and as of this year it's been 14 years of happiness!)

If Orange ever did a three channel AD30 of some sort I'd be really interested in exploring that. At one point, my Marshall 30th anniversary with three channels and an overall master was my go-to amp but that vanished (and hasn't been out of its roadcase in 6 or 7 years) once I heard the AD series amps.

Orange has always been a company that isn't afraid to go out on a limb and introduce something radically different from other companies... maybe a Triple Tiny is in the works!

spot on billy. i agree, i'm sure whatever is next will include some "out on a limb" items but that's what i've come to love about this company.

[a.hun]

Orange has always been a company that isn't afraid to go out on a limb and introduce something radically different from other companies...

spot on billy. i agree, i'm sure whatever is next will include some "out on a limb" items but that's what i've come to love about this company.

Yep, that's Orange for you. They've always gone their own way, and a lot of their classics over the years have been well off the beaten track. What I like best is that they keep coming up with stuff which is both deceptively simple yet massively effective. Was playing the BBg pedal again for a couple of hours today, getting great Orange guitar tones - and so many different ones from classic to mindblowing. Total tweakers delight yet still pretty much point and shoot. Another total classic Orange creation, even if in black.

What's next? An Orange guitar I suspect, to keep the guitarists from getting too jealous!


Andy.

[TinCanJohnny]

A single channel 30 watt version of the Rockerverb clean channel would be nice.

My RV100mkii is awesome but I can't crank the clean channel as much as I'd like to. It'd be great to be able to get a little bit of breakup at lower levels.

[Ronnie Robinson]

I'd say the market has a lot of lower to medium wattage amps. Especially in that 15 to 25 watt region. The 0.5watt and up area may still be a bit open but since a real tube amp at that power would probably have the same parts as a 15watt amp I think pricing such things can be hard.

I've also never fully got behind this "realistic" wattage thing although I totally get it. I've had amps that have had all kinds of outputs. With the bands I've done over the years I couldn't use a 15watter without a PA, and a lot of shows we played didn't have the capability. I've struggled using 20watt tube amps at practices. I'm talking everything from outdoor festivals to squats and basements. I'd still feel a bit nervous touring with a 30watt (circuit depending). Also, I like the tone I get from EL34's or 6L6's but I still favour 50 or 100watts. Something in the low end versus EL84's. Not that EL84's sound bad. I just always think of the guys I know still playing in bands or starting them and I know the shows they play and I think they would struggle in certain situations even with a 30watt amp, mainly because that was my experience. Also certain styles of music just love a bigger bottle output with more headroom. Horses for courses. It's true not everyone needs big loud amps but all too often I hear people in stores convincing customers that nobody needs big amps any more and I don't think that's true. I do! I still have big amps but I use a Crush at home.

I have to say the AD15 is killer. I've tried the AD30 from time to time but I stick to one channel on it. I can't remember which but I just don't get on with one of them, not that there is a HUGE difference. Ha.

Agree on the lower wattage amps but the fact that so many companies do a lunchbox type amp seems to me there much be a market for or a lunchbox amp - I know myself I frequently am using my TT for practise , it sounds so good and is so highly portable. What id like to see is an updated lunch box amp that's more useable for gigs and more versatile. A company that seems to be leading the field in this area is Victory who hype suggests are making some great lunchbox amps , but they are not cheap and maybe an upgraded lunch box Terror with power scaling , effects loop and solo boost priced around 750 mark may be the way to go

[thejay]

What is great about the lunchbox craze is it allowed users to get into different brands and not spend a lot of cash, take up tons of room, break your back or blow your ears out. Orange started that and it has been great! I started with the lunchbox stuff that Orange produced and then jumped all in I was so impressed, they broke such boundaries with the TT.

I think the larger amps have their place, can't imagine what else they would do...

I would agree they are going after some other things right now - 1 being pedals. I am not convinced yet but give it time