CR120H sound/tone samples for hard rock

[lunchbox]

After over a year of searching I finally found a drummer for my bass player and I to start a band with. Here's the Soundcloud link to our 1st song that we finished the other night at our 2nd practice/jam. It's just a mic recorder set up in the jam room recording live and not mixed. I plan on putting in some lead work in the bridge, and obviously we need a singer. But I thought it would give people a good idea of how a CR120H and 2xPPC112's can sound in a loud rock band situation. I never get the volume past 2.5-3 and that is REALLY LOUD, even with a hard hitting drummer and loud bass. The CR120 cuts right through the mix and sounds a lot like an tube amp.

I'll keep posting songs here as we finish them, if anyone cares to hear. We have a few more in the works.

Hope you enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/sirillsamustache ... del-diablo

[Boy_Narf]

I'm actually surprised how well the CR120 comes through on recordings. In regards to tube vs the CRPRO series, I think it's easy to get SS amp to sound like a tube amp, but it will never feel the same. This is defiantly the tube snob coming out in me though hah. I've been watching a few of the CRPRO videos lately and the CR60 has peaked my interested for sure.

Thanks for the demo.

[Ronnie Robinson]

Yep sounds good ...really good, thats the first time I've heard a recording of a cr120, there's no way anybody could listen to that and think it's a solid state amp.

[lunchbox]

Thanks for checking it out.

I've also been using tube amps only since I got serious about playing guitar back in the early 90's and have pretty much been a tube snob as well. So I'm very critical of SS, modeling and digital amps and havent owned a SS amp snice i was learning to play as a kid in the 80s. But this CR120H is a really amazing sounding amp that is very, very tube like in tone, feel and response. And it can really push some air.

IMO, its the best option for an amp in the sub $500 range for both tube and SS. I'll post more tracks as we write.

Forgot to add that my chain is a stock 2005 Epi LP Custom >> Boss TU3 tuner >> Morley Bad Horsey wah ( which I wasn't using, obviously) >> CR120. I like to just run straight to the amp 99% of the time and don't use effects really. Just straight up hard rock.

[liaztraht]

I'm really digging the cr120h as well. It does everything I need, even metal with an od to tighten it. I couldn't afford an rv, but have no regrets with this. And even with one 4x12 it pushes some serious air. Cuts really well while not being stupidly bright. And no beaming high end!

[rich724]

I have the CR120H playing with a PPC212OB Cab. Sounds great. For my jazzier/pop/lounge gigs I picked up a Quilter TB200 & playing through a 1x12 cab I have with a Fender 12" Special Design Speaker I pulled out of an old Super Twin I had sitting around.
Both sound amazing for what they do.

[caldurham]

Ryan Bruce of Riffs, Beards and Gear has a pretty cool demo of it. Definitely check out the playthrough at around 2:10.

I've played on one at sam ash and want one badly


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrRg8DVBz4

[liaztraht]

Ryan Bruce of Riffs, Beards and Gear has a pretty cool demo of it. Definitely check out the playthrough at around 2:10.

I've played on one at sam ash and want one badly


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrRg8DVBz4

I saw that demo. It gave me the idea to try one of these. I made the mistake of getting an old Peavey tt supreme, sounded good but overheated and fried itself a week after getting it. During a show of all times. Brought it back and bought the cr120h. Sounds WAY better and is much louder.

This needs to be the future of solid state amps. And Orange has a head start. Modellers don't compare, and Randall is the only real ss competition, and they've been slacking.

[lunchbox]

This needs to be the future of solid state amps. And Orange has a head start. Modellers don't compare, and Randall is the only real ss competition, and they've been slacking.

I totally agree. The CR120H is far and away the best SS amp I've ever heard. The only thing that comes close, imo, is a Sunn Beta Lead, but even that sounds more SS than the CR120H.

I've heard Randall amps plenty. Theyre great for scooped metal, but that's it. There no vintage feeling, mid heavy rock tone to them at all, imo. I would never buy one.

[liaztraht]

Honestly, the Crush series handles metal better. At least for me. The Orange midrange bites hard, and makes it sound aggressive. I hate scooped tones. I've been keeping my mids anywhere from 2 o'clock to max depending on how my ears feel.

I've been struggling all day with my tone though. I can't decide between plugged straight in gain up, or gain down a bit and slamming the front with an od.
I play one and want it tight, then tighten it up and miss the natural tone. I cannot get over how it sounds an any context.

I'm going to try and convert some 6505 fan boys. I have one interested.

[lunchbox]

Here's a couple more that we're working on. Recorded on a Zoom room mic sitting on a table. They're still a rough, so don't judge too harshly; they still need a lot of polish and I need to work on my leads a bit more.

The tone on the CR120H is just great. I'm totally loving it and my plan to buy an OR50 has gone out the window.

Setup: Stock Epi LP Custom (w. 1950's wiring) >>> Boss TU-3 tuner >>> Morley Bad Horsie wah >>> CR120H through 2xPPC112's.

https://soundcloud.com/sirillsamustache ... ntagonemp3

https://soundcloud.com/sirillsamustache ... aylightmp3

Gives you a good idea of how the CR120 sounds in a mix with a loud band. Hope you all like it!

[BeyondTheSunn]

Sounds great, Lunchbox. Very well done!

To be honest, when you're listening to it you don't automatically think about what kind of amp is being used in terms of Valve or Solid State, even if you really tried to listen you'd be hard pressed to find out. It just sounds great and that's all that matters at the end of the day, regardless of how it's powered.

With regards to volume, yeah I can understand that. I own the CR120C variant and for home use I can get the Master Volume at about 1.5 on the Clean Channel and at 0.9 on the Dirty Channel with the Gain at 6.5. I've had silly moments and dialled the Master Volume to as high 6, maybe 7 and it's just stupid loud... Mind, that was at home but still, even at places where you can be as loud as you want it's still silly loud and it has more to give with ease. But, 3, maybe 4.5 is plenty loud enough. It's a very sensitive Master Volume too, I must say.

I'll be plugging this amp into one of Orange's 4x12s in the future, not to be louder but for that bigger sounding Stoner/Doom/Drone "thing", think Sleep, Sunn O))), Earth, Electric Wizard etc. Thinking about replacing the 60w Voice of the World speakers with a couple of 75w Celestions, too. Just not sure when are what models yet. The Voice of the Worlds are fantastic though, plenty to blast out and some.

Keep up the great work, Lunchbox. Really looking forward to hearing more of what you do. I'm in the process of starting a Stoner act too with a couple of mates.

[lunchbox]

Thanks man, I appreciate that. We've only jammed 4 times now, so it's still at the beginning stages, still polishing things up.

Tone wise I'm really impressed with how well Orange was able to make a SS amp sound. Such great tone out of this amp.

[caldurham]

i'm more into really heavy stuff but that sounds good. i really want one of these heads too! everytime i go to sam ash i play on one and annoy the salesmen lol. they really sound great and i've played through a lot of different speaker cabs in my forays into sam ash. it is probably the best solid state i've ever heard. hell one of the best amps i've ever heard.

[ZOZO_101]

Hey LUNCHBOX

Sounding good bud,


just purchased a CR120H......mix up at shop, so they sending a brand new one direct from ORANGE FACTORY.

Good luck with new band....Keep on rocking