No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

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wrath
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No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by wrath » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:27 am

No more Thunderverbs and OR50 and OR100? What's wrong with Orange? They didn't even make OR100 for very long...and it seemed like a perfect amp...I was in fact thinking about getting one, contacted the shop and they told me the model is no longer available. So currently the only high wattage valve amp they make is Rockerverb 100?
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Amplification: 70s OR120 Overdrive, Rockerverb 50 MKI, Rockerverb 100 MKII, PPC412
Axes: Tokai Love Rock LS-80, ESP LTD Viper 400
Synth: Novation Bass Station II

Boy_Narf
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by Boy_Narf » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:53 am

And the dual dark right?

Strange about the TV. I figured it was pretty popular. Seems like they are trying to simplify the line and only sell the most popular models. Perhaps that means we are getting something new to replace the TV.

wrath
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by wrath » Mon Feb 27, 2017 10:58 am

A lot of bands I listen to use Thunderverb, some people I know own it (and love it) and I know a lot of people who want it. On the other hand I think the OR100 didn't even had the time to gather some fans...it wasn't in production for a long time. And it seems like the ultimate Orange amp...two channels, boost, fx loop, switchable watts...everything one needs. And was a looker too...having that old OR120 pic design. I love my RV50 but was considering selling it and getting the OR100.
So what now? They're sticking to their budget amps, mostly solid state, and the only high end amp will be the Rockerverb? Definitely not what I expected from Orange.
Image
Amplification: 70s OR120 Overdrive, Rockerverb 50 MKI, Rockerverb 100 MKII, PPC412
Axes: Tokai Love Rock LS-80, ESP LTD Viper 400
Synth: Novation Bass Station II

FleshOnGear
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by FleshOnGear » Mon Feb 27, 2017 2:06 pm

Yeah, it's disappointing, but I don't blame Orange. To me it just looks like an unfortunate, yet necessary business decision. I don't know about the state of music retail on an international level, but from my local perspective it appears to be treading water at best. My shop has some guitars on the wall that have been hanging there for years. High end stuff just isn't selling. People don't have that kind of disposable income these days.

So, from a business standpoint I think it makes sense to pare back the line to the most recognizable, better selling models. Supposedly the RVmkIII sounds much like the OR100, and the Dual Dark is supposedly an improvement over the Thunderverb. Many on the forum disagree, but the decision to cut them was made. I bought my OR in 2015, and it's dated from early 2013, so they must not have been selling briskly. I guess it's part economics and part widespread taste for amps reputed to have tons of gain. (Because of this, I still assert that an OR mode should be added to the MkIV, to satisfy the need for a thicker lower gain tone without making a whole separate amp.)
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Boy_Narf
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by Boy_Narf » Mon Feb 27, 2017 3:17 pm

It does make sense business wise to only offer what is popular and actually selling. For every 10 new RV day posts, I see 1 new TV post, if that. To me it would make no sense to offer an amp that only a small portion of your customers are interested in. While the OR series was popular, I believe there was just too much overlap with the updated RV. It's a shame really, but historically Orange hasn't had that large of a product catalogue until recent years. Kind of sad that they have decided to focus on the affordable side of things. I never find myself gassing for the affordable budget amp that everyone else has. Oh well. I'm sure if you really want a TV you can get one new before they become super rare. Heck quite a few years after the R30 was killed off, I still managed to find a NOS head and combo for reasonable prices.

secretsoundz
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by secretsoundz » Mon Feb 27, 2017 3:43 pm

I was at the NAMM show this year and the Orange booth was definitely featuring more solid state and cost effective products like the Crush amps. Must be a sign of the times.
:mrgreen:

afjungemann
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by afjungemann » Mon Feb 27, 2017 4:19 pm

I was just reflecting on this the other day. Right now, I believe orange makes 4 amps in England. The RV MKIII, DD, AD30 and AD200. Is that right?

The TV makes sense a little and maybe they are planning some big release for next year? The DD was released in 2014 and the RV MKIII was released in 2015 so maybe they had two big amps released and wanted to let them get a foothold before releasing more.

The OR100 is an awesome amp but the RV MKIII basically covers all the same ground. Enough to eliminate making both anyway.

Here's to hoping for something epic!

If they made the Ricker 15 or 32 in a lunchbox sized head, I would die.
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wrath
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by wrath » Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:10 pm

I have the RV50 and vintage OR120 Overdrive. I love the RV50 but thought of selling it and getting the OR100...the switchable watts and the boost is what I really like about it and it makes it even more versatile than RV50. Also from what I heard there is a difference in the dirty sound...people say the RV is more "fizzy" while the OR is more "fuzzy"...now I do like the dirty channel on the RV a lot, I in fact prefer the "fuzziness" of my old OR120...if the OR was closer to that I would definitely prefer it over the RV. Btw. my RV50 is MKI with 4 6v6 in the power amp.
Image
Amplification: 70s OR120 Overdrive, Rockerverb 50 MKI, Rockerverb 100 MKII, PPC412
Axes: Tokai Love Rock LS-80, ESP LTD Viper 400
Synth: Novation Bass Station II

Les Paul Lover
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by Les Paul Lover » Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:42 pm

wrath wrote:I have the RV50 and vintage OR120 Overdrive. I love the RV50 but thought of selling it and getting the OR100...the switchable watts and the boost is what I really like about it and it makes it even more versatile than RV50. Also from what I heard there is a difference in the dirty sound...people say the RV is more "fizzy" while the OR is more "fuzzy"...now I do like the dirty channel on the RV a lot, I in fact prefer the "fuzziness" of my old OR120...if the OR was closer to that I would definitely prefer it over the RV. Btw. my RV50 is MKI with 4 6v6 in the power amp.
I love my RV50 MKI too. The clean channel is a thing of beauty, and I've never heard such a warm dirty channel too. Great for blues and rock.

I own an AD15 (I used to have an AD30 too) and they are definitely firmly in the fuzzy camp. Pretty compressed, but very sweet amp with amazing cleans.

I own the Rocker 30, very fuzzy too, similar to an OR100 I tried a while back.

There are other options, but none others have the flexibility the OR100 has.
Ant

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lunchbox
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by lunchbox » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:54 pm

FleshOnGear wrote:I don't know about the state of music retail on an international level, but from my local perspective it appears to be treading water at best. My shop has some guitars on the wall that have been hanging there for years. High end stuff just isn't selling. People don't have that kind of disposable income these days.
Exactly. There have been a few threads on the dying rock scenes on mylespaul.com.

In my area (Santa Rosa, CA), the rock scene is nearly non-existent, and I don't see a lot of kids growing up playing music like we did back in the 80's. I talked to a local shop owner and he said that the majority, probably 75%+, of his customers were 35+. There were not many kids buying guitars and amps. They seem rather content sitting at home playing games on their computers.

Couple that with 2nd hand CL sales, and the advent of amp modelling like Axe, Kemper, etc., and it makes for low sales.

The music world is changing....

afjungemann
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by afjungemann » Mon Feb 27, 2017 10:08 pm

wrath wrote:I have the RV50 and vintage OR120 Overdrive. I love the RV50 but thought of selling it and getting the OR100...the switchable watts and the boost is what I really like about it and it makes it even more versatile than RV50. Also from what I heard there is a difference in the dirty sound...people say the RV is more "fizzy" while the OR is more "fuzzy"...now I do like the dirty channel on the RV a lot, I in fact prefer the "fuzziness" of my old OR120...if the OR was closer to that I would definitely prefer it over the RV. Btw. my RV50 is MKI with 4 6v6 in the power amp.
You should really try the MKIII then. I have heard many say the dirty channel is better on the MK iii but I don't have experience with the MKI to know. The attenuator makes the amp in my opinion. I can use it for the perfect bedroom amp or I can set the attenuator at about 20% live and kick it off with the footswitch for a lead boost.
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gibson les paul custom
gibson les paul standard
gibson les paul studio
gibson melody maker

snickerpuss
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by snickerpuss » Wed Mar 01, 2017 11:31 am

The attenuator makes the amp in my opinion. I can use it for the perfect bedroom amp or I can set the attenuator at about 20% live and kick it off with the footswitch for a lead boost.
I was thinking this. I don't think the RV III really loses too much functionality and features from the OR100. The OR100 has both gain and global boosts, but I never use the global boost. The attenuator can mimic the global boosts, and the rockerverb matches the OR100's effects loop and power scaling, and raises it a reverb. Also, I find the gain on the OR100 pretty useless past 3:00, no matter the master, but the RV's more modern voicing keeps the drive tighter at those high drive levels.

I love my OR100 and am disappointed to see them discontinued, but they do pop up on ebay and reverb from time to time for great prices. So with a little patience and luck, I'm sure you can find one, if you don't become Rockerverb nerd. :wink:
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a.hun
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Re: No more Thunderverbs and ORs???

Post by a.hun » Sun Mar 05, 2017 11:37 am

FleshOnGear wrote:So, from a business standpoint I think it makes sense to pare back the line to the most recognizable, better selling models.
Boy_Narf wrote:It does make sense business wise to only offer what is popular and actually selling.
I'm not sure that this is really at all true of Orange though! :shock:

Okay, you guys are talking amps, but what about their latest new product:
https://orangeamps.com/acoustic-pre/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not exactly either mainstream or low end - this is an expensive new bit of kit. If Martin Taylor is using it though it'll be very good. In the acoustic world he is a very special player!

Don't worry, as I was just saying HERE I'm pretty sure Orange A/ know what they are doing and B/ will keep coming up with interesting new stuff. Both high and low end!

Just because they have discontinued models you liked doesn't mean Orange have gone totally off the rails...


Andy.
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