OR15 loud enough to gig?

[Dexter211275]

I know, this is a loaded question with many variables. Im the only guitarist, a bass player and a drummer who play at a good volume but not super loud. We are playing small bars, anywhere from 50-150 capacity. I dont play clean and I dont play lead. Everything is drop tuning (mostly drop D) power chords. Just straight up rock/heavy blues music and I have an Orange 2x12 with the V30s. Loud enough for places this size without a mic?

[OU818]

With only limited experience with the OR15 I still feel safe to say that it should be fine provided you don't need pristine cleans.

For heavy rhythm I'd say it would work fine as a solo guitarist. I've played an un-mic'd 8 watt amp through a single 10" with a drummer and bassist before and had no issue. Admittedly it was fairly cranked

I'd recommend at least a 2x12 for the OR15 stacked vertically.

[Dexter211275]

With only limited experience with the OR15 I still feel safe to say that it should be fine provided you don't need pristine cleans.

For heavy rhythm I'd say it would work fine as a solo guitarist. I've played an un-mic'd 8 watt amp through a single 10" with a drummer and bassist before and had no issue. Admittedly it was fairly cranked

I'd recommend at least a 2x12 for the OR15 stacked vertically.

Thanks! Yea, I dont play clean, ever. Just power chords in drop tuning and I do have the Orange 2x12. I really wish they still sold higher wattage versions of the OR, dont know why they stopped. Ive played a Rockerverb 100 MKI and MKIII and I like the OR better. Pretty new to Orange but they sound voiced quite differently to me. Rockerverb sounds more modern to my ears while the OR sounds more old school which I like. Looking at a used OR50 I might grab if the 15 isn't enough.

[Jondog]

The OR15 preamp is very similar to the Rockerverb. Almost identical.
As for your originsl question, I think it should be fine as long as you’re not hoping to blow the windows out.

[Dexter211275]

The OR15 preamp is very similar to the Rockerverb. Almost identical.
As for your originsl question, I think it should be fine as long as you’re not hoping to blow the windows out.

Thank you. Im surprised. The OR15 sounds a little more bassy and throaty to me and the gain sounded a bit smoother. If they are based on the same preamps, it has to be the EL84s vs the 34s making the difference. Funny because I usually hate EL84s and think of Vox trebly and shrill tones when I think of them. This is the first EL84 powered amp Ive heard that Ive liked.

[Les Paul Lover]

15w can run out of steam depending on room and number of people.

50 people in an average size bar is fine, but 150 people make a lot of noise, and even in an average size bar, that might leave you underpowered.

After that, in a large room, say a large bar, concert/village hall, it wouldn't cut it. In a big room/hall your wattage disappears fast.

[Dexter211275]

15w can run out of steam depending on room and number of people.

50 people in an average size bar is fine, but 150 people make a lot of noise, and even in an average size bar, that might leave you underpowered.

After that, in a large room, say a large bar, concert/village hall, it wouldn't cut it. In a big room/hall your wattage disappears fast.

Thanks. Yea, the smaller dive bars just have a house PA but the larger, nicer ones have a sound guy, monitors etc...so I would mic my 2x12 in larger rooms. Ive yet to play one of the 30 watt Oranges like the Dual Terror or TH30 but Ive heard the OR15 get just as loud. Is that true? I wish Orange made a less expensive 50 around $1k-$1200 because the Rockerverb 50 at $2k is well out of my price range and even the used ones go for $1500+. If the 15 can't cut it, I might just have to go Marshall and live with the fizz. Can get JCM 2000 DSL100s used for $500 right now which is a steal. I guess I could just carry a mic with me for my cab but Im not sure these house PAs are going to work well for guitar. Need to figure it out before the 4th!

[bclaire]

My AD30TC is incredibly loud but I wish I could get the preamp from my AD30TC into the power amp of the OR15. I wouldn't be confident that my OR15 would be loud enough but to be honest, I haven't really tried it at rehearsal or a live gig...

[Rlw59]

I went to a Fender forum jam that was held in a large auto repair shop -- about a 2000 sq ft room. A bunch of old farts getting the chance to dime our amps. My Tiny Terror with a V30 1x12 easily held its own against a couple of 40 watt Fender Hot Rod Deluxes and a 36 watt Kustom Coupe. As did a '70s Deluxe Reverb loaded with an Altec. There were a couple other 30 to 50 watt amps there -- I forget what they were but the TT kept up.

It was pretty much all classic rock and blues rock though. No downtuned stuff.

Later on I got a great deal on a Kustom 36 Coupe. I wondered if its stock Eminence speaker had been holding it back so I plugged it into my V30 cab. My dB meter said it was about 1 dB louder than the TT. Enough to measure but not enough to hear.

[Dexter211275]

My AD30TC is incredibly loud but I wish I could get the preamp from my AD30TC into the power amp of the OR15. I wouldn't be confident that my OR15 would be loud enough but to be honest, I haven't really tried it at rehearsal or a live gig...

Thanks. Why haven't you tried the OR15 at rehearsals at least? Just curious.

[bclaire]

My AD30TC is incredibly loud but I wish I could get the preamp from my AD30TC into the power amp of the OR15. I wouldn't be confident that my OR15 would be loud enough but to be honest, I haven't really tried it at rehearsal or a live gig...

Thanks. Why haven't you tried the OR15 at rehearsals at least? Just curious.

It's the lack of two channels. I don't have a pedalboard per se, but use a TC Elecotronics G-System which channel switches my AD30TC. Laziness, too, I suppose. I could try it with a distortion pedal of some sort and still use the TC... I'll give it a shot this week.

[Dexter211275]

Im concerned about not having enough volume to gig with the OR15, so I swapped it out for a CR120 head. Will have it this next week. Ive played the 120 a handful of times, even back to back with the RV MKIII and I really like it. It lacks the beefy bottom end and loses a little clarity at higher volumes but in a mix with a full band going at a good volume, those things get kind of lost anyways IMO.

[Dexter211275]

Has anyone gigged small to medium sized bars with an OR15 and an Orange 2x12 without a mic?

[bclaire]

Okay, we had rehearsal tonight and I tried using my OR15 with 1X12 Orange cab since we're playing a venue Saturday where we need to turn down.

It's a stretch for me since everything I use is set up for a two channel amp - I used my Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic Distortion pedal for the solos. First of all, I have to say I haven't used the cab enough for it to be broken in so I wasn't happy with that sound. It was plenty loud enough, but I switched to my Marshall 1936 2X12 cab and holy $**t! More than loud enough.

That said, I'm going to stick to my AD30TC for the gig and try to get it OK onstage.... plus we're a loud band and that is what people expect so.... screw it!

[lunchbox]

I loved the tone of my OR15, but it was way underpowered for a loud band playing hard rock/stoner rock. And I wasn’t even down tuned. I too switched mine out for a CR120H and have never looked back. You’ll be impressed. I run mine with a CRPRO412. Balls.