Orange Amps Forum

Hi all

First time poster here, wondering if I can pick your brains.

I have a TT combo that I think sounds great, but there are a few problems with it:
- no reverb / effects loop
- not enough headroom
- no EQ!
I'd also like more low end.

I bought a TH30 combo thinking it'd solve it, but hated the thing. I play blues / classic rock with a strat neck pickup, using moderate amounts of gain (TT at between 2 and 3 o'clock on the gain knob). The TT has a beautiful harmonic richness to my ears, but the TH30 just sounded flat and dead by comparison. I think the kind of overdrive was similarly fuzzy and lovely, but it was just missing a fruitiness that has been pretty unique to the TT in my experience with amps.

I'm thinking of a Rockerverb, maybe a MKii combo as I've heard the reverb is darker (which I like). Can't really try one out. Do you guys think it would sound more like the TT or the TH30? Or what about the new Rocker 32? Bit worried about a lack of low end with only 10" speakers.

It's a shame so few oranges seem to have loops.

Hi, welcome to the forum.

Bit of a difficult one to answer. I've owned a RV mkii and still own a TTHW.
Sound is subjective but for me I much prefer the overdrive chacter of my TT (and Ad30) than I did the Rv....but that doesnt mean to say you will....the Rv mkii was more modern sounding. However the reverb and effects loop on it were superb.

I do think you should try out the rocker 32 before you decide....this seem to tick the most boxes for you.

Give the Rockers a try, but I can say the Rockerverbs sound bigger and fuller than a TH30. My first Orange was a Tiny Terror and I moved onto the TH30 when it first hit the shelves but wasn’t thrilled with it after a few weeks for much of the same reasons you describe, so returned it and stepped up to a Rockerverb MKll which were new at the time. Instant satisfaction. Quite a cost difference, but worth their value.

I think the amp that gets closest to the tiny terror sound is the AD30 channel 2. The channel 1 sounds superb too, as an added bonus.

Still no fx loop though.

The RV50 is quite different really, it has gorgeous cleans, but the dirty channel hasn't quite got the sizzling high end that makes the tiny terror cut through the mix so easily.

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's so hard to decide! I keep umming and ahing between all these options.

If only there were an ad30 with a loop, that would be perfect I think.

Just so many different opinions on each amp, the only way you really know is by buying it.

I guess I can always buy a Rockerverb and return it if I don't like it. I just did that with a Kemper, if it's of any interest to anyone. It seemed like every amp sounded kind of the same, just with different levels of gain and eq. POS!

In that case why not pick up a second hand ad30 twin channel head or combo ? In the UK they are crazy value second hand, it depends how you want to set your app up but if your talking about using pedals through a clean channel then channel one is really good used like this.. So keep the preamp gain low. This also sounds great set clean in my view much nicer than the RV clean channels. It also sounds great using the gain as the volume control with the volume on max.

Although not a good bedroom only amp if you using the dirty channel especially.

Worse case it's not for you and you sell it for the same price you bought it for.

Yeah maybe. Just no loop/reverb.

I hadn't realised the extent to which the Rockerverb is a metal amp. Thinking the Rocker 32 might be the best compromise, just wish they could make something like the AD30 with a loop...

Cheers

Are you using heavily modulated effects with a lot of gain? That's really the only thing you need a loop for, I run my Strymon gear straight into the front of my AD30 and it sounds great.

Just want lots of reverb really. I currently play a fender deluxe reverb with an EQD hoof for slight breakup. I want a vintage orange edge of breakup sound but with reverb (probably a pedal in the loop).
Kind of wondering whether something like a Wampler Catapulp might be a better solution, but I'm not totally convinced by pedals as a way of getting a drive sound - I think you normally just end up with a different flavour of your own amp's drive.
I think what I like about Oranges is their fizziness.

a couple of things in question, what is “lots of reverb” and what amount of gain do you see as a drive tone?

If you are using a DRRI for all of your reverb needs, I would say that is pretty mild reverb use compared to something spacey and atmospheric.

If you are using a pedal for edge of breakup gain, then you probably aren’t really using too much gain either.

If that is the case, a loop doesn’t sound necessary and the AD30 sounds right up your alley.

I haven’t had much issue running pedals in front as long as I am not using gain above something like a spanky overdrive and I can get away with a little more if I am using less reverb.

The rockerverb isn’t really a metal amp as much as it is a versatile amp. Even with that said, it really sounds like an AD30 is what would suit you best and you could buy used and resell with minimal/no loss.

How do you like your DRRI? I love those amps.

Dropped stitch wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 01, 2018 3:24 pm

Yeah maybe. Just no loop/reverb.

I hadn't realised the extent to which the Rockerverb is a metal amp. Thinking the Rocker 32 might be the best compromise, just wish they could make something like the AD30 with a loop...

Cheers

The Rockerverb isn't a metal amp.

It's an amp that can play metal, as well as whatever you throw at it.

I have a RV50 MKI, almost never play metal, and my RV50 excels at clean finger picking, jazz, blues clean or dirty (probably has the best dirty blues tone I know of), rock, hard rock or Indie.

Really a Jack of all trades, master of them all type amp.

It definitely sounds like the AD30 is right for you. If you *really* need an effects loop and Reverb, you can find a good tech to add a loop to the amp. You could try the amp out first, and see if it works for you. Buy a used one so you don’t loose any money. Get a newer amp (2006 or newer).

Instead of modding, You could also buy a re-amping unit like the Fryette Power Station or BadCat Unleash, which have effects loops that would allow you to place effects post-amp. You could also use these to run a wet/dry setup if you wanted, which would probably sound better than any loop based chain.

Well, I'd say The DRRI has quite a bit of reverb... But I'm not really into anything super complex like delays or modulations.

The DRRI is great at lowish volumes, but only once I changed the speaker to a Cannabis Rex. Now it is a luxurious clean sound that can take pedals reasonably (but not amazingly). The problem with the amp really is that at gigging volumes it tends to overdrive, but the tone is not that nice - it's a worst of both worlds between the clean headroom of eg a twin, and the nice breakup of the 68 custom deluxe.

For OD I tend to stack pedals, so the Hoof is on most of the time but I use eg a Blues Driver or an OCD if I feel like it. The Hoof is cool - clean to heavy fuzz with pick attack alone, much more responsive than any other pedal I've had by a mile.

I'm thinking an Orange is probably a better gain tone though, but had bad experience putting a reverb pedal in front of the TT.

Glad to hear the Rockerverb is not really a metal amp.

I guess one thing I like is for the tone to be a bit compressed and soft-feeling, but with low end. Don't really want a super focused rock sound.

Thanks for the input guys.

fiveightandten wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:13 am

It definitely sounds like the AD30 is right for you. If you *really* need an effects loop and Reverb, you can find a good tech to add a loop to the amp. You could try the amp out first, and see if it works for you. Buy a used one so you don’t loose any money. Get a newer amp (2006 or newer).

Instead of modding, You could also buy a re-amping unit like the Fryette Power Station or BadCat Unleash, which have effects loops that would allow you to place effects post-amp. You could also use these to run a wet/dry setup if you wanted, which would probably sound better than any loop based chain.

Only thing with the AD30, is if you get the twin channel the loop can only be installed on one channel.

Badcat unleash might be a good suggestion - I've been wondering about one of these for a while. Just seems to take away the whole headroom/volume problem in a single stroke. I'd been considering buying an active PA to use as a monitor, so I could just get eg an OR15, but the loop on the badcat might be a good shout.