Orange Amps Forum

Hi guys,

for my band project, (sort of stoner/alt rock), i've recently bought an used ad30 twin channel head (i wanted to buy a cr120 but when i saw that ad30 head at 740$ i jumped on it) , then bought a 2x12 palmer cab with two new alnico gold (for 480$),

i played with it on just two rehearsal with my band, well my first impression is that it lacks of bass, i know the alnico gold must be brake in to deliver THE tone but the head don't seem to deliver bass like i expected. it sounds crazy but i prefer the tone of the cr120 on youtube that came from v30's , it has this bass balls and solidstate-sort-of-qotsa-cheaptone- that i like, so i'm planning to buy the cr120 head to compare, and if it sounds good, i'll sell my ad30. what do you think of this ridiculous move ?

Hmm. Try it with a different cabinet before you dump that amp.

Yes I think that's ridiculous!

The cr120 is good but selling an ad30 for one.... The only reason I can think of to do this is that you can't play loud enough for the ad30.

The quality of the cab and the speakers makes a huge difference the ad30htc does not lack bass.... I always dial my bass down, I've never used a Palmer cab but are nt they at the lower spectrum of cabs? Plus new speakers will sound harsh and no way near as nice as a broken in ones ...do alnico golds sound good with Orange amps anyway playing stoner rock?

Sounds to me like you've got the wrong cab, the wrong speakers which are not even worn in!!!

Do yourself a favour sell that cab and buy a used Orange 212 open back cab with V30s.

You bought that AD30 2nd hand right?

I bet the power valves are shot.

Replace them and rediscover that amp!!!
It'll be a new beast!!!

My bass always gets dialed back as well. If I can’t get the volume above 1 on the dial then the amp will sound a lot thinner. How wound up do you get it?

Also considering it’s used, have you made sure all the tubes are up to snuff? First AD30 I ever played was used at Guitar Center and it sounded ratty and anemic. If I didn’t know how the amp was supposed to sound and just went off that reaction, I never would’ve bought one

Not to add to the pile on but yeah... that is crazy talk. The AD30 is more than capable on the bass side with the right speakers.

The CR120 will likely have more gain at a more manageable level but that is the only advantage I can see.

I know cabs are expensive but get a good one. In my experience, V30s are what orange prefers but g12 75s are also decent. Cab construction makes a huge difference as well so putting V30s into a cheap cab won’t give you everything.

IMO, the AD30 has a lot of low end for an EL-84 amp. It has a lot of low end for any amp really. I keep my channel 1 bass rolled back to 2 or 3. Channel 2 doesn't exactly have a ton of low end, but that one is all about the upper mid snarl. Channel 1 is where your low end is at.

That being said, most of us have bass players in the band. So I wouldn't get too hung up on low end. It wastes power and headroom, moves speakers around so the sound is less defined, and can cause a guitar to get lost in the mix. Use it sparingly.

There's no way you could get me to dump an AD30 in favor of a CR120. But that's just me.

For reference, here's a comparison I put together. Listen to how the AD30 stacks up against big bottle amps. IMO it doesn't sound thin in the least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGM7RBTRbuw&t=62s

StratusX wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:52 pm

My bass always gets dialed back as well. If I can’t get the volume above 1 on the dial then the amp will sound a lot thinner. How wound up do you get it?

Also considering it’s used, have you made sure all the tubes are up to snuff? First AD30 I ever played was used at Guitar Center and it sounded ratty and anemic. If I didn’t know how the amp was supposed to sound and just went off that reaction, I never would’ve bought one

My thoughts exactly. I recently bought a Genz Benz Black Pearl 30. I tried one back in 2009 and loved it, was extremely impressed. The one I bought sounded good.... but not as good as I remembered it. Not as much sparkle, not as much low
end.... new EL84 (or russian 6P14P EV to be precise) and the amp sounds incredible.

Amazing how the well rounded low end reappeared.

Worn out valves is one of the reason people sell their amps. They don't realise they're worn out, and fall out of love with the amp, not realising the valves are the culprit.

For what you want to play I’ve never seen or heard anyone using an AD30. They’re not voiced that way at all. Everyone else suggesting trying different speakers and cab is the right idea.

I also play hard rock/stoner rock. I do happen to use a CR120H. It does really well and I have no complaints. But try it first beforehand to make sure it works for you.

i've bought an used CR120 and tested it on my orange cab 2x12 with V30 et alnico gold paired, well the tone was great, it seems that the tubes of the ad30 need to be changed because the sound is very thin.

can someone tell me what tubes i must buy to give life to my AD30 ?

freakymax wrote: ↑

Mon Sep 10, 2018 9:53 am

can someone tell me what tubes i must buy to give life to my AD30 ?

Tube choice is subjective. If it was me, I'd replace all of the tubes except for the rectifier.

Is your amp an AD30 or AD30HTC?

AD30 head twin channel. i want to have the same tone as my cr120 but with more warm, early breakup.

The tone will be different but the AD30 is a great amp.

As for valves..... if time is on your side and you can wait 2 to 5 weeks delivery from Russia, I'd recommend the NOS 6P14P EV. Military grade version of the EL84.

They sound superb in my AD15 and Genz Benz Black Pearl 30. Most people who try them rates them as the best valve around, NOS or new. They cost about the same price as new JJs, but the delivery from Russia or other European country takes a long time.

lunchbox wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 26, 2018 4:22 am

For what you want to play I’ve never seen or heard anyone using an AD30. They’re not voiced that way at all.

This is not true. The lower gain, definition in the mids, and loose feel due to the tube rectifier make it an excellent choice for this type of music. It's one of the most versatile sounding amps Orange has ever made, and the only thing it really can't do is modern metal. But even then you can run it clean on C1 and put some pedals through it to make it do even that, you can play any genre on any good amp.