My OR120M head...

[Orphin]

Don't ask me. I just know that the Trace built amps say "Trace Elliot" and the Matamp's has the "JL" logo.

This 'JL" Logo?

That's the one.

Seems like it's about time Cliff got himself a user account on the Orange Forum .

Why?

[bclaire]

Don't ask me. I just know that the Trace built amps say "Trace Elliot" and the Matamp's has the "JL" logo.

What they say is Trace Eliot on the PC board. Kind of like how Celestion is on speakers. It's a part, not in any way that they made the amp.

[Sooner]

What they say is Trace Eliot on the PC board. Kind of like how Celestion is on speakers. It's a part, not in any way that they made the amp.

No. They don't say Trace Elliot on the PC board. There's a Trace Elliot inspection sticker on the inside of the chassis.

There's no doubt that the early AD series amps were made in the Trace Factory. This was verified to me by the folks at Rhodes Music on Denmark street in London shortly after I bought my amp and confirmed by Jason Green here on the forum back in 2004: http://forum.orangeamps.com/viewtopic.p ... liot#p6674" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Randy Bass]

...No. They don't say Trace Elliot on the PC board. There's a Trace Elliot inspection sticker on the inside of the chassis...

I am certain that I have seen a pic of an Orange PCB on the Forum with Trace Elliot printed on it. Anyhow, this is what I've found as the most credible explanation (from Nick / Fiveightandten) from the thread:

http://forum.orangeamps.com/viewtopic.p ... 0&start=15" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"The OTR-120/80 is an OR-120/80 with a handful of minor circuit changes. This amp was the stepping stone that brought the company back to life in the late 90's. I'm almost positive that Ade is responsible for that circuit. It was the amp that bridged the gap between the vintage models, and modern Oranges.

The 90's reissue OR-series amps were brought to life by the hands of people at Matamp, Trace Elliot, and Gibson USA. Matamp did the actual wiring and assembly, but the PCB's came from Trace Elliot (most likely already loaded and ready to install). Gibson was the company that owned the Orange name and license to produce the amps at that time. They distributed the amps and imported them to the states as well. I've heard accounts that Matamp only assembled a limited amount of 90's reissues, and full production was shifted to Trace Elliot for some reason. But i've never seen anything to confirm this.

I'm pretty sure (though not positive, i'd have to do some fact checking) that the OTR was produced in the same way, but instead of Gibson being behind it, Orange owned the name again and was the company behind the operation. Also, although I have no data to back it up, i'm pretty convinced that the OTR was produced and made with a ridiculous name simply because Orange didn't have the legal rights to produce the OR-120/80 circuit and use the OR-120/80 name anymore. They probably changed it enough to stay out of legal trouble and made the amp long enough to get the company back on its feet before starting the AD line and bringing the company into what it is now. Again, i'm just speculating. But it would seem to make sense, knowing that another company was paying to produce the amps while Orange was no longer in the picture. Gibson obviously bought the rights to produce the circuit and use the name. Orange never made those amps again, and to this day i'm still hard pressed to find any mention of the names of those amps on their website or in any literature they put out."

Seems like it's about time Cliff got himself a user account on the Orange Forum .

Why?

He might know a little bit about Orange's history and could enlighten the rest of us .

[Orphin]

The second Orange Matamp era lasted between 1994-1999.
The first amps made were the Graphic 120 and Overdrive 120. They first put out 170 watts and Gibson wasn't happy about it. A couple of modifications later and the amps were down to 120. I can't remember, but this might be the reason behind th new name OTR, which actually means On The Road (not Oscillatory Transition Return, which doesn't mean anything).
Next up were the Graphic 80, Graphic 80 combo, Super Bass 120 (black, not chrome handles).
The last amp was a model called Millenium 15. Probably a very limited run on those before the co-op ended.

Seems like it's about time Cliff got himself a user account on the Orange Forum .

Why?

He might know a little bit about Orange's history and could enlighten the rest of us .[/quote]

Cliff's memory of the past isn't the brightest. Don't ask me why. Mick Dines is the one at Orange that remembers the past. He was there from the beginning.
Also Derek Thompson and John Firth up in Huddersfield are the people to speak to about the early history.

[Sooner]

...No. They don't say Trace Elliot on the PC board. There's a Trace Elliot inspection sticker on the inside of the chassis...

I am certain that I have seen a pic of an Orange PCB on the Forum with Trace Elliot printed on it.

I was referring to the AD series. They have Trace inspection stickers but no mention of Trace on the PCB's:
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m247 ... MG1073.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m247 ... MG1075.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://users.telenet.be/orangefg/OFG_AD ... Inside.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://users.telenet.be/orangefg/OFG_AD ... Inside.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would be interesting to see a 90's Orange PCB with Trace Elliot on it. I'm certain I've never seen one.