Orange Amps Forum

At some point, the previous owner appears to have replaced the original black corners with bare metal ones. Any idea where I might find replacements? I'm not sure if the current corners are the same. Thanks.

Glenn

Yes - the vintage Vox ones are the same - try this - North Coast Music

http://www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/v ... ndles.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

glenngross wrote:At some point, the previous owner appears to have replaced the original black corners with bare metal ones. Any idea where I might find replacements? I'm not sure if the current corners are the same. Thanks.

Glenn

Hi glenngross. Welcome.

My 1978 OR120 has metal covers. I think you'll find they are probably original!


Andy.

Thanks Billy and dank u wel Andy. I'll leave things as they are for now.

Glenn

My 78 OR80M has plastic corners...

bclaire wrote:My 78 OR80M has plastic corners...

My '78 OR120M has real corners!

Boy are we obsessive at times here...

Graag gedaan Glenn!


Andy.

I can't say I've ever seen a vintage Orange with metal corners installed by the factory. The Vox-style plastic ones were the standard. Be careful with reproductions, though. I've bought them from several places over the years, and the ones from North Coast Music are the only ones that seem to fit correctly. Model NCM-020 to be exact. All the "newer" Vox style are too thick, or built for a different radius cut on the head shell. The end up buckling when you try to fit them onto the head shell.

I changed my mind and just placed the order with North Coast. Thanks again all.

Glenn

glenngross wrote:I changed my mind and just placed the order with North Coast. Thanks again all.

Glenn

Oh well, there goes another original vintage amp!

Seriously though, go to the Orange Amp field guide and take a close look at the '70s Vintage Overdrive combo.



And my own '78 head (bought 1980):


Seems unlikely that anyone would have swapped the corners out on a nearly new undamaged amp. Mine also has a standard fitted IEC mains socket, which some found a little hard to believe at first. Definitely no retro fit though.


Glint glint!


Andy.

Interesting. I'd question whether those are original. I've never seen anything but plastic as original from Orange from the start through the 90's reissues. And those in particular in the picture I greatly doubt since they're silver! Orange is pretty fanatical about their color schemes and I doubt they'd use those when everything else was black.

Still, anything's possible. I could try to email Mick Dines and see what he knows...

Well it'd be interesting to see if the ?? 'original' ones on that amp of glenngross are like mine. That would be a potential pointer towards originality (on both our amps!) at least. Any chance of pics before the swap glenngross? And yes Billy, I'd be interested if an insider had any recollections of the later years. (Like what was the Series II Overdrive about, and why did they put so much energy into that, make just a few, and then close the doors months later?)

Anyway there have probably always been some little variations on the theme over the years, and the idea that a notoriously eccentric UK company like Orange would never do anything at all at all differently (even in small batches) seems a bit unlikely. Most smaller manufacturers occasionally used small batches of components which help keep amp (and guitar) obsessives over the whole planet happy. Take your point though Billy, if you have only ever seen black corners before you'd certainly wonder. I've never even noticed that mine was any different that way, and have never had anyone else comment on it before.

Now I'm definitely starting to obsess!


Andy.

a.hun wrote:Now I'm definitely starting to obsess!

Andy.

Yeah, I hear that! I definitely obsess over the details of whatever I do!

Is that a sign of OCD?

Given the vast majority if vintage Oranges used the Vox-style plastic corners, I'd say the best course of action to keep this particular amp looking original is to use those same corners. I'm willing to bet both of the amps in this discussion have the holes for the two screws and the tacks that mount the plastic corners already present under the likely aftermarket metal corners. Are the Vox-style corners particularly durable? No. Are they what Orange used in the 70s? Absolutely. He only change en masse was the switch to the weird plastic corners on the late 70s Series Two amps. Here's a good example of those corners on a Hustler combo:



...and by the way...

a.hun wrote:Seriously though, go to the Orange Amp field guide and take a close look at the '70s Vintage Overdrive combo.

There isn't much to that amp, cosmetically, that looks original, except the color.

Gladmarr wrote:I'm willing to bet both of the amps in this discussion have the holes for the two screws and the tacks that mount the plastic corners already present under the likely aftermarket metal corners.

You're right. Tack holes present and correct here!

...and by the way...

a.hun wrote:Seriously though, go to the Orange Amp field guide and take a close look at the '70s Vintage Overdrive combo.

There isn't much to that amp, cosmetically, that looks original, except the color.

Point again. Thought it was just a bad photo with diffraction artifacts, but that looks very like old Mesa Boogie grillcloth?


So I'm guessing someone bashed the original plastic corners on my amp enough within 2 years that they or the shop who sold me it decided to replace them. Think I'll have to sue the bar stewards. (Which'll be tricky as the shop closed down long ago!)

Anyway we do seem to be a bit closer to the truth now. Though to be honest I'll not be swapping my (clearly UPGRADED ) corners. Just wouldn't look right to me any more - after all they match the roll bars perfectly!


Andy.

I bought a bunch of corners from North Coast when I got my older Oranges initially. My new in 1988 '78 OR80M had very fragile corners. This amp was new out of the box in 1988 and the corners were all cracking and breaking at even a slight touch. The replacement corners must be made out of a better grade of plastic because none have broken on me...