What's up with this reissue OR120?

[Mike_TV1776]

Picked up this orange OR120, but it's got some odd qualities about it. It appears to be a reissue for all intents and purposes, but there's some stuff I've never seen. So here's a list of questionable things : in the font, the "A" and "N" are thicker like the vintage 70s amps and not skinny like on a normal reissue. The send and return start with a capital S and R which I've never seen on a non master OR amp vintage or reissue whereas the master volume version has capital on vintage and lowercase on reissue. The knobs don't have the black semi circle connecting the lines like on a vintage but look like a reissue. The serial number dates the amp to 1974 and is embossed unlike on the reissues where it's hand written. The transformers look old and very similar to the ones that were in my old 73 or80. The reissue ones do look similar but these look pretty old. The caps date to October 93, but the earliest dates I can find for a reissue is 1994. The impedence selector, voltage selector, amp shell, and pcb all seem to be reissue but it doesn't explain the half and half qualities which I've never seen. Any help would be much appreciated.

[bclaire]

Beautiful amp - makes me wonder if it was assembled from some older parts when the reissues came out.

Where are you located and how did you find it?

[Mike_TV1776]

Thanks billy! Located in California and picked it up on eBay with a really nice hardshell case. It shipped out of Oregon and the owner said he's had it for about 12 years. Never seen one like this and I enjoy doing my research on gear and orange amps specifically. Being assembled from leftover parts was what I was thinking. Maybe it's a really early reissue explaining the 93 caps and crossover cosmetic features.

[Gladmarr]

It's either a hodgepodge of spare parts cobbled together to make an amp or an early prototype for the reissues. A lot of the early Green Matamps from that period were made out of leftover Orange and Matamp parts from the 1970s, so that might be the case with this amp. The part that really worries me is your power transformer. That looks really messed up. The spacers between the core and the belt covers don't make much sense to me. How does it sound? Does it sound like a regular Orange amp?

[Mike_TV1776]

Thanks gladmarr! I was curious about the spacers as well, but everything is functioning normally. Having owned a few green matamps, I knew that they did use old parts to make "new" amps so I figured that was a high possibility. The amp sounds normal and other than some scratchy pots everything functions as it should and it'll get loud. The only bit of evidence I've found resembling this amp is on the second page of the 1994 catalogue scans that billy has generously provided. The amp at the top right corner that looks like a trapezoid because of the camera angle appears to be identical to this one. It's hard to tell because the picture is so small, but it's got the old font but no circle around the knobs. Can't see if the s and r on send and return are caps because the picture is blurry but the blob does seem a bit larger at the start of the words. Do the transformers look more like 70s or reissues to you guys?

[Gladmarr]

Your output transformer looks like a 90s output transformer to me. The power transformer is still a big question mark to me - because of those spacers. What does the lead dress for the power transformer look like inside the amp?

Also, the nut around the power switch is not normal for an Orange.

[Valvelust]

Here it is almost a year later but just noticed this is an amp I almost purchased in the area last year.
Things that came to my attention with the pics is look at the screw hole area with a repaint over a paint chip
and of course the stamped serial number instead of the hand written. My suspicion is it's rebuilt parts put together amp however still as great as ever!