Velvet ORMAT...

[a.hun]

Hi guys,

Redwal has posted about his beautiful OR100 Ser no 150 in the ser. nos. thread HERE.

Thought some more people might just be interested...


Andy.

[a.hun]

Pics:






Andy.

[OrangePaul]

That gives me an idea for recovering mine

[fiveightandten]

Cool old amps. Still has the original bulgin connector. I'd be curious to see under the hood of that one.

-Nick

[aedaza]

Drive : Studio ... Stage. Interesting! First time I see one like that!

[Gladmarr]

Drive : Studio ... Stage. Interesting! First time I see one like that!

Not terribly useful, unfortunately. Basically a volume pad and a bright switch. You aren't missing much.

[Redwal]

OK, sorry for delay. Here are photos on inside OR100 Matamp

[OrangePaul]

Looks like the same circuit board (or very similar to) that's in my '75 pix/text OR120 model....
Different transformers though. I see it still has original bias supply caps in there too. Maybe it's totally original!

[Gladmarr]

Looks like the same circuit board (or very similar to) that's in my '75 pix/text OR120 model....
Different transformers though. I see it still has original bias supply caps in there too. Maybe it's totally original!

Similar, not the same PCB. Transformers are partridge (made famous by the likes of Hiwatt & Sound City & to a lesser degree Simms-Watts). They sound like butter!

[sledz]

Hello.
I've found some info in mid 70's Matamp made some Orange OR100 amps and used Pennie transformers with black covers. Anybody can confirm that? Are these basically OR120 or at least very similiar? Does anybody recognise these transformers, original or not? No labels and numbers on them.







Generally, is it worth €900 or better to look for OR120?

[Gladmarr]

The amp you show is most likely made by Matamp, at least it looks like the way Matamp built things. I don't actually know who made those transformers, but it's likely Pennine Radio (who is still in business). Some of the amps were labelled "100" instead of "120" for some kind of import restrictions back in the 70s. So, that amp is basically an OR120, and might be worth less than the going rate because of that beer hole someone drilled in the top.

[sledz]

Thanks. I've already wrote to Pennie Radio, but don't know if they have any kind of documentation to recognise transformers without numbers. Maybe someone has identical. So it's OR120... Partridges are cult, but with Pennie instead of them it would still sound like mighty OR120, wouldn't it? At least they put it here.

[Gladmarr]

Thanks. I've already wrote to Pennie Radio, but don't know if they have any kind of documentation to recognise transformers without numbers. Maybe someone has identical. So it's OR120... Partridges are cult, but with Pennie instead of them it would still sound like mighty OR120, wouldn't it? At least they put it here.

Partridges were only in the original Orange/Matamp OR100 amps (and the OR200, but that's a different animal). There are several differences that make them sound different. I believe Pennine has been contacted in recent history about the Matamp GT120 transformers. Those should be the same specs. See if they can cross reference against them.

[a.hun]

Yeah Partridges were only used in early models. Interestingly I've seen very little info on other transformers used in vintage ORs, and have no idea what make were used in my '78 Overdrive. I do know that the choke is a Partridge, but only because it is a replacement due to the original one going microphonic and causing voltage spikes which kept blowing caps. That was a total horror to trace - very uncommon fault and it only showed when the amp was sitting on a bass cab really blasting it out. But eventually someone got to the bottom of it and a bit later we sourced and fitted a donor choke probably from an old Sound City or similar.

Be interesting to get some more info on transformer makes used by Orange over the vintage years, had never even heard of Pennine Radio!


Andy.

[sledz]

Thanks guys.
Pennine says these could be their transformers indeed but there was no serial number (their serial numbers are "M??? three numbers and possibly ending in a letter") and I have no chance to check it as somebody bought it few hours before me. What a pity.