Best Practice Amp Under $200: Orange Crush 20RT

[@decdel77]

Bought one of these in black, ditched my modelling amp, back to basics. Using a telecaster with a 4 way switch and an old Yamaha RGX with a HSH set up. Getting the best of all worlds now. Great video review, greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Hey thanks! And congrats - ALSO, greetings from across the pond!

[@ianhenry4046]

Excellent review, probably the best one on KZbin for this amp. It looks ideal for jam sessions, light and easy to travel with.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Thank you so much! You definitely hit the nail on the head - it's a great mini-amp that serves every purpose.

[@james.kaloki]

this is going to be my first amp acoustic player going electric

[@james.kaloki]

@Danny sathwik hey I changed and went with the boss katana mkii I'm not dissadpoined at all it wonderful

[@gregorywilson3318]

@@james.kaloki That’s too bad as the Orange is more inspiring to play especially if upgrading to the Orange 35 r/t which has the 10in speaker and handles the bass much better than the 20 r/t. I only say so for the Orange will get you a lot further in the long run depending on what kind of aspirations you might have musically. Either ways I do hope you are enjoying your choice and your exciting jump/transition to electric! Q” Which electric guitar are you going with?! If you’re not bothered may you also assist my curiosity, What tuning are you going to be playing in and what kind of songs are you wanting to play on electric?! Joyous blessings!!! ☯️

[@mattgibbs9576]

Great 👌 first amp. Not to say a lifer. I'm 57 and I'm buying my first one.

[@theodosios2615]

Thanks, I just bought one! Sounds amazing. I got the standard version, because I don't like reverb, and don't need the tuner. Definitely a sound all its own, does not sound like a straight tube amp, but warm and crunchy at the same time.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

It's pretty fantastic given the price point - we use them in our studios here and are consistently amazed at the tones we can get out of them!

[@pramesh.gurung]

do you play directly or use any pedals??

[@MasonMusicRocks]

For the demo we didn’t use any pedals- but you can definitely stack some pedals going in and get some rad sounds.

[@chrislykk]

This thing looks awesome. Just found one for $99! Thanks for the great review. Subbed

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Well that's a great deal! Congrats, and thanks for the sub!

[@aeoteroa818]

I bought one of these for 50$ and I absolutely love it. It's the best sounding affordable solid state amp I've played. The reverb is nice and the cleans with my g&l are nice and spanky but still smooth.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

What a steal! $50 is a crazy good deal. We agree this thing rocks for a solid state practice amp. Orange has figured it out!

[@BOBANDVEG]

Mine is awesome dirty with knobs at high noon covers 80% of rock......in a great tone lol

[@frederiks2015]

Just ordered. Thanks for the amazing review!

[@MsTooncesthecat]

You are the Bob Ross of tone demonstrations!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

AN ABSOLUTE HONOR

[@Doowopsid]

Looking to get one but I think you could play the phone book and it would sound awesome!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Ha thanks! Richy is a killer player!

[@Doowopsid]

How would you compare this Orange 20 to a Marshall MG30CFX which I can get used for under $100? Thanks

[@MasonMusicRocks]

@@Doowopsid They look very similar. The Marshall has a few additional build in effects it looks like. Other than that they will be similar in feature set. They'll just sound different as Marshalls and Oranges have different signature sounds.

[@antWales1]

Just bought one, having also considered the 35rt but for home use, this is more than loud enough. Great sounds, but would benefit from a bigger speaker. Nice reverb too.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Agree 100%. The 10” makes a big difference in the low frequency response.

[@eganruiz]

Amazing review! Thanks! Just ordered mine!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Thanks! Hope you love it as much as we do!

[@DerpRulesAll]

What sold me was how it sounds sparkling on clean Open Chords; I expected a great crunch sound.

[@TheMoneyMakingMentor]

I have one of these and I love it. It has a lot of power for a small amp.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

We're glad you love it! They're staples in our lesson rooms.

[@gwugluud]

All it lacks is a speaker cab jack. At the start, I was surprised it was a Tele. I thought it had to be a humbucker, lol. Orange amps are some good amps for hard rock, I sure gotta say that.

[@cj.lambert]

gotta ask, cant the headphone jack act like the speaker cab jack? I don't have a speaker cab but have the orange crush 20 and studio monitors and thinking to try with the headphone out jack to the studio speakers

[@tommyd688]

Bought a 20RT a couple of weeks ago.. Installed a Cab Out jack on the back and it is a very handy unit now.. The cleans are very nice.. The combo itself is so light and manageable sized and now I can plug it into most any cab .. It's a keeper for sure.. The reverb is good enough for the job. About the only con I can think of is it would be nice to have an effects loop, but I can manage that as this is just a minimalistic set up , The tuner is a waste of time which is irrelevant imo.. For what it's designed for I'd say it is a darn good unit. I've played for decades but this would be great for most beginners as you can get decent tones out of it right out of the box.. You can set the cleans and Dirt settings separate and can add a foot switch to go between them if you need it. Give a young beginner a Katana and they will become a modeler tweeker , instead of a guitar player.. lol This little rig is like plug and play...

[@jwadd8648]

Awesome review..have one on the way (along with a Epi LP 2). Hopefully can play half as good as you at some point..thanks!

[@PhillipAlcock]

Just got a Crush 20. Glad I didn’t get the Crush 35RT ‘cos the 20 is really loud in the room I use at home!

[@stormyweather2837]

How do like it does it sound like in this review?? I'm debating crush 20 or fender frontman 20g ...I really like how this sound is very round and thick and full.

[@stormyweather2837]

@neonthunderbird I got the orange crush 20 and it is awesome thanks for the tip ! 👍🙂

[@joseolmedo6528]

Great video!! The best review!

[@stormyweather2837]

What song you playing at 8:20 its sounds great !! I waa gonna buy fender frontman 20g but now i think i really like how this sound thicker and round !!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

I don't think that was any song in particular. Richy was just playing through some basic open chord progressions. Yeah these amps are great! You really can't go wrong with them!

[@craign3766]

Thanks for taking the time to review it. Mine ordered and coming next week. Sounds like just what I need for home use, especially using headphones when kids go to bed 👍

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Exactly! Funny story, I got two of these for my kids (10 and 8) for Christmas and I thought I would need to get headphones right away. However, I just love hearing them play so I'm asking them to turn it up! I know you're talking about the opposite problem (you bothering your kids), but wanted to share. Hope you enjoy the amp when it comes. Did you order from us? No guilt trip if you didn't, but just wanted to make sure you're aware we have these and ship in the US.

[@craign3766]

@@MasonMusicRocks really cool about listening to the kids. My daughter - 18 months - goes up and strums guitar and always smiles back at me, so looking forward to that. My four year old son loves music and pretending to play air guitar or the plastic guitar but shows little interest in guitar itself. However he "wants a ukulele to be like daddy" :) music is so important for them I think. I ordered it from rich tone music here in the UK 👍 Very happy with the sound for the price. Small issue where the tuner lights flicker sometimes (not when tuner is turned on) very faintly but no issue with the sound or anything.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Craig N that’s awesome to hear about your kids! No matter where we live, music is an important part of our lives! They see you doing it and think it’s cool- you’ll have to get them hooked before they decide “dad’s not cool anymore.” Ha! Best of luck to you!

[@SKY_DWELLER333]

Love this little series of amps. I have the 35 RT myself and it’s fantastic for home use as well as more than getting the job done at plenty of jam sessions. So easy to just grab and go. It’s definitely got that signature orange chunk.

[@SKY_DWELLER333]

Not to mention that underrated clean orange chime.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

We tend to agree! All of our lesson rooms are outfitted with them and we sell a ton to our students- gotta keep kids on the right track for rock and roll!

[@dimerocks123]

Damn, I'm surprised by how great this sounds.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

dimerocks123 right??? We use them in our lesson studios and take them to student concerts and mic them up on large stages for front of house all the time. Makes you wonder...

[@dimerocks123]

@@MasonMusicRocks I've seen other videos of the crush series and haven't been impressed. Great job 😎

[@MasonMusicRocks]

dimerocks123 thanks- these things have gotten better every year. There was a big jump in sound quality a few years ago when they brought some of the innards from the crush pro series into the crush stuff.

[@yuriyrash8398]

I have this little guy and a Fender Bassbreaker, I use Orange 90% of time 😄

[@Elchurrodurro]

I went with the Fender champion 20 simply because it's cheaper and sounds great especially with it being 80 rn and guitar center does price matching with sweet water so use that

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Good choice!

[@gerryk9]

great summary. thx. i bought one. sounds like a wall of sound when dialed in right

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Hey thanks! We agree- it’s all about dialing it in- you found the sweet spot.

[@unnamedfeeling7981]

Good amp just get it. Too loud for home and love it

[@andikaramadhan376]

Wow this lil amp is so kickin!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

I know! It’s crazy once you mic it up. I bet you could tour with one of these little guys, have a fake cab on stage and as long as you miced it yourself, no sound guy would ever notice.

[@andikaramadhan376]

@@MasonMusicRocks finally i've got mine arrived yesterday, for a practice amp.. this amp is soo loud! Hahahaha, i use mooer rada for cabsim and its perfectly match! I am gonna try mic-ing this lil beast, thanks for the good review :)

[@MasonMusicRocks]

For sure! Glad you got some new gear and are happy with it!

[@jimmyjames2022]

Thanks for this, great overview. Trying to justify a small practice amp with reverb that is loud enough for occasional group use, but cheaper than Katana, and Crush 20RT is one that always sounds good to me. In Canada it's only $40CAD cheaper than the Katana 50 MKII, which offers a lot more flexibility plus the 12" speaker. At that price trying to justify the Crush20RT is tough despite the great tones. If it was closer to $200 in Canada I'd snap it up. But the Crush 20 which is $200CAD is missing reverb and that's a deal breaker.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Well I just went and watched a Katana demo - I'll be honest, I wanted to hate it, but I just couldn't do it! It does sound pretty sweet and covers a lot of territory. If you've gotta have that Orange tone though, you should check out the CR35rt - it's a little more $$$ but a larger speaker and more wattage with reverb. Cheers on your tone quest!

[@ckallaher]

I have a lot of respect for the Katana series but one reason I might pick one of these up is the relative simplicity. For a true practice amp sometimes having too many features distracts from the actual practicing that I should be doing. Of course, in a perfect world I would have a roomful of amps and both this and the Katana would be in it!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Chris Kallaher totally agree- bells and whistles are nice at times, but usually on a practice amp are unnecessary and as you pointed out- distract from actual practice!

[@jessehernandez3688]

I just want to play my guitar got dammit

[@Suumac_]

Loved the review but what was the song or chords used for the clean channel demo? That sounded really nice

[@ReverendGuyWallis]

great video man. about to subscribe to you. im really debating on buying this, not that i have ANY question about the quality... more than im trying to justify spending the money haha but Orange is worth it.. good stuff

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Thank you so much for watching! It's a really great smaller amp - good for practicing in a smaller apartment-like setting or even gigging in smaller rooms. Let us know if you grab it :)

[@GaryTimms-p5j]

Love my crush 35, best sound practice amp for price, had crush 20 and liked it so decided to get larger 35 with 10 inch speaker, also headphone output also great sound quality, love how amp knobs react like a valve amp

[@elmershiflett8154]

Looks like I'm gonna need a noise gate

[@MasonMusicRocks]

haha - gotta love single coils...

[@Alfredo78666]

Matchbox Twenty is in da houz, baby!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Always! Rob Thomas is the man! Haha

[@Alfredo78666]

@@MasonMusicRocks Kyle CooK poprock riffmeister!

[@MasonMusicRocks]

@@Alfredo78666 Well I think I just found my new stage name!

[@pw5192]

just purchased this amp for my son , hes getting better at playing the electric guitar & is now signed up for music at college in our town , i for one love the Orange sound , im sure hes gona love it too , i am aware that for an orange fs2 footswitch it needs x2 cables to run it , i was thinking is a foot switch really needed or is it just for convieniance?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

This is awesome! Love the father/son bonding over gear! The foot switch is totally for convenience. You can switch the channels on the amp itself by hand.

[@monkeyxx]

10:33 best playing in the whole video

[@matt.noble05]

what chords were you playing in yhe clean demonstration??

[@nadavmat3032]

i play with g&l tribute legacy HSS , what can be better in clean the orange or vox gt15?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Totally depends on the flavor you like. Orange clean is a bit warmer/darker. Vox is chimey and bright.

[@bautista3004]

Hello, Great review! I have to decide between this amp or a marshal code 25. I have a prs with humbuckers and play mostly hard rock stuff like guns n roses or acdc. Which one do you recommend?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Hey thanks! We love this little guy (the amp too). So as much as we would love to recommend the Orange, I have to say the Marshall is going to be what you’re looking for- both of those bands used Marshall amps, so that’s going to probably be your ticket to the sound you want. You can’t go wrong with either option.

[@sarasegador8998]

50th like! Great review thank you. Question: with the foot switch, can you also plug in foot pedals like the loop etc

[@MasonMusicRocks]

I think you’re asking if you can use the foot switch as an effects loop- is that right? If so, unfortunately no. You will need to run your effects into the input of the amp, and have the foot switch plugged into the back.

[@sarasegador8998]

@@MasonMusicRocks so if I understand this properly. I can't plug a full pedal board set up on the foot switch input?

[@sarasegador8998]

@@MasonMusicRocks nevermind I just learned that you plug in the pedalboard to the guitar then through the amp... sorry I'm new at this 😅 Thanks for your help

[@MasonMusicRocks]

@@sarasegador8998 Hey no worries at all! It's confusing for sure. You're on the right path now. Ask us anything, anytime!

[@chad8928]

What is the riff in the intro? I’ve heard it before but can’t put my finger on it.

[@orchidmalevolence9726]

7:15 what song was that?

[@marmc05]

Do you think I could get some classic tones like George Harrison, BB King or Clapton, etc with this dirty channel?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

If you dial the gain back to just above breakup territory you can emulate it- but honestly you might be better off with a Fender to get that sound.

[@james.kaloki]

dude have you had the positive grid should I go with this or the spark I care more about tone advice?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Man! We need to check that out- looks super cool but we haven’t gotten our hands on one yet. Maybe at NAMM this summer!

[@bobbob4173]

I’m debating between this and the Marshall mg15gfx I like metal music so would like to play kind of stuff but also want good clean tone because I play pretty much whatever. I think I will go with this amp. What do you think? I will be playing this with a bullet tele if that makes a difference

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Man, for me, the Orange tone is the winner, but I'm a bit partial to a warmer sound. Metal can be done on either, especially if you have a good distortion pedal. Dig the bullet tele! If you move forward on this one, be sure to buy through our store so we can hook you up! Would love to connect with a youtube friend through a sale. ROCK ON!

[@bobbob4173]

@@MasonMusicRocks thanks for the response! I’m definitely going with orange amp. I would go with your store but there is a local store right near me where I get my stuff. I’ll look into it if I need something else though. Thank tou

[@MasonMusicRocks]

bobbob41 that’s awesome- please support your local shop, especially right now!!!

[@frasermckenzie937]

Im looking for something to play at home and sound good at low volumes. Is this worth it or should i go up to the 35rt or look at another amp?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Either would be great options! It depends on how loud you plan to play at home. Since you mentioned low volumes then I think the 20RT would be more than enough! The 35RT would just be a louder version mainly.

[@frasermckenzie937]

@MasonMusicRocks ahhh okay thank you! I was also looking at the Blackstar Debut range but not sure if the Orange is better?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

@@frasermckenzie937 We certainly love Orange here since we chose to be a dealer for them. I don't have any experience with the Blackstar products I'm afraid.

[@frasermckenzie937]

@MasonMusicRocks no worries that's great thank you!

[@nandu1770]

Can we get an iron maiden style tone settings on this?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Yes! Crank the gain and you’re there!

[@waterhead001]

can you use pedles with this amp if you want to? Is this amp pedle friendly?How many pedles can be uaes with this amp?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Definitely! There isn’t an effects loop, so you would just run them into the input of the amp, but that’s totally fine. Anything you want to use would work. I’d start with some reverb, distortion, delay, fuzz, and get crazy from there.

[@seanarmao7385]

You have $500 to buy a practice amp. One that most likely, you will use headphones 90% of the time. You also prefer 80s hair metal over any other style?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Sean Armao is this a hypothetical scenario that we are living in? I’m confused but I want to play along...

[@BOBANDVEG]

The orange is awesome. And it has 4x12 cab emulator out to headphones or cab

[@nadavmat3032]

can i play with acoustic guitar on this amp?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

You can- for sure. It’s just not going to sound like an electric guitar. Some people dig that sound though- check out Monty Montgomery for an acoustic player who uses amps.

[@richardrios3049]

😎👍

[@jw42105]

Is it good to use with headphones connected to it. Thanks

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Good to hear that! Perfect for apartment rock!

[@alinterieur346]

Is it a tube Amp?

[@MasonMusicRocks]

No tubes! Solid state.

[@leeshery1850]

11:05 who knows this song?

[@dirtywater5336]

I hated this amp. Bought it out of impulse and had it 4 months before I sold it. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't. It was lifeless and flat sounding like I was plugged into a cheap little radio. I cranked the bass ALL the way up and it still sounded thin. It did have a decent Orange "crunch" and sparkly cleans but that's about its only highlights. Gain under 5 was nonexistent, reverb over 5 was way too springy, and the on-board tuner was useless. It never worked for me. I just ended up growing frustrated and throwing on my clip-on tuner. I'm not a fan of the knob placement on Orange amps either. What sense does it make to put them in the back, recessed under the cabinet and facing up? You can't see your settings unless you're directly over it because the knobs block them. I was glad to be rid of this amp

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Tell us how you really feel! But for real - we appreciate your honest input on the amp. I agree the small speaker can be a bummer if you're looking for a lot of low frequency power. That's hard to find on many practice amps. Did you find something else that you ended up liking more? We'd love to know so we can look into it. Also- on the tuner, we haven't had the same issues, so I'm curious what specifically your issues were - were you using standard tuning or an alternate tuning? I think it's only capable of standard. And the knobs do take some getting used to - they model them after their higher end amps that are mostly head and cabinet units, so the translation to combos gets a little wonky. Anyway, thanks for dropping us a comment! We always love talking with other gear-heads even if you don't love the same gear we demo. Cheers!

[@adriansvarela]

You get what you pay for

[@totljag1]

What did u end up getting ?

[@dirtywater5336]

@@adriansvarela $190, which is way overpriced for what you get. My 40 watt Fender Champ was $200 and 10x the amp. It has much better bass, a more ergonomic design, on board voicing that don’t sound too bad

[@dirtywater5336]

@@totljag1 I already had a Fender Champ 40, which sounds much better all around than the Orange. But my friend ended up getting a hold of a Marshall VS65 (valvestate) from the 90s that he couldn’t use so he gifted it to me.

[@matt.noble05]

this or boss katana 50?

[@Teen91Spirit]

Катана отстой! Я его продал и купил Оранж

[@tommyd688]

@@Teen91Spirit Same here.. Katana is just a pain in the butt.. Had a Kat100 for 3 years. Disliked it the entire time..

[@Beruang0707]

That buzz, are you sure it is coming from the amp? Mine does not buzz. You are playing a single pickup guitar, I think the buzz is coming from the instrument...so you should put the blame where it belongs. My PRS is handling this amp just fine, NO BUZZ. It has two split able humbuckers.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

I bet you're right! Single coils definitely introduce some buzz into the signal. I bet a PRS sounds nice through this little guy!

[@Beruang0707]

@@MasonMusicRocks I did experiment a bit around this, and yes, there is no buzz when I use the humbuckers, but as soon as I split the coils there is a significant amount off buzz. But the next day it also buzzed when playing with full humbuckers, but I used different cable, a low end cable. When I switched the cable the buzz disappeared again. So I think there are many things that can be the reason for amp buzzing.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

@@Beruang0707 I think you are correct! I've also had an issue with being plugged into a circuit that was servicing fluorescent lights, so there are definitely a lot of variables at play.

[@bonganimahlangu3085]

Damn what song is that riff from??

[@bestmodelcarparts]

That was so funny...AN EXCELLENT REVIEW AND I ENJOYED ALL...until you went for it on that Tele and it then...guess what...WENT SHARP! I do not play Teles for this reason. Teles go sharp as you play and that makes them Garbage.I uses to have a Tele that looked just like that one and gave it away in trade for labor to make my Gibson V in fighting shape once again! Play a Strat of any make, me...I love my Gibson V and my Ibanez saber from ol school, dayz! Cannot beat that with a stick! DUDE! Take a $99 Strat fake for a beginner and you will have a better luck than ANY Tele, period. Only my opinion...

[@MasonMusicRocks]

I guess to each his own! There are so many copies out there now- it’s crazy how good a guitar can be for so cheap. I’ll take a Strat or a tele! Both are killer options for some twang or blues.

[@bestmodelcarparts]

@@MasonMusicRocks Yes, but the guitars need to be gone through and made worthy of playing for more than five minutes. I am. metal dude so maybe that is my downfall here. Loved the review playing on an Orange amp. I have that amp on its way to my door in a couple days. I am going to play right through it on my custom built Ibanez saber and then once I have my Gibson V restoration completed, that one too. Yes, to each his own. I hope you like your Fenders!

[@jerrycucu5882]

To mousy not clarity

[@Korazonsan69]

wtf you need more views

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Kenny thank you! Help us out and share with your friends- we’ve been working for years to reach 1,000 subscribers and we’re so close!

[@davidpresley4255]

Talk to much. Duhhh moments. Just wanna hear it

[@hobiecat901]

You are using More than Just the amp. You have Mics and running through other speakers. Not a very good review my opinion. I wanted to know about the amp, not all the other equipment.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Hey Russell! Thanks for the comment - I think there may be a slight misunderstanding. The mics we used in the studio were selected to represent the actual true sound of the amp as clear as possible. The only speakers the sound is running through are the speakers on your end (your iPhone or laptop or speakers). We just tried to capture the sound as raw as possible with no processing. Hope that helps! It really does sound this good!

[@hobiecat901]

@@MasonMusicRocks Okay. No I did not understand it. I did go and try out this amp and wound up buying it. Haha I do like it, a Great amp in my shop for testing guitars after I have worked on a couple so for. Thanks.

[@pcmountaindog]

Yak yak yak, 7 minutes in and you are still talking. More demo and less talk. 3 eq controls, input jack, reverb, gain, clean. That's it say it once in about 30 seconds then, let's hear the thing. I would never waste another second of my time on one of your reviews. You must are getting paid by the minute or something.

[@MasonMusicRocks]

Hey Smokey! I wish we were getting paid for these! haha. I'll take the feedback into consideration for our next videos to be more playing heavy and less talking. Cheers!

[@eganruiz]

If you don’t like it, just go and watch another channel. Don’t be a hater dude!

[@jevonwhite5193]

I thought the talking was useful, explaining what I needed to know. It was talking with purpose, unlike other videos that ramble on. It was good for me!