What Is The "Orange" Sound?

Orange Amps have had a massive impact on the music world for over 50 years, but what is the "orange" sound?
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[@juiceneck69]

orange is like marshall’s younger brother that went to jail for a few years and gets in fights

[@coopergoss350]

Lmao

[@klee_of_c8082]

Damn that’s funny!

[@nikolaus2688]

I rather think of it as Marshall's younger brother who went to college, developed a taste for sophistication, and the finer things, but still looks up to its biker big brother.

[@dorianford6227]

What a perfect description man

[@brandonharris9160]

@@nikolaus2688 way more accurate

[@RickBeato]

Great view video! Especially the amps from my studio :)

[@felipetroccoli7809]

you've got the good stuff rick!

[@RhettShull]

I’ve got dibs on the Matamp

[@Claviceptic]

@@RhettShull doom away, friend

[@shanebrbich5698]

Hello Rick! Was wondering what was going on! 👍🇦🇺

[@bobbystereo936]

@@RhettShull How bout what is the musicman amp sound?

[@MattMcloughlin]

When I think Orange, i think fuzzy, hairy, and intentionally "loose" sounding, without any pedals to get any of those characteristics. It's why they work so well for doom, sludge and old school sounding rock/metal.

[@eto_fedos]

Matt Pike's guitar is what I think Orange sounds like

[@Syklonus]

"Crackly and flabby" is the term that comes to my mind. This is in a good way of course.

[@sirkayda7205]

I think they're more throaty and vocal compared to Marshalls.

[@AlbertoLawant]

I mean Oranges are great even for modern metal stuff. The Rockerverbs have a really tight low end and mids. Jim Root from Slipknot has been using them for years

[@iloveitall]

The same to me. It is horrible how undefined they are. Always fizzy and overpriced.

[@MLGballyMeisterSamBall]

The best thing about Orange amps, outside of that they sound ace, is that my wife was like, ooh, that looks nice, when I bought one home instead of giving the incoming object an accusing scowl.

[@smirgyjoker2484]

Just bought my orange amp (bass 25) and I'm loving it. The looks and the nice fuzz tone is to die for (I may have a new addiction).

[@unclefoiley819]

I bought my wife a Orange practice amplifier. She loves it. I steal it occasionally and now I'm gonna buy one. Lol!!

[@allan-shephard]

Haha. Now I have to try this. For science of course :D

[@JRoss-zxzx]

Lol. Good to know

[@laa0fa502]

You can buy both micro terrors too because "it's so cute you have matching amps on your speaker!" And too be fair it is

[@gollumthewicked]

To me, a big part of the orange sound is how all the vintage models kept the EQ network early in the circuit (just after the first gain stage). Sure, early Marshalls were the same way, but Marshall copied the fender tone stack design (which was directly pulled from the RCA manuals), while Orange ran a slightly different variant, in which instead of the bass (and mid) running in series with the treble it runs more in parallel, with both bass and treble wipers feeding the next gain stage. But what does that matter or mean? Well in practice the 5F6-A Bassman/Fender circuit has an EQ with much cleaner segmentation. If you lower the treble, only the high frequencies from about 1-2k upwards are altered. By contrast, when you lower the treble on an OR120, the lower frequencies actually INCREASE. Now, this might not mean much since you can always "turn the bass down" to suit, but it's important to point out again that this tone stack is EARLY in the circuit. The Orange amps are known for their warm, sometimes fuzzy tone, and I think this is part of it. Unless you have the FAC and boost removing MOST of the lows, and the treble knob CRANKED, it's giving you lots of low end that feeds into the real gain stages (the OR120 has three gain stages in total). Simply put, it's actually rather difficult to get clean/tight bottom end through the circuit when cranked. As to the point about Oranges having "more mids". I think Rick and Rhett started getting to the real point when talking about the shift of the mids. Many people find Marshall amps (especially the JCM800, which has an EQ late in the circuit and a cathode follower design), to be VERY mid-heavy amps, but the mids are in a completely different frequency range. As one might expect, Matamp coming from a background of making radio amps and similar, the OR120 produces very even mids, and if you put a spectrum analyzer on it, you'll see there's little, if any, mid db boost over the low frequencies, and the mids largely follow with the lows. By comparison, Marshalls have a mid push, but it's way up around 800-1k, and if you "cut" the mids, it only has a significant impact around 600hz+. The guitar is a mid-focused instrument, and we've come to expect that emphasis from most amps, but the orange amps have a strong presentation of the 200-500hz range, which is a bit different than most. This is really where that "more mid" thing comes from. It's not "more", it's just a lot less of upper mids than we're used to, which gives it this real throaty honk that's unique. To me, that's the "orange sound".

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

Well it is more on the 200W ones!! Those will take the curls out of your hair when cranked! (

[@Mike_Jones68]

Great write up on the history here

[@Vishnu-xn4vx]

That classic throaty mids of the Doom Metal scene 😋

[@cocvhecv]

This is the greatest comment I've ever read on youtube

[@ag6478]

This is the smartest thing I've ever heard in the amp community

[@DavidDiMuzio]

I'm so glad you're making a video about these amps. I've seen them around for years but I've never really understood what their "Sound" was.

[@guitaristssuck8979]

"Him" who? "Them" who?

[@guitaristssuck8979]

@@Bacardi_shake he's trying to...

[@whatyoumakeofit6635]

@@guitaristssuck8979 tim too ? Whim whoo ?

[@guitaristssuck8979]

@@whatyoumakeofit6635 lol

[@spacejamgoliath]

@@guitaristssuck8979 dude does being an asshole make you feel better? Its obvious what he meant

[@ArturBrzozowski444]

4:36 Wild Rick Beato appears and starts turning up the knobs

[@williamhively3295]

This comment made me FF to it. Ha!

[@GeoZero]

Would be funny to see a whole series where Rick Beato shows up randomly at studios and gigs and turns up knobs. :)

[@chrisattigliato1]

😂😂😂

[@DIYTFY]

Dick Beatoff

[@jackson63]

lol I saw him, took me by complete surprise lol

[@fivewattworld]

Man you got got some great guitar sounds here! Very interesting.

[@ShamanicSavant]

Well, there goes your "Orange Amps: A Short History" :)

[@jordandangelo180]

That would be an awesome episode of Short History Of....I can’t think of a much better brand to do a short history on that hasn’t already been done that has such a storied history. A Short History of Dumble would be the ultimate. But the Trainwreck and Tube screamer episodes are my favorite. I’ve been watch five watt world since the beginning and I always knew it was an intellectual notch above most other guitar content. Keith reminds me of a really cool College professor that you learn a lot from and act silly enjoy their lectures.

[@camdaman93]

PLEASE TURN THIS INTO A SERIES!!!! So good and so much info, love the addition of Rick to get the more vintage stuff and explain as well. Marshall sound??? Mesa??

[@carnovector6396]

I would eat that shit right up too

[@sunnaki]

+1 to this please!

[@Austin_Bourque_]

I don’t think he’d do the scooped mid thrash sounds of the mesa mark series which is “the sound”

[@david10006]

The first time I ever spotted Orange amps was the very first time I heard/witnessed Black Sabbath in an old video of them doing "Paranoid", after that I always associated the name with the coolest guitar sound on earth.

[@justicefxx]

a common misconception though, it was back line promotional equipment the tv studio was outfitted with. Tony was, has always been exclusively Laney Amps. I got an Orange anyway. ;)

[@firemarshal2629]

Yea sadly tony has said several times they never played orange amps live

[@BigTyronie]

Theres a video of tony playing an orange pre sabbath in the band earth. He was played the clip and went oh, i guess ive used them a bit. Debunked

[@abhinandanmandal4754]

I love the fact that this is kinda becoming a series

[@RhettShull]

It’s definitely becoming a series

[@joseph_lacy]

Rhett Shull hell yeah!

[@liamouziel211]

@@RhettShull oh fuxk yea lets go

[@fadeskywards1245]

@@RhettShull Yeaah

[@boyscoutguitarist3921]

@@RhettShull lol

[@russv380]

Brings back memories. I bought my 1962 Strat in the Orange shop around 1975. I later purchased an Orange 120w 'Graphic' amp (top amp in video) from a shop further along Charing Cross Road. It was built like a tank!

[@Mishkacat123]

I also bought a graphic 120 from them in '74 and still have it and it still works perfectly!

[@chronicalcultivation]

Orange amps sound like they're giving you a big warm hug, while also flipping you off

[@alexjauxier]

This comment wins

[@michaelcraig9449]

What a soyboy thing to say

[@juanes8931]

@@michaelcraig9449 tf does that mean

[@Luke-yv6uo]

@@michaelcraig9449Oh look, a clown throwing around the term “soy boy” for no apparent reason. Not a surprise coming from a chunker who wears fedoras.

[@cr4shmycar118]

For me, Orange is forever tied to The Pillows. Like so many other American fans, I first heard their music in FLCL, and it blew me away with how amazing it is on its own and how integral it is to the feeing of the series. The legendary riff of Ride On Shooting Star, the determination and defiance of I Think I Can, the driven melancholy of Last Dinosaur, all of them are ingrained into my brain. I can never forget The Pillows, and Orange is one of the things that made their distinctive alt-rock shine.

[@oobernoober7617]

Same with me man, the moment the amp was turned on I immediately heard The Pillows! Amazing music used for FLCL and great J Rock Beatles inspired sound!!

[@geetarman513]

Rhett is such a good guitarist, you could plug him into an 80s solid state Crate and it would sound good

[@ivolkovs88]

Orange are quiet popular in japanese rock (not jrock). progband "toe" uses Orange too. Well oranges are popular throughout prog bads

[@PaintingTableVideos]

Hearing the old vintage Orange amps makes me appreciate my Tiny Terror combo amp even more for sounding so true to its origins :) Love that Orange sound!

[@TwinCitiesOxygen]

Are the Tiny Terrors most similar to the vintage stuff? Do you know if any other modern models come close to the vintage sound?

[@CharlesWillisBonsai]

@@TwinCitiesOxygen AD30

[@justfortier]

@@TwinCitiesOxygen I'd say the OR15 more than the Terror. I love my Terror, but it's a bit dark and doesn't quite have the same clarity.

[@auntjenifer7774]

I don't think the terror sounds like vintage orange at all, any of the terror amps ! The OR15 however sounds exactly like Vintage orange amps all the way so🫡

[@jasonkhavari4792]

I love Orange amps, they're my favorite brand by far. Great idea for a video to talk about what exactly the Orange "sound" is though, because it's tough to pin down. When I think of it, I always think of a more gritty, fuzzy type of the typical 60's British overdrive sound. And it's almost like these amps "ghost" what you play, like a super quick delay of sorts. It's a thick, but spacious sound overall.

[@georgefromgreece4119]

Spot on comment!

[@johnashmore3560]

You’re such a great storyteller Rhett. Truly. You and Rick are getting me through this pandemic. Keep it up!

[@johnfrenette]

John Ashmore tack on Tom Bukovac and it really doesn’t feel all that bad staying in and laying low

[@cdemike7517]

Also WAY into this becoming a series. That Hiwatt on the rack gets me thinking about a potential future episode...

[@c.f.mixolydian8926]

DEFINITELY! I feel like Hiwatt doesn’t get the recognition that they deserve. Like cmon, Pete Townshend, and David Gilmour (among others)? Hiwatt definitely deserves a video, no discussion...

[@saintrhoads3375]

EP.33 "What is the Kemper Sound?"

[@Gman-df5ft]

Absolutely hiwatt rocks hard!

[@jayh.8676]

+1 on the Hiwatt

[@Cole-ek7fh]

i want a sovtek amp episode.

[@andyp5743]

Orange amps and Wolfmother riffs! That’s all you need. 😆

[@AJvsEverything]

I was looking through the comments hoping someone would mention the song, and as soon as you said Wolfmother I could hear the lyrics that go with the riff...I knew I recognized it, but I'm bad with picking out songs from riffs...

[@effdpaul1815]

My main amp in the early 70s was a 100w (130w) Orange head with a 4x12 cab packed with Altec Speakers. This amp did not break up until turned almost all the way up. It did cut through the crowd in big clubs (I wasn't allowed on the PA system). It did have a great sound when paired with my Gibson SG or with a strat. Very reliable amp most important, it never caught on fire!

[@DonnDeVoreMusic]

I love an Orange! my first cabinet was an old Orange 4x12. I got it used for $100 in 1989. it painted black but it sounded good. I didn't know what it was so I traded it for a brand new Crate 4x12 a year later... huge mistake. years later in the 2000s I recorded a lot of Orange amps in studios working with bands. always loved that thick sound. never sell gear kids. you'll always regret it. just keep hoarding.

[@georgewilliams9531]

Your absolutely right I traded a 1969 Marshall super lead in the late 80s for rack gear GSP 2101 from digi tech when the rack systems were all the rage..and I'm still crying I still have all my Ibanez pedals from 1981 including the tube screamer I had all those pedals in a box in my attic and they still work

[@thejoetandy]

The 2 X LTD edition Musicman Stingrays I sold when times were (temporarily) tough hit me hard whenever I think about selling gear. Sell kidneys, keep gear

[@jcarroyo200181]

Surprising I read your message now I am keeping my Orange Amp its loud using my 4x12 Marshall vintage cab

[@jordandangelo180]

I have an a OR15 I use as my main amp with an Orange 1x12 cab. I also own Fenders, Katanas and I’ve owned Marshall’ and Vox’s. Every time I’m ready to pull the trigger on a new amp I think is better or cleaner sounding I plug straight into the Orange and I wind up not buying a new amp. I play it with pedals but I truly feel it’s one of the only amps you can really play without any pedals and get a full range of tones on a single channel. If you use your guitars volume knob a lot this is the amp for you. The dynamics are incredible.

[@georgefromgreece4119]

Indeed! Nicely said!

[@FantasticExplorers]

"I've got my Orange Crush" - R.E.M.

[@stufftie88]

First Song I played on my crush 120H ;)

[@johnharvey4448]

Does the song use an Orange amp ?

[@justinberry1035]

From first hear i love the orange sound its almost mesmerizing,but has a darker,fuzzy tone to it kinda reminds me of an old black and white movie. I think im gonna get one as my first amp

[@auntjenifer7774]

Did you get any orange amps !? The crush get rave reviews by I didn't get along with my CR120 head and every one with their smaller cr20 and cr35 have had them blow up, burn up and pop power sections and pop caps in the pre amp section. My orange CR120 head even popped a cap in the pre amp section and I fixed it by replacing it and then sold it😅 Just gambled on an OR15 head so we'll see what happens after a good burn in😂

[@davegoodridge9458]

So happy you mentioned Mat. I met him back in the early 70s when I was at high school, our fledgling rock band decided we wanted to record an EP and Mat had a little studio behind Radiocraft (which was a little shop selling valves and parts for TVs and radios run mainly by his wife). The studio cost £3 per hour so we saved up (£3 was 12hrs work at my supermarket part-time supermarket job!) and recorded our epic over three evenings. We all used AC30s at the time (guitar bass and organ) and as lead player I always used my amp at full whack so I could sound like my heroes - Mat insisted we play quiet! Don't worry I'll add some reverberrration (he used to roll his Rs). Over the nine hours we could afford he recorded our efforts on a Toshiba 4 track and finally handed us each a shiny acetate cut on the machine he had in the tiny control room. He was a true gent and treated us five spotty school kids with utmost respect. I met him again a couple of years later in his workshop where he demonstrated his latest design a guitar combo which he said came in either 2X10 or 1X15 - it was the first time I'd seen an amp where you could change between clean and high gain with a footswitch, I swear to this day it's the best sound I've ever heard - you can have one for £450 he said but I'd just gone into debt spending £300 on a Fender Twin (which now lives under the stairs) so I had to refuse, what a mistake!!

[@ptfsndsw7028]

Awesome story, thanks for sharing.

[@jasonpoole3723]

Thank you for showing what I've always loved about Orange amps. Their versatility. Fell in love with how they respond to pedals and the gain stages themselves having played one when I was a youngun.

[@arthurmee]

Great video. As a teenager in the late sixties and early seventies I remember Orange amps appearing for the first time at our local rock gigs in the UK. Previously it was Marshalls, Hiwatts and WEMs . . . all black and then the eye catching orange made its appearance locally round about 1973. When I hear that classic Orange tone it takes me back to that time.

[@hoagyguitarmichael]

Great history lesson. It brought back memories. When I was thrown out of The Netherlands in 1969 (long story), I went to London and sold my Fender Pro Reverb at the original Orange store. A little while later, I saw the original Fleetwood Mac at a high school gym in London and they were playing a wall of Orange amps.

[@wchristian2000]

PLEASE tell more of this story

[@hoagyguitarmichael]

@@wchristian2000 I was stopped by the police for busking in the streets of Amsterdam. My passport had fallen out of my pocket earlier, so I was arrested and tossed in jail overnight. They let me out the next day to get a new passport and get out of the country. There is much more but it is for my memoirs ;-)

[@eaustin2006]

This video reminds me of my first job as an electronics tech. I worked for a music store that sold Crate amps. My full time job was repairing Crate amps. They ALL blew up. I would hear guys in the store testing them all day long. Lots of Uriah Heep and AC DC. I was suicidal after a year.

[@rpavich]

I just bought there little tiny practice amp and I'm in LOVE with the orange sound. A tele with an Orange amp is a match made in heaven

[@tomseiple3280]

I have always adored the Orange drive sound. The first time I heard it was on Switchfoot's Nothing is Sound, and I just fell in love. I describe it as a super organic crunch. It's more present than a Marshall with a bit more punch and bite. Whatever it really is, it's my favorite rock sound.

[@keithpennington6141]

That is my favorite album of all time!

[@darrenyoung2025]

Switch foot? WOW

[@seanjazzguitar]

I’m a jazz guitarist and I came across a little orange crush bass amp years ago. When I lived in New York it was my go-to for restaurant gigs and clubs with no pro sound. What a tough little amp, it gave me that fat, fuzzy, loose sound I wanted without a pedalboard. Great amps.

[@mattjones7226]

Got mine a little bit ago and just got my Warwick back from getting some hardware work and a setup done. Can't wait to jam.

[@auntjenifer7774]

My bass player friend grabbed one and brought it over to try out in the basement and it was 50 watts and couldn't keep up with my 50 watt marshal 😂we were like disappointed 😮

[@RC32Smiths01]

Orange Amps have definitely become a mainstay in the line of guitar amps of this age! Really glad to see you go more in depth to this!

[@strondbokken]

Rhett, your videos are incredible. I love how you and Rick randomly seem to meet up and vibe, too. Top tier production, solid topics, and the videos are always engaging and informative. Keep up the great work, sir!

[@craigridley9618]

No need for orange to rerelease the or120- Matamp is still making their amps in Huddersfield, UK. Albatross by Peter Green/ Fleetwood Mac was recorded with an s2000. that clean is just mind melting for me. The current equivalent is an s3000 (they basically changed the depth selector to a potentiometer). That said, they still make fuzzy doom monsters, like the gt120! a good place to hear them being pushed is Dopesmoker by Sleep!!

[@pahema472]

Hartley Peavey founded Peavey Electronics in 1965, having built his first amplifier in 1957. Peavey Electronics is privately owned. (Wikipedia) How is it you "Americans" always forget this monster AND legendary amp manufacturer when you talk about amps? What would blues, rock and metal music be without the sound of a Peavey? How many got their early chops through a Peavey Bandit? Don't even get me started on the Classic, the 5150/6505, the XXX/JSX(3120/XXXII), the Butcher, the Windsor, the Valveking, the Vypyr, Invective, and don't let's forget aaaallllll those amazing bass amps ... ... sheesh ... I'm out of breath, ... I gotta go ... cheers from Downunder ... \m/

[@DJPenguino51]

You forgot the Mace which really put Peavey in the spotlight in the 1970's. Lots of Southern Rock bands used the Mace.

[@gregmoss8253]

Shh, they're still affordable!

[@fredstevens799]

@ Pa HeMa: yah, I've got an early VTA-400 (Super Festival Series) monster - 200 RMS watts with 4 15" speakers in two matching Peavey cabs. Used to use it as a bass amp (wall art now...) - awesome sound! I sent a pic of it to Mr. Peavey and he sent a story about how he designed it (it has the the first intentional preamp tube overdrive) after hearing and buying an early LPB-1 single transistor boost/overdrive pedal from Mike Matthews at NAMM and taking it apart in his hotel room! He said it blew minds at the next year's NAMM show when he introduced it! G'day mate!

[@Cole-ek7fh]

we don't talk about peavey because peavey is a league of it's own.

[@electromancer2645]

I've been using Peavy for years. Currently using a 6505+

[@kjylha]

what is "vox" sound mighty be good next on this series

[@GregoryPearsonMusic]

I would like to hear how a Vox could be optimized as well!

[@bobbylloyd9208]

I run my vox ac30 and or15 in stereo. It makes a rich tone. Having medium gain on the or15 and light gain on the vox, it is my favorite tone I have found.

[@LTD-7]

*Both my amps are Vox and you just can't get a better sound with on board effects that are superior to others! I also have a Vox Mini Stack that is totally sweet*

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

Mighty??

[@canuck81]

I always found Vox too heavy on the high frequencies. I prefer fender amps myself.

[@jameswestervelt6808]

I went to get a Fender amp for playing at home and ended up getting an Orange Rocker 32. I like it more that any of the Fenders I tried. Both channels sound awesome and it is really well built.

[@ShamanicSavant]

I did the same, but with a Rocker 15. Best cleans of any 15 watt amp I've tried and the most versatile tube amp out there for anything between bedroom and small venue gigs. I'm a hobby player at home with not a lot of extra space so I went for the 15 over the 32. I also really like Ade Emsley and his overall design philosophy so I got a few Orange pedals based on how much I liked the amp. Very happy with all of it :)

[@vincerusso5619]

Having owned all of the brands you mentioned, including many others, I am now exclusively using Orange amps. They provided me with the tone I’ve always searched for…

[@Mike-eq4ky]

Rhett, love the series! But I keep coming back to the same thought. While each of these amps has their own unique character around gain, breakup, frequency response curves and the way EQ - the various approaches to tone control - there is a key tonal element that is missing from the discussion. The speaker(s) and cabinet you play the amp through. A Celestion Greenback vs. a JBL or Eminence goes pretty far to defining the Marshall or Fender sound as much as whether an amp is running EL34's or 6L6's. How about "What is the sound?" as another series!! Maybe do that with Rick Beato as well. I'd love to see you take a Fender, Marshall, Vox, etc and do some cabinet swaps and comparing the number and size of speakers (say 10" vs 12") 1x, 2x, 4x (ok, we'll skip the 3x Bassman(?) right now) and open back vs. closed back with a variety of Celestions, Eminence, JBL, etc. That would be really interesting. Then amp clean, preamp breakup, power tube breakup, and speaker breakup.

[@mattscott5931]

Good video so far, Orange amps sound great, but more importantly, I love that Orange is leading the game in trying to make smaller and smaller giggings amps. Just bought a terror stamp and it's the best amp I've owned.

[@lablondes]

Nice to watch . I recorded in the Orange studio which was in basement under the shop in June 1969. I put my 61 SG Special through a OR120 head with 4x12 cab . It really rocked the room !!

[@Jaggedknife11]

"Slabo day" at the beginning. excellent taste Rhett! R.I.P Peter Green.

[@karlvonpackal1402]

I was going through the comments just to make sure someone mentioned the legend... so thank you.

[@jimmymarchisotto8152]

I own the Orange Rocker-32. All my favorites components are in it! 2- 10 inch speakers and EL84 tubes! Also, is got a STEREO effects loop so with one amp I can get STEREO EFFECTS or a wet dry mix by miming both speakers! Great idea and I don't always HAVE to bring my two amps the Orange combo and a Marshall combo.

[@louderthangod]

I really appreciate how much you focused on Mat Mathias...it seems he’s often overlooked and then have an actual Orange/Matampis great. I have a pair of Mat’s and nothing is like them. I wish Orange made something with that older amp sound but even the OR50 is waaaaaay different.

[@stumitsuko]

Matamp is the answer if you want that original old Orange sound. They still make them 100% by hand just outside Huddersfield, UK.

[@louderthangod]

stumitsuko I know, like I said, I have two and used to have a third....I just think a lot of folks would like it if Orange made an old school sounding OR120....hell, they could even team up with Matamp again.

[@stumitsuko]

louderthangod I had a Matamp GT1 that I reluctantly had to sell, it was incredible. I’ve spent quite a few hours talking with Jeff, the owner of Matamp and I’d say it’s highly unlikely that they would team up with Orange again. The split between the companies occurred because Cliff Cooper wanted to cut corners and bring the cost of manufacturing down and Mat wouldn’t compromise on quality.

[@BubSands]

The orange sound is: Peter Green

[@weezerman2002]

Orange is absolutely a legendary tone. I’d take Orange over Marshall any day.

[@ShamanicSavant]

@Rhett - You seem like a genuinely decent guy so I'm glad the YT thing is working out for you. Your natural humility is also a good counterbalance to Rick Beato's lack of it. I know he makes up for it in other ways, I just think you guys are a great compliment to each other :)

[@GuitarDoodles]

I've used Orange amps (Rockerverb 50 and OR15) more than any other brands for playing live and this video is awesome with great historical information. Thanks Rhett!

[@Soldano999]

How does the OR15 sounds at low volumes ? Is it appartment friendly or not really ?

[@spitzerhall]

40 Years ago i‘d played an Orange Top on a Marshall Cabinett and it sound like Black Sabbath and LZ at best times ! Dark gain, great clean Sound and extreme Overdrive - Love this sound Man !! And what about the all time Favorit : Jazz Chorus 120 ?? One of the best Amps on this Planet!!

[@misterknightowlandco]

The Orange sound, to me, is the sound of an EHX Big Muff into an amp with tons of low end 😆. Doooooooooom

[@guitaristssuck8979]

Close enough

[@saintrhoads3375]

Yes, except the existence of a mid-range

[@Ae0liann]

Nice pfp

[@pahwraith]

@@saintrhoads3375 so an sd1/ts9 into a big muff. Gotcha.

[@saintrhoads3375]

@@pahwraith or a deluxe muff 😂

[@wakjob961]

Orange "cleans" will surprise the heck out of even the most diehard Fender nut....like me.

[@vruz]

I approve this message.

[@vruz]

@SplinterCellRocks Oranges are good for you.

[@TheElrondo]

Even i don't want to agree... It's the truth. I was totally baffled when tested an Orange amp clean.

[@justsomemincedgarlic]

The clean tones are the whole reason I bought the ad30 twin channel. Beautiful clarity

[@harrysachs2274]

There is a KZbinr named Mary Spender (I think that's her last name), she uses orange amps exclusively She gets wonderful clean tones from her amps.

[@chzzyg2698]

I really like the Orange sound. It's like a clean open kind of sound that fits my style. I don't own one yet, but I plan to someday. Last time I was in the market for a new amp, the Orange combo's didn't quite do what I was hoping for. Might have to go for the head instead.

[@BOBANDVEG]

Save yourself the money. Just buy micro terror , and feed through clean. I love the tone, but they're not exactly versatile. No matter what you do with they're products it's always orange sounding

[@tuomas_]

"You should have gone for the head." -Thanos

[@AcaRadio]

Orange amps were also made very popular by legendary German television show "Beat-Club" (later "Musikladen"). Almost every act that played live in the show from late 1969 to 1973-4 would be plugged in the Oranges - Eric Burdon & War, Ike & Tina Turner, MC5, Free, Jethro Tull, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath...following the success, Orange decided to open a German subsidiary.

[@JCMayPE]

I really like Status Quo's April, Spring, Summer and Wednesdays from Beat Club.

[@williamstamper442]

Dang im from Detroit and the MC5 is pretty much this sound

[@joslinnick]

My friend plays in an Appalachian thrash punk band, and he loves his Orange Rockerverb Mk III. He spoke highly of the built-in attenuator, and the only pedal he uses is a tuner. All of his tone comes from the guitar, his playing style, and the Rockerverb.

[@tonecontrol]

10 gold stars for playing Peter Green ❤️

[@richardamidon3381]

Rhett great call on the Peter Green Slabo Day tune!

[@Octopus502]

Matamp's still around, and building amps. You know those Green amps? They aren't "some copy" they are the real deal, they are matamp's "reissue" line.

[@OCTAVEDIVIDER]

Aren't they pricey as hell tho??? As in seriously drain the pockets for one?

[@sejrec56]

Wishbone Ash used these quite extensively in the 70s, and a very unique sound. Vintage tube tone but with a very musical quality, w the harmonics making each note sound like it’s a singing voice. Ash really had that ORANGE AMP SOUND imo.

[@rossscarbro4602]

I’ve got 3 Matamps- a GT1, a GT120 and an original 1972 “White Amplification” W100, which is essentially an Orange OR100

[@eddlabel]

I myself got an OR15 and it has its own character. The 15 watt category for me, as a hobbyist and not playing that loud is the right size. I would like to see a comparison video on how volume affects overdrive tones. Thanks a lot!

[@kewlbug]

plus 1 on the OR15. Switchable to 7watt and an effects loop. It's a great buy

[@bubkusjones]

@@kewlbug I'm looking at a Rocker Terror, can take it down to 0.5 watt so my neighbours won't kill me.

[@spudvader]

I have an OR15, it's a bit of a weird one. It sounds kinda thin in a band situation but only if you stand next to it, I recorded a jam we had and it sounded great, pretty chunky. I had seen someone else had a similar issue on the orange forums, who knows

[@megamania501]

@@spudvader I also had an OR15 that I ran through an Orange 2x12 cab. I went to a jam and the other guitar player had a 60watt combo Line 6. For some reason his guitar could scream in a way that my rig couldn't. I just couldn't get enough high-end out of it. After messing with the settings forever I was convinced that the OR15 just didn't have the capability to scream like I wanted an amp to. I decided to get another amp, and on the day I was going to trade in the OR15 I decided to play it one more time, this time through the 1x12 cab. There it was! The OR15 just didn't have the power to push the 2x12 enough which resulted in that "blanket over the cab" sound, but with the 1x12 Orange cab it screamed! However, my mind was made up to get a new amp so I still traded it in.

[@ericwong1972]

I changed the speaker out of my or15 to a greenback and it got less flubby when pushed.

[@mikechecka292]

As a bass player,I love Orange. Also enjoyed your Hiwatt and Vox videos (although it would have been nice if you would have touched on some legendary bass tones from these companies)

[@ianpritchard1000]

I think you and Rick are really underestimating how much gain an AC30 has

[@alexbitzan8747]

Absolutely! They won’t do metal, but they can do anything from zeppelin to AC/DC or even Van Halen!

[@bobbystereo936]

@@alexbitzan8747 hard to believe an ac30 was used on STP- Core,stooge's raw power& even paranoid.

[@chiaramusumeci9361]

exactly. just listen to the band Uzeda

[@emmaverse8816]

Alex Bitzan honestly they can do metal if you have active pickups and the right bassist

[@ernestbrumage8590]

What a great sounding amp!!! I've looked at these for years but had never even heard one, but thanks to this video, that issue is about to be fixed SOON!! Thanks for another great - and helpful - video.

[@markflemmer1326]

The closest I'll probably get to the OR120 sound is my Kuro Custom Audio R120 pedal. It is truly an amp-in-a-box, being the entire amp circuit with JFETS instead of tubes. It has an FAC and HF Drive, along with Baxandall tone stack. Gets pretty darn close to the real thing, including the clean settings. Giulio did a great job designing it, and also has his T120, which is a Matamp GT 120 in a box. Killer stuff, and no, I don't get paid to say that. Brian Mena at Menatone is one of the pioneers of designing pedals based on an entire amp, and I have several of his great pedals, but he doesn't have an Orange based pedal, which is why I turned to Giulio at Kuro. Both great guys, both make great stuff.

[@420scene]

Went to my local music store and played the Orange CR60C and was blown away. I play a lot of pop punk kind of music with a twist and the CR60C has this creamy, mix-range tone that I’ve been looking for…like for years. Way better than my old Marshall. Good stuff. And good video man.

[@jacobdoolittle124]

I love my CR60! A lot more versatile than most people give it credit for. I feel as if it gets put in a box, and people automatically assume it’s only to be used in doom metal! Lol I play a lot of 70’s-80’s rock and I feel as if it does a great job capturing that sound. For the 80’s style I use the onboard plate reverb and add a little delay with my Boss DD 3T, and man… I love it!!

[@420scene]

@@jacobdoolittle124 I think I saw BB King playing through an Orange and I figured it couldn't be the sound for me but I never heard the distortion so I was watching some videos and then I had to check it out myself and it was awesome.

[@stevengcarson]

My idea of "the Orange Sound" is Wishbone Ash - "Argus"!

[@patrickjones9278]

I never knew they used orange! i just assumed they would have used VOX or something. Still, thats actually really cool and argus is one of my favourites!

[@charliebe28]

Steve Carson: ~ The first that I ever heard of Orange amps was when Wishbone Ash had used them for their U.S. tour during the Summer of 1973. (Wishbone Ash only had a "cult following" in the U.S. during that period.) Some guy that I happened to meet at another concert around that time, whom had attended the Wishbone Ash concert, told me that the band was "using some odd amps that just said 'Orange' on them". It was years later before I actually _saw_ some of those amps myself. In the U.S., for a long time they were "just one of those seldom-seen boutique British amp brands" - , like, for instance, Laney Amplifiers.

[@scotthutchens1556]

Steve Carson Mine too! It was a while before I found out what they used on that album. To me the tone was even more British if that’s possible.

[@xki3000]

And when I heard the intro to this video, Argus popped right into my head. Saw them live 10 times. Warrior could be an Orange advertisement.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Early 70's amp distortion actually sounds heavier and huger than todays super high gain amps.. Often when an amp has real high modern gain, the tone gets way smaller, less punch, sounds like a hive of bees, the single note solos get small and almost disappear in the gain noise.. I like the hugeness, solid punch, and crunch of the older amps, like 1965-1972 best..

[@donkeydarko77]

I've found that getting a really rich, musical clean tone goes a long way to achieving the powerful crunch tone when you introduce the OD. So many people go for the bare minimum with a clean tone, or don't give it any thought at all.

[@gaborkun7290]

You had to crank those non-master volume amps to get a lot of distortion. Whenever I go to gigs where these oldschool monsters are played, I know my ears would be bleeding.

[@varanzmaj]

I have a Dual Terror head that's about 15 years old, and it's out of production and it's my favorite amp. If it died, and I couldn't repair it I don't know what I would do. Orange amps can do everything. They are extremely transparent, but at the same time they can do high gain, sparkly cleans and everything in between.

[@dmitrymashkov9379]

A huge thanks for explaining amps' sounds. I have had only rough idea of what different amps actually differ in for years

[@jeffmcloud]

Orange Dual Dark 50, best amp I have ever played.

[@jeffroberts_tunes]

Great Peter Green invocation at 7:20. Were these what powered "Then Play On?" One of the best, and unique, sounding guitar albums ever.

[@johnbeloe]

Amazing video. Matamp series 3000 is probably the coolest amp I've owned. Such a great sound. If you wanna hear the early fleetwood Mac sound , that's the amp 👍

[@mikemarshall4653]

The first time I saw Orange was in the late 60's Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green played the Grande Ballroom in Detroit. They did not appear at a store until sometime in the early 70's. The guitarist in the band I was in bought an OR80 with an 8x10 cabinet around 74 the thing was incredible just a great sound

[@twitcheyspleen]

I have an Orange Matamp - stays clean for days and is louder than other 100 watt(ish) amps I have played. Sounds amazing for bass too. Jimmy Page used the 200 watt version for his theramin

[@dylanporter8105]

To me orange are a hybrid of fender cleans are marshall distortion both chimey clean and thick distortion. They have a slightly fuzzy characteristic that makes them sound thick full and huge when driven and full and creamy when clean, love my rockerverb mk3

[@louderthangod]

Modern Orange has definitely become it’s own thing, sadly nothing like the old ones but thankfully Matamp still exists. The modern stuff is good, just waaay different.

[@dylanporter8105]

@@louderthangod definitely different but no doubt they share their roots of that thicc fuzzy sound

[@lastofthe4horsemen279]

Great description

[@Counterpunchrock]

I feel like my whole KZbin feed is just people making videos with other people who's video's I haven't clicked on yet.

[@chronicmango]

Man, to me, the Orange sound is the sound of 2000's era emo and metal core. Seems like most of those folks played Orange Amps then and they sounded killer.

[@chronicmango]

Azazel wouldn’t be a metal conversation without some metal elitist going in to talk shit about somebody. Come off it dog, we like what we like and everyone copies everyone.

[@vladimirerfan7721]

Maxwell Mooney exactly - and those mentioned bands copied black sabbath, etc. Music elitism is bs.

[@guitaristxcore]

Same. I never paid any attention to Orange until Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster came around. That was mid to late 2000s, and that's what I hear as the Orange sound.

[@jamesprisciandaro3144]

DOOM

[@BigTyronie]

The correct answer for the orange sound is the jethro tull aqualung tone. Thats an orange and how they sound.

[@metalvisionsongcontest7055]

Having the AD30 in the same frame as the Kemper was really useful for size comparison, thanks! 😊

[@AntarblueGarneau]

One nite in 1968 I happened to hear Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac at Fillmore West in SF. I was a guitarist/lead singer in my own blues band. My guitar hero was BB King. Hearing Peter Green changed my music and my life. So I went to see Greenie's Mac the following year Jan 1970. There they were with young guitarist Danny Kirwan added with all ORANGE amps awash in lovely reverb!

[@michaljandera3930]

Great video! To me an "Orange sound" is really good cleans that cross over to really gnarly distortion. It´s just so much more agressive than a Marshall. I own thw Orange Rocker 15 (the combo) and it is awesome.

[@Mike_Jones68]

Yeah the cleans are insane...i am lucky to own a 74 OR120 and use it as an unbelievable pedal platform due to the immense cleans when you have to dial it back...it truly is an arena amp if you are to use its gain to break up with the guitar plugged straight in...immense sound

[@eddiesaenz8989]

I’m a want to be Guitarist stuck in the intermediate to beginner mode 😔.. but I’m really glad I found this channel I’m really learning a lot about amps and gear thank you so much for your talent and know how! Keep up the good work cheers and may God bless you!....e

[@heathbuckley5179]

gear wont make you a better player

[@GoodVolition]

Orange and Ampeg are my personal favorites. Also as for achieving the sound may I recommend the Rockerverb mkIII which is very versatile.

[@ts5111]

Orange really has the top end sparkle of a Vox and the low end growl and smoothness of a Marshall. Gotta get my hands on an orange some day…

[@RyanLBrown9396]

Had a Orange crush 35 combo awhile back. It was decent but I didn’t realize it had a switch in the back that let you change from 5 to 15 watts. It changed my whole world

[@andrecorleonebr]

I think rhett's channel success speaks for itself but boy, such quality. Love your videos and mainly the tone quality of everything you record!

[@tobynobel5671]

I recently just the other day found a ORANGE Mirco Terror at a thrift store for $5! Lol

[@azbluesdog]

I paid more than that to replace the preamp tube in my Micro Terror. What a steal!

[@fuckenps3]

Holy shit, they mustn't have understood anything about amps to price that way.

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

Take it back.

[@stevep4358]

You should've haggled them down more ...🤔

[@nathanblades3395]

😮

[@mc2mc277]

Also, my late GF, Ronni Crooks, was a world-class guitarist. We were at the Frankfurt Musicmesse (1991, I think) the year Gibson had the first prototype Orange in its booth. My GF was a Steinberger endorser at the time Gibson took them over and was at the show. The Gibson guys I know asked if I could come up with an idea to attract a buzz for the Orange? Within 15 minutes it was standing room only anywhere near the booth, after I had my GF jamming with a one-handed Dutch guitarist we had met…..a hot woman player and a one-handed guy! The Gibson guys were stoked and said “Unbelievable.”

[@jamesd.6979]

I'm a Fender guy through and through (literally all I play are Tele's, Jazzmasters, P-Bass, Silverface / Blackface Bassman Amps), but if I had to choose something else gun to my head I'd easily say Orange. The event that converted me was seeing And You Will Know Us by The Trail of Dead open for QOTSA at St Andrews Hall in 2002. To this day thinking about their set that night gives me the chills, they just sounded so fucking good. Even back then I was a jaded Fender guy but they made me believers that night.

[@Hikaru109Ichijyo]

I like how rhett says "THIS is the orange sound." and the serious guitar face while playing thru Rick's orange

[@txtamaman]

Of course I found you through Rick, but I was immediately drawn to your playing.. your ability to take any guitar and any amp and get some of the most killer tones is incredible...as a singer/drummer and guitarist, myself, (albeit a really crappy one... lol) I really love your content!.. thanks!

[@nevermind-he8ni]

I sold all my Marshalls the day after I bought my first Orange.

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

Hiwatt, Magnatone, Ampeg... Kustom, Peavey🥴 5 Watt World has this whole history thing covered.

[@Renhjarta]

Very Peter Green-like guitarsound (and playing) during the first part of the video! Well done!!

[@Jawmsie]

Man, watching Rick dial the tones of those amps so quickly to match the lines you were playing in this was magical. That's a display of friendship if ever there were one.

[@sadhvacman7238]

The Toadies guitarist uses Orange and they have that really distinct feedback sound. No point. Just talking to myself.

[@saigalasrecords2664]

Too bad orange man bad

[@DallasGunther]

Great band, way underrated

[@guitarprepnplus1]

Orange lives matter

[@carterheekin1974]

Love them

[@jamesprisciandaro3144]

Which models?

[@musiccreation1198]

Thank you for making this series, Rhett.

[@jacobdejongh9042]

The bass playing was great man! Idiomatic and really didn't seem like a guitar player playing bass!

[@purenonsense7296]

As a bass player I agree. Not every guitar player can play bass well. Rhett does.

[@RhettShull]

That’s the best compliment I’ve gotten in a long time, thank you!

[@cameronblanchette6687]

Yea I was pleasantly surprised he wasnt playing with a pick.

[@DemoDick1]

I’m convinced that guitar players who want to play bass correctly have to engage a different part of the brain to pull it off. Some can, some can’t. But the ones who can? I hate those guys.

[@STRATMAN1969]

@@DemoDick1 yes the drummer side .I started on guitar got the basics moved to drums ,then when a buddys band needed a bass player I said i'll do it .I found that early foundation really helped mold what kind of bassest I am.

[@Lainer1]

I love the old Mesa Boogie Tube Amps. And the old Tube Fender Amps, Jazz in particular.

[@dicksonerex2900]

Came to find out about orange amps, stayed for the really cool playing in between!