Orange TH30…opinions?

[northernguitar]

Hey there…looking at one in a possible trade. I already love Orange crunch, but it’s the clean channel that appeals. My band is adding more and more songs requiring a sweet clean tone. Any impressions you can share are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[uriah1]

Crunch or crush?
Not sure an 8 incher will help get above a drummer.
I had the Rocker 15 that also had a great clean.

 

[northernguitar]

Crunch or crush?
Not sure an 8 incher will help get above a drummer.
I had the Rocker 15 that also had a great clean.

This is the TH30 head. I’m assuming a mini Thunderverb, minus reverb, which I get from an excellent pedal.

 

[uriah1]

This is the TH30 head. I’m assuming a mini Thunderverb, minus reverb, which I get from an excellent pedal.

Ahh ...and ya

 

[JohnnyThul]

I played the TH30 for a few years. Excellent amp! The shape control offers a variety of sounds from vintage crunch to modern scooped. The clean channel was very nice as well! Tube buffered FX loop and very well thought of EQ and as mentioned Shape control.

Versatile amp, great sounds, highly recommended! Sounds and behaves like an amp, that was designed by a musician for musicians.

Why did I sell it? It didn't look like a Plexi But in all seriousness, i just cannot bond with the visual appearance of these amps, although they make fantastic amps! If you have the chance, play an OR15 (that's a great Marshall Kerang sound in a small package) or OR50 (bigger and better) and the glorious Rockerverb!

 

[scelestus]

I had one. I liked it but found it to be pretty tight, modern, and maybe a hair compressed compared to other Oranges. I like a little bit looser gain so sold it.

It was a great amp, though!

 

[northernguitar]

I played the TH30 for a few years. Excellent amp! The shape control offers a variety of sounds from vintage crunch to modern scooped. The clean channel was very nice as well! Tube buffered FX loop and very well thought of EQ and as mentioned Shape control.

Versatile amp, great sounds, highly recommended! Sounds and behaves like an amp, that was designed by a musician for musicians.

Why did I sell it? It didn't look like a Plexi But in all seriousness, i just cannot bond with the visual appearance of these amps, although they make fantastic amps! If you have the chance, play an OR15 (that's a great Marshall Kerang sound in a small package) or OR50 (bigger and better) and the glorious Rockerverb!

I had one. I liked it but found it to be pretty tight, modern, and maybe a hair compressed compared to other Oranges. I like a little bit looser gain so sold it.

It was a great amp, though!

How was the clean channel?

 

[scelestus]

How was the clean channel?

It was nice! It does get a little bit of grit when cranked up. That's the more "vintage" feeling channel. Also, I remember it being voiced nicely but not necessarily being "fat." I don't recall that low end bloom like a Fender or JTM. More like a clean Vox but not quite.

I don't know how loud you play. If really loud, the dirt on the clean channel may be an issue. But I will say these 30-watt Oranges (TH30, AD30) are LOUD for their ratings.

 

[northernguitar]

It was nice! It does get a little bit of grit when cranked up. That's the more "vintage" feeling channel. Also, I remember it being voiced nicely but not necessarily being "fat." I don't recall that low end bloom like a Fender or JTM. More like a clean Vox but not quite.

I don't know how loud you play. If really loud, the dirt on the clean channel may be an issue. But I will say these 30-watt Oranges (TH30, AD30) are LOUD for their ratings.

Nice! VOX cleans might just be my favourite. I like the sparkle and chime.

 

[KC]

I'm an Orange fan but I like the Rocker series lately -- 15 combo with a 10" speaker, 30 combo with a 12. The 30 is especially fun to play loud, punchy & dynamo, but the 15 sounds better around the house. I still technically own a TH30 combo but I found it pretty bright at lower volume levels. Very loud for 30 watts. Various trickery will bring the wattage of the amp down to manageable levels but it doesn't sound the same, to my ears. I liked it, in other words, but it felt more Vox-like than Marshally, kind of a pocket AC30. It might be the perfect amp for you, wasn't for me, now in the care of my daughter's girlfriend who uses it in a punk/pop band where it seems to be right at home.

 

[JohnnyThul]

How was the clean channel?

Definitely not sterile or just an addition to a great overdrive channel. I'd say it's a little bit of Vox and a little bit of a Deluxe Reverb.

 

[northernguitar]

Definitely not sterile or just an addition to a great overdrive channel. I'd say it's a little bit of Vox and a little bit of a Deluxe Reverb.

Oh, that sounds perfect! Thanks for the reply, I think I’m going for it. Just a matter of meeting the seller and making the trade….hopefully, TBC

 

[KC]

Good luck! I bet you like it.

 

[northernguitar]

Good luck! I bet you like it.

I do too. Not too worried about ‘modern’ sounding dirt, I can always get something I like for a Garage Rock sound with the addition of my Bad Monkey OD. However, the clean tone sounds great in vids (with headphones on) and the descriptions here concur.

 

[CCK1]

Great amps, no dirt pedals needed (in my estimation).

 

[northernguitar]

Great amps, no dirt pedals needed (in my estimation).

Plan would be to run at lower gain and goose with OD or treble booster to add some hair. I’ve got two excellent distortion pedals for anything heavier.

 

[Dacious]

You can also run the gain on Orange dirt channels low for an interesting dark clean that works for indi stuff. Oranges are really quite different - the Tiny Terror is different to the Rocker that's different to the AD30, that's different to the Rockerverb, that's different to the Thunderverb .

They do have some commonality in basic tone. The Rocker 30 was superceded by the TH30.

 

[KC]

Rocker 30 was superceded by the TH30

well, yes and no. Rocker 30 is 2xEL34, TH30 is 4xEL84, tone stack is wildly different, basic sound is not too close. Rocker 30 is pretty middy and Marshally, TH30 is bright and Voxy, both fun amps.

 

[northernguitar]

TH30 is bright and Voxy

Oh man, this gets me frisky…hoping to meet for the trade on Saturday!

 

[northernguitar]

Slipped through my hands. I didn’t really want to trade away my Rocker 15 Terror, so maybe this is divine intervention.