Tell me about the Orange 35rt.

[ssmtb]

So I'm about to sell my old Tech 21 Trademark 60 and hopefully get enough from it to pick up a new Orange Crush 35rt. The TM60 has been my only amp for years, but I'm bored with it and it just doesn't sound pleasing at high volumes anymore.

After extensivly looking into and demoing other amps, I've landed on the Orange as the best pick for me. I play mostly blues rock these days, with a little stoner metal thrown in now and then. I play at home in the garage and bedroom with a heavily modded MIM strat with a single bridge P90 (LP Jr wannabe).

I've tried it out at "self-conscious guitar store volume" on its own and with my Boss OD3 and it sounded great, responded well to volume roll off and pick attack on both channels, and the dirty channel went from nice bluesy breakup to a nice crunch to a cool saturated fuzzy middy stoner distortion. Really like the voicing of the mids. It seems ideal for a low volume amp for around the house.

I never did crank it while demoing so my biggest question is will it handle higher volume situations? I eventually want to jam and gig again and would hope to have enough juice to practice with a rock drummer and do small live stuff like blues jams and bar gigs. I realize my TM60 does all this just as well but I'm finding it to be more unpleasant as my ears and tone preferences "mature".

From the several threads I've read relating to this it seems a few of you have some good experiences with the 35rt, but I'm just needing one more little nudge in the right direction. Thanks!

 

[rebelwoclue]

Jakedog! Yer up!

 

[blackjaw]

Had mine over a year now, it's fantastic.

Plenty of volume if you want to get loud, dirt is dynamic and sounds great, plays well with pedals. The amp responds very well to lower volumes as well as you said. Speaker only sounds better as it gets broken in, warm and clear.

My #1 favorite thing: the cabsim is outstanding. Too many times have I been home while my kids were napping and I had the urge to get creative and thrown on a set of headphones and lost an hour or two playing "silently". Or I want to do a quick recording without setting up a mic and just plug it straight into my iPad to record something. I can't say it enough, the cabsim is outstanding.

For the price it's a no brained purchase if you like Orange amps!

Enjoy!

 

[Paul G.]

I have the older model and it is really really nice. The new one has much nicer overdrive than mine.

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't have the touch, responsiveness or feel of a great tube amp, but it sounds darn good, and is truly a grab'n'go. Loud enough for gigs, good clean, better than good dirty.

Personally I only use it for rehearsals, jams and restaurant gigs where I don't want to carry and don't get a lot of room, but if circumstances dictated, I would have no problem, and would make no excuses using it on any gig.

P.

 

[jvin248]

.

Search the forum bar with 'jakedog' and '35RT', you'll find a couple of threads. Jakedog has gigged with this amp and it holds on in the band mix. It's more of a British/Humbucker sound than a Tele/Clean mix so weigh what you play and the tone you are chasing.

I tried one in a store at regular volumes but I left rather than try to compete with the kid that jumped on the $2000 amp on the other side of the rack with his shreddy-mc-shreaddy-listen-to-me licks over played and too long. Did he buy that amp? No. They really need booths in that place. /rant

I keep watching for the 35RT on the used market but they don't show up local, I think people are keeping them which is a good sign for the amp, while bad for me....

.

 

[t-luxe]

keep watching for the 35RT on the used market but they don't show up local, I think people are keeping them which is a good sign for the amp, while bad for me....

AMS has(or had, as of yesterday) Scratch and Dent 35RTs for $179, no tax free shipping. Bought one last Xmas and couldn't tell it from new. Added an ext. speaker jack to mine but rarely use it..the stock speaker is great.

 

[ssmtb]

.

Search the forum bar with 'jakedog' and '35RT', you'll find a couple of threads. Jakedog has gigged with this amp and it holds on in the band mix. It's more of a British/Humbucker sound than a Tele/Clean mix so weigh what you play and the tone you are chasing.

I tried one in a store at regular volumes but I left rather than try to compete with the kid that jumped on the $2000 amp on the other side of the rack with his shreddy-mc-shreaddy-listen-to-me licks over played and too long. Did he buy that amp? No. They really need booths in that place. /rant

I keep watching for the 35RT on the used market but they don't show up local, I think people are keeping them which is a good sign for the amp, while bad for me....

.

Yeah, those posts from Jakedog were my primary inspiration for sure. The guy seems to have been in the game long enough that his rave reviews of the amp are not to be taken lightly!

Also on an unrelated note, I can't stand having to actually seriously demo gear at GC for the very reason you ranted about! I'm there to evaluate gear, not f around! I try very hard not to be "annoying loud guitar nooddler guy" at stores. Booths would be nice for sure, cuz sometimes you DO need to crank it all the way up...

 

[ssmtb]

AMS has(or had, as of yesterday) Scratch and Dent 35RTs for $179, no tax free shipping. Bought one last Xmas and couldn't tell it from new. Added an ext. speaker jack to mine but rarely use it..the stock speaker is great.

Nice deal! RE your extension jack: I was planning on doing the same. Is it a 4ohm output? What cabs have you tried it with?

 

[t-luxe]

4 ohm, yes.

 

[Spaceboy]

I had two current Crush variations and returned both. Sounded decent but the overdrive has these odd artifacts in the decay akin to a fuzz that drove me insane. I prefer my Tiny Terror for low volume. I have two other tube Oranges for gigs. I'm a big Orange fan, but the Crush series didn't deliver for me.

 

[ssmtb]

I had two current Crush variations and returned both. Sounded decent but the overdrive has these odd artifacts in the decay akin to a fuzz that drove me insane. I prefer my Tiny Terror for low volume. I have two other tube Oranges for gigs. I'm a big Orange fan, but the Crush series didn't deliver for me.

Bummer, sorry to hear that @Spaceboy. May I ask which specific models they were and at which volume the artifacts occurred? I was listening for this very thing when I demoed the 35rt at the store because it's something that is bugging me about my TM60. Never heard any, but it was a noisy big box guitar store...

 

[Spaceboy]

I had the 35RT and the 20 with the 8" speaker, and the odd decay was mostly at low to moderate household volume. It was first the 20, I thought maybe it was the speaker. So I did some DI recording with the headphone output and experienced the same sound. I posted about it online and nobody else seemed to have the same issue. I went to a store and tried the 60w version 1x12, heard the same sound. A year later I grabbed the 35 and immediately had the same problem, also through the headphone out in addition to the speaker, so I returned it. I haven't seen anyone else mention this sound and perhaps for some reason I'm more sensitive to it, because many guys are pleased with their Crushes. It's sort of one of those things that isn't noticed at first, but once I heard it, it couldn't be unheard.

I don't know what to compare it to besides the way some fuzz pedals decay. It's a slight kind of papery buzz that sort of gates itself and dies down before the notes of the guitar fade. It doesn't happen clean, only on the dirty channel.

 

[ssmtb]

I had the 35RT and the 20 with the 8" speaker, and the odd decay was mostly at low to moderate household volume. It was first the 20, I thought maybe it was the speaker. So I did some DI recording with the headphone output and experienced the same sound. I posted about it online and nobody else seemed to have the same issue. I went to a store and tried the 60w version 1x12, heard the same sound. A year later I grabbed the 35 and immediately had the same problem, also through the headphone out in addition to the speaker, so I returned it. I haven't seen anyone else mention this sound and perhaps for some reason I'm more sensitive to it, because many guys are pleased with their Crushes. It's sort of one of those things that isn't noticed at first, but once I heard it, it couldn't be unheard.

I don't know what to compare it to besides the way some fuzz pedals decay. It's a slight kind of papery buzz that sort of gates itself and dies down before the notes of the guitar fade. It doesn't happen clean, only on the dirty channel.

Thanks @Spaceboy for taking the time to go into detailed info and lowdown on this. I'm gonna listen super carefully when I go in to buy it. Kind of hoping it doesn't bug me though, for I'm tired of amp hunting! Hehe.

 

[Spaceboy]

no prob and I don't mean to sound like I'm 'poopooing' the series but it's always helpful to get comments from both sides of the fence when making a purchase. The amps both sounded great otherwise, and it wasn't something I even noticed until I owned the 20 for a little while.

 

[Guitandanza]

I experienced this prob at first, but only at low volume. I play it on the clean channel, as it takes pedals well. After a few weeks the sound went away, so I believe it was related to speaker break in. Great amp.

 

[Jakedog]

Great little amp!

I bought mine because of the gig situation I was in out in Denver. It was not unusual to have no place to park to unload, and have to park a couple blocks from the venue.

I wanted small and portable so I could do one trip load ins without hurting myself.

I compared the 35T, a DV Mark Jazz something or other, Champ XD or X2 something or other (good gawd what positively awful amps), pro Jr., a whole pile of stuff. Probably a dozen amps in that size and weight range. The RT stomped all of them.

The band I was working with out there wasn't crazy loud, and I was pretty much always mic'd at gigs, but that little amp had plenty of balls. It's really very surprising how much you can get out of 35 SS watts and a single 10" speaker. It's impressive, to say the least.

I will say what I've always said- it will not replace a high end tube amp. You won't find yourself wanting to sell your boutique masterpieces. It won't be a chorus of angels singing and unicorns dancing in the moonlight.

It will be every bit as good as 80-90% of consumer grade off the shelf tube amps. You can take that to the bank.

It has its own sound. If you're looking for a Fender sound, or a Marshall sound, or something that models lots of sounds, it won't do it. It sounds like an Orange. It is British in nature, but not a Marshall or a Vox. Definitely it's own thing. But if you like that thing (I do) it's definitely a great value.

It's also more repairable should you have issues than a digital modeling amp. It's all analog. No CPU, no ones and zeroes. Analog solid state. As repairable as an old Peavey.

The reverb is digital. It's not bad. Nothing to write home about, but quite useable. I like that it's more of a Brit reverb. I have never cared for Fender reverb. Even at lower settings it's overkill times 9. The reverb in the Orange is more like a Vox reverb. It sits back behind the notes rather than right up on top of everything. More subtle effect. More my thing. Admittedly not for everybody.

I think for a small, lightweight, portable amp they are very hard to beat. I've used mine in jam night situations un-mic'd and had people falling over themselves to find out what it was. The sucker screams when you want it to.

I have not heard any odd artifacts in mine. And I've tried. Those weird fizzy noises are the reason I couldn't record with my POD 2.0. I could get killer tones on tape with it, but the weird artifacts (that ironically everyone else claimed not to hear) made it unusable for me.

Try em out and see what you think. Guitar Center has a killer return policy. But one, take it home, and crank it up where you can really hear it well. See what you think. I haven't used mine in a long time. I moved back to Cleveland and no longer really need it. I can park at the door and use my Marshalls pretty much everywhere here. It was a superb asset when I needed it though.

 

[MilwMark]

I've used mine in jam night situations un-mic'd and had people falling over themselves to find out what it was.

. . . until they saw what it was. At which point they folded their arms, turned up their nose and told you how great you could have sounded with [insert crazy expensive vintage or boutique tube amp here] instead.

 

[ssmtb]

Great little amp!

I bought mine because of the gig situation I was in out in Denver. It was not unusual to have no place to park to unload, and have to park a couple blocks from the venue.

I wanted small and portable so I could do one trip load ins without hurting myself.

I compared the 35T, a DV Mark Jazz something or other, Champ XD or X2 something or other (good gawd what positively awful amps), pro Jr., a whole pile of stuff. Probably a dozen amps in that size and weight range. The RT stomped all of them.

The band I was working with out there wasn't crazy loud, and I was pretty much always mic'd at gigs, but that little amp had plenty of balls. It's really very surprising how much you can get out of 35 SS watts and a single 10" speaker. It's impressive, to say the least.

I will say what I've always said- it will not replace a high end tube amp. You won't find yourself wanting to sell your boutique masterpieces. It won't be a chorus of angels singing and unicorns dancing in the moonlight.

It will be every bit as good as 80-90% of consumer grade off the shelf tube amps. You can take that to the bank.

It has its own sound. If you're looking for a Fender sound, or a Marshall sound, or something that models lots of sounds, it won't do it. It sounds like an Orange. It is British in nature, but not a Marshall or a Vox. Definitely it's own thing. But if you like that thing (I do) it's definitely a great value.

It's also more repairable should you have issues than a digital modeling amp. It's all analog. No CPU, no ones and zeroes. Analog solid state. As repairable as an old Peavey.

The reverb is digital. It's not bad. Nothing to write home about, but quite useable. I like that it's more of a Brit reverb. I have never cared for Fender reverb. Even at lower settings it's overkill times 9. The reverb in the Orange is more like a Vox reverb. It sits back behind the notes rather than right up on top of everything. More subtle effect. More my thing. Admittedly not for everybody.

I think for a small, lightweight, portable amp they are very hard to beat. I've used mine in jam night situations un-mic'd and had people falling over themselves to find out what it was. The sucker screams when you want it to.

I have not heard any odd artifacts in mine. And I've tried. Those weird fizzy noises are the reason I couldn't record with my POD 2.0. I could get killer tones on tape with it, but the weird artifacts (that ironically everyone else claimed not to hear) made it unusable for me.

Try em out and see what you think. Guitar Center has a killer return policy. But one, take it home, and crank it up where you can really hear it well. See what you think. I haven't used mine in a long time. I moved back to Cleveland and no longer really need it. I can park at the door and use my Marshalls pretty much everywhere here. It was a superb asset when I needed it though.

Thanks for the info Jakedog, it was your threads and posts here that put the 35rt on my radar in the first place. I too was putting it up against smaller combos like the VHT S6, Super Champ, Bassbreaker 007/15 and Pro Jr. I like the Pro Junior best of the bunch, but it would be pretty unreasonable for the bedroom volumes I play 90% if he time. The Bassbreakers are sweet too but are outside my modest budget.

The 35rt is definitely no slouch though. Just played it at GC again yesterday. Plays nice with my trusty OD3, and on its own, the dirty channel sounds great with the gain at noon and the guitars volume rolled back a bit. I really do enjoy the Orange sound too, the mids in the voicing really do it for me!

I'm just waiting for my TM60 to sell so I can bring a 35rt home!

 

[Jim622]

I wish you luck with the 35rt. I have a TM-60, every time I feel like I'm not happy with the sound, I go try out new gear, get home plug into the 60 and think what was I thinking. I bought a VibroChamp XD, fantastic amp especially for the money. I love playing it, but the TM-60 just seems to have a sound much bigger than its cabinet, maybe its the Tech 21 speaker emulation. I don't know, I just keep seeming to end up back with that amp. You definitely gets your moneys worth, mine has to be 15 years easy. Maybe buy the Orange and not sell the 60. You may regret it.