Orange Crush solid state amplifiers
It’s hard to beat that tube amp tone, but sometimes it’s nice to have an amp you can just flip the switch and start playing right away. Well, the masterminds at Orange have given you the best of both worlds with the Crush series of solid state amplifiers.
At the forefront of the Crush series is the Orange Super Crush solid state guitar amp head. This thing packs 100-watts of power and still maintains that awesome Orange tone that you know and love. As they like to say: It’s solid state done right!
Want the Super Crush sound without needing to purchase a separate cabinet (or lug two separate pieces around)? Orange has you covered! The Orange Super Crush combo amp creates the perfect plug-and-play 100-watt experience complete with a built-in speaker.
And who says practice amps have to be dull and boring? The Orange Crush CR60C might look like a smaller combo amp, but it’s based on the legendary sound of the Rockerverb, complete with dirty and clean channels. This amp sounds so good you won’t even miss the tubes!
Orange speaker cabinets
Do you know what pairs best with a legendary Orange amp head? A legendary Orange speaker cabinet! Orange makes some of the best speaker cabs on the market, which is perfect for sending that incredible Orange tone over just about any sized audience.
At the heart of the Orange speaker cabinet line is the Orange PPC112. It’s simple and straightforward but still packs a punch. This cabinet has one 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30 speaker to keep your guitar tone true and clear.
Need a little more oomph? Check out the two-speaker Orange PPC212OB. Not only does this speaker cab pack two 12-inch Celestion speakers, but it’s also open back. Enjoy that classic crunchy Orange tone with more openness and response.
Still not loud enough for you? The Orange Crush Pro 412 guitar speaker cabinet features four (that’s right, four) 12-inch Orange Voice of the World speakers to deliver an incredible warm mid-range tone that compliments any Orange amp head.
Orange bass amps
Orange might have revolutionized guitar tone and amplification, but that doesn’t mean they left out the bassists. You can still get that incredible Orange tone designed to work with extra low-end.
The Orange Crush25 Bass amp is that perfect combo amp for bassists who want to get a warm tone without breaking their backs. The Crush25 might be the smallest of the Crush series, but it still packs enough punch to give your bass that perfect rounded Orange tone.
For years, bassists have been getting creative with their amp and cab combinations, usually mixing bass and guitar amps to build their perfect tone. Orange decided to join in on the fun and created the Orange OB1-300 bass guitar amp head. This rack-mountable 300-watt head is technically a bi-amp, splitting the signal to give bassists even more control over their tone. Why drag two amps when one will do the job?
A purple Orange amp! That’s right. The Orange Glenn Hughes Crush Bass amp takes all the goodness of the legendary Orange OB1 bass head and puts it in a purple-colored cabinet with a 12-inch speaker. The result is an amazing bass combo amp that delivers everything you’d need in a great practice amp with the tone and features of a professional bass amp all wrapped up in one travel-ready package.
History of Orange Amps
Back in 1968, a musician and electronic engineer named Clifford Cooper decided to open a studio in London’s West End. It wasn’t long before he was struggling to keep up with operating costs. So to help raise some more money to pay his employees, Cooper opened the ground floor of his studio as a music shop, selling his own electronic musical equipment.
The Orange shop (as it was called) sold mostly used gear. Just like today, many musicians of the time really liked vintage equipment because of the better quality and additional “character.” As gear flew out the door, Cooper found it hard to maintain enough inventory. He started to design his own Orange-branded amplifiers to keep up with demand.
The first Orange amplifier was co-developed with Mick Dines, a shop salesman at Orange. Dines was a touring musician who knew there was demand for high-quality amps that could survive the abuse of being on the road. Working with Cooper, they developed a new amp made of stronger materials for increased durability, including swapping in steel for typically-aluminum components and heavy-duty wooden skids on the bottom. The result was the Orange Metamp: a 100-watt valve amp.
Early Orange Metamps were produced in small numbers because of Orange’s limited manufacturing capability. But by 1970, Orange partnered with fellow amp company Metamp (after which they named the original amp model) and opened a new factory outside of London in Huddersfield. Musicians all over the area were falling in love with the unique Orange tone that Cooper worked so hard to create.
Eventually, Orange and Metamp went their separate ways, but Cooper continued with his goal to produce the absolute best amps possible. By 1973, he opened a new factory in Kent where he could set up a proper assembly line. That’s when Orange really started to grow, and their amps made their first appearance in the U.S. The company continued to grow through the psychedelic era and into the 70s and 80s. In 1993, Orange was officially licensed by Gibson, and the guitar giant started to manufacture their own versions of the popular Orange amp models from the past. These models weren’t especially successful, and by 1997, Gibson handed the Orange reins back to Cliff Cooper.
Cooper hit the ground running and completely refreshed the brand. He started working with ever-popular Oasis singer and guitarist Noel Gallagher (who was a dedicated user of Orange amps) and together, the two started working on a redesign of the Orange overdrive circuit to give the amps more crunch.
The result of the collaboration was the legendary Orange AD series of amplifiers. These amps were so good that popular musicians like Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Fleetwood Mac guitarist (at the time) Jimmy Spencer started using them almost exclusively! This popularity propelled Orange to the forefront of guitar amplification yet again.
Led by Cooper, Orange released line after line of amazing guitar and bass amps, cementing their legendary status in the amp world.
Today, Orange continues to produce some of the best guitar and bass amps on the market. Their iconic tone and dedication to quality and durability help them stand out from the pack. If you’re looking for that classic British tone (and looks), you can’t go wrong with an Orange amp.
