Guitar Amp Blog

I first came across this amp at Shannocks in King, NC while browsing around for a vintage Fender Princeton. I’ve only owned one Marshall, had a pretty bad experience with it and have never really thought about buying another one. Prior to checking the Marshall DSL 401, I thought Marshall amps were overpowered, overpriced and ridiculosuly overrated, but this little amp has definitely changed my mind. Running 4xEL84 power tubes generating 40 watts into a single 12″ Celestion, this lightweight combo creates an overdrive tone that definitely will turn a few heads.

I like the full tube sound, both clean and distortion channels are good. When running through my powered mixer witht the DI line out, I can really make it as big as I want. I have two 15″ black widow wedge monitors that give this amp a huge bottom end, and I can use the mixer to adjust the highs through the crossover. It’s like having any size amp you need for any gig. If you haven’t used the DI, be sure to do so at some point. It’s easier than using a close mic, and avoids the clutter.

Although this amp sounds great, there is one issue that has got a lot of discussion and it’s completely valid - heat. The heat this little combo generates is not properly ventilated and can lead to problems like bad solder joints. The heat that tube amps generate is unavoidable, you just have to give it a place to go where it won’t do any harm. I am considering installing both a fan and a top grill like the big heads have, to let the heat out. Probably will wait until the warranty runs out to make this mod, will use a remote fan until then.

Overall, the construction is acceptable and it’s easy to tote around to gigs. I believe the speaker is a little thin, a greenback would probably give it a nicer edge, especially when running OD2 for heavy metal songs. I think Marshall should have done a better job of anticipating heat related issues and made better ventilation arrangements to the cabinet or chassis. The chassis is open at the top, so to put a vent in the top of the cabinet would have helped, but then dust and moisture intrusion has to be monitored (no brews on top of the amp!) I’m not big on using my amp as a drink holder anyway, it warms the beer to quick!

Overall, I think this is a great amp for it’s price and size. I have a Marshall MG30FX backup practice amp, but I prefer the all tube sound. I’ve tried a lot of amplifiers and processors, but ultimately “I hear dead people” in those things! I can literally hear the processor doing it’s thing and it’s like listening to someone on a digital cell phone, it’s real close but it’s not the natural voice of analog cell signal.

Orange Amplification is a British electric guitar and PA amplifier manufacturing company, famous for its distinctive bright orange tolex covering on amplifier heads and speaker cabinets. It was founded in 1968 by Clifford Cooper of London. Orange amps and P.A. (public address) were made by Clifford Cooper.

The Orange range has evolved from the oldest 4xEL34 non-master volume amps (described as Graphic amps) to the current range that has types from a 1xEL84 amp that puts out 5 Watts to a 200 Watts Bass amp with 4×6550 tubes.

From 1995 until 2006, Cliff Cooper made Orange amplifiers in England, with the exception of the small Crush Practice Combo amps, which are made in Korea. The completion of a new manufacturing plant in the United States signifies that only the US-distributed Oranges cabinets are made in the States, while valve amps are still manufactured in England.

Orange amplifiers are primarily high-gain valve (or vacuum tube in North America) amp heads, designed to be coupled with a matching speaker cabinet. Their most popular guitar amplifiers were the OR120, usually referred to as the “graphic” model for its use of graphics instead of text to indicate each knob’s function, and the later OD120 overdrive model which was equipped with a master volume control. Most guitar amps were based on output circuitry which used the EL34 tubes popular among British manufacturers like Marshall Amplifiers and Hiwatt, and were available in the separate amp head and speaker cabinet format.

The Orange factory closed down some time around the disco era, but production was restarted in the early 90s. The “Graphics” models were fitted with Standby switches and a few new models were developed. In November ‘98 the “Class A” combo’s were launched. However they are most likely not really Class A in the electrical meaning of the word since they are push-pull amps. This range of amps consists of brand new 2xEL84 and 4xEL84 amps that are considered to be worth their money (and they’re not exactly cheap). The AD5 (April 2000) is probably the only real “Class A” amp.

New in January 2001 were two twin channel amps: the AD30TC combo and AD140TC head. Somewhat more exclusive is the custom AD140 Lead that features point-to-point wiring. At that Orange also introduced the Orange Crush series. Orange also made a range of very successful all-tube combos, such as the AD 15/12 and the AD 30R. The AD 15/12, a Class A, single speaker, 15 watt model, is now out of production and highly sought after.

Orange Amps have been used and endorsed by many rock guitarists, including Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Matt Sharp of Weezer, The Edge of U2 and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.

After going down to the local blues jams here in town for several months, I’ve made some pics on the best amps I’ve heard for playing the blues. These are my personal choices and I’m sure add to the list as time goes on, but for now, here are my pics.

1959 Bassman
The late 1950s tweed Fender Bassman combo remains the classic blues amp, an ultimate tone monster. It is a 45-watt tube amplifier with four 10-inch speakers and a four-input design. The tweed Bassman combo was, and still is, a preferred amp of countless guitarists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, B.B.King, T-Bone Walker, Jeff Beck and many others. The original Bassman combo was discontinued by Fender in 1961. Overwhelming demand for this classic prompted Fender Musical Instruments to produce a very convincing reissue: the Fender ‘59 Bassman. Highly recommended.

Super Reverb
Introduced in the 1964-1965 Fender catalog, the blackface Fender Super Reverb combo grew out of the tweed Bassman design of the 1950s. Basically it provided a bigger, more rugged version of the same four-speaker amp with reverb, the mid-60s black tolex/black panel cosmetics, and a two-channel design with bright switches. It has become a definitive blues guitar amp, favored by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Mike Bloomfield, Johnny Winter and many others. This amp is configured for 45 watts into 4 10″ Jensen speakers.

Deluxe Reverb
One of the most recorded and gigged amplifiers on the planet, the Fender Deluxe Reverb is a classic amp for blues, rock and country. Introduced by Fender in 1963, this popular model was produced through 1982 finally being replaced by the ill-fated Deluxe Reverb II which only last 4 years. In 1993, Fender brought back the classic version of this amp in the Deluxe Reverb ‘65 Reissue which has remained in the lineup ever since. The beauty of this amp is a shimmering clean tone at lower volumes and a classic overdrive when pushed a little harder. This amp is a favorite of countless players, but Eric Johnson is a well-known devotee. This amp is configured for 22 watts in a single 12″ Jensen speaker.

Vibroverb
Fender introduced the blackface Vibroverb amp in the same 1964-1965 catalog that presented the Super Reverb. The Vibroverb was closely related to the Super Reverb, containing the same electronics (wattage, controls, fifteen tube performance) and cosmetics, differing primarily in the use of a single 15-inch speaker instead of four 10s. Stevie Ray Vaughan alternated between blackface Vibroverbs and Super Reverbs throughout his career.

I’ve been using Peavey amps way back in 1978. Since then I’ve owned a succession of Peaveys; Studio Pro, Delta Blues, Classic 30 and a Rampage. Currently, my amp collection includes a tweed 4×10 Classic 50, and a compact Classic 30 - for the past 10 years of so, these have been my main gigging amps because of their portability, durability, flexibility and great tone. Despite being a big fan of Peavey, until I started developing the Peavey section of this website, I had no idea the breadth of the company’s offering.

The Bandit 112 and Envoy 110 solid-state models are perfect for practice, rehearsal or stage use, with plenty of power and tone at wonderfully affordable prices. For low-volume practice, the 10-watt Backstage or 15-watt Rage just can’t be beat.

The Peavey TransTube series, including the Transtube 100, 112, 212 and 258, bring the reliability of solid-state to amazingly authentic tube tonality. Built-in digital effects make the is series the complete on stage solution to great guitar tone.

For singing all-tube tone, check out the Classic series and brilliant Delta Blues series - amazing vintage tone in a rock solid package. To take that all-tube performance to the boutique level, you need the ValveKing, which as hot rodded sounds that can sweep between Class A and Class A/B power amp configurations.

If you’re after serious rock or metal crunch, then prepare yourself to experience the awesome 120-watt, 3-channel Triple XXX head and matching 4×12s cabs. I recently saw Ted Nugent playing one of these pups at a concert and it was definitely balls-to-the-wall. Another great rock amp is the Peavey Penta, a single-channel amp with five totally different personalities derived from it’s selectable EQ/gain voicings.

If you’re after your favorite artist’s tone, check out Dweezil Zappa inspired Wiggy or one of my favorites, the shredder-approved Joe Satriani JSX model.

Back in the late 90s when the Line6 AX2 hit the market, the hype was big, but the tone didn’t always live up to the discriminating tastes of the seasoned tube fanatic.  Sure, there was something really cool about the idea - physically modelling classic amp tones and then recreating them digitally - but would the real tone freaks be fooled. Absolutely not.  Not by a long shot…

That said, it sure didn’t stop us from rushing out to the local music store to check’em out.  Like a lot of players, the promise of this technology was just to much for me to ignore.  What if the geeks could actually deliver the goods on this deal?  One minute a Super Reverb and the next a screaming Mesa-Boogie.  Daddy Like.

Well it kinda worked. I mean this patch sorta sounded like a ‘65 Blackface Twin and that patch sorta sounded like a Plexi, but it also sorta didn’t.  Buying into the promise, I bought a couple of Flextones and a Line 6 POD before I finally gave it up and bought the next best thing to a tonal chameleon - a THD Univalve with a big assortment of tubes.  That was back in 2001.

Fast forward to 2005 and I started hearing about a new line of amps from Fender, the Cyber Series.  In my opinion, Fender was smart by not trying to sell emulations of specific amps, but rather, the promise of single amp that could simply cover a lot of tonal ground.  I heard this first hand one night at a club hosting a touring blues man - I forgot the guy’s name, but he was wailing through a Fender CyberTwin with tone that almost made me cry…I could feel the G.A.S building before I even left the club!

After some research, I decided the CyberTwin was a bit too much, but the Fender Cyber Deluxe was just about right.  After performing my due diligence on the web, I located a nearby dealer, Shannocks in King, NC, and gave this pup a workout with my Jeff Beck Stratocaster.  What I had been dreaming about with the Flextone was finally here in the Fender Cyber Deluxe.  An AC/DC Plexi one minute and a spanking, sparkly Fender Twin the next. Daddy Like.

I think of the years I played in cover bands when I would have killed for an amp like this.  With the programmable patches, you can dial-up almost any sound you want faster than the drummer can steal your girlfriend.  Stay tuned for a full review, but forget everything you know about amp modelling, ’cause the technology is finally catch’ up.