Check out the interview our Marketing Director Charlie Cooper did with The Guitar Channel:
“It was during 42 Gear Street that I had the pleasure to meet Charlie Cooper, son of Clifford Cooper, the founder in 1968 of the legendary British amp brand Orange Amps (orangeamps.com). A great opportunity to learn more about this iconic manufacturer that supplies Jimmy Page, for example.”
From the humble beginnings in London during the swinging sixties, Orange amps have grown into an international guitar amplifier company, catering for the likes of Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Slipknot, Iron Maiden, Rush and more.
Orange was founded in 1968 by Cliff Cooper who to this day is the head of the company, but before it became the guitar amp company that it is today, it started out as a Soho music shop which sold used musical instruments and doubled as a recording studio in the basement. The ‘Orange Amps’ adventure started in September 1968 when former Fleetwood Mac guitarist, the late great Peter Green stopped by the shop alongside the band’s road manager Dinky Dawson, where they placed an order for the first ever Orange PA.
Just a few weeks later, the band got six 100-watt amps and sixteen cabs. The band took the backline for a spin around the UK, before taking them on a three month tour to the states where they turned heads not just with their British blues, but bold, British backline.
The following year in 1969, soul superstar Stevie Wonder took to the Orange Studios to record, before deciding to include the amps on his 1972 album “Talking Book” for the recording of his hit “Superstition.” He can be seen using the amps in a seven minute version of the song on Sesame Street in 1973.
Another band that brought Orange to the states and opened American’s eyes to them, were Wishbone Ash, who’s history with Orange started in 1970 when guitarist Andy Powell stopped by the shop where he was served by Cliff who sold him a Gibson Flying V, and one of the original Orange Matamp heads which incredibly enough is still going strong this day today. Wishbone Ash are known for their two lead guitars and guitar harmonies which got Andy Powell and former bandmate Ted Turner voted two of the “Ten Most Important Guitarists in Rock History”, and in 1972 described by Melody Maker as “the most interesting two guitar team since the days when Beck and Page graced The Yardbirds”.
That, of course, brings us to Orange’s relationship with Jimmy Page & Led Zeppelin. Jimmy is perhaps one of the most influential guitarists of all time, (alongside Jimi, of course..) and has had a relationship with Orange which dates all the way back to the 70s and have been making regular appearances in his backline ever since. Some of you may have spotted that he used the Orange AD30 for Led Zeppelin’s ‘Celebration Day’ reunion show back in 2007…? Pretty cool, huh?
Since then, our roster have grown exponentially, but we are proud to say our relationship with all the above artist and bands are still going strong, although now with John McVie flying the Orange flag in camp Fleetwood Mac. To us, that is proof enough that Orange amps can stand the test of time.Or
I opened the Orange shop in September 1968 and designed a crest with each part symbolising the values and ethos of what I wanted the company to represent. Above the crest I put the new company’s name “Orange” in stylised writing. I’ve always dreamt big so under the crest I placed the words “Voice Of The World”. I’m so proud that after nearly 53 years, what was once a wild ambition has now been realised and represents what Orange has become.
Orange continues to surpass my most ambitious dreams. Reaching out around the world to over 120 countries, it’s true that ‘The sun never sets on Orange’ and it always fills me with great comfort to know that at any one time there will always be someone, somewhere enjoying the warmth provided by the classic sound of an Orange amplifier. This new emblem will accompany the crest and logo in identifying the high quality products and caring support we strive to provide worldwide. The Orange O acts like the sun, shining its light and warmth over the globe and I hope it will continue to do so, “always”.
Cliff Cooper
Founder and CEO
Ever since he founded Orange back in 1968, Cliff Cooper has always believed that no other company could have cared more than us about innovation in guitar valve amplifier design and sound technology. However, it’s not just about design, it’s about how the sound is perceived – something that Cliff has always thought of as ‘the sound of the sound‘… it’s about the physical pleasure that the sound of an amp gives a guitarist as he plays. That is what really matters.
I’ll share some of my favourite ‘Orange Sound‘ devices that I use in my studio, live shows, demos, etc.
For example, let’s talk about the Kongpressor pedal, an analogue Class A compression pedal with an organic three dimensional quality.
Kongpressor’s effect is transparent at lower compression levels, but somehow fattening, adding mojo and a glossy sheen to your core tone that you’ll truly miss when it’s bypassed. Even at extreme settings, the tone always remains musical with great feel under the fingers. Outstanding for crystal clean country pickin’, but maintaining the bottom end that seems to get lost in many compression pedals, behaving impeccably with overdrive pedals or the lead channel of your amplifier, adding fullness and sustain.
Oooooooor, what about the PPC212, a closed-back 2×12″ featuring two Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, the PPC212 is in essence our classic 4×12 slashed in half, ideal for players looking for the the fattest possible tone when a 4×12″ would be too large.
Finished in our legendary 1968 livery, basket weave vinyl, woven speaker grille cloth, signature ‘picture frame’ edging and 18mm Birch ply construction… what a cab !! As Devon Allman described it “This ain’t your Daddy’s blues. It’s the next generation. It gets airborne. It’s fueled by Orange.”
I’ll keep picking favourites and bringing them to you, to maybe give you a new idea for your rig, an obscure gadget you should discover or the next classic to be Orange product.
“… we can always learn new skills and improve, we will also continue with our search for perfection.” – Cliff Cooper
Orange Amplification is delighted to welcome new Ambassador Frank Sidoris, rhythm guitarist with Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.
Sidoris, who has been with Slash since 2012, has also played with Alice Cooper, the late great Lemmy Kilmister and Rush’s Alex Lifeson. More recently he has joined Wolf Van Halen’s, Eddie Van Halen’s son, new band Mammoth WVH.
He uses the Custom Shop 50 amp, known for its exquisite blues / rock tones providing an inspiring canvas for his rhythm work combining it with the cabinet main stay for touring artists, the classic PPC412.
Talking about being an Orange Ambassador Sidoris said: “It’s an honor to be associated with Orange, a company that has remained at the pinnacle of iconic tone and style for decades and continues to catch eyes and ears on stage and in the studio.”
Last year we celebrated our 50 year anniversary, that’s half a century of Orange Amps! What’s even more impressive, is the fact that the company is still family run, with the CEO and top-cat being none other than founder Cliff Cooper himself, running the show decades down the line. Working closely with him, is son and Marketing Director Charlie Cooper – gotta love a family business, eyh?
When founded in 1968 as ‘Orange Music’, Orange was originally a retail store selling secondhand music equipment, doubling as a recording studio in the basement. However, it didn’t take long before Orange took on the task of making their own amps. Cliff had studied electronics at college and was ready for another challenge, and amplification named after his favourite colour seemed like the logical next step. Once Orange Amps became a reality, Cliff started searching for a company to help manufacture the amps, and eventually went with Mat Mathias of Radio Craft. At this point, Mat was working on his own 30w Matamp Series 2000 at the back of his tobacconist shop in Huddersfield.
When developing the Orange sound, Cliff worked closely with guitarists to find out what they wanted, and with artists such as Eric Clapton, Marc Bolan and Paul Kossoff all being frequent faces at the Orange shop he had pretty must the best customer feedback any man could hope for in those days. The original Orange amps had a very clean sound, so clean that despite blasting them at full blow they didn’t have the same effect as some distorted lower watt amps. The reason for this, is because the harmonics created by distortion works the ear’s conducting bones harder than a cleaner, less distorted sound, which is then perceived by our audio nerves as an increased sound level, and it wasn’t until the circuits were modified and a whole lotta gain was added that the Orange tone we all love and adore was born.
In October 1968, Fleetwood Mac’s former tour manager Dinky Dawson and guitarist Peter Green stopped by the Orange store and placed an order for the first ever Orange PA, which a mere four weeks later was a reality when the band got six 100w amps and sixteen cabs which they took for a spin around the UK, before flying them over to the states for a three month tour.
Creating these amps, Cliff and Mat Mathias worked together with Cliff supervising the 2000 Series being upgraded from 30w to 100w on Fleetwood Mac’s request, while the picture-frame amp sleeves and speaker enclosures were built on site in the Orange shop. Being on such a tight schedule, the brand new and iconic psychedelic Orange logo was sent up to Huddersfield to get engraved using a company Mat had used in the past – out of courtesy, Cliff also agreed to add the Matamp logo beneath it, which is when the whole ‘Orange Matamp’ confusion started. To set things straight, ‘Orange Matamp’ was never actually a company, however, it was a product, a very successful one, I might add, with some artists even using theirs this day to day (Wishbone Ash’s Andy Powell being one of them.) It didn’t take long before Orange was the talk of the town, and the company pretty much jet launching into oblivion with even the likes of BB King giving Orange a thumbs up!
Business was booming, and Cliff was keen to move production to larger premises to get on top of back-orders, as well as having this idea of ‘Cooper Mathias’ becoming a sub-contractor for other amplification manufacturers. Unfortunately, Mat Mathias had a different vision, and the two went their separate ways, while remaining friends until the passing of Mathias in 1989. As for Orange, the rest is, as they say, history. Filling you in on 50 years worth of history is quite the challenge, but if you wan’t to dig a little deeper we’ve got a whole series of ‘Building the Brand‘ on our blog – who said history couldn’t be fun?
Cliff Cooper – Founder & CEO
I’ve always considered eye-catching cars to be a very good and engaging way to promote and advertise your brand. The Orange Beach Buggy soon became a well known sight around London.
Beach buggies were very much the ‘in thing” in London around 1970. The idea originated in America, where they’re known as ‘Dune Buggies’. They were invented in the 1960s by a Californian boat builder named Bruce Meyers, who had pioneered the use of fibreglass for vessels. Meyers then had the idea of using the material to build a lightweight off-road car based on a Volkswagen chasis, and the Dune Buggy was born. I read about this at the time, and I was intrigued. It was a nice coincidence that the colour of the first dune buggy Bruce designed and began marketing in the mid-1960s – the ‘Meyers Manx’ – was a deep orange colour.
Orange Shop staff, 1970 From left: Robin, Cliff, Rocky, Ed, Veronica
I found a company in East London that produced buggies in kit form and powered by a Volkswagen Beetle engine. I bought four and sold three. All three buyers kept the Orange logo on the bonnet. The one I had was loaned out to people such as rock stars and the English eccentric, Screaming Lord Sutch.
Screaming Lord Sutch
Peter Green and Danny Kirwan
I was a good friend of Screaming Lord Sutch and was more than happy to let him drive my buggy about town when he was campaigning to become a Member of Parliament. I also loaned the buggy to music papers such as NME and Record Mirror, who used them on their sales promotions. The Orange beach buggy did a lot to boost our brand awareness.
Martin Celmins – Author of The Book of Orange
50th Anniversary Crest
Looking back through the pages of The Book of Orange and Building the Brand, and recalling the many hours of interviews with Cliff Cooper that have provided that book’s structure as well as the detail, there is one main theme running through the company’s journey which is now in its sixth decade. Namely, that Orange have prospered when their products – and the inspiration that created them – took risks and broke new ground, but success was more limited when, on occasion, the company seemingly followed trends.
One fact about Orange’s fifty years in business that is not generally known is that they have produced amplifiers throughout all of that time. After the company closed in 1979, Orange amps continued to be made hand-built in very small numbers – throughout the 1980s. Cliff refers to this as the company’s “simmering” period.
It says a lot about the strength and staying power of the Orange brand worldwide, that in the mid-1990s the Gibson Corporation took up the opportunity to manufacture Orange’s classic mid-1970s product range under license. And yet, the Gibson/Orange “retro” years were only moderately successful. Why? Because Orange has never been a retro brand: its image and styling still clearly resonate with the psychedelic 1960s, but beginning with the “Pics Only” amplifier in 1971 the company’s perspective has always been about looking to technology of the future.
The launch in 1975 of the world’s first digitally programmable amplifier – the OMEC Digital – is another case in point. But, conversely, the introduction of the Series Two range of amplifiers in 1979 saw Orange uncharacteristically following amp styling trends of the late 1970s, and the range was not a great success.
Orange’s pioneering achievements in the first decade of this millennium started to happen very soon after Cliff returned to run the company in 1998. At the time he asked himself and his colleagues two vital questions – “what’s new, and what’s next?” The answer came in the shape of the AD Series, and with these award-winning amplifiers and combos Orange was firmly back to the future.
Since then, the company’s massive investment in transformer R&D, the styling and features of the Tiny Terror range and, most recently, the design of the Isobaric bass loudspeaker cabinets, are three very different products that resulted from one and the same approach: namely, that the brand Orange will always be about the future – and about the future viewed in a global context of manufacturing. The Voice of the World.
To underline this way of thinking, the final product featured in Building the Brand is the OPC – the world’s first computer/guitar amplifier designed specifically for the musician. Reading all about the OPC’s development from its initial concept to the production stage …here you have an idea and a product that is Orange to the core.
Here’s to the next 50 years!
www.queensawards.org.uk, Nov 09
“The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the UK’s most prestigious awards for business performance. They recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies. The Awards are made each year by the Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives from government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions.”
Queen’s Award Logo
Cliff Cooper – Founder & CEO on the 2006 Award
I felt very proud and honoured to have such an award conferred upon us. It is the highest accolade the country can award a business. On the day itself, the grandeur of Buckingham Palace made me reminisce forty years earlier when I was living in the office at the back of the Orange Shop where it all started.
Damon Waller – Former MD on the 2009 Award
Receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for the second time is a great achievement. We are the only company in the music industry in recent years to have won this award more than once. Sustained growth in international sales will remain a crucial part of our marketing strategy.
Cliff Cooper on the 2012 Award
In 2012 we received the Queen’s Award For Enterprise and International Trade for the third time in six years which is an unprecedented achievement. This is the UK’s most important business award and I am so proud of everyone at Orange for this amazing honour but equally important, I would like to thank all of our dealers, distributors and the millions of users around the world for making it possible.
2006, Cliff Cooper is presented to HM The Queen
2009 – Cliff Cooper, CEO, with Damon Waller, MD, are presented to HM The Queen and HRH Prince Philip
From left: Sam, Mark, Adrian, Cliff, Sir Simon Bowes-Lyon, Damon, Jane, Chloe and Lisa receive the award
OPC 2011
Charlie Cooper – Marketing Director
I’ve always been interested in building computers and media centres. A few years ago my dad, (Charlie is Cliff’s youngest son) brought back some old 1970s Orange cabinets and we didn’t really know what to do with them. Then I came up with this idea of building an entire computer to be housed in an Orange cab, and putting a TV on top. When it was built everybody thought that it was a really nice looking media centre.
In 2007, I read that VIA Technologies had announced a new form factor called ‘Pico-ITX’ which enabled system builders to make much smaller computers. However, Pico-ITX was limiting in performance and expandability, so after lots of research, I decided on an ‘ITX form-factor motherboard’ which featured one of the first Intel Atom processors because, for me, they were the fastest processors you could easily get in a small motherboard at the time.
I made a proof-of-concept OPC whilst I was at university using a hammer, glue and a broken Orange Crush 10 amplifier. This OPC was simply a basic Intel Atom-based computer fitted inside a small Orange Crush cabinet. I then used it at my student house as a portable media centre hooked up to my TV . After that I showed people at Orange headquarters what I had done and what I now wanted to do.
The reaction of some staff at the time was hesitant because they felt that, as a product, the OPC was too different from what Orange do. And yet, others embraced the idea enthusiastically. But in general people wanted to see how this concept could be developed and so the OPC went though various revisions and improvements until we finally had an almost release-worthy prototype. We were excited about what we had created but we weren’t sure if we were getting excited about a product that the public just wouldn’t ‘get’- after all, why had no other company done this before?
We took the OPC along to the Musikmesse 2010 exhibition in Frankfurt where, in confidence, we showed it to people from the audio industry saying “we’ve made something different, what do you think?” The response was amazingly positive after showing various demos. Premier Guitar magazine managed to twist my arm into recording the OPC for YouTube and for their magazine. Previously, other magazines also wanted to film the OPC but we had said ‘no’ because we weren’t yet confident enough about the product to show it to the public. But by the end of the show we were amazed that people understood the product for what it was and loved it.
A few weeks later, the OPC video went out on the internet and became one of the most talked about gadgets from the Frankfurt show. So much so, that various companies including Intel got in touch wanting to help me put faster and better hardware inside the OPC.
From time to time, you might well hear about the various ‘music computers’ out there. But the interesting thing is that they don’t seem that much different from your average computer, well… compared to what we’ve done. The exciting thing about the OPC is that it actually looks like it’s geared for music – which it is – and you really do have more fun making music with it, because there’s no worry or hassle over desktop space, interface configuration, speakers, software, plug-ins and so on… for the first time ever this was all sorted out and available in the same box.
Doug Doppler demos the OPC at NAMM 2011
Cliff Cooper – Founder & CEO
Intel approached us to use our OPC to demonstrate their latest generation of processors – code-named ‘Sandy Bridge’ – at their booth at the CES 2011 show in Las Vegas. We decided it would be a great opportunity to demonstrate the low latencies and high performance of the OPC by inviting Orange endorsee, Tiago Della Vega, to break his own world record in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest guitarist in the world. He did this at the Intel booth by playing ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’ by Rimsky-Korsakov at 340 BPM [Beats Per Minute] using the OPC. It was amazing to watch and so successful.
Tiago Della Vega sets a new world record at CES 2011
Designer, Charlie Cooper, demonstrates the Orange OPC to Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas at the Intel Booth: CES 2011, Las Vegas, USA