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Ade Emsley – Technical Director

Tiny Terror Hard Wired Edition

The Hard Wired Edition amplifier was completely point to point, hand wired and made in the UK. It was the standard Tiny Terror circuit, but featured carbon comp resistors, ‘mustard’ capacitors and high specification transformers. This gave the Hard Wired Edition a wider frequency response. The controls were the same as on the original, with the 7 watts or 15 watts output option, but the Hard Wired Edition weighed slightly less.

Tiny Terror Hard Wired Edition

Dual Terror

Dual Terror is an amp for stage and studio. It features two channels – the ‘Fat Channel’ and the ‘Tiny Terror Channel’. The Fat Channel is voiced warmer and has more bottom end, gain and crunch. The Tiny Terror Channel features the classic Tiny Terror voicing and tone. There is a choice of four outputs through each channel: 7 watts on two tubes; 15 watts on two tubes; 15 watts on four tubes or 30 watts on four tubes. It features a high specification transformer.

Dual Terror

Terror Bass 500 & 1000

The Terror Bass was slightly smaller than the famed Orange Tiny Terror, weighing around 5 kilograms. Terror Bass was available as a 500 watt or 1000 watt hybrid amplifier with a Class D solid state power section and the AD200B twin valve 12AX7 preamp section. The jack plug sockets on the side of the Terror Bass amplifier were an FX loop.

Terror Bass 500

 

White is the new Orange

Previously only available for artists’ special orders, White Finish had already been used by artists as diverse as Madonna, Monte Pittman and The View. There were so many enquiries and requests for this colour of Rexine (aka Tolex) that Orange decided to make it a Limited Edition option for all UK-made models in 2009.

Monte Pitman

Madonna

Each White Finish amplifier had a metal Limited Edition 2009 badge affixed on top of the amplifier in front of the handle. The loudspeaker cabinet had the badge affixed on top of the cabinet at the front.

2009 LTD Edition Badge

Rockerverb 100 and PPC412 Ltd Edition Half Stack

Crush PiX combos now also featured the legendary Orange hieroglyphs

2008-9 saw the introduction of FOUR new Crush PIX guitar models: the 35 watt CR35LDX, the CR20LDX, the CR20L, and the CR12L. They were the same size respectively as the original CRUSH series CR30R, CR15 and CR10, but had extra output. All except the CR12L featured an Auxiliary Input for MP3/CD. The DX models also featured a built-in guitar tuner and 16 Digital FX Programs, giving a wide range of reverb, delay, chorus, flanger and vibrato presets.

Crush 35LDX

Crush 35LDX

 

Plus, there were three CRUSH PIX bass models – the CR25BX and the CR50BXT  – which respectively were the same size as the original CRUSH CR20B and CR35B, but with extra output. Thirdly, the 100 watt CR100BXT [not shown] featured a 15” loudspeaker. All three bass combos feature an Auxiliary Input for MP3/CD, and the CR50BXT and CR100BXT had a built-in guitar tuner.

Crush Pix 50BXT

Crush 50 BXT Top

Truls Hi my name is Truls Mörck and i’m the bass player of Graveyard.

It’s really hard to pinpoint when it is but when i try something out in the store and it may sound good, but when I take it to the rehearsal space and really like rehearse with it, with the guys in the band. That kind of glue that I can find in the AD200, that makes the whole sound, and gives it that bottom end. It’s not just about how the amp sounds, in itself but its like how it glues together the guitars and the drums and how it mediates, between those two worlds of melody and rhythm.

Without the bass, the drums can’t really speak with the guitarist that well. So i’m like the translator between the two languages, it makes them communicate, makes them sound better hopefully.

I play other instruments as well, I feel like when I grew up I discovered the Grateful Dead very early, the band as a whole and how they seem to have worked together as a collective force, a very democratic and wild freeform group. I guess they call themselves, “good time pirates”, seemed appealing to me and inspired me to make music and write music.

I’m using a pretty classic setup of a Rickenbacker bass, the 4001, then an Orange AD200 and OBC810 cabinet. Then I have an additional bass, 1963 hollow body Epiphone and a Fender Jazz Bass as well, to compliment but it all revolves around the Rickenbacker.

I used to play guitar in this band way back, at that point the bass player Rikard used this AD200 and he used that a lot in the band and it became an important piece of the bands sound. So when I came back into this band as a bass player, we tried out some other stuff but the AD200 always seemed to work best for me.

I must say the former bass player, Rikard,he is like the guy who inspired me most, when we played back in the day together, I was always amazed by his style and good kind of simplicity. Also Phil Lesh from the Grateful Dead is a cool guy, based in improvising, not really a steady form of bass playing but a free form style, which i also enjoy.

So have a new album coming out May 25, its the first album in three years, its been a long time coming but it feels really good. The album in general is a little heavier, harder than the last album, its very dynamic I would say. Like most of our records it has slow parts, like i’ve said before, the heavier parts are a little bit heavier and the slower parts are a little slower, and the mellower parts are mellower. Its a little bit more extreme in that way, in the dynamics. That is how I would describe it, then you just have to listen for yourself and see!

INTRODUCED IN 2008-9

Ade Emsley – Technical Director

Tiny Terror Combo

The design of the Tiny Terror combo is similar to the classic OR80 combo, in that you see the entire front panel on top of the cabinet. The combo is fitted with a 12” Celestion G12 H30 speaker, and its dimensions are the same as the AD15/12.

Tiny Terror Combo

 

PPC2120B

This combo-sized cabinet features an open-back design for guitarists who want to make a head sound like a combo. It is fitted with a pair of Celestion ‘Vintage 30’ speakers and has the same dimensions as an AD30/Rockerverb 50 combo.

PPC212 Open Back

AD5 Combo

This was the third version of the AD5 based on the Custom Shop 1999 edition, but made with a PCB. This combo’s loudspeaker was a newly developed 10” known as the ‘Celestion 40’. This speaker is pretty close to their ‘Greenback 10’, and having tested all other possible options, we decided that this was the best one for the AD5.

Every month our Artist Relations managers, Alex and Dan, submit their 3 favorite artists or bands they’ve been listening to recently. These are bands that might or might not be endorsed by Orange. If they’re not endorsed, it’s probably because they play some other manufacturer’s amps. We don’t fault them for that, but we do certainly welcome them dropping us a line because obviously we love them!

Alex Auxier – Artist Relations Manager

The Features

Another one of those “how’d I miss this band and now they’re broken up” scenarios, The Features is pop-rock at its finest. If you’re a fan of Kevin Gilbert or Jason Faulkner then you’ll appreciate this band. If you’re a fan of Weezer you might appreciate this band. If you’re a fan of Dimmu Borgir then you probably won’t like this band as much.
The Features is a band that should be headlining massive festivals and getting all the Nike endorsements (or something like that). They’re one of the tightest live bands I’ve ever seen. What sucks is that I’ve only been able to watch them on YouTube.

I love the evolution of their sound too. On 2004’s Exhibit A they’re pure power pop. On 2009’s Some Kind Of Salvation they add horns, a bit of a New Orleans gritty vibe, and start crafting really quirky tunes. By 2011’s Wilderness they kind of came back to a straight rock vibe. And then fast-forward to 2016 and “Sunset Rock” sounds like the band from Revenge of the Nerds moved to LA, had a music baby with Spoon, and started experimenting with psychedelics.

End of the day, I just LOVE this freaking tune:

Big Thief

Don’t sleep on Big Thief. I’m certainly not (they just bought a bass amp from me). Big Thief is like the indie-folk-rock version of rain. And I mean literal rain. If rain was an emotion, that’s the emotion this band would invoke. Every single song they write can be interpreted as either sad or happy. It depends entirely on your mood, the time and place, and what kind of liquor you’re drinking.

I also really dig their album covers. They have a “stark reality” approach that speaks to my more candid side.

Harm’s Way

Now here’s a band I actually did just endorse. Bassist Casey Soyk will be rocking the OB1-500 moving forward. I’ve heard of Harm’s Way before but just recently started listening to them. They’re as hardcore as they come, bordering on death metal. In the last 12 years they’ve made a name for themselves with a high energy live show and albums that just keep getting better (in my opinion).


Dan Darby – Euro Artist Relations

Vein – “Virus://Vibrance”

This band was recommended to me by Steve from Every Time I Die, who have toured with these guys recently. I can’t believe I haven’t heard of these guys before! The band are from Boston and I don’t think there is a band that sound like them at the moment.

Bloody Knees – “Maybe It’s Easy”

This track from the Cambridge/London based four piece is taken from their debut EP “Maybe It’s Easy” released in October 2017. The band have had a tough start to 2018, with all their equipment being stolen from their van. Luckily, after a national gofundme campaign, they’re on their way to becoming the band to see this summer.

Lump – “Curse of the Contemporary”

Laura Marling is back with a collaboration with Mike Lindsay, member of Tunng and Throws. This collective is called Lump and is a great mixture of acoustic and atmospheric music. Their first single is called “Curse of the Contemporary” and I can’t wait for the full album which comes out in June.

Every one of the forty heads is identified by a girls name and not a serial number, and each name was chosen only after the tonal character, playability and response had been checked out.

Ade Emsley – Technical Director

40th Anniversary Custom Shop

40th Anniversary – Roxanne

The 40th Anniversary series was introduced in 2008 as a limited edition of forty non-master volume 50 watt heads with a 30 watt Class A switch built in. Each amplifier has been uniquely voiced by the Custom Shop so that some are very close to the original Pics Only, whilst others sound quite different.

Every one of the forty heads is identified by a girls name and not a serial number, and each name was chosen only after the tonal character, playability and response had been checked out. Amongst the first to be shipped worldwide were Sally and Edith (to Germany), Michelle (Canada), Christina (Spain), Judy (Holland), Lina and Mia (France), Betty (Norway), Jennifer and Isabelle (USA), Roberta (Italy), and Diana (England).

The uniqueness of each of these hand wired, point to point, collectors amplifiers has been confirmed with a photograph of the underside of the chassis, recorded and authorised by the Custom Shop.

40th Anniversary PPC412-LTD

40th Anniversary half stack

The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition cabinet is fitted with four 16 ohm Celestion ‘Anniversary Edition’ speakers incorporating a baffle centre post just like the original Orange 4×12 cabs. Our 1968-2008 logo design is on a name-plate secured to the bottom right of the front grille cloth.

 

40th Anniversary OR50

OR50 40th Anniversary

 

The OR50 is a single channel production model which gives more than just a nod to the 1970s Pics Only. We have retained the best classic Orange design features and incorporated today’s more advanced features. The OR50’s construction is similar to early Orange amps – it is a mixture of point to point and PCB. We have also tried to make it as vintage as possible when the footswitchable master is either turned up to 10 or defeated, it then gives a considerable amount of overdrive when it is attenuated. This is because of the dual function HF Drive control.

 

 

The Thunderverb could be used as a bass amp or lead amp or both combined.

Thunderverb 200

Ade Emsley – Technical Director

The thinking behind the Thunderverb was to create an amp for guitarists who wanted to use a lot of preamp distortion – they didn’t want to work the power amp very hard. There is a breed of seriously heavy guitarists who use a 1×15 and a 4×12 – and maybe a 7-string guitar. They need power and preamp distortion and lots of end response. The Thunderverb is the amp we made for them.

Unlike the Rockerverb, with its two stage Clean Channel and a four stage Dirty Channel, the Thunderverb had two three-stage channels so you could get clean sound or overdrive out of each of them. This was the first amp that had the Shape control on Channel B – one way you get all mid-range and no bass and treble – and the other way you get the exact opposite. We launched the Thunderverb in the summer of 2006. This amp could be used as a bass amp or lead amp or both combined – the bass is clean right down to 30Hz. Another useful feature is that, should a valve go down, this amplifier automatically switched to the 100 watt mode and would see the guitarist through the rest of the gig. The Thunderverb also had a 100 watt setting which switches off two pairs of tubes and gives a great sound when the amp is cranked. We use that same preamp on a 50 watt amp powered by two EL34s – the Thunderverb 50 was launched in 2007.

Over 10,000 Tiny Terrors were sold in the very first year of production. It has become the guitarists’ ‘must have’ and a studio industry standard.

Ade Emsley – Technical Director

The concept of the Tiny Terror is an amp you can carry anywhere. You turn up to play at a gig and there are three bands playing. You turn up with your Tiny Terror in its gig bag and your guitar. Before the gig you’ve sorted out the use of a mate’s 4×12 in one of the other bands. Plug in with the volume on ten and the gain on about six and suddenly you’re into 1980s AC/DC territory.

Check out the band’s ‘Let There Be Rock’ video and you’ll see Angus playing an Orange Pics Only. The way we’ve used the tubes means that the Tiny Terror has a unique channel with only three controls – gain, volume and tone. But it gives you everything from clean to pretty ridiculous…. but still very much Orange in its mid-range punch. Plus there’s the 7 watt switch to give even more choice and studio versatility.

The original and still the best

Damon Waller – Former MD

After the Rockerverb and Rocker 30 we had lots of guitarists saying how much they loved the AD15 and why don’t we make another 15 watt amp. We thought there was no point in going backwards so we came up with the concept of the Tiny Terror. Instead of doing another combo we made a small, portable head. Although we decided to aim for a lower price bracket, in no way did this mean that we were going to compromise on quality. So we had the idea of a small head, but lose the bulky amp sleeve which adds cost and weight to the product. Instead, we would supply a quality padded gig bag tailored to fit the amplifier. So that’s how the concept came together. Worldwide sales were way ahead of even our best projections during the first year of its launch.

Gig Bag

It was while we were designing the Retro 50 that we started taking transformers apart to see what made the good ones so effective. We wanted something that sounded like the original Pics Only Woden transformer..

Ade Emsley – Technical Director

Transformers for testing, research and development

The original Pics Only Woden transformer was stick-wound – it didn’t have a bobbin, and every layer of winding was done on waxed paper. The Woden was a very robust design. We eventually managed to source the only company in the UK that had a stick-winder which could help with our development.

After exhaustive prototyping and testing, we eventually decided on transformers where the windings were split into five sections, or even eight. Usually transformers in this application only have three, although the Wodens had four. We designed and made five-section and eight-section output transformers – these were very expensive, almost twice the price. We then fitted them to the Retro 50 and the AD 50.

The difference this has made to our amplifiers’ sound is quite incredible, and gives us the edge over our competitors.

We kept on testing and trying out different kinds of transformers to see what worked and what didn’t. Using different permeability laminations made of different kinds of metal made an enormous difference to the sound.

It took two years to finally come up with a combination of copper wire, metal, laminations and eight sections with optimum insulation materials – which now are incorporated as standard into our transformers. The difference this has made to our amplifiers’ sound is quite incredible, and gives us the edge over all of our competitors. The cost is high, but after hearing them and having followed their development, Cliff had no hesitation in approving the additional cost.

Our intensive testing and research produced the ‘Dual Snake Eight’ transformer design. All Orange amplifiers rated at 50 watts and above incorporate this. The Tiny Terror, AD30 and Rocker 30 have five-section transformers. All these new designs are exclusive to Orange Amplification.

Transformer in situ

Custom wound