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Dual Dark: A Very Unique Orange Amp

The Dual Dark, as Lead Designer Ade Emsley describes it, is an Orange amp “for guitarists who don’t usually play Orange amps.” The Dual Dark is a completely different beast, both in terms of gain and voicing, from every other amp Orange has ever produced. It’s tighter on the bottom-end and has an almost percussive nature to its attack. And while all Orange amps tend to have massive amounts of distortion, it’s the searing brutality of the dirty channel (Channel B) on the Dual Dark really sets it apart from amps like the Rockerverb MKIII.

There are a lot of similarities between the Dual Dark and our now discontinued Thunderverb series. The Thunderverb 50 and 100 were the first Orange amps to feature attenuators and shape knobs. The attenuator is great for the studio and bedroom practice, since it allows the volume to be decreased without affecting the tone. The shape knob is actually a mid-scoop that takes the player from classic rock all the way through to mind-melting metal. These features, when introduced originally, were received well by Orange enthusiasts so it only made sense to keep them on future models (the Rockerverb MKIII also has an attenuator).

The similarities end when it comes to the voicing of the amps. If the Thunderverb was a true modern Orange amp, and the Rockerverb MKIII a melding of classic and modern tones, then the Dual Dark is the amp that bridges them all together. Channel A on the Dual Dark is extremely versatility, boasting a wide range of tones from Brit-rock to R&B. On this channel it can even be made to sound similar to our flagship AD30 head. But switch over to Channel B, the assumed “dirty channel” for most players, and let the shape knob rocket you into Thunderverb 200 high-gain metal territory (this, for example, is the channel Matt Pike from Sleep prefers).

It’s the Dual Dark’s voicing is what allows for such versatility. By backing off on the “fuzziness” that is inherent in most Orange amps (a desirable trait to most of our fans), Lead Designer Ade Emsley has made the Dual Dark capable of mimicking a wider variety of amp voicings. If other amp companies make “fizzy” sounding amps, and Orange is normally known for “fuzz,” then the Dual Dark occupies that in-between “fizz-fuzz” that makes it so unique.

There’s something for everybody in the Dual Dark series. Here are some examples of Orange Ambassadors from a wide variety of genres that have made the Dual Dark their go-to amps.

Matt Pike – Sleep, High on Fire

The Dual Dark 100 is always the first amp Matt requests on his backline riders. He prefers it above all other current production Orange amps. For him, it’s the gain and the gain alone that he desires. If we could supply him with 50 Dual Dark 100’s per show he’d take it.

Al Cisneros – Sleep

After Matt Pike started using the Dual Dark 100 regularly, Al got in touch and said he was interested in giving it a shot. Al uses a huge stack of bass amps, yes, but he also runs his signal through a guitar half stack to achieve a more grindy, trebly top-end to his tone. The Dual Dark 50 has become his go-to guitar amp since 2017.

Graham Whitford – Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown

“It’s one of those amps you can plug straight into without a single pedal and get everything you need. I love it.”

Dave Catching – Eagles of Death Metal

We’ve had EODM’s lead guitarist, the absolutely most awesome dude on earth, Dave Catching, playing the Dual Darks on stage for several years. Coming from a Marshall/Fender background, he like a lot of our Dual Dark Ambassadors was turned on by the fact it doesn’t sound “classically Orange.” Dave also found that the Dual Dark can works wonders in his studio, Rancho De La Luna, with bands ranging from CKY to Kurt Vile.

Pop Evil

Both guitarists Davey Grahs and Nick Fuelling of Pop Evil are playing identical set-ups consisting of Dual Dark and Rockerverb 100 MKIII 100 watt heads. For their stage volume needs it’s the perfect combo. It’s a loud, LOUD rig and between both the Dual Dark and Rockerverb MKIII they’re able to recreate the full spectrum of Orange tones.

“If sounds were a person, the sound Orange produces would be the Dos Equis guy.” – Davey Grahs

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Bass overdrive: A one way ticket to Asgard (Land of the Gods)

Bass overdrive: A one way ticket to Asgard (Land of the Gods)

Lately overdriven bass has had a bit of a comeback, waking like the giants of Jotunheim from their icy slumber. Modern players, warmed to the tone of 1970’s dirt amps are seeking out flexibility from their instruments and the answer to their prayers is overdrive.

It’s a tone that is both classic and contemporary, a part of an arsenal of weaponry that can conquer lands we thought were out of reach.

Why the fascination with bass overdrive?

Bassists have sat back watching as their six-stringed friends rip it up while they happily provide the backbone to songs for a long time. Consider some of the greats: John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Jack Bruce (Cream) and Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris, they all provide the most solid foundation you can ask for. But a new breed of player is on the march, notably Prophets of Rage’s Tim Commerford and Mike Kerr of Royal Blood, who fires off a searing attack of tonality, the lows and highs, removing the need for our 6 string relatives. No longer is this about keeping peace in our own world, it’s about taking Valhalla, claiming the seat from Odin and making all nine worlds our own.

Bi-amping your way to bass overdrive of the gods

Mike Kerr gets that awesome tone by splitting his signal two ways. One side is channelled and modulated to drive a guitar amp and the other goes into a bass rig. That means he gets that top end aggression from his bass overdrive pedal and pulsating bottom end too. It’s like he’s ripping down the gates to Valhalla and then wiping his brow with the draft excluder.

But it’s not quite as simple as storming the rainbow bridge and claiming the hall of the slain. Achieving that kind of monstrous tone has been all about using a mighty rig with two separate amplifiers and speaker arrangements. So unless you’ve got a strong back and deep pockets, bi-amping can feel out of reach to those waiting in the sidelines for their time to come. Unless that is you’ve got a trickster god on your side.

Loki and the overdriven bass pedal tone

Getaway Driver is the perfect tool to swipe away Odin’s throne, giving bassist two tones in one. This one small, inexpensive unit produces vintage vibe gain that has a real smooth compression overdrive sound that feels responsive like you’d gain from a Class A amp. For bass guitarists, this is the ideal tool to push forward driven bass riffs to cut through the drums. It’s like having a cranked modded ‘70s amp under your foot. If you want more raw power, using the 12 Volt input gives you a bigger, punchy sound of the EL34 tube. By contrast, use a 9 Volt battery and you’ll get a less bassy tone similar to the EL84 tube that is upper-mid focused.
But the linchpin to this bass overdrive pedal is the cab sim feature that gives you two outputs. The first output is transparent when bypassed, but once you engage the pedal you’ll get powering bass overdrive only the god of thunder could deliver. The second output offers a glacial clean amp sim channel that glimmers with harmonic overtones. Hook the second channel up to a DI box and you’ve got yourself a bi-amp.

Overdriven bass with added dirt

Just like the sound of any good armour as your charge into battle against the gods of Asgard, there’s a good chance that you’ll want more clank with your bass overdrive pedal. Orange’s Two Stroke EQ pedal gives you just that. By plugging the first channel output of the Getaway Driver into the bass EQ pedal you can carve your own unique tone, digging your ice sword into Yggdrasil, the tree of life like a Swiss army knife. As you watch its bark fall to the earthy meadow, regale in your victory as you revoice the tone of your instrument. Add more aggression across a band between 120Hz to 1.2KHz parametric or cut some of the wooliness between 850Hz to 8.5KHz, the 12dB boost gives you total control.

 

Bass overdrive pedal flexibility that’s tough to beat

In combination, the Getaway Driver overdrive pedal and Two Stroke EQ pedal seem like chalk and cheese. Loki and Thor. One unit is pure sorcery, capable of creating two distinct sounds from one unit. The other can shape mountains using the power of modulation, sculpting bass tone from searing attack all the way to subtle depths. Bypass both pedals and enjoy the transparency of high-class circuitry that adds or takes away nothing, just pure tone. Then go into overdrive to the max, riding Odin’s eight-legged horse out of the battlefield waving your flag victorious.

So, there is only one question left to settle.

Now that you’ve conquered the gods, who next?

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The Crush Mini – A small but mighty amp!

The Crush Mini has seen multiple redesigns since its release in 2006 but none of these revamps have been as big as 2018’s. As well as appearing in the latest commercial for the Crush Mini, Mikey Deemus from Skindred had this to say:

“Make no mistake, this lil’ box of pure doom is mighty enough to shake, rattle and roll.. From headphones to the stage, the Crush Mini has got what takes!”

This article is an overview of these changes and why you should take the time to check this small but mighty amp!

Full tonal control

The control panel has been redesigned with a simple control panel, much like the Micro Dark. Three controls: volume, shape and gain, give you a wide range of tones.  The shape control gives your sound either a cut or a boost in the mids. Dialing back on the gain and pushing the volume up will give smooth cleans, before clipping into natural crunch the higher the volume goes.

Speaker Output

A new feature added in 2018 is the 8 Ohm speaker output, giving you the option to use with a speaker cabinet to open up your Crush Mini’s sound. Any 8 Ohm speaker will work and the onboard speaker disengages when the speaker output is in use.Trying the Crush Mini with an Orange PPC412 is a must and you will be surprised at how much volume this little amp can manage.

Battery Power

The Crush Mini can be powered by a 9V battery or a power supply (not included) meaning the Crush Mini can be played anywhere. The amplifier switches on when a lead is inserted into the jack socket or AUX-IN, so you don’t have to worry about running out of battery.

Perfect for on the road

The amplifier is a perfect companion for the traveling musician, whether backstage or at home practice, the Crush Mini is ready for whatever is thrown its way. The In-Built tuner is simple, easy to use and means you are always in tune. Want to play along to your favourite songs? Simple, the Aux-In is there to give you this option and if you need silent practice the headphone out disengages the speaker, so you can jam in silence.

Moose Blood use the Crush Mini’s in the studio and the road.

Original “Pics Only” Design

The Crush Mini design is back to the classic 70’s “Pics Only” design which made the brand so famous. The wooden construction keeps the ethos of quality and reliability that runs through the Orange product range.

To find out more about the Crush Mini, click here.

 

 

 

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1969 – Shaping the Orange Sound

Cliff Cooper founder and CEO:

During 1969, we sampled the sounds used by a number of top guitarists – among them, Peter Green, Marc Bolan and Paul Kossoff, all of whom liked to spend time in the Orange Shop just chatting and playing guitars. We asked these and other professional guitarists to plug into our mixing desk, play around, and find the sound that they liked best. We were then able to measure the sound characteristics and decide what changes were needed to the Orange amp circuitry. We would then send these circuitry changes to Mat up in Huddersfield so that he could incorporate any modifications into our amplifiers. Basically it was a question of what our customers wanted.

As Orange became more established, we found that a lot of people liked our amps, but it wasn’t across the board. Many guitarists told us that our amps just didn’t sound as loud as some other makes, watt for watt. Using signal generators, oscilloscopes and other measuring equipment, we measured an Orange OR120 amplifier in our workshop. It gave out a true 120 watts RMS (Root Mean Square). We then measured another famous make of 100 watt amplifier, which gave 96 watts output – but it still sounded much louder than the Orange amplifier. We just couldn’t figure out why this was. At the same time, we tested the distortion levels. The other amplifier had a far more distorted sound than the Orange amp.

I arranged a meeting with a leading ear specialist with a practice in London’s Harley Street. He explained to me how the brain can register distortion as pain in order to protect the mechanism of the ears. The jagged harmonics produced by the distortion work the ear’s conducting bones harder, and this is perceived by the audio nerves as an increase in sound level. The original Orange amps were especially clean sounding with very little distortion and so it was, in fact, the clean sound that was the root of our problem. So thanks to the ear specialist we had solved the mystery. In order to correct the situation we gave the amp a lot more gain and modified our circuitry in a different way to the amplifiers we had tested. The main changes were to the tone stack at the front end and the phase inverter. These changes gave birth to the ‘Orange sound’ and were incorporated in the first ‘Pics Only’ amps – our amps with hieroglyphs. The sound perhaps is best described as ‘fat’ and ‘warm’ – more musical and richer in harmonics, with a unique saturation in the mids band. It also improved the sustain. That said, choice of sound naturally is a personal thing.

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Interview: Fizzy Blood’s Ciaran Scanlon

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your band Fizzy Blood? Have you been a member since day one?
I’m Ciaran Scanlon and I’m the bass player in a rock band called Fizzy Blood. I joined Fizzy Blood back in 2015 a few months after they had come out of the studio recording ‘Feast’. Our drummer Jake and I had been playing in bands together for years, and at the time we were both living together in Leeds, studying at the Leeds College of Music. When Fizzy needed a bassist, I joined them for a few rehearsals and we’ve been playing together ever since. As well as ‘Feast’, we’ve also released ‘Summer of Luv’, plus we’ve just come out of the studio recording our 3rd EP, which we did with the wonderful Alex Newport. This will be released in the next few months so keep an eye out!

You’ve got some impressive shows behind you with your three years in the band, what would you say has been the highlight for you?
For me, it has to be playing overseas. We performed over in South Korea for ‘Zandari Fest’ and Austin Texas for ‘SXSW’, which were both pretty surreal experiences. In the UK, this headline tour we’ve just done is definitely a highlight as well. The gigs we played in Leeds, London and Birmingham were really exceptional and the crowds were so energetic and responsive. It was a really unique moment for the band.

How old were you when you got into playing, and what led you towards playing the bass?
I have been playing bass since I was about fourteen years old, so for about eight years now. I first started when I was in secondary school when a few friends of mine were learning instruments. I used to turn up to the practice room, hang out, and try to get involved any way I could, and with bass being the one instrument none of my friends played I thought ‘why not give that a go?!’. Later I got a bass for Christmas, and the rest is, as you say, history. My dad was really into the bass as well, just as much as I was, so he got me lessons to help develop my learning of the instrument. A few years later I decided to pursue it further and study music at university, which is where I eventually ended up joining the band.

 

What kind of music did you listen to yourself growing up?
Growing up in an Irish household in Birmingham, I was exposed to lots of talented Irish music and musicians. My parents were very much into the Manchester music scene, so bands like The Smith, Oasis, Joy Division and The Stone Roses were always played on repeat.

Can you give us a lowdown on your history and experience with Orange?
When I first started playing I had an Orange combo practice amp, which was one of the first pieces of equipment I ever owned. The Orange amps I have used over the years range from everything from practice combo amps to a Terror Bass and an AD200. I’ve always been a fan of Orange, especially with Fleetwood Mac’s John McVie being a part of the Orange family and roster. From the moment I first played Orange I’ve been sticking to them due to their top quality sound and pristine production, and I’ve been really lucky to use Orange amps across a wide range of tours in the UK with Fizzy Blood.

So you’ve played the Terror bass and you’ve given the AD200 a go, what’s your current set up for this most recent UK tour?
For this as well as the last few Fizzy Blood tours I’ve been using the Orange 4 Stroke 500, it’s got everything I want and I’ve had such a great time playing it. I dont rely on too many pedals either, and my small pedal board consists of a tuner running to a Sansamp into a pedal called a ‘Steel Leather’, which is essentially a treble boost that emulates a pick sound as I play with my fingers. It’s been nice using the 4 Stroke as I normally use my Sansamp to control my tone, as the 4 Stroke has allowed me so much more creative freedom.

If you could go back in time and give your ten-year-old self some words of wisdom, what would it be?
Save up all your pocket money and get yourself an orange amp. You won’t regret it.

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1968 – Orange’s Psychedelic Logo

Cliff Cooper, Founder and CEO explains:
I remember the psychedelic lettering of the shop front logo taking forever to complete, but it was worth the wait. It truly reflected the Flower Power and Psychedelia era.

John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Paul Kossoff, Marc Bolan, Gary Moore, Peter Green and many other famous musicians would visit the store. They’d sit around chatting and play guitars for as long as they liked – most other shops wouldn’t tolerate this.

In late 1968, Fleetwood Mac became the first band ever to use Orange amplifiers. Around that time, musicians began to really prefer older, used or beat-up guitars, as they considered them to be of better quality and have much more character than the new ones available. The Orange Shop was first to cater for this new second-hand market.

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Why Guitarists Fail When Buying Amps

Intro

When we’re in the market for an amplifier, more often than not we’ll have an idea of what we want from the get-go. We might know, for example, that our band is progressing to larger venues and we need something that can pack the right punch. Or we might want something to fit in with the new ambient death jungle direction we’re heading in.

Given enough time, and a budget in keeping with our ambitions, we mostly get it right. Particularly in this day and age, where the internet offers us all manner of reviews (both from critics and real people), sound tests, videos and blogs, it’s easier than ever to make informed decisions way in advance of parting with your cash.

That said, there are certain traps even the most experienced of us will fall into. Here we’ll look at some of the common pitfalls guitarists face when buying amps.

 

 

Features (too many or not enough)

 

Early on in your playing career, if you’re anything like me, you wanted to cram as many features into your amp as possible. I wanted something that could do quality crunch, metal, clean and blues sounds, along with some effects built in, and ideally a tuner.

Of course, all these requirements filtered my search down quite significantly. And the biggest sacrifice I had to make? Quality. Sure, I found something that could do all of those things, but you know what? It sounded worse than awful. Honestly. I don’t know where that amp is now, but I hope it’s burning somewhere, slowly.

The flipside is getting an amp that does only one thing. If that’s all you’re going to use then fine, but you can find yourself quite restricted if you’re in a covers band, for example, and all you can get is mid-heavy blues sounds.

Work out what’s important to you, and what’s just ‘nice to have’ and make sure you tick the boxes in the first column.

 

Buying on brand (and brand alone)

 

There’s nothing wrong with following the path set out by your favourite player. They might be synonymous with certain guitars or amps, and you decide that’s the brand for you. Fine. But perhaps give yourself a bit of credit too. At some point you may want to find your own voice, and your own style, and if your gear is limited because of blind loyalty to certain brands then you might have a problem.

In short; have an open mind. Try stuff out. Case in point; in writing for a UK guitar mag last year, I tried one of those huge semi-acoustic Gretsch guitars for the first time. I’d never even considered one before and was amazed at how quickly I came to love it.

Try it. Ignore the name on the faceplate. You’ll love the right tone more than you’ll ever love a logo.

 

 

Volume does not equal power

 

Ah yes, the ‘volume’ issue. Closely linked to the ego. We know guitarists are unfairly maligned for having large egos, but turning up to a small open mic with a full stack won’t help that. The simple fact is that, more often than not, you don’t need 100w of power. You probably don’t even need 50w. Heck, 30w nowadays will pack out most things under the stadium bracket. The benefit of this is that you can perhaps put the same amount of money you had in mind for an entry-level 100w head into getting a much higher quality 30w model.

 

 

Practicality

 

Tying into the previous point about volume, consider the practicality of your amp. Be realistic. If you’re playing four shows a week, you’ll soon find yourself resenting that enormous double-speaker-cab setup that you have to shift up 3 flights of stairs each time.

 

 

 

The intangibles

 

Finally, the point that’s hardest to quantify. Matters of the heart.

You can almost ignore each previous entry. Yes, it’s all very sensible but I’m not your dad. When you’re buying an amplifier, whether it’s your first or your 101st, you have to allow yourself a bit of emotion.

Music is, after all, a creative pursuit. And we tend to be creative people. So make sure that ‘that’ side of your checklist is met. Otherwise you’ll end up with a sensible, practical amplifier that you love in the same way you love your lightbulbs or your tumble dryer.

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5 HOT TIPS TO SURVIVE SXSW BY ALEX WHITE FROM WHITE MYSTERY

Miss Alex White has performed 56 shows with White Mystery at eight South by Southwest conferences in Austin, Texas since 2008, and plays seven more showcases this year. Here are five important survival tips for fans and bands visiting SXSW in 2018! Special thanks to Rhiannon Mach for helping organize this year’s guide.

1. PACK IN LAYERS

Before you go on any trip, check the weather forecast a few days before you leave. It seems simple, but it’s a step a lot of people skip. For us Chicagoans visiting Austin, it might be snowing in the Midwest, but in Texas, it could be 90 degrees. On the flip side, there have been instances of cold snaps where the temperature drops to 40 degrees at night in Austin. Because of this, it’s important to be prepared for any type of weather. I recommend a variety of t-shirts and hoodies, a jean jacket, and a leather jacket that can all be layered and worn at the same time. Another important item to make sure you have is comfortable footwear (this includes comfortable socks!) for lots of walking. If you’re susceptible to burning under the hot sun, bring along a hat and sunscreen. Be prepared to be as comfortable as you can in any type of weather and throughout all the travel.

2. GET A LAY OF THE LAND

Austin, Texas is a small town compared to Brooklyn or Chicago, though the city limits do sprawl outward and the city becomes congested with the influx of tourists from worldwide locations. Austin is overwhelmed with the amount of people that come for SXSW, and this can make it extra difficult to get around the city. For example, it will take you a really, really long time to go a short distance at South by Southwest. There’s a lot of traffic, a shortage of cabs for the amount of fans, and limited public transportation. Because of all of this, cab rides take longer and cost more. SXSW also offers a unique form of transport called “pedicabs,” which is vehicle that is a cross between a bicycle and a rickshaw. These pedicab rides seem nice when you’re desperate for a ride between venues, just be aware, these convenient rides can cost just as much as a yellow cab. Another handy tool is the Google Maps traffic estimate. Also, consider the distance and locations of the showcase you want to attend and make sure they logistically make sense. A lot of fans find themselves disappointed when they arrive and realize the difficulty of getting around the city, though this can be cured with a little planning!

3. PACK SNACKS AND STAY HYDRATED

SXSW is an a jam-packed event, and you may find yourself at showcases all day and all night. Pulling 12 hour days can make it hard to stay hydrated and eat healthy foods. This can be solved with a reusable water bottle and packing healthy snacks like trail mix and apples. If you forget this step, you will be stuck spending a lot of money on bar food or food truck food that you could end up waiting 45 minutes for. Be sure to consider the heat, it’s so hot in Austin that you want to avoid eating too much salt. Bring almonds, walnuts and a water bottle to save time and money!

4. GET A RECHARGEABLE PHONE CHARGE

When you’re at SXSW, you and thousands of other folks are using your phones constantly for Google Maps, Instagram Live, Tweeting, etc. The reality is the battery on your phone is going to drain quickly, and there is a high demand for a small supply of electrical outlets. Be prepared by bringing a backup rechargeable charger. A few years back, a drunk fan accidentally unplugged the entire sound system at Cheer Up Charlies during Shannon & the Clams set, just to charge a phone! By packing a charger, you won’t end up as desperate to find a plug in as that guy!

5. GET YOUR PARKING SQUARED AWAY

Bands playing showcases at SXSW need a game plan for parking their gear vehicle at SXSW, especially for load-in. Make sure that when you advance with your promotor for your show that you square away parking otherwise you could end up lugging your equipment 4 blocks or paying $40 for parking (which can be a bummer if you’re playing the show for free). Along with other questions about the show, be clear about parking, and you’ll be happy you did!

WHITE MYSTERY TOUR DATES 
03/01/18 Mystery Show The World — United States Details
03/02/18 Gabe’s Oasis Iowa City, IA — United States Details
03/03/18 Duffy’s Lincoln, NE — United States Details
03/04/18 O’Leaver’s Pub Omaha, NE — United States Details
03/05/18 DJ Set ~ Dave’s Stagecoach Kansas City, MO — United States Details
03/06/18 Voltaire’s Kansas City, MO — United States Details
03/07/18 CBGB St. Louis, MO — United States Details
03/08/18 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL — United States Details
03/08/18 PKs Carbondale, IL — United States Details
03/09/18 The Outland Springfield, MO — United States Details
03/10/18 Backspace Fayetteville, Arkansas — United States Details
03/11/18 Mercury Lounge Tulsa, OK — United States Details
Tour: SXSW
03/12/18 Do512 Strange Brew Austin, TX — United States Details
03/13/18 SXSW Austin, TX — United States Details
03/14/18 SXStoner Jam Austin, TX — United States Details
03/15/18 SXSW Austin, TX — United States Details
03/16/18 Electric Church Austin, TX — United States Details
03/16/18 21st Street Co-Op Austin, TX — United States Details
03/16/18 720 Club Austin, TX — United States Details
03/17/18 BURGERMANIA Austin, TX — United States Details
Tour: F.Y.M.S Tour
03/18/18 215 Grove St. Warehouse Houston, TX — United States Details
03/20/18 Valley of the Vapors Hot Springs, AR — United States Details
03/22/18 BAR DKDC Memphis, TN — United States Details
03/31/18 Free Radio School of Art Institute Chicago Chicago, IL — United StatesDetails
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1968 – Painting the Orange Shop

Cliff Cooper, Founder & CEO of Orange Amps:

When we opened the shop, we painted it inside and out in a really bright shade of orange. Even from a distance you couldn’t help but notice it – the shop front had this luminous, really powerful aura. However, shop owners nearby complained and the council told me to change it back to its original dark brown colour. I wouldn’t agree, and after a plethora of letters had exchanged hands, the council decided to let it go. I think they took the view that it didn’t really matter because the shop was soon to be demolished anyway.

We opened the ground-floor premises as a music shop on September 2nd 1968. The basement studio wasn’t covering its overheads so I was forced to sell my band’s Vox equipment in the shop in order to pay wages. It sold the same day – we were now in the music retail business. The main distributors at that time for Marshall, Gibson and Fender would not supply us even when I offered to pay them up front, so I was forced to sell second-hand guitars and amplifiers. We began manufacturing our own amps at the start of 1969. That was also the year that Vox went into liquidation and so there was room for another amplifier company. My background in electronics proved very useful and, needless to say, I called the amplifiers Orange. That’s how it all started.

The shop was very cramped. You can see the stairs going down to the studio on the right in this photo which was taken after the Customs & Excise swoop [covered in a later post].

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1966 – Working with Joe Meek

Cliff Cooper, Orange Amps Founder and CEO:

Whilst I was in The Millionaires – a name which Joe Meek himself gave us – we had a top twenty hit record ‘Wishing Well’, which I wrote with my brother Ken, and Joe recorded and produced.

The Millionaires

Joe was a very special talent who – like Phil Spector with his pioneering ‘Wall of Sound’ recording techniques – was way ahead of his time. Joe was completely dedicated to music, and with his company, RGM, was forever experimenting and trying to discover new sounds. It was a privilege to watch him at work in his Holloway Road home studio [pictured below].

Unfortunately, towards the end of his life, he was beginning to get very stressed and was living more and more on the edge. I remember one particular incident at the studio. Our bass player, Staz, was coming up the narrow stairs into the recording room as Joe was coming down them. Really, Staz should have returned back down the stairs, but instead he tried to squeeze past Joe. Joe suddenly flared up and just threw his tea all over Staz!

At the time, I heard that the reason Joe was so stressed was to do with a copyright issue regarding his hit single ‘Telstar’ [performed by The Tornados, it reached Number 1 in the UK and USA charts in 1962].

Joe committed suicide in February 1967, which shocked everybody in the music business. We hadn’t had the opportunity to work with him for long, and he was planning a follow-up single for us.

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