The Evolution of the Orange Sound (1968)

The Orange sound was born in 1968 with eye-catching amps, a unique retail model, and early builds by Matamp engineers.

When Orange amplifiers and loudspeaker cabinets first appeared in late 1968, their vivid colour and the picture-frame design of the amp sleeves and speaker cabinets marked a bold departure from the norm. At the same time, a new approach to instrument retail began with the opening of the Orange Shop on London’s New Compton Street on 2nd September 1968.

What’s now recognised as the Orange signature sound really took shape in 1971 with the launch of the graphic Pics-Only amplifier, complete with its unique hieroglyphic symbols and the warm, crunchy tone that became a defining feature.

From Hi-Fi to High Gain

Back in the early 1960s, Yorkshireman Ernest Tony Emerson was a member of the British Interplanetary Society, a group of H.G. Wells-inspired space-age futurists. He designed a state-of-the-art hi-fi amp called the Connoisseur HQ20.

His friend Mat Mathias ran a small repair business in Huddersfield called Radio Craft. In 1964, Mat hired Tony as a design engineer, and with the HQ20 as inspiration, they built the Matamp Series 2000, first as a 20-Watt, then a 30-Watt guitar amplifier.

Cliff Cooper remembers: “In the beginning, manufacturers wouldn’t supply the Orange Shop with new equipment, so I decided to build our own. I’d studied electronics at college, which helped enormously. Soon we were looking for a company to manufacture the amps, and we chose Mat Mathias at Radio Craft.

“Mat’s amps were essentially hi-fi guitar amps, very clean-sounding and beautifully built. But when he sent us a sample, it didn’t quite suit the market we were aiming for. It was great for bass guitars because of how clean it was, but too flat for lead guitarists, who were after more sustain. So in our first year, we modified the front end and switched the chassis from lightweight aluminium to tough enamelled steel.

“We also designed the Orange logo to be bold and clearly visible on stage, and sent it up to Radio Craft for the front panel. Mat suggested adding a small Matamp logo too, which we were happy to do.

“The first Orange amps were assembled in the back room of Mat’s tobacconist shop in Huddersfield, and the first speaker cabinets were made and covered in the basement of the Orange Shop.”