Back to navigation


Ushering in a New Era of Orange Amplification





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





Orange’s OR30 is a single-channel powerhouse of roaring tube amplifier tone, loaded with a combination of classic features and a plethora of bold new additions to the company’s timeless formula. This head’s distinctive design combines a tube rectifier, cathode bias, and 30 watts of tube-powered punch. The result? A rich blast of classic Orange amplification that goes from clean British-style chime to gooey and compression-heavy overdrive sag with the flick of a Gain knob. You also get a 3-position bright switch, cross-line presence control, and 3-band EQ to tweak your tone to perfection. Finally, while the Orange OR30 is a single-channel amplifier, a secondary footswitchable volume control can instantaneously swap between mild edge-of-breakup rhythms to full-bodied tube saturation, ensuring any lead line or solo will pop.





Related Videos: OR30 30-watt 1-channel Tube Amplifier Head - Black





NOW PLAYING:


Orange OR30 Tube Amp Head: From Heritage to Heavy and Beyond





Orange OR30 - An introduction with Ade Emsley





Orange OR30 demo by Jam in the Van





Tube Amp vs Solid State -?What's the Difference?


3-position Bright switch for brilliant bite





A first for any Orange amplifier, the OR30’s bright switch grants you superior top-end shaping capabilities. It’s a seriously versatile tone-shaping tool that takes you from a fine treble boost (left position) to a broad overhaul of your high end (right position), voiced to capture the raw bite and high-octane grit of the classic tube amps of yore. The middle position offers a neutral setting that Sweetwater guitarists particularly ideal when running the OR30 as a pedal platform, giving you a rich and uncolored tone to build upon with your favorite stompboxes. Lastly, you also get an ultra-clean effects loop to optimally integrate your stompboxes.





Powerful projection and versatile power scaling





As any guitarist that’s played through a dimed tube amp can attest, 30 watts is plenty of power for almost any application. However, the OR30 is no typical 30-watt amp. After testing the OR30’s power rating in-house, Orange informed us here at Sweetwater that it routinely hits the same SPL levels of 100W models. Suffice it to say, you’ll never lack volume. However, if you’re looking to turn the volume down, flip the power scaling switch from “Headroom” mode to the 2-watt “Bedroom” mode to achieve searing tube tones without shaking the windows.





Fine-tune your tone to perfection





No matter what type of Orange tone you seek, the Orange OR30 is up to the task with a seriously flexible yet straightforward set of sound-sculpting tools. In addition to the 3-position Bright switch, the OR30 sports a 3-band EQ and a “cross-line” Presence control. What’s so special about that, you ask? Many Presence controls are based on negative feedback, which tends to have a limited tonal impact on lower-volume settings. In comparison, the OR30’s cross-line presence is designed to work consistently across the OR30’s entire output, from whisper-quiet cleans to knobs cranked, full-steam-ahead distortion.





Orange OR30 30-watt 1-channel Tube Amplifier Head Features:


Single-channel, British-style amplifier with 30W of roaring tube power


Cathode bias design and tube rectifier for a raw, spongy sag when you push the amp into overdrive


3-position Bright switch grants you superior control over your tone’s treble response


Cross-line Presence control designed to consistently function at all volume levels


Effects loop to cleanly integrate your time-based and modulation effects pedals


Secondary volume control that’s activated with a footswitch, allowing for far more dynamic control than a typical 1-channel amplifier


Headroom (full 30W power) and Bedroom (2W power) scaling allows you to achieve sweet tube saturation at reasonable volume levels


Massive output transformer results in a significantly higher level of perceived clean headroom


Astoundingly low noise floor


Designed and built in England to the highest standards