# Orange OR15



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Listening to some heavier riffs and reading through a thread here suggesting different amps for someone has had me interested in the Orange brand. I found the OR15 to be intriguing and I finally made some time to go down to a shop and spend some time with one. I managed to find an SG with a fat round neck and someone already set the OR15 paired with a 412 cab. I had a bit of fun but really enjoyed the bridge with the tone rolled off and the gain turned up, heavy riff territory.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

That looks like some fun right there.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

Didn’t like mine much past a brief honeymoon period. You can find my NAD thread and follow up here somewhere. 1 very nice trick and essentially nothing else. Almost zero clean headroom rolled back.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

keto said:


> Didn’t like mine much past a brief honeymoon period. You can find my NAD thread and follow up here somewhere. 1 very nice trick and essentially nothing else. Almost zero clean headroom rolled back.


I got cleans but I wasn't focusing on that really. I can't find your NAD thread, truly would like to read it over. I don't know much about Orange amps and they seem to have drawn me in, over the last couple of years, and it would be good to get educated a bit.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/orange-or15.51861/


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I can tell you they are solidly built and they back their stuff. Havent tried the 15 but did try the custom shop 50 at their atlanta hq. 

Disclosure: I endorse orange amps.

Still kicking around the idea of a thunderverb myself.


----------



## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I have nothing to say about the amp but this SG is beautiful!


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

keto said:


> https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/orange-or15.51861/


Thanks, guess I didn't go back far enough. I didn't realize how long this amp has been around.

Its sad to hear that it ended up in the one trick pony category. Although I'd love a dedicated rig for just pure heavy overdriven tones I think that puts me back into my old habits of collecting and not being versatile with what I already have. Also sad to hear it didn't play well with pedals, especially given it has a dedicated effects loop. I did manage to get some cleaner tones with the volume rolled off but that was in 15 watt mode and at somewhat low volume levels. Oh well, guess its a pass for now but it would be fun to own a little amp and huge cab to just sit in the corner of the room. 

Another question, why the heck are the cabs so pricey? I had a 112 Orange cab and it was terrible, literally falling apart from the inside.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Ti-Ron said:


> I have nothing to say about the amp but this SG is beautiful!


It is. I don't find many with nice round necks these days but this one had it. I'm constantly tempted by these but I don't know if I'm an SG guy.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

@vadsy get an OR50 to get your cleans back then.

My 412 has been lugged out of vehicles for years and all I have is scuffed tolex and some marks. Sounds as good as when I picked it up off a guy in Barrie. Bandmates brand-new-when-he-got-it is the same story.

Your 112 story is the first i have seen in memory of an orange cab not holding together.

As for price, I believe all PPC cabs are made in britain then shipped out. The Crush cabs are chinese or korean.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Budda said:


> @vadsy get an OR50 to get your cleans back then.
> 
> My 412 has been lugged out of vehicles for years and all I have is scuffed tolex and some marks. Sounds as good as when I picked it up off a guy in Barrie. Bandmates brand-new-when-he-got-it is the same story.
> 
> ...


I don't need another 50 watt amp, those days are behind me and for the price of an OR50 I could buy two amps, one for cleans one for dirt.

Some Orange cabs are made in China and some in the UK, the smaller stuff is made in China and it shows. I'd buy Orange again, just would be cautious in the future as quality control seems to be hit and miss.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

@keto You mentioned this amp didn't play well with pedals. 

Anything specific? Anything you can elaborate on?


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

Just that there was so much gain in the amp, pedals that added any gain were essentially useless. I was using a lot of fuzz and distortion at the time, for varying tastes and levels, they did not play nice in the front end of the OR15.

Oh, you could turn the gain down to next to nothing and probably have some use for the pedals, but that 100% defeated the best part of the amp.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

vadsy said:


> *Its sad to hear that it ended up in the one trick pony category.* Although I'd love a dedicated rig for just pure heavy overdriven tones I think that puts me back into my old habits of collecting and not being versatile with what I already have. Also sad to hear it didn't play well with pedals, especially given it has a dedicated effects loop. I did manage to get some cleaner tones with the volume rolled off but that was in 15 watt mode and at somewhat low volume levels. Oh well, guess its a pass for now but it would be fun to own a little amp and huge cab to just sit in the corner of the room.


I played one briefly when I was looking at a Tiny Terror. It was less one-trick-pony that that amp, being as it at least has a full tone stack (I bought the much more flexible Vox NightTrain). But Orange has it's own thing going on - if that's what you want, it'll work. Of course, it's not easy to play clean with a drummer with only a pair of EL84's (unless it's a Matchless or Mesa).


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Budda said:


> @vadsy get an OR50 to get your cleans back then.
> 
> My 412 has been lugged out of vehicles for years and all I have is scuffed tolex and some marks. Sounds as good as when I picked it up off a guy in Barrie. Bandmates brand-new-when-he-got-it is the same story.
> 
> ...


I stopped in at L&M today and have to make a correction, the smaller cabs are made in China while the larger stuff is designed in Britain but built in the US. Some of what I previously posted was incorrect even though I got the info of the Orange Amp forum.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

vadsy said:


> I stopped in at L&M today and have to make a correction, the smaller cabs are made in China while the larger stuff is designed in Britain but build in the US. Some of what I previously posted was incorrect even though I got the info of the Orange Amp forum.


Good to know.


----------



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I moved mine pretty quickly (OR50 pics only reissue).

Super cool classic rock tone - but a different classic rock than I prefer. I hit the chords and thought, "damn, that's dead on". shame I don't really care for it.

The "high gain' on the amp was awful. They sell it as being able to do modern - it absolutely cannot (unless you like a saturated mess - and some people do).

I LOVED the Micro Terror though.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I was in today to try out and buy a fuzz pedal but was really tempted by Orange stuff again. The OR15's are marked down to 700 or 750 and they have a used black tolex one for 560, that aint bad. Problem is the cabs are pricey as hell. I'm not buying another Chinese one so a 212 is the next step up since I want the rig to match but I gotta find a used one or sumthin.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

vadsy said:


> I was in today to try out and buy a fuzz pedal but was really tempted by Orange stuff again. The OR15's are marked down to 700 or 750 and they have a used black tolex one for 560, that aint bad. Problem is the cabs are pricey as hell. I'm not buying another Chinese one so a 212 is the next step up since I want the rig to match but I gotta find a used one or sumthin.


Should be able to find a 212 for around $500.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Budda said:


> Should be able to find a 212 for around $500.


exactly where?


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

vadsy said:


> exactly where?


Decide how far you are willing to drive and watch the cl/kijiji like a hawk.


----------



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

just get 2 112s.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Budda said:


> Decide how far you are willing to drive and watch the cl/kijiji like a hawk.


ok, I'm already deeply versed in that option, I thought maybe you had an in


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

adcandour said:


> just get 2 112s.
> 
> View attachment 147873


if a deal came up I wouldn't say no but I'd prefer to stay away from the single twelve cabs


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

vadsy said:


> ok, I'm already deeply versed in that option, I thought maybe you had an in


Not a public one, unfortunately.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

adcandour said:


> I moved mine pretty quickly (OR50 pics only reissue).
> 
> Super cool classic rock tone - but a different classic rock than I prefer. I hit the chords and thought, "damn, that's dead on". shame I don't really care for it.
> 
> ...


I too have the micro terror dark going through a Traynor 1 x 12. Lovely sound. I had a 30 watt Orange head that I didn’t like at all. Sold it after a few weeks.


----------

