Orange OR30 Amp Head Review
Our Verdict and Review Summary
Dang this thing is heavy. I honestly wasn't expecting quite this much metal and high gain, but I got a ton of rectifier lows, but with some tightened thrash as well. Dialing gain down gives you a nearly perfect-sounding classic rock tone as well. But regardless of gain levels, you can get a ton of low end.
The OR30 is a lot heavier than I thought it would be, almost like my Mesa Rectoverb, which makes sense given the rectifier circuit in the OR30. As Kyle Bull points out in his demo video below, rectifiers tend to react a little slower to your playing hand, making the low end slightly less tight. And while you can hear some of that in the OR30, it also seems to tighten up fast, like a really hard stop when you mute the strings.
This amp also does classic rock incredibly well (more on that below). It almost sounds like an MP3 level of tone quality on the mid-to-low gain settings. I thought those gain levels sounded better than the heavier settings.
It's definitely a satisfying amp for classic rock fans.
So it kind of runs the table on styles. Those in the market for a high-end tube head aren't going to go wrong here.
My full Orange OR30 review is below.
Comparison Table
I've added three more Orange amps that you can compare here to the OR30. You can use the blue button below to search for other brands.
Amp | Name | Rate | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange OR30 | 90.3 | |
 | Orange Super Crush 100 | n/a | |
 | Orange TH30 | n/a | |
 | Orange Rockerverb MK2 | n/a |
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For most of our product reviews we take our own photos, in-house. Thank goodness for portrait mode. For those interested in using these photos, that is completely fine with us as long as you give us credit and don't claim the work as your own. Simply linking to guitarchalk.com near the photo is totally fine.
Still in the wrapper. Don't question my pinky finger breaking rank.
Review Card
IDEAL FOR: Heavy metal, high gain, classic rock, any time you need a ton of volume, rectifier fans.
TONE
96
CONTROL
85
VERSATILITY
96
PRICE/VALUE
84
- Rectifier fans will get some thrash metal balance
- More metal than you'd expect
- Just a fantastic classic rock sound
- Controls are simple but offer a lot of variety
- Only one channel
- Just stinkin' heavy
Orange OR30 Price Guide
Prices updated Mon, September 25th, 2023.
Sweetwater Pricing
Price Alert
Price History
Price History for Orange OR30 30-watt 1-channel Tube Amplifier Head - Orange
Statistics
| Current Price | $1,799.00 | September 21, 2023 |
| Highest Price | $1,799.00 | August 10, 2023 |
| Lowest Price | $1,799.00 | August 10, 2023 |
Last price changes
| $1,799.00 | August 10, 2023 |
Clean and Heavy Tones
I don't think you would buy this amp for its clean tones, which is not to say they're bad. But its wheelhouse is distortion, feeling most at home on mid to high gain levels and chunky rhythms.
It's metal, hard rock, and classic rock, with less flash on the clean side of things.
Ade Emsley sounds like he's on something in this video, but his demo does give you a good feel for the clean, bluesier tones and subtlety of the amp.
There's some chime on the high end clean tones, almost like Fishman Fluence pickups.
It's a full sound, regardless of gain levels. Like most large-form tube amp heads it's not an indoor or practice amp. This is for performances and mid to larger venues. I tested with my usual PRS CE 24 and a G&L Stratocaster-style electric.
Classic rock, modern rock - pretty much whatever you want, even from a simple control scheme.
Oddly, the demo from Orange doesn't really showcase the "chug" on this amp, but Kyle Bull takes care of that.
As you can gather from Kyle's demo, it's just a monster. You get tons of chunk, though with a little less tightness than you might have from a non-rectifier tube amp.
I don't like it as much as my Mesa and the other Mesas I have tried, but it's appreciably similar.
My apologies for not doing my own demo here. Sometimes I get to it and sometimes I don't.
Most of these guys make better demos than me anyways.
It's not the tightest amp you'll find, but it's heavy and really metal, though equally capable - perhaps more so - on the middle gain classic rock settings.
As I've mentioned (though it's worth reiterating), the classic rock side is even stronger, with middle-of-the-road gain levels.
It's sort of like a Marshall with a more smoothness.
Think AC/DC.
Controls
The control scheme is simple, on par for Orange amps. It only has one channel which complicates things a bit. I'd always rather have two channels (at least), especially when your style has you switching between cleans and distortion a lot.
To be honest, I'd have the OR30 rated higher if it weren't for that.
Though volume is footswitchable, so that offers a little more flexibility.
You get a four-band EQ if you count the presence controls. Perhaps you could call it five-bands if you count the bright switch.
Otherwise you're working with a three-band EQ, gain, and volume. A cross-line presence control is a nice add, giving you essentially a fourth EQ band.
There's no reverb, but I typically use my TC Electronic Hall of Fame anyway.
Price and Value
The Orange OR30 is expensive.
At the time of publishing this review, it was hovering around $1800 on most major retailers. But make sure and check the live pricing tables in this article for updated numbers.
While that's cheaper than comparables from Mesa and Marshall, it should still be considered a high-end amp, reserved for semi-pro to pro gigging and recording. It's an amp that you pay for if you're getting paid to make music, at least in some capacity.
It's definitely not an outrageous price for the level of quality you're getting. But you should take stock of what features and qualities you're paying for.
Having said all that, it's certainly not overpriced and actually cuts out some more peripheral features that you might not want/need.
Especially if you don't care about the single channel, it's a very high-value option.
Though I'd be okay with a higher price point and a two-channel option.
Wrap Up and Questions
My Orange OR30 review might sound a little mixed, but it's really not.
I have this amp rated at just a few clicks over 90, which puts it in the editor's choice category.
But how it fits your situation is the most important question. You're paying for the gain and the rectifier/EL84 tube circuit, as well as the high levels of output. If those things are a priority for you, the OR30 is worth considering.
But that's a call you have to make.
If you have questions about the OR30, leave them in the comments section below and I'll do my best to help out.
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