ORANGE
TH30
Cutting two of the amp’s power tubes via the
rear switch cut the headroom considerably,
shifting the amp’s gears into a Billy Gibbons-inspired overdrive that sliced and wailed with
authority. For most of these tests, I was using
the PPC 4x12 cabinet, which had more of a
scooped midrange. But I got very cool results
by splitting the signal into both the 4x12 the
PPC 4x10—combining the 10" speakers’ tight,
snappy character with the looser, brawnier
response of the four 12" speakers. And this best-of-both-worlds scenario resulted in one of the
best Orange overdrive tones I’ve ever heard.
While I had a blast with the Dirty channel
tones, I unearthed the TH30’s real tone
gems in the Clean channel. I was floored
by how close it was in performance and
tone to some of the best nonmaster-volume
amps I’ve come across. The punch and clarity reminded me of a healthy, early-’70s
Marshall Super Lead, but melded with
Orange’s bright top end and elastic low
end. And, just like some of the best vintage
nonmaster-volume amps, the response
and touch sensitivity improved the more I
turned up the volume.
