REVIEW > ORANGE
delightfully cryptic pictogram layout.
There are knobs for the 3-band EQ, preamp drive, and master volume. But the
really interesting component here is the
HF drive control—marked with a fist—
that adjusts presence and also injects the
tone with power amp gain as you crank it
clockwise. If you’re a true single-channel
purist, the master volume control can
be removed from the circuit via a single-button footswitch that plugs into a jack on
the front panel.
The HF drive control is very effective for
dialing in a solid, fundamental tone. And
by keeping the EQ controls at noon, I was
able to coax snappy Jerry Reed sounds,
buttery jazz rhythms, and balanced-but-
toothy Jimmy Page-esque jangle by moving
the control through its range.
Fresh-Squeezed Tone
Orange amps are popularly regarded as
a rocker’s means for reaching gained-out
bliss. The truth is that the OR50H has
much more range than that. It dished out
crisp country snap, mellow jazz vibes, and
searing blues tones—along with Orange’s
signature thick and scorching gain—when
I called for it.
Connecting the head to an Emperor
4x12 loaded with Weber C1265 speakers,
hooking up a Telecaster, and disengag-
ing the amp’s master volume is the ticket
to beautiful, gut-punching clean tones.
Offering plenty of sparkle and fat, wide
lows, this is a combination that works well
for fingerpicked arpeggios. The EQ con-
trols are effective for adding or subtract-
ing harmonic content in their respective
frequency ranges—particularly the treble
control, which is, delightfully, neither
harsh nor abrasive.
And by keeping the EQ controls at noon,
I was able to coax snappy Jerry Reed
sounds, buttery jazz rhythms, and bal-anced-but-toothy Jimmy Page-esque jangle
by moving the control through its range.
The impressive clean headroom with
master volume disengaged is another key
to the OR50H’s range. You can keep this
amp clean at volumes that border on ludicrous. I got breakup right around 1 o’clock
on the HF drive control, but it cleaned up
170 PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012 ThrobakMXVad.2.indd 2 11/20/11 7:42:21PM
premierguitar.com
