When did Orange amps become hip ? Orange historians come in.

[ToonHollow]

 

 

Fun Fact: Contrary to popular belief, Iommi didn't like Orange amps at all and only played them on Beat Club because they were the backline equipment.

[ToonHollow]

 

 

Fun Fact: Contrary to popular belief, Iommi didn't like Orange amps at all and only played them on Beat Club because they were the backline equipment.

[Hiwatt Bob]

I remember when Willies in St Paul started stocking them in around '98-ish. Tried one and liked it a lot. Seemed like soon after that, so late 90's and after, I started seeing them everywhere. They seemed to reach peak trend status in the early '00's.

[Hiwatt Bob]

I remember when Willies in St Paul started stocking them in around '98-ish. Tried one and liked it a lot. Seemed like soon after that, so late 90's and after, I started seeing them everywhere. They seemed to reach peak trend status in the early '00's.

[oinkbanana]

they're so much more popular now then early 00's
but the modern orange amp is NOT like the original OR & Overdrive amps.
even the TV200 is anemic imho.

[oinkbanana]

they're so much more popular now then early 00's
but the modern orange amp is NOT like the original OR & Overdrive amps.
even the TV200 is anemic imho.

[pelliott]

Bongzilla didn't hurt nobody

[pelliott]

Bongzilla didn't hurt nobody

[Fission Hole]

Gibson had some ownership or affiliation with the brand when they started building reissues in the mid to late 90s. They pimped the amps by providing them as promotional backline for TV performances in that era (also pushing Gibson guitars in similar manner). So you might see some footage of the Flaming Lips lip-syncing on Beverly Hills 90210 with Orange amps behind them.

I wasn't aware of anything between maybe the early 80s and that brand revival. Matamp fans could probably tell you better.

[Fission Hole]

Gibson had some ownership or affiliation with the brand when they started building reissues in the mid to late 90s. They pimped the amps by providing them as promotional backline for TV performances in that era (also pushing Gibson guitars in similar manner). So you might see some footage of the Flaming Lips lip-syncing on Beverly Hills 90210 with Orange amps behind them.

I wasn't aware of anything between maybe the early 80s and that brand revival. Matamp fans could probably tell you better.

[iamthearm]

i remember everyone gushing about weezer using them mid-90's.

 

[iamthearm]

i remember everyone gushing about weezer using them mid-90's.

 

[Moustache_Bash]

 

Originally Posted by iamthearm

i remember everyone gushing about weezer using them mid-90's.

 

That's where I first saw them.

[Moustache_Bash]

 

Originally Posted by iamthearm

i remember everyone gushing about weezer using them mid-90's.

 

That's where I first saw them.

[spoonie g]

It was just the bassist using it anyways wasnt it?

[spoonie g]

It was just the bassist using it anyways wasnt it?

[Urinate Forever]

i thought weezer used mesa in the 90s

[Urinate Forever]

i thought weezer used mesa in the 90s

[oinkbanana]

that weezer bass head is a mat-orange head... old.
billy corgan used ab OR80 for a while in the 90;s too

I always had the impression that they stopped making any amps in he 80's
or the demand for LOUD tube amps was the antithesis to the new digital tech that was coming out.
Oasis were also using Orange amps..
not sure if it's true but the OTR (from the 90's,) was a special request mod that Oasis had been asking for their amps that was put into production in '96 - can anyone confirm or deny?


there's a big distinction between the vintage orange and the new orange that the two eras have their own forums
the vintage guys won't even blink an eye to discuss new gear at the Plexi Palace, but they know their stuff over there
and the Official orange forum barely discusses the old gear,

The early 90's reissues of the OR and OVerdrive amps were using NOS from the Hudderfield plant

1993-2000 GREEN Matamp's where built out of ORANGE Voice of The World Parts kept in the
Huddersfield, England factory. During this era, MATAMP of Huddersfield had just re-opened with it's
newly financed owner Jeff Lewis. The first thing Jeffrey did was contact Cliff Cooper and begin the
Orange production again. These amps, known to most as the "reissue" Orange. Old Matamp and Orange chassis where used with new and old Orange front panels ranging from OR's to the new OTR panels.
Inside the amps where made from Orange VOTW boards/brains and left over transformers.
They where then covered with the GREEN Matamp logo engraved front panels made out of trefelite.
Switch the bass and drive pots around in the line up, and the new Huddersfield shop owner figured nobody would know.

anyone know why the new amps don't push the same kinds of volumes the old ones did?
is it a build restraint due to SEC regulations or such? sourcing parts? less risk repair work for n00b amp users?
same deal with marshall & hiwatt amps...?

[oinkbanana]

that weezer bass head is a mat-orange head... old.
billy corgan used ab OR80 for a while in the 90;s too

I always had the impression that they stopped making any amps in he 80's
or the demand for LOUD tube amps was the antithesis to the new digital tech that was coming out.
Oasis were also using Orange amps..
not sure if it's true but the OTR (from the 90's,) was a special request mod that Oasis had been asking for their amps that was put into production in '96 - can anyone confirm or deny?


there's a big distinction between the vintage orange and the new orange that the two eras have their own forums
the vintage guys won't even blink an eye to discuss new gear at the Plexi Palace, but they know their stuff over there
and the Official orange forum barely discusses the old gear,

The early 90's reissues of the OR and OVerdrive amps were using NOS from the Hudderfield plant

1993-2000 GREEN Matamp's where built out of ORANGE Voice of The World Parts kept in the
Huddersfield, England factory. During this era, MATAMP of Huddersfield had just re-opened with it's
newly financed owner Jeff Lewis. The first thing Jeffrey did was contact Cliff Cooper and begin the
Orange production again. These amps, known to most as the "reissue" Orange. Old Matamp and Orange chassis where used with new and old Orange front panels ranging from OR's to the new OTR panels.
Inside the amps where made from Orange VOTW boards/brains and left over transformers.
They where then covered with the GREEN Matamp logo engraved front panels made out of trefelite.
Switch the bass and drive pots around in the line up, and the new Huddersfield shop owner figured nobody would know.

anyone know why the new amps don't push the same kinds of volumes the old ones did?
is it a build restraint due to SEC regulations or such? sourcing parts? less risk repair work for n00b amp users?
same deal with marshall & hiwatt amps...?

[live-I-evil]

Originally Posted by Fission Hole

Gibson had some ownership or affiliation with the brand when they started building reissues in the mid to late 90s. They pimped the amps by providing them as promotional backline for TV performances in that era (also pushing Gibson guitars in similar manner). So you might see some footage of the Flaming Lips lip-syncing on Beverly Hills 90210 with Orange amps behind them.

I wasn't aware of anything between maybe the early 80s and that brand revival. Matamp fans could probably tell you better.

I know Gibson had some sort of affiliation but I thought that was around the early 2000s. I had a Matamp made OTR 120, one of the series that Oink brought up with all the parts from the Huddersfield facility made in 94 maybe. I always thought Gibson came in after that by a margin but

[live-I-evil]

Originally Posted by Fission Hole

Gibson had some ownership or affiliation with the brand when they started building reissues in the mid to late 90s. They pimped the amps by providing them as promotional backline for TV performances in that era (also pushing Gibson guitars in similar manner). So you might see some footage of the Flaming Lips lip-syncing on Beverly Hills 90210 with Orange amps behind them.

I wasn't aware of anything between maybe the early 80s and that brand revival. Matamp fans could probably tell you better.

I know Gibson had some sort of affiliation but I thought that was around the early 2000s. I had a Matamp made OTR 120, one of the series that Oink brought up with all the parts from the Huddersfield facility made in 94 maybe. I always thought Gibson came in after that by a margin but

[oinkbanana]

the thing about orange is the company was actually just a brand of matamp made amps
they never really made their own stuff anyways.
everything was always outsourced, built by other companies (Matamp for a long time obviously)
In the beginning Orange was just a special request brand of Matamp amps, Orange was a music store in London that requested amps with the store name and with Orange tolex. At some point they assumed they had a developed brand worth distributing, but matamp was just like 'sure we'll keep making amps with your brand name instead alongside ours"

The 90's amps had a wordwide distribution contract with Gibson
In 1998 Orange amp production moved to the Trace Elliot plant (Gibson owned Trace at that point)
so you'll find some Orange amps with Trace Elliot stickers on the inside
So the contact number for distribution and the production was gibson offices.
But Gibson never had ownership and control.
Trace stopped building orange amps in 2002



I'm not sure about this, no source

In 1975 Orange launched two additional brands - OMEC (Orange Musical and Electronic Corporation) and JIMMY BEAN.

The OMEC Digital was the world’s first patented digitally programmable amplifier which enabled musicians to key in four different pre-set instantly recallable sounds. JIMMY BEAN was a new range of solid state amplifiers whose selling strengths were reliability and stylish presentation – amps and cabs were covered in real denim cloth, had leather corners and a hand-engraved brass badge. Sound features included a stereo pre-amp. But thanks to Cliff’s rather timid bank manager at the time – both innovations were never given the financial backing needed to establish them in the marketplace. And so for the first time in ten years, Mr Orange was getting blue about the state of the amp business: he saw it was getting overcrowded with a plethora of cheap transistor amplifiers."

So probably Cliff launched OMEC for the none tube stuff and then used it later on in the nineties as OMI didn't exist anymore.

[oinkbanana]

the thing about orange is the company was actually just a brand of matamp made amps
they never really made their own stuff anyways.
everything was always outsourced, built by other companies (Matamp for a long time obviously)
In the beginning Orange was just a special request brand of Matamp amps, Orange was a music store in London that requested amps with the store name and with Orange tolex. At some point they assumed they had a developed brand worth distributing, but matamp was just like 'sure we'll keep making amps with your brand name instead alongside ours"

The 90's amps had a wordwide distribution contract with Gibson
In 1998 Orange amp production moved to the Trace Elliot plant (Gibson owned Trace at that point)
so you'll find some Orange amps with Trace Elliot stickers on the inside
So the contact number for distribution and the production was gibson offices.
But Gibson never had ownership and control.
Trace stopped building orange amps in 2002



I'm not sure about this, no source

In 1975 Orange launched two additional brands - OMEC (Orange Musical and Electronic Corporation) and JIMMY BEAN.

The OMEC Digital was the world’s first patented digitally programmable amplifier which enabled musicians to key in four different pre-set instantly recallable sounds. JIMMY BEAN was a new range of solid state amplifiers whose selling strengths were reliability and stylish presentation – amps and cabs were covered in real denim cloth, had leather corners and a hand-engraved brass badge. Sound features included a stereo pre-amp. But thanks to Cliff’s rather timid bank manager at the time – both innovations were never given the financial backing needed to establish them in the marketplace. And so for the first time in ten years, Mr Orange was getting blue about the state of the amp business: he saw it was getting overcrowded with a plethora of cheap transistor amplifiers."

So probably Cliff launched OMEC for the none tube stuff and then used it later on in the nineties as OMI didn't exist anymore.

[gambit]

it was Oasis for me.. then a slew of 90's Britpop bands. i remember the adverts in guitar mags back then..