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.
Plugging in a Bill Nash S-63 Strat-style guitar
helped me access the Clean channel’s sweetest
spots. Every playing nuance, right down
to slight pick scrapes against the low-E-string
wraps, was highlighted in full harmonic color.
The PPC 4x10 cab excited the S-63’s naturally
bouncy tone. And when I plugged in
both cabs and stood in front of the stack, the
TH30/S-63 combination provided the perfect
mixture of tonal heft and balance. Sonically, it
totally lived up to how intimidating it looked.
Balancing Act
Though the varied personalities of the
TH30’s two channels opened up a world
of switching possibilities, balancing the
volume between the two and accessing
their respective sweet spots took some
work. If I had the Clean channel’s Volume
at 10 o’clock, the Dirty channel’s Volume
had to be at around 2 o’clock for it to
have any perceivable punch over the
clean tone. At that point, I had to drop
the preamp gain considerably to retain
the definition of the overdrive tone, and
then I had to use the Shape control to dial
in the right amount of bite. With time,
however, I was able to achieve a good
balance for band work, but occasionally
at the expense of some of the dirty channel’s
better, more aggressive tones.
The Verdict
Orange’s TH30 is a fine addition to their
product line. With its simple layout and
feature set and its flexible voicing, it packs
the potential to deliver that classic fat and
bright Orange tone, but it also stays punchy
and refined without having to be blisteringly
loud. And that simplicity makes this
perhaps the perfect place to start for a
neophyte looking for the classic, brawny
Orange sound. It’s easy to see how the TH30
could win over the hearts and ears of players
otherwise sold on classic, clean nonmaster-volume
circuits and high-gain aficionados
seeking a little more flexibility.
Buy if...
you need modern, British-voiced
overdrive and clean tones reminiscent
of vintage nonmaster-volume
British amps.
Skip if...
you only need British-style
high-gain ferocity.
Rating...
Street $1199 (head), $1349 (1x12 combo) - Orange Amplification - orangeamps.com
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