Is the TH30 the best modern Orange?

[narad]

So I'm always interested in Oranges but can never find really the right one to buy. At one point I was interested in the Rockerverb but heard some Josh Middleton clips with the Thunderverb and started keeping an eye for them. But check out this transitive A/B and see if you agree or or have hands-on experience that argues against this conclusion.

First, Thunderverb vs. Dual Dark:



Here I feel the Dual Dark edges it out a bit. In general I like the thought of the Dual Dark, so I start going down that hole. Of course they're hard to find these days (despite dealers here still sitting on new ones from 2017...).

But Dual Dark vs. Dark Terror:



Surprisingly, I think the Dark Terror sounded better to me. So, that's nice. Dark Terrors are cheap. Buuut...

Dark Terror vs. TH30:



To me this is hands-down for the TH30. It just sound bigger. It could be the tubes -- maybe going to the Dual Dark EL34s hurts that rich saturated Orange sound.

But this is kind of a surprising and counter-intuitive conclusion. I guess I'm waiting for the TH30 vs. TH100/200 clip to make it a perfect circle.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Too many variables to really judge off the vids.

 

[narad]

Too many variables to really judge off the vids.

The real question is how'd you watch 30 mins of vids in 2 minutes?

I mean, of course I agree, but I'll never be in the same room as all of these (or even likely > 2 of them).

 

[Steinmetzify]

That first vid with the TV when he hits the fuzz/boost is what made me buy the Dual Dark. Love those tones.

Buddy had bought the TH30 and the 1st gen RV same time I got the DD. We compared em all, and kept the DD and the RV.

TH on its own is sick tho, and a great addition to your stable. We only dumped it because we had the other two, and he’s a notorious amp flipper. If we hadn’t had those he’d still have it and was telling me the other day he wished he would have kept it.

EDIT: added to which, the attenuator on the DD is awesome. I know you’re in JP, so figure you’re not living in a giant house out in the country. Might be worth looking into, you can get straight awesome cranked tones at conversation volume, plus it’s switchable down to half power. Just a thought.

 

[Bentaycanada]

It was my favourite Orange of the half a dozen I owned. Don't get me wrong, the RV sounded bigger, but there was something about the pronounced midrange I could never dial out. I went from the RV to the TH and couldn't have been any happier. Plus the reverb on RV's suck.

 

[diagrammatiks]

My favorite is still the original rv50 watt with the 4 6v6s. Just for the uniqueness of running 4 6v6s for 50 watts.

I believe the rockers still run the ppmiv setup which adds a unique midrange and fizz at lower volumes that some people don't like.

the thunder uses a more traditional setup.

although the absolute balls to the wall orange is the original thunderverb200. that amp is a beast.

 

[budda]

AD140 or gtfo.

 

[Bearitone]

Dark terror sounds better to me in that vid vs the TH30. Clearer and more coarse gain structure.

And I know from experience the Dual Dark is a bit better than the Dark Terror. Channel A is awesome and I would buy a whole separate lunch box head of just that channel if they made it.

Still no good modern sounding demos of the Dual Dark out there but, it rips. I think Rabea should give it another shot and give it a demo at the quality his current vids are at. The DD50 I tried was dope, like a truly terrifying and capable Dark Terror.

 

[Bearitone]

But as for amps that aren’t discontinued, I think a boosted DT or RV MK III is the most modern voiced thing Orange you can get.

But, bottom line, if you have the money try a Dual Dark because you will truly not lose money on resale value as long as you keep it in good condition.

 

[Eyelessfiend]

The DD is the most metal Orange and has a really cool grind in the mids. Spent a lot of time with one in store.
I prefer the TV200 or OR100 for my modern Orange tones. Gotta sit down with a Mark 3 RV one of these days.
I had a TH100 and it was pretty versatile. Very loud and had tons of gain. Sounds very similar to the TH30 and it tightened up pretty well. Way better than my TV or OR could.

 

[sleewell]

i want a rockerverb 100.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I always wanted a thunderverb 200 but never managed to try one in person. The kemper profiles I tried of them sounded absolutely monstrous though. It was pretty modern sounding iirc, more in line with say a fryette than anything I typically associate with orange.

 

[efiltsohg]

I like all the full size Orange heads

 

[Choop]

I really like the Thunderverb that I played -- it was the 50w version. Ppersonally I'd at least want a 50w, but preferably more power.

 

[MatrixClaw]

Depends what you're going for I guess. I didn't like my TH30 nearly as much as I liked my RV50 and 100.

 

[efiltsohg]

I like all the full size Orange heads

btw I finally watched the videos and they all sound awful and not much like the amps actually can

 

[narad]

btw I finally watched the videos and they all sound awful and not much like the amps actually can

What's a video where the amps sound like the amps?

 

[Wolfhorsky]

I had Dark Terror and my buddy came to my studio with His brand new TH30. Shortly: TH30 just crushed DT in everyway. It has got nice cleans. Really nice ones. And the dirt channel is really high gain. It sounds great for rock or prog rock/ soft metal. Kinda traditional sound, but quite tight for el84s...

 

[Guitarjon]

I really like my TH30H. It's really Orange-y if that makes sense? Quite fizzy and a little scooped in some areas. I like my Rockerverb 50 MKIII more because it just sounds more balanced overall. More mid-range push, that works better in a mix for me.

I had a Dark Terror for a little while but I couldn't make it sound good, no matter what I tried. The TH30 sounds much better but it's still sort of similar to the Dark Terror, just with more mids.

The little Oranges are great too! Love my Tiny and Dual Terror a lot, those sound nice and raw but very full as well. Also can't go wrong with the Jim Root. The OR15 is a bit more fizzy than the JR but also cool. The Rocker 15 is amazing too but just more vintage voiced basically.

Anyway, in short: I would choose my Rockerverb out of all my Oranges and after that probably my Dual Terror.

 

[maliciousteve]

I've got a thing for the Thunderverb 200.





I should've bought one instead of buying the Triple Rectifier