Orange Amplifiers AD30HTC 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head

What strikes me most about this head is the way that its sheer simplicity still allows for versatility and tonal perfection, with few sacrifices that may be accounted for by other multi channel amps.

Don't be put off by the '30 watt' rating of this amplifier- it can be incredibly loud but manages a gorgeous breakup at low volumes and is suited to any use, from recording and light practice to filling a large venue with ease.

Orange is known for its to-die-for tones when you hit that sweet spot on the master volume and this amp is no exception, with a swift turn of the master to 3 o'clock creating tonal ecstasy while allowing versatility through the gain control to give you anything from shimmering cleans to a hard and edgy Texas-rock breakup.

The dual channels each contain gain, master and three band eq controls, with channel A voiced slightly differently to offer more mid and earlier breakup. The cathode based quad of el84's provides the brilliant Vox-like tone for this amp and the high build quality as well as simple circuitry allows for easy repairs, although with this amp they will be few and far between.

The head is light weight, especially compared to its 140 watt sibling, and the two 8ohm and single 16ohm outputs allow a number of combinations of cabs giving you the option of switching this head from a 1x12 on a stool in a backstreet club to one or more of Orange's equally fantastic 4x12's at the stadiums that we all dream of playing!

This amp delivers all you could wish for, and is a perfect example of how a simple dual channel head such as this easily competes with the multi channel beasts that we dream of owning. It really accentuates and makes you appreciate the natural overdrives and shimmering cleans that built the classic rock and blues genres that the guys at Orange model this on, and with a few simple pedals can be the core of the most simplistic yet versatile rig of your dreams.

This is a fantastic amp. I was initially drawn to it because of the number of knobs (I really enjoy trying to dial into different tones). When i bought this, i hadn't gotten a chance to test it so i took a big risk, but was not disappointed. First, owning this amp is like having two separate amps in one convenient housing. The channels are similar but, have some unique characteristics. Channel one is a great sounding clean channel, and has a similar voicing to a vintage british amp when you turn the gain up. Channel one also seems to have a little more bass and reacts well with higher gauge strings (I play with 11's). Channel Two has a little more gain than Channel One, it get dirty really nicely. With the gain it is really thick through almost any pick up. Its gain is not like the rockerverbs though. This stays on the conservative side and would not work for heavy metal/metalcore shredders. I find it works best for punk, alternative and indie rock. This amp also handles pedals very well despite not having an FX Loop. I use a number of overdrives, choruses, delays, and tremolos in my playing and the tone of this amp really handles them well without the natural voice dying or becoming flat. So if you are into trip rock or psychedelic rock, this amp would still be a good match for you. The only thing that I felt like i gave up was reverb. This amp does not have a built in reverb unit which was a sacrifice because i love reverb, of course this was easily remedied by buying a reverb pedal. This amp is perfect for anyone who is trying to get a truly thick rock sound, or someone who loves adding pedals to their amps.