Adrian Utley

These days, Adrian's main amp is an Orange AD30.

“In my extensive collection of about fifteen amps I’ve got a 1950s and a 1960s Fender Twin; an Ampeg Reverb; a 1950s Fender Tweed and some old AC30s. But the AD30 can produce all of those vintage sounds partly because I can drive it without going incredibly loud.”

This interview was done in Adrian's private studio. The photos show most of his instruments and gear, including the Watkins Amp.

“I’ve had that a long time, and it’s nearly my number one studio amp," says Adrian of one of his favourite small amps. "I think it’s like a ’59 model or early ’60 or something like that. It’s similar to Vox circuitry, I think, and it sounds absolutely amazing. That’s a real favourite, and I record with it a lot.”

“In my extensive collection of about fifteen amps I’ve got a 1950s and a 1960s Fender Twin; an Ampeg Reverb; a 1950s Fender Tweed and some old AC30s. But the AD30 can produce all of those vintage sounds partly because I can drive it without going incredibly loud.”

The following excerpt is from an interview with Adrian, which can be found here: https://guitarplayer.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/interview-with-portisheads-guitarist-adrian-utley/

"Another thing that’s quite extreme and unmissable about Portishead’s backline is Adrian’s customised Orange 2×12” cab: “I wanted to have a loud speaker cab – that’s two separate words [laughs] – and so I asked Jim Barr who plays bass with us, to spray-paint a design on the speaker grille. I really like what he came up with and in a weird kind of way it fits in with the pictures you get on old Orange amps – the mountains for the echo and stuff.”

Back in the '90s, Adrian's primary amplifier was a Fender Twin Reverb. He made extensive use of its reverb and tremolo. It can be seen around the 0:40 mark.