Talking About the Appeal Behind ORANGE!

Hello everyone! It’s Kaoru the composer here!

This time, I would like to talk about the brand ORANGE.
As the name suggests, many of their products are orange-colored, and they’re so eye-catching that you can recognize them at a glance.

ORANGE is known for their unique amplifiers and they offer a lot of very attractive products. With that said, let’s dive into some of them!

■ Who is ORANGE?

ORANGE was founded in 1968 by Clifford Cooper, who was based in London, England. Originally, the company focused on developing and manufacturing PA amplifiers, but today their main products are guitar amplifiers, bass amplifiers, shielded cables, effect pedals, and guitar accessories. Around the time when electric guitars started booming in the 1970s, the company began producing combo amps.

In 2001, ORANGE released their “Crush Series” amplifiers, which featured transistor circuits. This series quickly gained popularity and brought wider public recognition to the brand. Around the same time, the products became widely available in many music stores, as many more musicians started buying and using their products.

Over the years, ORANGE gained recognition through various channels, but one of the most notable reasons for their fame in Japan was the endorsement by Kiyoshiro Imawano, the charismatic frontman of the legendary RC Succession band.

Originally, Moridaira Gakki served as the distributor for ORANGE products in Japan, but currently the brand is being handled by Kurosawa Gakki.

■ Best Features of ORANGE Amps

ORANGE amps are highly popular thanks to their original ORANGE-specific design and simple controls. Despite their simplicity, they allow for delicate sound shaping, and their wide range of input/output options makes them useful for both live performances and studio recordings.

When it comes to sound, they are especially well-known for their crunch tone, making them versatile amps suitable for many different genres. A key characteristic of ORANGE amps is that they create distortion through the amp's sound design itself, resulting in a natural-sounding distortion with a strong tonal core — a hallmark of ORANGE.

Depending on how you use it, an ORANGE amp can handle everything from expressive jazz tones to the sharp, aggressive tones needed for hard rock without any issues.

Their design is also a standout feature. The control panel knobs are labeled with charming little illustrations instead of text — a style called the Graphic Model. This unique approach is part of what makes ORANGE really stand out. While it might seem confusing at first, you’ll quickly get used to it!

Now, let’s take a look at some recommended ORANGE products available at Sound House!

ORANGE / CR120H

This is one of the most popular head amp models from ORANGE.
Equipped with a solid-state circuit featuring transistors, this amp head delivers 120W of output while remaining compact and lightweight.

Even though it uses a solid-state setup, you can still enjoy the juicy, harmonically rich sound that ORANGE is known for.
It comes with both a dirty channel and a clean channel.

The dirty channel includes a 3-band EQ (bass, mid, treble), giving you a wide range of tonal control — from overdrive to distortion sounds.
The clean channel uses a 2-band EQ (bass, treble), offering warm, clean tones. This allows players to easily switch between different tones depending on the musical context.

Additionally, the CR120H is equipped with digital reverb and an effects loop, making it easy to bring out the full potential of time-based effects like delays and reverbs.

With 120W of output, this amp is powerful enough for larger live venues, ensuring that your sound is never drowned out.

The sound character of the CR120H changes depending on the cabinet you pair it with, so it's an amp you can enjoy experimenting with it in different combinations. Despite its quality, it's priced around ¥54,000, which is quite affordable.

ORANGE / MICRO TERROR

This is a guitar head amp packed with features like ultra-compact size, ultra-lightweight build, and even a handle for great portability.
It uses a 12AX7 tube in the preamp section, and a solid-state power amp capable of delivering 20W output.

The control panel is very simple, with just volume, tone, and gain, which makes it seem like it's designed with the assumption you'll use external effect pedals.

It also includes an AUX input for playing backing tracks from a smartphone or other audio devices, so you can jam along.
Plus, there's a headphone jack, making it perfect for environments where you can’t play loud, making it ideal for home practice.

If you pair it with the ORANGE / CRUSH20 cabinet, it makes for a very stylish and compact setup:
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ORANGE / CRUSH20

ORANGE / CRUSH20 Black

It looks like a black version is also available!
The cute design could even double as interior decor!

ORANGE / OB1-300

This is a 300W solid-state bass amp developed by ORANGE under a new concept.
It comes in a 2U rack size, so it’s rack-mountable.
It features switching between passive and active inputs, bi-amp blend, line out, and balanced out, making it well-suited for both live performances and recording sessions.

The amp delivers the signature ORANGE drive while retaining the core tone of the bass.

And that wraps up my introduction as to why ORANGE is so cool along with some of my recommended products!
Its unique, addictive design and sound truly stand alone!
I definitely recommend giving them a try!

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