Orange OR60 review – swaps the grit for growl

You can trust Guitar World

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

What is it?

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

Orange has long been known for its iconic brand of sonic savagery, and its punchy low-end served up with crispy treble has helped define the music of a great many artists.

While the primary drive of the valve-amplifier industry is towards refined vintage tone, Orange filled the niche for a more aggressive sound. Styles such as punk, doom-rock and indie-rock embrace the more cutting frequency range and punchy response these characterfully coloured cabinets exude.

However, with this new amp Orange offers its take on a more refined all-valve design, aiming to please a wider range of tastes while sticking with brand-building features such as pedal-friendliness and huge overdrive ability.

Specs

Orange OR60 — (Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

Price: $2,499 | £2,099 | €2,399

ORIGIN: UK

TYPE: All-valve, single-channel head with switchable output and valve-buffered FX loop

VALVES: 3x ECC83, 1x ECC82, 2x 6L6 (EL34 possible with re-biasing)

OUTPUT: 60W, switchable to 30W

DIMENSIONS: 550 (w) x 245 (d) x 270mm (h)

WEIGHT (kg/lb): 19.3/42

CABINET: Baltic birch

CHANNELS: 1 with an additional switchable volume

CONTROLS: Resonance, Presence, FS Volume, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Gain, Bright Switch

FOOTSWITCH: Not included

ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Valve‑buffered FX loop, footswitchable volume

OPTIONS: No

RANGE OPTIONS: OR30 (£1,799)

CONTACT: Orange Amps

Build quality, usability and sounds

Plugging in our Les Paul, we spent a few bemused moments checking out the pictures that label the controls. We’re undecided if the quirky fun is worth the brain resources needed to convert these cryptograms back to knob names, but it’s something die-hard Orange aficionados might enjoy.

First, we were astonished by the range of gain available from the first control as the second and third gain stages are being controlled by this one knob. From spanky cleans to all-out Armageddon, whatever your particular gain needs are this amp has you covered.

If you are, however, the kind of player who simply has to put a boost before anything, the OR60 is more than ready to play ball. The Orange reputation for pedal-friendliness is fully in evidence. However, there isn’t a great necessity to add extra gain for most sounds.

That solid, almost compressed sound for which Orange amps are famed is still very much in evidence and, as expected, our Stratocaster’s single-coil pickups came punching through with impressive authority. A rich and full sustain renders lead licks with plenty of fluidity of the bravado-inspiring kind.

Orange OR60

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

We found the Bright switch well tuned to best present a variety of guitars. The sparkle setting introduced the chimey top-end that flatters cleaner sounds wonderfully.

The neutral position is recommended to get the most flexibility from tone-shaping pedals and the full-bright position introduces a wider band of top-boost starting lower down the frequency spectrum where upper-mids reside.

This setting brings back some of the traditional treble aggression that metal and punk players will expect from Orange but with an altogether more refined air. The sandpapery grittiness, long described as an Orange hallmark, is less apparent and a smoother, more fluid voice takes its place.

Orange OR60

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

As the gain level gets irresistibly nudged further clockwise, the Resonance and Presence controls help sculpt the response and we found it a doddle to dial up mosh-pit-approved tight low-end. With the Bright switch and the Presence control it was possible to get an appropriate, aggressive top-end from any of our guitars.

We found the frequency response of the mid-control well tuned to either get that US scoop or, at the other extent, the British mid-forward classic rock sound. Indeed, the range of sounds achievable from the OR60 is huge, not due to channels and switches but simply from the power of the gain and EQ controls.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★½

Like a fist in a velvet glove (granted, that’s quite a barbaric metaphor) the OR60 – and its smaller sibling, the OR30 – brings a newly refined clarity to the brand’s sonic palette.

Worth noting is that this is a weighty beast to lug around, and with the price coming to around £2k this amp will very much be a deliberate choice for purchasers. The same range of musical styles can be played through the OR60, of course, as with previous models due to the abundance of gain and the touch-sensitive response.

However, now they’ll be imparted with a smoother, posher high-end and improved touch-sensitivity. To reappropriate the words of another cultural classic, the OR60 is an ‘elegant weapon for a more civilised age’.

Guitar World verdict: If the abundant punch and gain of the Orange sound appeals but the trademark top-end sizzle doesn’t, the OR60 could be the solution for you.