The History of Orange Amps

When it comes to guitar amps, there are only a handful of brands that have really stood out above the rest and become iconic. And of course, one of those brands is Orange. Geddy Lee, Stevie Wonder, Peter Green, Tony Iommi, Brent Hinds, and more have all used Orange amps over the years, and it’s not hard to see why.

Orange amps have a distinct sound and distinct look. Nothing sounds quite like them, and nothing looks quite like them. Since their beginnings in the late 60s till now, Orange has been making high quality amps built with professional musicians in mind. They are incredibly capable amps that can help define your sound and look on-stage. 

Though nearly everyone knows about Orange amps these days, fewer know about the story behind these amps. So today, let’s take a look at the storied history of Orange amps and find out how exactly these amps came about. 

Beginnings at the Orange Shop

The Orange story begins before they started making amplifiers. In 1966, Clifford Cooper opened up a small studio in Stratford, London. It was here he would make his first amplifier, though it was far from the Orange amps we’re familiar with today. 

This first piece of gear was called the CTI Pixy Mk V and was a micro-amp, similar to the Rockman of the 80s and other micro-amps. He was getting complaints about sound from neighbors, and a small pocket amp with an earpiece was his solution. There were about 100 of these produced, and they sold decently well. 

However, Cooper couldn’t produce these at scale by himself. He decided to try and sell the design to VOX with a small royalty for himself. Tom Jennings, the President of VOX, said it was a great product and design but that it didn’t fit in the company’s line-up. He encouraged Cooper to keep at it though. 

In 1968, Cooper rented out a shop in London’s West-End on a street known as “the music walk” due to a number of other music stores. The shop was in rough shape, but Cooper planned to turn it into a professional recording studio. 

At first, he opened up a studio in the basement. However, that didn’t pan out well and Cooper found himself needing more income. So he decided to open the upstairs as a music shop as well, selling his own equipment. But that also struggled, as Cooper had a hard time keeping the store stocked. This is what led to Cooper designing his own amps, leading to the Orange we know today. 

It was also around this time that Cooper decided to paint the shop the now iconic orange color the company is known for. Cooper knew that the 60s psychedelic movement was in full swing, and most other shops weren’t marketing for that demographic. So he decided to paint the shop bright orange and use a very psychedelic logo. This made the store incredibly eye-catching and attractive towards the younger, psychedelic-leaning playerbase. 

The First Amps

Faced with a struggling studio and shop that couldn’t keep stock, Cooper decided to design his own amplifiers. In 1968, he partnered with Mat Mathias of Radiocraft to produce the first Orange amps. A salesman at the Orange shop, Mick Dines, was also involved in the design of the first Orange cabinets. 

These amps were built to Cooper’s specifications. They bore a Matamp logo, which was a company founded by Mathias, but these amps were ultimately Cooper’s creation. These amps were 100 watt valve amps, and they became popular quickly. 

As for the cabs, there are a couple of interesting things to note. The now iconic basketweave on the front of the amps was Dines’ idea. He wanted to make the cabinets more durable, showing Orange had gigging musicians in mind. He also wanted to make loading and unloading easier, which led to the wooden runners or skids on the bottom instead of casters. These also ended up adding to their sound, as anchoring the amps to the floor via wood ended up having a big impact on tone. 

Soon after in 1969, it became apparent that Cooper couldn’t keep up with the demand. He needed a larger facility, but he couldn’t afford to finance it himself. As a result, Cooper Mathias Ltd was formed to take Radiocraft’s place and expand production. 

Defining the Orange Sound

In 1970, they opened up a new production facility that would hopefully be capable of keeping up with the increasing demand for their amps. However, Cooper quickly realized that this new facility was moving at too slow a pace to keep up. He decided to end their relationship with Mathias/Matamp. The two stayed friends though after the split. 

Following this, Cooper opened up a new production facility in London. Like the past facility, the intent was to provide more space for manufacturing and to keep up with demand. However, Cooper also knew that to keep up with the market, Orange would need to continue developing new amp models. 

Cooper was driving around London one day in 1971, and he noticed the new road signs used pictures instead of words. He thought this would be a great idea for his amps and their controls, making it easier for anyone, including non-English speakers, to understand the controls. This would eventually lead to one of Orange’s most iconic and sound-defining amps. 

In 1972, an Orange Engineer named John James designed the Orange “Graphic Valve Amplifier,” now known as the “pics only.” The most obvious change for these amps were hieroglyphic-esque “pics” used for the tone controls. However, there were important changes under the hood as well. 

Previous amps, such as the OR200, put the volume before the EQ. The Pics Only however put the EQ first, then gain, and the phase inverter at the end. The phase inverter also changed from a DC-coupled one to a capacitor-coupled one. In practical terms, this resulted in the amp being driven harder, creating the iconic crunchy and distorted Orange sound. 

The Pics Only was the amp that really defined the Orange sound. It was a hotter, more overdriven amp that had its own unique sound compared to other amps at the time. And coupled with their equally unique cabinet design, the Orange sound really came into its own. 

As the 70s progressed, Orange continued to grow. With more and more big names using their amps, which were incredibly easy to identify on-stage, they quickly became one of the most popular amp brands of the time. Production was moved to accommodate demand, more models—such as the Custom Reverb Twin MKII, a competitor to Fender’s Twin Reverb—were introduced, and they continued to diversify and grow. 

Hard Times for Orange

Nothing lasts forever, and the same is true of Orange’s success. Though the 70s helped the company establish itself and grow, the 80s were another story. With synthesizers and rack mounted amps/effects becoming popular in the 80s, the demand for Orange amps plummeted. 

However, Cooper was unwilling to decrease standards or abandon the company’s roots. As a result, production slowed down greatly. Cooper continued making amps, but they were made in small quantities and for special orders. 

In 1993, Gibson licensed the Orange name to make Orange amps. These amps were made by Matamp in England, largely because Gibson wanted to keep the “Made in England” branding. They produced a couple of reissues of classic Orange amps sold as the Graphic 120 and Overdrive 120. These were followed by Graphic 80 and Overdrive 80 a few years later. 

However, these amps were not the same as the originals. They just didn’t sound the same, and players could tell. As a result, these amps did not do well commercially, and a mutual decision was made in 1997 to not renew the license. Orange was back in Cooper’s hands, and he was ready to try again. 

The Resurgence of Orange Amps

The first thing Cooper did with Orange under his control was to hire Adrian Emsley, who was an expert with valve amps. He wanted to get input from professionals, so Noel Gallegher of Oasis was brought in to offer his opinion. 

The result of all this was the OTR (Oscillatory Transition Return) amp, a modified version of the original Overdrive amp. They also launched the AD series amps the following year in 1998, and these amps quickly gained acclaim. These amps were used by the likes of Jimmy Page and Jeremy Spencer, and that brought a lot of attention to them. The AD15 ended up being the first British amp ever to win the Editor’s Pick Award from Guitar Player Magazine. 

Following this, it was clear that Orange was once again a major player in the guitar amp market. As the 90s became the 00s, they continued to expand their offerings and grow as a company. They opened up a USA office in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001, which helped further establish them in the US.  

As for amps specifically, they’ve introduced numerous amps since then that have been major successes. There was the Crush in 2000, Custom Shop series in 2002, Rockverb in 2003, Tiny Terror in 2006, and many more. Despite their struggles in the 80s and 90s, Orange was able to reestablish itself as one of the most iconic and important amp manufacturers in the world. 

Orange Amps: a Story of Ups and Downs

Orange amps started out as a small music shop with a basement studio. However, they quickly grew and became one of the most important amp manufacturers of the 70s. The 80s spelled trouble, and Orange struggled to stay afloat during the decade. After a brief stint with Gibson in the 90s though, Orange was once again able to reestablish itself as a leading amp maker. 

Though Orange amps are ubiquitous these days, that wasn’t always the case. Orange has a long and storied history filled with ups and downs. Next time you hear or play an Orange amp, remember that it was the result of decades of hard work, struggles, and success. And for the best results with an Orange amp, throw on a set of Stringjoys!