So, I was wanting a low wattage tube amp. Gassing over the OR15 for months. But, the Blackstar HT-5RH was getting great reviews, had a handful of more features (line/MP3 in, and a headphone jack), and was quite a few rubles less. So, I figured "what the hell". When it arrived, I took it out of the box, and hooked it up to my Marshall 1966A. An hour later, I put it back in the box, and was calling zZounds.com for an RA#. I don't know what anyone sees in that amp. Maybe it's because I'm in my 40's, but, if that was "the sound in my head"... I'd bury a damn 9mm round in my head!
Then I did it. I pulled the trigger on an Orange OR15. Man, THIS IS it! THIS IS the sound I've been looking for since forever and a day ago!
I've always played Marshalls for the most part over the past 25 years. Marshall has always gotten me the closest to the sound I was looking for (with a little help from a pedal or two). I have to say that those days are over. This amp is exactly the sound I've been after, without any additional dirt from pedals.
I thought it couldn't get any better, but I was wrong. I yanked the original G12T-75's out of my cabinet, and put in a pair of WGS Veteran 30's. SWEET MOTHER OF PETE! I had a chub when I first hooked this head up. The first time I plugged in and turned on with the new speakers, I put a permanent dent in the back of my Les Paul.
It does a really wide range of tones, and generates a lot less noise than a lot of other new amp lines when you really crank the pre-amp.
With the MV on about 6, and the gain on around 1, it's pretty damn clean, but growls a bit when you hit it a bit harder, which sounds amazing with my Strat. The crunch is great with the gain between 5 and 6. Push the gain to around 8,and it's just about as heavy as I'll ever need with my Les Paul. And, it stays tight and articulate. I put my GE-7 through the effects loop, and I can get that Paster of Muppets tone, for the few times I'm in that sort of mood.
All I can say is, if anyone is on the fence about this head... just get it. You won't be disappointed.
Then I did it. I pulled the trigger on an Orange OR15. Man, THIS IS it! THIS IS the sound I've been looking for since forever and a day ago!
I've always played Marshalls for the most part over the past 25 years. Marshall has always gotten me the closest to the sound I was looking for (with a little help from a pedal or two). I have to say that those days are over. This amp is exactly the sound I've been after, without any additional dirt from pedals.
I thought it couldn't get any better, but I was wrong. I yanked the original G12T-75's out of my cabinet, and put in a pair of WGS Veteran 30's. SWEET MOTHER OF PETE! I had a chub when I first hooked this head up. The first time I plugged in and turned on with the new speakers, I put a permanent dent in the back of my Les Paul.
It does a really wide range of tones, and generates a lot less noise than a lot of other new amp lines when you really crank the pre-amp.
With the MV on about 6, and the gain on around 1, it's pretty damn clean, but growls a bit when you hit it a bit harder, which sounds amazing with my Strat. The crunch is great with the gain between 5 and 6. Push the gain to around 8,and it's just about as heavy as I'll ever need with my Les Paul. And, it stays tight and articulate. I put my GE-7 through the effects loop, and I can get that Paster of Muppets tone, for the few times I'm in that sort of mood.
All I can say is, if anyone is on the fence about this head... just get it. You won't be disappointed.