Orange TH30H 30-watt 2-channel Tube Head - Orange Reviews

- See the review title to read my full review. Thank you.

This amp already has enough great reviews that I almost wasn't going to do one , then a few days ago a friend said something to me that changed my mind. He had got his hands on a new Martin D28 and described it as a life changer. About a year and a half ago I brought home an Orange Crush Pro 120 and a 1x12 cabinet both orange in color. The wife loved the look but I was not happy with the sound. Should have known better than to choose solid state, but live and learn. Came upon some extra $ a couple months ago so I ordered the TH30… "Life Changer". So much tonal versatility and simplicity in a study chassis. So far been extremely pleased with this amazing head. Now I also have Orange happiness! A note about Sweetwater, by far the best bet for me. Been dealing with them for years and not a bad experience yet I'm lucky enough to be in a neighboring state so I get my stuff very quickly and the staff is top notch. Chuck and his family will treat you right.

I'm really happy I spent the $$ for this amp. the 30/15/7 watts selection is really all you'll ever need. the one feature I was hesitant about was the tone shift on the gain channel. wasn't sure if I'd really like it. it's wound up being one of my favorite features with it. you have a balanced Bass & Treble , and can adjust for more or less mids.
the FX loop is a great feature. I wouldn't have bought it without one. I used to has a AD30HTC. great tone but painfully dry. the wattage adjustments for the TH30 makes it an ideal amp for various size gigs.
I did swap out the 12axy preamps for 5751's in the V1 & V2 positions. smoothed the gain out nice. makes you push it a little harder. nice weight too. easy on my back.

I started with the CR 60 and fell in love with Orange! I finally upgraded to my first orange tube amp The TH 30 and I am not disappointed! This amp is super versatile and can do everything from the most jangly cleans to the Most vicious distortion with beautiful articulate note separation.

I'm a big fan of class A amps and have had a few boutique ones over the years. I've had my eye on this head for awhile and I finally pulled on it with a PPC212 cab and it didn't disappoint me. With a very minimal/simple knob setup, this amp can get all the tones I'm looking for. I can dial in everything from clean jazz to heavy metal with this amp. My only complaint would be that I wished there was more headroom on the clean channel before the tone starts to really distort. But then again, that type of clean sound is what Orange is known for. With quality construction, components, sounds and looks this amp has everything I'm looking for.

I had been using a Boogie F-30 for a while and an Orange Tiny Terror before that. The Terror worked great but with the music I work with, it had to go due to no FX loop. The F-30 sounded great on the clean channel but the gain channel was always too heavy. The worst part about that was the FX loop on the F-30 would not cooperate with my H9. If I switched parameters too quickly or went through presets with any amount of urgency, it would actually create a very loud and uncontrollable thudding sound. There was no working around it.

Working with Max Rice, he was able to get me set up with a TH30 demo at the right price. I had been researching these and the RV50 MKIII but with the venues I play, that much power isn't necessary and having a Boss RV-5 removed the necessity for built in reverb. Don't let the wattage rating fool you. This thing is LOUD. Not LOUD in a bad way but loud in a wonderful way. It sounds better the louder it gets with the clean channel having more than enough head room for the volume I need. The gain is right on par with the tone and vibe that is required. Add to that, my H9 really digs this thing. I can fly through presets and parameters with gusto and not have the issues I was having with the Boogie. Not bashing Boogie either. They make great metal and hard rock amps and the cleans on the F-30 are decent but dang... Compare that with the TH30 and it's nailed down. Some may worry that the lack of knobs is a drawback. After working with this amp, it's actually a blessing. I can dial in the sound I want quickly and am good to go. My band mates are more than pleased with how everything sounds as well and they are seasoned vets. To get sound out of this thing, I am running into a Jim Kelley 2x12 prototype on the bottom and an Orange 1x12 to make it sound a little more open. The Kelley is ported with 55hz Celestions so it has more than enough bottom end.

In summation, this amp is a beast. It sounds EXACTLY how I hoped it would, it is extremely versatile, it looks freaking cool and is more than happy working with extremely complex FX. I think I can rest easy now knowing my equipment is in harmony.

I've been playing guitar for 15 years and I've owned the same Marshall MG100FX for the past 10 years - Don't get me wrong, I've played tubes before, but only the $2k+ ones in practice spaces. Finally cracked and bought this ripper to compliment my new Fender American Pro Deluxe Tele to really hear what my my playing and !$#@? I am blown away and am wondering why I waited so long.

You can dial in a wide range of tones with the TH30. I mainly bought it to record a Pop-Punk EP and to start playing gigs, so for all my punks out there, get this. Its perfect for lead and rhythm. I barely even wanted to use my OCD after hearing the dirty channel (but don't tell her I said that). You can really dial in blues OD up to some heavy/hardcore tones on this channel - and I mean reeeal heavy, bro >:)

With the clean the channel I was very impressed. Some reviews said it's not "chimey" however I personally was able play with the most clean and pristine tones both plugged into my board and directly into the amp. With my time based effects running through the FX send, I've never heard them any better for gear that I've owned for a grip of time. I can ACTUALLY hear my guitar now.

Shout out to my sales engineer Jason Koons for sending the gear! Always a pleasure and quick to complete the transaction hassle free.

I"ve owned a lot of amps, playing guitar the
last 35yrs. Marshalls,Fenders,Mesa, just to
name a few top brand tube amps. I"ve had
plenty of solid state in there too. I"ve never
gotten the chance to play through an Orange
amp in all these years. This amp paired with the PCC112 cab is outrageous. Its definitely a sound all its own. Its British but it isn"t Marshall. Its tight, compressed, with beautiful color. I read others reviews who"ve said the bottom end is tight and really punchy. Believe me, it is. The shape knob is very sensitive. Lots of tones there. The gain can go from 60"s break up to searing high gain with everything in between. The clean channel is beautiful. I havent experimented much with pedals on the clean channel and the dirty channel doesnt require any pedals really. This amp... Its really something that has to be experienced. Dont wait, get one. I think cabs and speakers make as much for the sound as the head. Pair it with an Orange cab. The V30 is perfect for it.

I was a Marshall player for 14 years (JCM2000 DSL100 head/1960A cab)...and all those years, I chased *my* tone.
I've always loved Orange, so a year ago, I decided to give this head a shot...I was absolutely blown away!
It was EXACTLY what I was looking for! Versatile, tight response, and incredible tone. This one has it all!
I especially love that I can go all out at 30 watts, or cut it to 15 or 7 and REALLY rip the gain open!
I say it like this - I had a 100 watt amp for years, and never put the volume past 8/9 o'clock...(kinda like driving a sports car but keeping it in 1st gear and only being allowed to go 15mph)...at that point you're not *pushing* the amp.
Dialing back the wattage and driving the amp makes it work for you...that's what I was missing out on.

Thank you, Orange! I am now an Orange player for life.

This amp is so versatile, you can really nail many sounds from glassy, punchy cleans, to roaring overdrive. Despite the few tone controls, they are actually extremely powerful and useful. Another huge bonus is the effects loop. It takes pedals like a champ. I've tested many simultaneously and it maintains clarity and doesn't clip my looper when cranking the gain! Also with the variable power you can play this thing for nearly any occasion with spectacular results. I mistakenly sold the first one I had. With in a few days of that, I had to buy another one. Too good. And at this price she simply can't be beat. I'm now getting rid of my Mesa and Supro. The Orange TH30 gives me almost everything I need.

This head kicks a**! Unbelievable sound clarity, sick British gain, amazing clean tones. I own two separate Mesa rigs and this is my first Orange. It blows them away.

Let me start by saying that: as someone who's played A LOT of amplifiers, from Mesa, Fender, Marshall, Bogner, Morgan, Supro, friedman ect, I've always had disdain for products from China, however! This thing rips! Not only does it have a fantastic clean AND OD channel, I pulled the chassis and inspected every corner of this thing and the build quality is excellent. The clean channel doesn't have a ton of head room but a decent amount. The OD has plenty of gain on tap but doesn't really get to modern territory, however that is easily remedied with a boost to the front, which gives you a nice tight sound anyways (In my case the Suhr Koko boost) and I get fantastic results. If you were skeptical of the quality as this being manufactured in China, don't let it deter you and buy yourself a spectacular amp at half the price of its kin. Also the effects loop and preamp takes pedals like champ. 30w swiss army amp with very little lacking. However if you need lots of clean head room that's really the only thing lacking here, but what do you expect from a 30 watt amp? Maybe put a 12AY7 in Ch1s pre. It has my seal of approval!

Played guitar over 35 years, seen and used a lot of the typical amps. When I got the chance to buy a new one, I studied for many hours worried( this was a big buy for me), all the amps in the $800 to $1500 range, peak of what I could afford. Never played threw a Orange, but read all the reviews and watch many demos. Never seen or heard anyone cut the brand or any of there models. So I ordered it from Ryan Murphy here at sweetwater. I've had it over a year now, and its massive. Every guitarist I know has made a comment about its sound, cleans to death metal and everything in between. And its 30 watts is plenty loud enough to be well heard. Thank You sweetwater,for everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know Orange amps and heads are expensive, but this was worth every penny. This is the first tube amp I've ever owned, and I'm blown away. There is no shortage of gain, and even when the gain is jacked up, the sound is still so clean. Switch on all four tubes and prepare yourself to have it engross your day. At first I was wondering why there were no Treble, Bass, Or mids but the Shape knob literally covers every frequency possible. I would highly recommend it.

The only negative is the fact that there are no headphone or aux ports, so late night shredding is no longer possible, and that really sucks. But again, the positives outweigh these small issues.

From shimmering cleans to metal growls!! BTW 7 watts is loud!

I started out with an Orange "Dark Terror" and graduated to the TH30. AWESOME! No buyers remorse here. Even better than expected. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS!

I purchased the TH30H (and the orange 2x12 open-back cab) a little over a year ago. I wanted to write a review only after I've had plenty of time to use it, learn it, understand it and get comfortable with it, which at this point I have.

I am a guitar enthusiast, particularly for amps. There's something about a tube amps that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I've owned or currently own a dozen different amps over the past 10 years, including several marshall JCMs and--what was until recently my all time favorite--mesa dual rectifier.

Bottom line: The Orange TH30H is the best money I've ever spent. It still gives me chills every time I plug it in, warm up the tubes, plug my musicman 6-string directly into the TH30, switch to the crunch channel and play an open D chord. The tone is unreal, pure butter. But what gets me is the clarity--you can hear each string so clearly, so crisp. Do yourself a favor--you'll keep it for life.

If you want a two channel amp, this is it. The clean channel has lots of headroom and very clean and the dirty channel has all the gain you could ever want. From speed or death metal to hard rock, this amp covers it. I have 12 tube amp heads and 6 combos and this Orange amp brings allot to the table. all my other heads are 100 watt heads. If you are thinking this little 30 watt is not going to cut it, because it lacks in Db. This amp gets very loud. the amp has a tube effect loop is a must for me,I use my smart gate when I have the amp cranked. Gets rid of tube amp hiss when you run lots of gain. You can set this amp to 30 15 7 watts. And all sound great, It sounds good even down on the 7 watt setting. Check this bad boy out. I think you will be Blown away. This Thing Rocks!

Just loving every minute of playing this amp.The versatility is awesome!
I was looking for a no nonsense straight forward amp and this really fills the bill!!

Out of the box, the first time I plugged into this amp I discovered all that was missing in my quest for MY tone. It's got more than enough Gain. More than enough power and control. Everyone knows about the awesome tone from Orange amp valves on the dirty channel... but this thing has an incredible sparkling clean channel too! Exactly what I have been looking for. I am likely going to pull over $500 worth of pedals from my pedalboard. Overdrives/distortions...They're just not needed anymore. The Dirty channel sounds way better! I own/play several guitars.... LPs, SGs, Strats, lap steel, with a variety of pickups, humbuckers, singles, P90s and the TH30 makes them all scream. I played through one of these amps a few years ago and knew I found my Holy Grail amp. I should have made this purchase long ago. I had what I thought were decent tube amps in the past, including Fender's and Marshall's But the TH30 blows those out off the face of the planet. If you're looking to get one, don't wait. You'll regret it later. As for Sweetwater, as always the service was awesome! Thanks Marshall! Fast shipping, and I always enjoy the little bag of candy! Looked like the box took a pretty good shot during shipping, but the amp appears pristine and sounds incredible!

Honestly, I was a bit hesitant to get a 30 watt amp, because I had only owned 100 watt heads; well I can tell you, THIS THING IS LOUD, and there's really no breakup at higher volumes. I used to swear by 100 watts, but unless you're playing an arena, you DON'T NEED that much power. My first observation: The cleans are just awesome. I had been playing through a Peavey 6505, and the cleans on this Orange kick the 6505's butt; and as far as the dirty channel goes, would I like to have more knobs for it? Yes, but with an amp like this, just get an OD or an EQ pedal and you're good to go. The dirty channel is also very versatile; I can go from playing some '70s rock and roll to the heaviest high gain metal with the turn of a couple knobs. I'm absolutely in love with this amp, I've heard people say "Once you go Orange, you never go back", and that's now true for me!

I have been using an Orange Dark Terror for a while now.I love that amp,but wanted something that would let me switch from clean to dirty sounds.This amp has nearly as much gain as the Dark Terror,which is a lot!The clean channel is stellar,very bright and warm sounding.I can get everything from sparkling cleans,Ac/Dc overdrive to Metallica palm muted chugging out of this amp.It sounds better the more you crank it,and 30 watts can get extremely loud.Don't be fooled by the wattage rating.It can easily drown out even the hardest hitting drummer if he's un-miked.Solid construction,sweet tones and the less is more factor makes this amp very attractive. Sweetwater salesman Chris Lewis was very helpful-their service is always a pleasant experience.36 month financing made this a very attractive offer.

As someone who has owned over the years Marshall, Vox, Fenders, and Johnson Tube amps this one is the best overall..., period! I'm not a super heavy distortion guy though I do play some early Black Sabbath tunes on occasion. Between its GREAT clean channel and its equally GREAT dirty channel I can not find fault with it. With the ability to go from an extremely LOUD 30 watts down to 15 and finally to 7 watts it is a true bedroom to stage amp. The big surprise for me was that even on its dirty channel there is still a beautiful sweetness to the tone (think "I'm alright" by Neil Zaza). In my opinion this will be the last amp I will ever buy due to it's overall tone and wide range. As an FYI I play a PRS DGT guitar and it just sings with this amp.... A foot note should be added here that I'm running the head through a Vintage Celestion 30 speaker ( 65 watts rating) for reference.

Other than blowing up the preamp because of being gear obsessed, this is the best amp tone I have ever found. I use this to power a full stack and it sounds like a 100 watt amp. The thickness of both channels is the best I could ever ask for. I am officially an Orange player for life.

All I have to say is Wow! This is a keeper. A little noise but what do you expect from a high gain amp anyways. Throw a MXR Noise Clamp in the loop and your done. No need for anything else except a footswitch. The cleans chime and the dirty channel screams!

I have been dreaming of owning an Orange amp for almost two decades now, and recently came into a situation where I could attain one utilizing Sweetwater's amazing finance program. This amplifier is absolutely pristine. The clean channel is so utterly beautiful and crystal clean; amazingly gorgeous and bright and full, and the dirty channel can go from great AC/DC-like gritty tones to full-on balls-to-the-wall HEFTY heavy metal sonic Valhalla. Also, this amp is very quiet when bypassed, or even by having your volume rolled back on your guitar; it simply leaves you with no unwanted hiss/60-cycle hum. I can not say nearly enough positively about the Orange TH 30. Long live Sweetwater, my customer service rep, Matt McKible, and the British lads/lasses from Orange! MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!

This thing will cover any range of music that you wish to play. I was surprised by the gain on the nasty channel, but the bigger surprise is the clean channel-unbelievable sounds that you have never heard from your guitar before. Buy it-you will not be disappointed!

All I know is that the search is over. Love this amp.

The amp is in the "higher-gain" Orange family, keeping company with the dark terror tone-wise. Plenty of two on tap on channel 1 and very respectable cleans on channel 2. Diming the treble and bass gives a very fenderesque to, and with a splash of reverb you have a fine clean tone. It doesn't break up too early so you can approach the more prestige sounds. The high gain is perfect and only limited by the shape control. I like the "squishy" nature of the gain...quite in contrast to the very dry tone of my Mark V. I use it with an Eminence Legend and it really cut down on the fizz and tightened up the bottom compared to a vintage 30. The head has a wide range of useful tones from AC/DC to modern. A dark amp with plenty of heft in the low mids. Also, Karl Long is an awesome sales rep and has singlehandedly made Sweetwater my first choice for gear. Kudos.

I was worried this was going to have too much gain, and while it has a ton of gain in it, you can really dial it back to get some crunchy classic rock tones. The clean channel is way better than I thought it was going to be, and is everything you could ask for. Turn it up and it starts to break up on its own to give you that classic Brit Rock tone. Built like a tank, but I'd say if you're looking massive gain like Mesa Boogie tones you may want to look at some higher gain amps.

This amp absolutely delivers on the gain channel. You can't get that classic Tom Petty overdrive or crank it up more to get metal type gain…. It's versatile….

However, the clean channel is not quite as smooth. In my opinion Marshall amps have the buttery cleans that I am a custom to, this amp needs serious help to have good clean tones…. I use my pedal board in the FX loop that consists of only timing stuff. You will need pedals in order to use the clean at all.

Also, the balance between the two channels is very disproportional, meaning that if you are at volume 5 on the gain channel, you'll be at volume 2 on the clean channel for comparable volume between the channels.

In the studio, this thing is absolutely great… but for live gigs, I'm not sure it would be my go-to amp.

Here's a fun cover I feud using the amplifier gain

Nice amp, completely usable, cleans pretty stellar! Distortion quite controllable. Easy amp to set up. Effects loop works really well. Build quality quite nice. Excellent choice in the 1200.00 dollar range. Find one used for 5 or 6 hundred. Good amp period!

I ordered one of these from Orange before ever getting a chance to try one out. I liked that it had all the features I wanted without having too much stuff in the way of my playing, though I do wish it had a presence control.

The effects loop is very transparent, which is nice. The amp seems a little more susceptible to hum from a dirty power source than other amps, so you may want to get a power conditioner. Otherwise, it's pretty quiet.

The clean channel starts to break up around 10 o'clock, depending on your guitar, which means that you can only go that loud for totally clean sounds. A bit of a bummer, but not a huge deal. As I said, I wish it had a presence control--it's not a bright amp and the treble control doesn't seem to boost much (though it can cut a lot if you need it to). Might also have preferred an amp with separate mid and bass controls, but that would have cost a good deal more. You can always add an EQ pedal if you want more control or brightness. The amp is very punchy and just overall such high quality that I would much rather put an EQ pedal on it than have bought a Mesa that comes with all those knobs. Generally, though, two tone controls is enough for me.

The dirty channel packs all the tone you need into one knob. It's pretty incredible. Probably not the most flexible amp, but you can get all the gain you'd ever need and it can be either scooped or relatively flat or all mids, so there isn't much need for another knob, in my opinion. I also like dialing back the volume on the guitar a bit while on the dirty channel--kind of a gritty, lo-fi sound that I really dig.

Overall, it's a solid amp that sounds great. Not the most flexible, but if you're like me, the reason you like an amp like this is because it has so few knobs. The less you have to fuss with, the less you have to worry about. This amp is a keeper.

I really like the way the amp sounds with the ppc212 cab. I swapped the clean channel preamp tube with a jj 12ay7. I don't know why orange didn't do that in the first place...way better now. It brought the channel volume levels to about the same now, gave me more clean head room, and just sounds better all around. I had to send my first one back, one of the power tubes was red plating out of the box. Sweetwater was awesome and swapped it out for another one. I don't like the fact that my $1200 amp is made in China, but I'll survive. The tolex job in the corners is very poor. The chassis face plate and cab have uneven gaps all around, almost like the cab is crooked. I was expecting more out orange as far as quality. In the end, I like the way it sounds a lot, I just hope it holds up.

The entire reason I chose this over the dark terror was the clean channel.There is absolutely no way to achieve unity gain between the 2 channels. The clean channel Is soooooo much louder than the dirty,
I have to crack the clean open and turn the dirty volume past 1 o'clock to achieve unity.
At this volume it begins to push the power section flubbing out the bottom end(not what I want currently).

I heard about this before I bought it, but I didn't think the discrepency could be this ridiculous. It's really really ridiculous.

Also the effects loop is supposed to be series but a very slight parallel signal passes through. Not sure if I got a lemon in this regard but thought I'd mention it. Both channels are great,they just dont play so well together. If your looking for tight high gain with occasional cleans at practice volumes dont be lured in by the clean channel. Perhaps classic gain tones (power section pushed) might be more tangible. But then again if your thinking 30 watts For bedroom tones, just understand,
even at half power with 2 tubes if youre trying match the clean channel volume to the dirty,
it's going to be very loud.

Throwing a volume pedal in the effects loop works well, but I do feel like it monkeys the tone up a smidge.
(Much better sounding than half power and or only two tubes)

On the other hand,no worries about cutting through when playing with
others you will not be underwhelmed by the volume.


Bought it about 3 years ago,sweetwater did great as usual.

In summary.

-Unity gain is an issue.
-Unimpressed by the power scaling options.
-Sounds great.

As you can see, QC lacks quite a bit.