Gearank

The OR series from Orange goes back to the first amplifiers that Cliff Cooper made with Mat Mathias of Matamp. These were branded as Orange Matamps and were used extensively on the road by Fleetwood Mac during the late '60s.

Later on, Orange developed the OR100 and OR200 which were 100W and 200W respectively. It wasn't until 1971 when the "Pics and Text" Oranges, known for not having text labels on the controls, gave the brand its iconic midrange crunch. This pedigree continues today with the 15 watt Orange OR15H, housed in Orange's signature "Picture Frame" sleeve for durability.

Being a single channel tube amp with traditional controls, there are no amp voicings to play with. It is as streamlined as it gets, just good old thick and saturated Orange overdriven tone, nothing more, nothing less.

While it may seem like a one-trick pony, you can get variations of the tone by tweaking the volume and tone controls of your guitar, along with the EQ found on the amp. This straightforward approach to tone also makes the amp a great platform for pedals. Speaking of pedals, the OR15H has tube buffered effects loop.

Another noteworthy feature of this 15 watt amp is its switchable 15/7 watt attenuator, which lets you crank this low wattage tube amp at lower volumes for recording.

There are so many things that the OR15H shouldn't be able to do when you look at the spec sheet. At 15 watts, it shouldn't be loud. With only one channel, it shouldn't be versatile. The OR15H may look like a basic amp but sometimes that's all that you need.

If you love classic rock and want to live the "volume knob riding" life as they did back in the day, then the OR15H is the best low watt tube amp for you. Look elsewhere if you want all the bells and whistles that come with more modern amplifiers.

Specifications

• Power Rating: 7 to 15-Watts
• Preamp Tube(s): 3 x 12AX7
• Poweramp Tube(s): 2 x EL84
• Controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain
• Input(s): Normal
• Output(s): 16ohm Speaker Out, 8ohm Speaker Out, 2x16ohm Speaker Out
• Weight: 17.77 lbs
• Suitable for: Classic Rock, Old-School Metal, Alternative