Orange Dual Dark Reissue… this time in white (sorta)

[hellzington]

I had one and wasn’t crazy about it. I took it to Dave Friedman to do some magic on it (FWIW he also said he hated it, lol) but I still didn’t care for it. It’s a fizzy, fuzzy amp with a woofy low mid that you can’t dial out. Might be good for doom metal but for that type of sound, Science or Verellen amps are FAR better IMO.

 

[Rex Rocker]

I had one and wasn’t crazy about it. I took it to Dave Friedman to do some magic on it (FWIW he also said he hated it, lol) but I still didn’t care for it. It’s a fizzy, fuzzy amp with a woofy low mid that you can’t dial out. Might be good for doom metal but for that type of sound, Science or Verellen amps are FAR better IMO.

 

[TotallyRadGuitars]

I've had two DD50's, and still have one. I paid about $1500 for each of them and sold one of them for almost $3k so I figure the one I have is a "free amp" now.

I don't really understand the hype, it's not a bad amp but it doesn't blow my socks off, but some people really seem to love them. And I will say, it's a uniquely designed amp and there isn't anything else exactly like it, so if you just have to have the DD tone, you don't have many options as far as the "big" heads go.

It's also worth mentioning I guess, but the single channel OR50 is one of my favorite Oranges, super flexible amp and I love it every time I plug in. The DD50 does a damn good impression of that amp if you can keep the gain in check. The key piece the DD is missing is the "punch" control (it's just a presence knob). But the DD's channel A can be really sweet if you are careful when dialing it in. Channel B has the "shape" control which is hit or miss, you either love where the frequencies sit or hate it and can't find a spot you like on it anywhere. Basically what I'm saying is, just because it's called "dual dark" and marketed like a metal amp doesn't necessarily mean it has to be dialed in as a super saturated doom/metal monster. It actually does the classic orange fuzzy-rock sounds really well.

I don't know how Orange amps are made inside, but they do at least come with big transformers. I think they're either Dagnall or Drake, like Marshall.

They are pretty clean inside. They use Demeter transformers. Here's the inside of my DD50 from 2017:

Oh and here's the transformers (well, two of them anyway)

 

[Rex Rocker]

I've had two DD50's, and still have one. I paid about $1500 for each of them and sold one of them for almost $3k so I figure the one I have is a "free amp" now.

I don't really understand the hype, it's not a bad amp but it doesn't blow my socks off, but some people really seem to love them. And I will say, it's a uniquely designed amp and there isn't anything else exactly like it, so if you just have to have the DD tone, you don't have many options as far as the "big" heads go.

It's also worth mentioning I guess, but the single channel OR50 is one of my favorite Oranges, super flexible amp and I love it every time I plug in. The DD50 does a damn good impression of that amp if you can keep the gain in check. The key piece the DD is missing is the "punch" control (it's just a presence knob). But the DD's channel A can be really sweet if you are careful when dialing it in. Channel B has the "shape" control which is hit or miss, you either love where the frequencies sit or hate it and can't find a spot you like on it anywhere. Basically what I'm saying is, just because it's called "dual dark" and marketed like a metal amp doesn't necessarily mean it has to be dialed in as a super saturated doom/metal monster. It actually does the classic orange fuzzy-rock sounds really well.


They are pretty clean inside. They use Demeter transformers. Here's the inside of my DD50 from 2017:
View attachment 323646

Oh and here's the transformers (well, two of them anyway)
View attachment 323649

Ah, interesting. I stand corrected.

A friend of mine has a Rockerverb Mk. II. It's a very solid amp, but it's certainly not the amp that I'd grab for myself at that price point. The trannies are huge for a 50W, though. I remember then being as beefy as my Peavey XXX at the time. But I much preferred the tone of my XXX (for myself), TBH.

Orange amps kinda have their own thing going on. They don't sound like Marshalls. They don't sound like Mesas. I've only had the Dark Terror which is a toy, comparatively, but I thought it was pretty fun. But I'm not really a Doom/Sludge/Stoner or whatever player. To get them sounding nice and articulate, you kinda have to fight them a bit. But at the same time, you kinda have to do that on a Rectifier as well.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Found this old clip of my Dark Terror. Pretty cool and big-sounding for a 15W amp, IMO.

Pretty stuffy too, tho. I would love a bigger version of that where the focus of the low-end is pushed down a bit to the actual deep lows (like an actual 100W amp) rather than low-mid stuffiness.

 

[TotallyRadGuitars]

Ah, interesting. I stand corrected.

A friend of mine has a Rockerverb Mk. II. It's a very solid amp, but it's certainly not the amp that I'd grab for myself at that price point. The trannies are huge for a 50W, though. I remember then being as beefy as my Peavey XXX at the time. But I much preferred the tone of my XXX (for myself), TBH.

Orange amps kinda have their own thing going on. They don't sound like Marshalls. They don't sound like Mesas. I've only had the Dark Terror which is a toy, comparatively, but I thought it was pretty fun. But I'm not really a Doom/Sludge/Stoner or whatever player. To get them sounding nice and articulate, you kinda have to fight them a bit. But at the same time, you kinda have to do that on a Rectifier as well.

The Rockerverb is actually my least favorite, I get that it has really wide appeal though because it's a classic clean+high gain two channel amp. The trannies are huge on all of the Oranges, they are all super heavy especially since they are physically a little smaller (but deeper) than your average Marshall or Mesa amp head. Dense is the word I'd use.

On the other hand I'd rank the original Rocker 30 and probably the OR50H as some of the best sounding amps I own. I also really like the Thunderverb 50. All discontinued...

Your Dark Terror riff sounds awesome to me. I get what you mean about the deep lows but if you had a bass line going along with that it'd probably sound plenty heavy and stay tight. The palm mutes sound glorious.

 

[Rex Rocker]

The Rockerverb is actually my least favorite, I get that it has really wide appeal though because it's a classic clean+high gain two channel amp. The trannies are huge on all of the Oranges, they are all super heavy especially since they are physically a little smaller (but deeper) than your average Marshall or Mesa amp head. Dense is the word I'd use.

On the other hand I'd rank the original Rocker 30 and probably the OR50H as some of the best sounding amps I own. I also really like the Thunderverb 50. All discontinued...

Your Dark Terror riff sounds awesome to me. I get what you mean about the deep lows but if you had a bass line going along with that it'd probably sound plenty heavy and stay tight. The palm mutes sound glorious.

Thank you!

I always wondered how the Thunderverb compared to the Dual Dark. Like, I know the Dual Dark have the second added channel, but was it any different from the Thunderverb?

 

[7704A]

Thank you!

I always wondered how the Thunderverb compared to the Dual Dark. Like, I know the Dual Dark have the second added channel, but was it any different from the Thunderverb?

Wonder no longer.

 

[TotallyRadGuitars]

Thank you!

I always wondered how the Thunderverb compared to the Dual Dark. Like, I know the Dual Dark have the second added channel, but was it any different from the Thunderverb?

The Thunderverb has two 3-gain stage channels that are the almost the same except for the EQ part. The Dual Dark has two 4-gain stage channels that are almost the same except for the EQ part.

So the design and function is exactly the same (besides DD lack of reverb), but the amps are completely different circuits and don’t actually share anything in common.

That’s actually one of my older videos linked above, I had to use a boost on the thunderverb to get it up to similar gain levels as the DD or Rockerverb. Also I’ve been meaning to re-record that video and do a better job, at the time I was cheating a little by copying the track and panning them hard left and right with a small offset - sounded great in my headphones but if you listen to it on a mono sound device (like many phones) it has phase issues. Personally I’d never listen to an amp demo on my phone but people do haha. Better to just redo the video with plain mono sound, or actually track it twice. Those lame excuses out of the way I do think it’s a decent enough video to hear the differences.

 

[Rex Rocker]

The Thunderverb has two 3-gain stage channels that are the almost the same except for the EQ part. The Dual Dark has two 4-gain stage channels that are almost the same except for the EQ part.

So the design and function is exactly the same (besides DD lack of reverb), but the amps are completely different circuits and don’t actually share anything in common.

That’s actually one of my older videos linked above, I had to use a boost on the thunderverb to get it up to similar gain levels as the DD or Rockerverb. Also I’ve been meaning to re-record that video and do a better job, at the time I was cheating a little by copying the track and panning them hard left and right with a small offset - sounded great in my headphones but if you listen to it on a mono sound device (like many phones) it has phase issues. Personally I’d never listen to an amp demo on my phone but people do haha. Better to just redo the video with plain mono sound, or actually track it twice. Those lame excuses out of the way I do think it’s a decent enough video to hear the differences.

Ah, awesome. Thanks for the explanation.

Then the Dark Terror actually shares more in common with the Thunder series of amps, I assume?

 

[braintheory]

The Rockerverb is actually my least favorite, I get that it has really wide appeal though because it's a classic clean+high gain two channel amp. The trannies are huge on all of the Oranges, they are all super heavy especially since they are physically a little smaller (but deeper) than your average Marshall or Mesa amp head. Dense is the word I'd use.

On the other hand I'd rank the original Rocker 30 and probably the OR50H as some of the best sounding amps I own. I also really like the Thunderverb 50. All discontinued...

Your Dark Terror riff sounds awesome to me. I get what you mean about the deep lows but if you had a bass line going along with that it'd probably sound plenty heavy and stay tight. The palm mutes sound glorious.

I agree. The OR series were my favorites from Orange. I liked also the OR30 and OR15, but even so I think there are just better amps out there for where Orange’s excel. Same story for the ‘70’s Orange OR120 I used to have

 

[Mr. Chainsaw]

I agree. The OR series were my favorites from Orange. I liked also the OR30 and OR15, but even so I think there are just better amps out there for where Orange’s excel. Same story for the ‘70’s Orange OR120 I used to have

I missed out on the higher watt OR releases, would be very interested in an OR100. Would've preferred that over this reissue.

 

[7704A]

I missed out on the higher watt OR releases, would be very interested in an OR100. Would've preferred that over this reissue.

The marketing copy for this reissue actually says that they tweaked channel A to be a bit more like an OR100, funny enough.

 

[braintheory]

I missed out on the higher watt OR releases, would be very interested in an OR100. Would've preferred that over this reissue.

Yeah if you like Orange amps they may be worth trying. I think I may even prefer the OR30, but didn’t AB it to the other models. Just my opinion from trying it alone

 

[DanTravis62]

I quite like the DD and OR series, but not for that kind of money

They are built way too cheaply for a 2k head

The or30 is more my speed in that way, and it's okay for what it is. Needs more head room

There's a reason the original ones were so huge, wattage wise, it's because the gain and headroom are on a delicate balance.

 

[narad]

Is it easy to put a presence control on the DD circuit? This discussion has me wondering -- I think I have enjoyed it a reasonable amount into the right cab, and what I'm getting out of the cab is probably closest to a presence kind of frequency tweak. Maybe that's all that's missing from making it a "good" amp for me.

 

[7704A]

They are built way too cheaply for a 2k head

How so? One of the things I've heard about is that Orange generally uses split pot shafts with cheap metal resulting in the shafts breaking with repeated removal/replacement of the knobs. I'm trying to remember if there was anything else I heard, besides perhaps the gripe about most things all being on one big board so that it's more difficult to service.

Edit: Not build-related, but they don't like to give out their schematics to the non-blessed from what I've heard, so that blows. However, they were willing to confirm a part value for me when I was fixing a pedal.

 

[DanTravis62]

Thin PCBs, small transformers, split shaft knobs etc

the literal same things that are always mentioned when someone says it's not worth that much money

 

[7704A]

Thin PCBs, small transformers, split shaft knobs etc

the literal same things that are always mentioned when someone says it's not worth that much money

Huh, I usually hear Orange transformers described as bigger than usual, though I have never verified myself. Didn't know about the thin PCB's, that sucks.

 

[DanTravis62]

Huh, I usually hear Orange transformers described as bigger than usual, though I have never verified myself. Didn't know about the thin PCB's, that sucks.

The old ones have huge chunky transformers, definitely

But the modern Oranges are made with lower quality parts

Which, they still sound like an Orange - they're just too expensive for what they are. There is a used Matamp GT120 green in lynnwood, a short drive away from me

If I wanted the orange tone, for 2K i would buy the matamp 10 out of 10 times