I have this amp and use it through a 2x12 Recto cab. Did the trick cranking the master volume and rolling off the channel volume. Wow what a difference. Thanks Kyle for another amazing video and tip! 🤘
I purchased one in 2018 as a backup for my tube head. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Use it regularly, loud enough for a band situation. The Walrus Iron Horse works really well with it. Octave pedals like a POG or fuzzy ocatve up pedals sound killer too.
It’s a great amp, but def has its own quirks that you’re either going to love or hate. Personally I never liked hitting it with an OD as it really clipped the shit out of the amp. The amp does some great low to mid gain British rock tones. The high gains are good, but only if you like more doomy saturated stuff and werent looking for clarity and note separation under heavy gain. Price of course is stellar, some people spend more on a single boutique pedal than the cost of this thing. Wish more companies would create SS versions of their amps.
I think the Super Crush is better suited to high gain flatmate. I bought my Super Crush based on the fact it has more gain and head room than the 120. Although, the 120 has it's place.
Kyle, I love your videos, and mostly like the amps and tones you demo. For you, and anyone really into achieving a specific tone, I think it's worth mentioning that with an amp that has an effects loop, placing a parametric EQ, (I like the Empress ParaEQ pedal) can somewhat sculpt an amp's voicing to taste. Cheers
That MXR was the perfect pairing; sounds massive. I would love to try out a Super Crush 100 combo; I play mostly riff rock and punk rock and some of the tones you were pulling out of this thing were totally my kind of thing. Great demo, as always, Kyle!
It's a great amp for the money. I bought one as a back-up amp and wound up using it as the main for one of my bands. I tried some ODs with it, but actually put an MXR 10-band EQ in the loop and that totally transforms it from a solid rock amp to a fire-breathing beast. It lets me really dial in the tone and boost the gain quite a bit without too much extra noise.
Both the Orange CR120 & the SC100 respond perfectly to a BBE sonic stomp in the effects loop & from there you can kind of get that more modern tone but still the superior midrange of Orange.
I have an orange micro dark and I agree with what you said about the orange tone, it's just missing something, but I like it for certain things. It's a bit worse on the micro dark though since it only has a single EQ shape know. Thanks for demoing this amp, I've been dying to hear you play it. I love old school analog solid state heads like this but this particular one isn't my thing, it's better when it's boosted though. Now you know you have to compare it to the Super Crush 100 to see if they improved the design 😂
I have always loved orange amps especially for hardcore. I play a much more punk style of hardcore so that sound is exactly what I want. I would also agree that organges sound best when paired with a Marshall, Oranges have a lot of low mids in my experience while the Marshall has more high mids and the two can really occupy the space that the other doesn't.
I got the Otange Super Crush instead of the 120. So glad I did. Put my boss 7 band EQ in the fx loop and made it a beast. Orange is my only amp now. Yes. Master up and control volume with the channel volume. Makes all the difference.
Thanks Kyle for all your kick ass videos, these videos are so helpful for anyone looking to get any new or used Amp head, your demos are always in depth, plus your pedal videos show you using them through a real amp .
I put a 6 band EQ in the loop of mine, and even thought about getting a Mesa Boogie 5 Band EQ pedal and seeing the results i get. I did it with a 6 band and it sounded huge through some Eminence CV-75's.
Banded EQ pedals are key to getting the tone you want out of this, especially in a band setting. Getting out of the way of the drums and bass (and especially a 2nd guitarist) is pretty easy with a EQ notch or two.
I have this amp and love it. Its classic rock, stoner, stoner-doom, doom, and sludge metal all day and night long. It takes dirt pedals really well, especially the Rat and BMP type. Try using the clean channel, dime the clean channel volume, and use a fuzz or Rat type pedal, you will be surprised.
I just got a supercrush 100 and man it is fucking DYNAMITE. I love Doom/Sludge metal does it fantastic, super versatile with an EQ I can sculpt to taste for almost anything I want to play, I just love orange's voicing and aesthetics. I'm almost always running a ts style overdrive as a boost, tightens it up nice. I looove that it's all analog besides the digital reverb, I might have become converted to a solid state user. Gotta get my hands on a SS Randall.
Absolutely love the tone of this amp! Killer demo Kyle! I love how you just get right to the point with no filler and over wordiness nonsense. Keep killin' it bro! 🤘
I got one of these amps after getting rid of all my sick tube amps (VTM 120, Orange Thunderverb 200) and taking a long break from gigging. I bought it because I was broke but it turned out to be the best amp I’ve ever played. I play tuned to z and boost it with a turbo rat. 10/10, loud as hell.
Again I can see my ears align with yours in real time. I also love the 6505/5150 tone for my fast/precise picking stuff. I have one of these and in standard tuning I've always thought the CR120 just sounded okay. Then @15:55 hit and totally agree that drop C sounded killer with this amp. The lack of bass must be preventing it from getting tubby sounding. The doom metal guys slapping the 12th fret with Orange amps in drop D or C makes perfect sense to me now. \m/ cool review as always
The Super Crush is brighter and they have changed how the EQ knobs reacts. Also changed the clean channel to take pedals better and only 1 reverb. These are the biggest changes from the Crush Pro to the Super Crush
I had one of the bigger crush combos when they were still relatively new. In my opinion they're the best solid state amp that's in current production. I put them up there with the marshall lead 100 mosfet.
The best example of an Orange amp is that great sludgy Corrosion of Conformity tone. You should learn a couple of those riffs for your next Orange review! You solved the problem of it being your only tone when you hit it with the OD. Makes it sound like a totally different amp. That thing sounds great.
I got one but never tried your final settings. Trying it tomorrow! Hope to blend with my 5150 at some point and see how that sounds. Great video thanks Kyle!
Hey Kyle! Loved the video! I have played the Crush Pro 120 quite a number of times as well as owned a couple of Orange amps over the years. The thing about the Orange amps is definitely what you discovered about the Crush Pro, the Master volume is one of the biggest keys to getting...the tone. It's almost like an SLO in that regard, they are meant to get loud. Not only that, they really work best with Orange cabs, however they do work very well with other cabs and speakers, but you kinda have to play around with them a little. Some work better than others paired with Orange amps. But they are undoubtedly awesome. As Agufish put it, they're basically the Nintendo of the amp world, they do they're own thing.
I like the tube Orange offerings much better. Not necessarily because this one is SS, it was just a little too rolled off on the lows and highs for me. The Rockerverb is more balanced
@@belligerentamateur If that's the case, then you will like the Super Crush more than the Crush Pro. It is voiced much closer to the Rockerverb than the Crush Pro is. I got to try the Super Crush about a few months ago and it was absolutely amazing. If you get a good price on it, it's definitely worth getting.
@@jasonlewis5350 No. The Guitar Butler is a vintage overdrive kind of preamp. The Super Crush is supposed to be modern high gain, as close to the Rockerverb as possible. But both have gain stages based on J-Fets. Colin from CS Guitars did an excellent demonstration about the Guitar Butler. Is great for 70s and 80s Hard Rock but you can get into Iron Maiden/Saxon territory with the help of a boost (like a TS).
@@jorgea.9988 you may be right. I don’t think of the Crush, Super Crush or Rockerverb as modern high gain. More like a Marshall JCM800 boosted or a DSL. That’s my take. The Butler would be like a Plexi then on my scale, but it’s all subjective. I’ve played the others and not the Butler yet so there’s that. LOL.
Ive owned this amp for years and my personal opinion is to use an MXR 10 band eq in the loop that will give the amp way more range but at the end of the day like Kyle said its an orange amp and will sound orange no matter what you do i love this amp for stoner doom metal thats what i got my for but i did buy the super crush 100 and think its way better no 10 band eq needed for that amp.
I have this amp. It doesn't need an OD as it has more than enough gain on tap. I put a 7 band EQ in the loop, and I can dial in any modern sound. I play through a 4x12 cab with two Celestion V30's, and two Celestion Seventy 80's.
I use the CR120 for both of my bands, but after some experimenting I only use the clean channel. I'm not sure what the difference is between the Crush Pro and the CR120, as far as I know they're the same amp. For my grindcore band I push the clean volume to about 3 o'clock and hit the front of the amp with the Boss HM-2W on the modified setting boosting the lows and highs with plenty of gain and volume dialed in, and I use a MXR GT-OD in front of the HM-2 as a boost. This gives a tight and percussive sound with a good noise gate. The clean channel is noticeably louder when you switch between the gain channel. When you turn the clean channel volume up all the way it gets just a little bit of breakup and becomes a perfect match for big muffs, rats or other doom boxes with the low and high eq stack on the amp pushed a little bit. I personally like the simplified tone stack in the clean channel. The only choice to make when gigging with this amp is whether you want to stay friends with the sound guy or push the master volume past 3.
For solid-state I think I prefer that Randall 120w rx or whatever it was. This Crush does sound more "tubey" at the end with the master up. Not bad at all.
It's kind of a shame you don't see these 'true' solid state amps anymore as much being made, while modellers sound arguably better for a lot of cases, these and the old school valvestates and Peavey stuff always sounded pretty cool I thought.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 imo Analog solid-state (done right) like the Orange Super Crush sounds way better than digital amps in the same price range. Digital always sounds.... "well digital," like there's no balls when playing live. Recorded they sound grate. SS amps seem to move more air to me and more real, like there's nothing in between me and the amp, if that makes any sense. It's almost like I'm playing something and the sound that come out from a digital amp is not really me. Don't know if that's the slight latency, or just the detection of a digital signal.
Orange solid-state amps are the best sounding SS amps I've ever played. The old Crush amps were great and the new Super Crush is even better! They also are a perfect match for Orange's budget Voice of the World speakers. Probably the best sounding budget speakers you can get.
super crush is jfet preamp and cr 120 is op amp preamp,that's the difference for these 2 model,and orange is stopped the crash pro production and only the jfet one
Have one of these and its a beast confirmed. I like pairing it up with either my Randall or Marshall solid states. Plans are it is part of my 4 amp wall of sound I need to put together.
i thought you got some killer tones out of that thing! it's funny how sludgy and slow you were playing through it... those thick/saturated tones kinda demand the breathing room and push you to play a little differently. i love the idea of blending it into some Marshall tones too... definitely gonna try that!
Some of the tones sounded really good in the recording but I know it can lack oomph in the room. I love the amp and find myself always gravitating towards it for practice (so I bought a backup). I boost mine with a Duncan 805 and get some great metal tones. I have run it into a Pedal Baby to basically swap the D class power section to A/B and it gets a little more top and bottom end as well as some clarity. This is similar to how the Super Crush works but the Super Crush's preamp actually has a lot less saturation and gain than the Crush Pro. I have also ran it into the power section of my Rockerverb for fun and I didn't love it because it didn't improve enough to justify it, but I ran Crush Pro into the power section of an Engl Fireball 100 and it was absolutely insane. I loved it and you should try something similar before you send it off. I also think these things can be great for recording.
I’ve got the combo version, I swapped the speakers with celestion creambacks and I enclosed it instead of leaving it open back……I do really enjoy it but mostly just use it as a pedal platform….I like it but it’s not my favorite, I do really dig the tones you got out of it and now I’m inspired to try some of your settings on the combo
I managed to snag one of these secondhand for a ridiculously good price. Didn't know what to expect, would have been really happy if this would have been a solid backup to my JCM 900. To my ears, this amp easily stands toe-to-toe with that amp. The CR120 is a marvel of solid-state IMO. The only problem is finding another one for an equally good deal ;) Would also like to try a Supercrush, the videos show that tonewise they are extremely similar but Ill be looking for a good deal on that one as well.
I think I’ll call you smilin’ Kyle today, lol! It does sound great on that last dial. Pretty good on the rest if you want a good rock n roll, hard rock amp at about $350 or so used. Still, the pairing suggestion is a plus. I use a Blackstar HT100 & this could be a nice supplement
Had one of these for a few days and returned it to GC. It’s just such a darkly voiced amp. I had to run a BBE in the loop to get any sort of presence. The TH30 sounds ten times better for only a couple hundred more used.
A low-tuned guitar with a boosted Orange is a beautiful thing. That with a 5150 is personally my ultimate jam. That's why I'm finally buying a RV100 to pair with my 5150 lmao, neighbors gonna love me.
This amp is no more…….But the Super Crush 100 is it’s ready to come out swinging replacement. With the crush pro 120 the trick is to max out the channel volume and control the loudness with master volume. Also Dave Simpson has a whole series on the styles of tones you can get out these.
Kyle, please, can you make a demo for the Super Crush as well? And maybe a full comparison between the two and the Rockerverb... It will be awesome! Thanks!
I had it a while back and for some reason it sounded better with my 7 string guitars rather 6 string tuned in d standard. I used Airis savage drive as boost and hades gate and it did metal really well but as you mentioned it’s very mid focused amp and I think it suits better for down tuned stuff, now wonder why Kirk Windstein use one of these
I have had one of these for years and it’s so versatile, but it just EXCELS at big filthy chuggage because something in the gain structure just makes it SO ANGRY when it comes out the speaker
I am about to put my victory in the shop. Hoping its just a tube if its not then i gotta ship it off to wherever victory says. I am really looking at either the crush pro or the super crush. Not sure whitch one
I have this head and a cab with vintage 30s and it sounds almost muffled. Is it a case of new speakers needing break in? It’s my first real cab, whereas my random no name cab with Chinese speakers sounds amazing
Another great honest review dude!! Dude have you done a Peavey 5150/6505+ VS Peavey 6534 shootout ... I know the 5150 has a great rep but there isn't much out there of quality on the 6534 Right on ! Peace out 🤘
I have the 2x12 combo of this. It’s pretty great as a pedal platform, I throw in a fuzz factory and it sounds great on the clean channel. I use an adventure audio glacial zenith ii as a boost/eq on the dirty channel and it sounds very good. It’s a great solid state amp. The Thing sounds great in everything from playing Midwest emo clean tones to high gain HC
Why don't they make solid state amps like they used to in the 90's? Those old solid state amps from Ampeg, Crate and Randall had so much heaviness without the need for a boost.
Ever since I got the amp I have dimed the master volume and used the channel volume as my volume control. Something about the compression when raising the channel volume takes a lot away from the openness of this amp particularly more than any other amp ive had. But damn does it sound good tho especially for the price.
So i know I’m late to this video but I’ve been debating on ordering one of these forever but just haven’t. I have a 6505 mh and a PRs mt15 would this amp compliment those well? I don’t record or gig it would be more for my own amusement and my never ending tone hunt. I do love oranges signature tone by the way. I played a super crush 100 and it was disappointing to me so I’m now worried about ordering the 120.
Well I never played this one but I tried the 35 watt rt with 10 inch speaker. And that thing blew my mind I can't imagine what that beast sounds like in the room. Your breaking my bank Kyle 😆 🤣 😂. Another one on my wishlist. Good video 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Late to the party on this one, been eyeing one of these up and caught your comment about pairing it with a 5150 which I do have…how would you go about running these together? Same was as slaving two tube amps, or different due to this being solid state?
The thing about SS vs. tube amps isn't so much about the tone. There have been many really good sounding SS amps over the last few decades. The problem is the feel of the amp. There is no way to make an SS amp feel like a tube amp. No manufacturer has ever developed a circuit that truly feels like a tube amp. It's not possible and never will be. So, does that make one good and the other bad? Hell no....They are just different. It comes down to each individual guitarist to decide whether they like a particular circuit or not. I have owned SS amps that I really enjoyed. And I have owned SS amps that were abominations in every way. From what I have heard out of the Crush series the tone is there. Players seem to love these amps. But I don't know until I plug into one and see how it feels under my hands. It may be glorious. Or it may be meh. Thanks for the look and listen Kyle. You have become an important resource for all guitarist chasing high gain tones.
Not all tube amps are good, same with solid state, however there a many more good sounding tube amps than SS amps. After playing around with my new orange super crush, I definitely get what you mean about the feel of tube vs SS. Tube amps feel more dynamic even under a crapton of gain, however SS feels like if I threw a compressor into a tube amp. Anything you do is all or nothing 🤣🤣
@@JohnWiku I’ve only ever found one amp I like and I’ve owned many over the years. It happens to be solid state. I’d like to find a tube amp I like better but I haven’t yet. I guess this is a good thing because it will keep down the number of amps I own. I do own a tube amp right now. It’s just a power amp and I did an album recording recently running the preamp of my solid state head into it. It did sound better recorded. Mellowed out some of the scratchy pick attack.
@@zyxwfish That's interesting! I think Randall did an amp like this, SS preamp into tube power amp. I would see the use of the reverse, tube preamp for the tone, SS power amp for that clean power, for my purposes. What SS amp you got? Apart from my first amp ever, a fender frontman 212, I traded for a Marshall Valvestate vs100, which neither I could make sound any good, the Orange crush is the only SS amp I can say is a proper amp, regardless of what lies underneath. Currently I have 4 tube amps, all high gain, I can make the crush sound more or less like the tube ones. The gist of it is that I can find my sound with tubes or SS, after all, tone is in the fingers, which is the biggest contribution to overall tone (the speaker is next big contribution).
Hi kyle, thanks for your Channel! I m a big orange fan, i had this amp, i have a rocker 30 and a rockerverb 50 MK3 and the 2 micro amps . Wich orverdrive works better for you between the SD1 and the MXR M77 with the rockerverb? Thanks
I’m on a budget and I’m thinking of grabbing this for a Black/Thrash project. What pedal would you recommend if I can only afford one? Lol thank you. If it helps tone wise I really like Skeletonwitch
I use the 60 watts combo and pair it with a MXR GT-OD, definitely changes its character, thingtens the lows and I use maxed tone for more attack and high frequencies. EDIT: Turned up the master volume and wow! Actually readjusted the EQ and lowered the OD's overall tone! 😆
The Orange CR 120 is a misleading amp at low volume it's an uninspiring fuzzy experience, however.. master on full and dirty channel volume 11/12 o clock this amp brutally comes alive. Yes..the MXR super badass distortion in the clean channel works well taking the amp in a different direction. I have ruthlessly gigged three of these heads for a number of years incredibly reliable. I have a super crush as well in my opinion close..but a shade too polite !.
Going against the grain here but. I had both the Super Crush and the CR120. Flipped between them side by side for a few weeks. I think the CR120 sounds better and reacts better to your picking.
I had one of these for many years, always served me well! The best solid state amp I’ve ever owned without a doubt.
Kyle, I love it so much that you always demonstrate the amps with hot RIFFS, not noodling up and down a few scales.
I have this amp and use it through a 2x12 Recto cab. Did the trick cranking the master volume and rolling off the channel volume. Wow what a difference. Thanks Kyle for another amazing video and tip! 🤘
I purchased one in 2018 as a backup for my tube head. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Use it regularly, loud enough for a band situation. The Walrus Iron Horse works really well with it. Octave pedals like a POG or fuzzy ocatve up pedals sound killer too.
It’s a great amp, but def has its own quirks that you’re either going to love or hate. Personally I never liked hitting it with an OD as it really clipped the shit out of the amp. The amp does some great low to mid gain British rock tones. The high gains are good, but only if you like more doomy saturated stuff and werent looking for clarity and note separation under heavy gain. Price of course is stellar, some people spend more on a single boutique pedal than the cost of this thing. Wish more companies would create SS versions of their amps.
Would you think the Super Crush would've solved the issues you found?
I think the Super Crush is better suited to high gain flatmate. I bought my Super Crush based on the fact it has more gain and head room than the 120. Although, the 120 has it's place.
Kyle, I love your videos, and mostly like the amps and tones you demo.
For you, and anyone really into achieving a specific tone, I think it's worth mentioning that with an amp that has an effects loop, placing a parametric EQ, (I like the Empress ParaEQ pedal) can somewhat sculpt an amp's voicing to taste.
Cheers
Yes!
That MXR was the perfect pairing; sounds massive. I would love to try out a Super Crush 100 combo; I play mostly riff rock and punk rock and some of the tones you were pulling out of this thing were totally my kind of thing. Great demo, as always, Kyle!
The Super Crush is nuts you can do controlled feedback thing which is addictive.
It's a great amp for the money. I bought one as a back-up amp and wound up using it as the main for one of my bands. I tried some ODs with it, but actually put an MXR 10-band EQ in the loop and that totally transforms it from a solid rock amp to a fire-breathing beast. It lets me really dial in the tone and boost the gain quite a bit without too much extra noise.
I definitely need to try that with mine at some point. I really like it, but it gets hella noisy on higher gain, especially with single coils
MXR 10-band EQ is something every guitar player should own.
Settings on the mxr 10 band?
This amp rocks with the MXR Modified OD in front. Been playing the 2x12 combo for years... The MXR hits it just right. Great demo btw.
Both the Orange CR120 & the SC100 respond perfectly to a BBE sonic stomp in the effects loop & from there you can kind of get that more modern tone but still the superior midrange of Orange.
I have an orange micro dark and I agree with what you said about the orange tone, it's just missing something, but I like it for certain things. It's a bit worse on the micro dark though since it only has a single EQ shape know. Thanks for demoing this amp, I've been dying to hear you play it. I love old school analog solid state heads like this but this particular one isn't my thing, it's better when it's boosted though. Now you know you have to compare it to the Super Crush 100 to see if they improved the design 😂
I have always loved orange amps especially for hardcore. I play a much more punk style of hardcore so that sound is exactly what I want. I would also agree that organges sound best when paired with a Marshall, Oranges have a lot of low mids in my experience while the Marshall has more high mids and the two can really occupy the space that the other doesn't.
I play in a hardcore/crossover band and Im definitely planning on getting one of these and running it with a Marshall cab and a TS9 in front 😏
I got the Otange Super Crush instead of the 120. So glad I did. Put my boss 7 band EQ in the fx loop and made it a beast. Orange is my only amp now.
Yes. Master up and control volume with the channel volume. Makes all the difference.
Thanks Kyle for all your kick ass videos, these videos are so helpful for anyone looking to get any new or used Amp head, your demos are always in depth, plus your pedal videos show you using them through a real amp .
I put a 6 band EQ in the loop of mine, and even thought about getting a Mesa Boogie 5 Band EQ pedal and seeing the results i get. I did it with a 6 band and it sounded huge through some Eminence CV-75's.
Banded EQ pedals are key to getting the tone you want out of this, especially in a band setting. Getting out of the way of the drums and bass (and especially a 2nd guitarist) is pretty easy with a EQ notch or two.
I have this amp and love it. Its classic rock, stoner, stoner-doom, doom, and sludge metal all day and night long. It takes dirt pedals really well, especially the Rat and BMP type. Try using the clean channel, dime the clean channel volume, and use a fuzz or Rat type pedal, you will be surprised.
Yes! Crank that clean channel and add fuzz pedals sounds brutal
I just got a supercrush 100 and man it is fucking DYNAMITE. I love Doom/Sludge metal does it fantastic, super versatile with an EQ I can sculpt to taste for almost anything I want to play, I just love orange's voicing and aesthetics. I'm almost always running a ts style overdrive as a boost, tightens it up nice. I looove that it's all analog besides the digital reverb, I might have become converted to a solid state user. Gotta get my hands on a SS Randall.
Man. This is the best demo of this amp. This is what I've been wanting to hear from it for so long
Glad you dig it man!
Maybe you will come across the newer orange supercrush 100. In most demos I liked that one better than the 120, you might as well.
I agree 100% but I definitely enjoy this amp as well.
I regret trading my CR120 for the Super Crush. The SC had more sizzle but it came at the expense of bottom end.
Absolutely love the tone of this amp! Killer demo Kyle! I love how you just get right to the point with no filler and over wordiness nonsense. Keep killin' it bro! 🤘
I'm glad you feel that way, because I always think I talk too much. LOL
I got one of these amps after getting rid of all my sick tube amps (VTM 120, Orange Thunderverb 200) and taking a long break from gigging. I bought it because I was broke but it turned out to be the best amp I’ve ever played. I play tuned to z and boost it with a turbo rat. 10/10, loud as hell.
Again I can see my ears align with yours in real time. I also love the 6505/5150 tone for my fast/precise picking stuff.
I have one of these and in standard tuning I've always thought the CR120 just sounded okay. Then @15:55 hit and totally agree that drop C sounded killer with this amp. The lack of bass must be preventing it from getting tubby sounding. The doom metal guys slapping the 12th fret with Orange amps in drop D or C makes perfect sense to me now.
\m/ cool review as always
I have the 2x12 combo. I switched the speakers out for Creamback Neo. With a TS9 in front of it, it comes alive. Great live amp.
This sounds great with the MXR - Gives me a bit of 90s napalm death vibes. Your descriptions of what you're hearing are spot on imo.
The Super Crush is brighter and they have changed how the EQ knobs reacts. Also changed the clean channel to take pedals better and only 1 reverb. These are the biggest changes from the Crush Pro to the Super Crush
Sounds like I'd be into the super Crush!
The clean channel is basically the pedal baby.
I had one of the bigger crush combos when they were still relatively new. In my opinion they're the best solid state amp that's in current production. I put them up there with the marshall lead 100 mosfet.
You need to try the Super Crush.
Not gonna lie, was never a huge Orange fan, but that tone when you were doing the drop C stuff... I 100% agree. That was nasty AF and I love it.
Definitely want to boost an amp like this for a "tight" metal tone. It does cut through a mix though. Very good for low tuned DooMy sounds IMO.
The best example of an Orange amp is that great sludgy Corrosion of Conformity tone. You should learn a couple of those riffs for your next Orange review! You solved the problem of it being your only tone when you hit it with the OD. Makes it sound like a totally different amp. That thing sounds great.
I got one but never tried your final settings. Trying it tomorrow! Hope to blend with my 5150 at some point and see how that sounds. Great video thanks Kyle!
You bet!
Hey Kyle! Loved the video! I have played the Crush Pro 120 quite a number of times as well as owned a couple of Orange amps over the years. The thing about the Orange amps is definitely what you discovered about the Crush Pro, the Master volume is one of the biggest keys to getting...the tone. It's almost like an SLO in that regard, they are meant to get loud. Not only that, they really work best with Orange cabs, however they do work very well with other cabs and speakers, but you kinda have to play around with them a little. Some work better than others paired with Orange amps. But they are undoubtedly awesome. As Agufish put it, they're basically the Nintendo of the amp world, they do they're own thing.
Would that make Mesa Boogie Xbox, and Marshall Sony?
@@platinumpengwinmusic5564 Lol yeah. With Peavey being EA.
I like the tube Orange offerings much better. Not necessarily because this one is SS, it was just a little too rolled off on the lows and highs for me. The Rockerverb is more balanced
@@belligerentamateur If that's the case, then you will like the Super Crush more than the Crush Pro. It is voiced much closer to the Rockerverb than the Crush Pro is. I got to try the Super Crush about a few months ago and it was absolutely amazing. If you get a good price on it, it's definitely worth getting.
If you like this one, you will love the new Super Crush 100
That’s a killer beast.
I'm still waiting for Orange to release a pedal version of the Super Crush preamp section.
It would be nasty
@@jorgea.9988 I believe that the Orange Guitar Butler is just that.
@@jasonlewis5350 No. The Guitar Butler is a vintage overdrive kind of preamp.
The Super Crush is supposed to be modern high gain, as close to the Rockerverb as possible.
But both have gain stages based on J-Fets.
Colin from CS Guitars did an excellent demonstration about the Guitar Butler.
Is great for 70s and 80s Hard Rock but you can get into Iron Maiden/Saxon territory with the help of a boost (like a TS).
@@jorgea.9988 you may be right. I don’t think of the Crush, Super Crush or Rockerverb as modern high gain. More like a Marshall JCM800 boosted or a DSL. That’s my take. The Butler would be like a Plexi then on my scale, but it’s all subjective. I’ve played the others and not the Butler yet so there’s that. LOL.
These amps really shine with a tubescreamer smashing the front end.
What would you think about the new Solar Chug pedal going through the effects loop with this? I’m gonna try that I think!
No idea, haven't played it yet
Ive owned this amp for years and my personal opinion is to use an MXR 10 band eq in the loop that will give the amp way more range but at the end of the day like Kyle said its an orange amp and will sound orange no matter what you do i love this amp for stoner doom metal thats what i got my for but i did buy the super crush 100 and think its way better no 10 band eq needed for that amp.
I have this amp. It doesn't need an OD as it has more than enough gain on tap. I put a 7 band EQ in the loop, and I can dial in any modern sound. I play through a 4x12 cab with two Celestion V30's, and two Celestion Seventy 80's.
I use the CR120 for both of my bands, but after some experimenting I only use the clean channel. I'm not sure what the difference is between the Crush Pro and the CR120, as far as I know they're the same amp. For my grindcore band I push the clean volume to about 3 o'clock and hit the front of the amp with the Boss HM-2W on the modified setting boosting the lows and highs with plenty of gain and volume dialed in, and I use a MXR GT-OD in front of the HM-2 as a boost. This gives a tight and percussive sound with a good noise gate. The clean channel is noticeably louder when you switch between the gain channel. When you turn the clean channel volume up all the way it gets just a little bit of breakup and becomes a perfect match for big muffs, rats or other doom boxes with the low and high eq stack on the amp pushed a little bit. I personally like the simplified tone stack in the clean channel. The only choice to make when gigging with this amp is whether you want to stay friends with the sound guy or push the master volume past 3.
For solid-state I think I prefer that Randall 120w rx or whatever it was. This Crush does sound more "tubey" at the end with the master up. Not bad at all.
That all out war riff at the end 🤟🏽
It's kind of a shame you don't see these 'true' solid state amps anymore as much being made, while modellers sound arguably better for a lot of cases, these and the old school valvestates and Peavey stuff always sounded pretty cool I thought.
Old ampeg solid states are legendary too
Modellers do a better job of imitating tube amps but sometimes an analog solid-state is what you actually want.
@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 imo Analog solid-state (done right) like the Orange Super Crush sounds way better than digital amps in the same price range.
Digital always sounds.... "well digital," like there's no balls when playing live. Recorded they sound grate. SS amps seem to move more air to me and more real, like there's nothing in between me and the amp, if that makes any sense. It's almost like I'm playing something and the sound that come out from a digital amp is not really me. Don't know if that's the slight latency, or just the detection of a digital signal.
I loved my Valvestate 8100 head, sounded awesome. I shoulda kept it
I love how thick this thing sounds, excellent demo!
Orange solid-state amps are the best sounding SS amps I've ever played. The old Crush amps were great and the new Super Crush is even better! They also are a perfect match for Orange's budget Voice of the World speakers. Probably the best sounding budget speakers you can get.
How is the Super Crush better ? I never heard one in person 😮
Sounded awesome after you did that volume adjustment at the end!
Agreed!
super crush is jfet preamp and cr 120 is op amp preamp,that's the difference for these 2 model,and orange is stopped the crash pro production and only the jfet one
Have one of these and its a beast confirmed. I like pairing it up with either my Randall or Marshall solid states. Plans are it is part of my 4 amp wall of sound I need to put together.
Do you have a video on the Rockerverb? cant find it
There's something about "good" analog SS amps, especially with fuzz, that digital amps just yet can't nail IMO.
Great content amigo!
i thought you got some killer tones out of that thing! it's funny how sludgy and slow you were playing through it... those thick/saturated tones kinda demand the breathing room and push you to play a little differently. i love the idea of blending it into some Marshall tones too... definitely gonna try that!
Some of the tones sounded really good in the recording but I know it can lack oomph in the room. I love the amp and find myself always gravitating towards it for practice (so I bought a backup). I boost mine with a Duncan 805 and get some great metal tones. I have run it into a Pedal Baby to basically swap the D class power section to A/B and it gets a little more top and bottom end as well as some clarity. This is similar to how the Super Crush works but the Super Crush's preamp actually has a lot less saturation and gain than the Crush Pro. I have also ran it into the power section of my Rockerverb for fun and I didn't love it because it didn't improve enough to justify it, but I ran Crush Pro into the power section of an Engl Fireball 100 and it was absolutely insane. I loved it and you should try something similar before you send it off. I also think these things can be great for recording.
I’ve got the combo version, I swapped the speakers with celestion creambacks and I enclosed it instead of leaving it open back……I do really enjoy it but mostly just use it as a pedal platform….I like it but it’s not my favorite, I do really dig the tones you got out of it and now I’m inspired to try some of your settings on the combo
Also use this as a pedal
Platform. It works perfect as that.
I managed to snag one of these secondhand for a ridiculously good price. Didn't know what to expect, would have been really happy if this would have been a solid backup to my JCM 900. To my ears, this amp easily stands toe-to-toe with that amp. The CR120 is a marvel of solid-state IMO. The only problem is finding another one for an equally good deal ;) Would also like to try a Supercrush, the videos show that tonewise they are extremely similar but Ill be looking for a good deal on that one as well.
Glad you decided to do this!
bought a mxr 10 band eq for this amps fx loop and it gave it 5x more balls
I think I’ll call you smilin’ Kyle today, lol! It does sound great on that last dial. Pretty good on the rest if you want a good rock n roll, hard rock amp at about $350 or so used. Still, the pairing suggestion is a plus. I use a Blackstar HT100 & this could be a nice supplement
Had one of these for a few days and returned it to GC. It’s just such a darkly voiced amp. I had to run a BBE in the loop to get any sort of presence. The TH30 sounds ten times better for only a couple hundred more used.
Believe this is the AmpTy Tabor from Kings X has been using for a little while now. And Ty is known for his awesome tone!
Ty is a great player.
Do you still have your KHE switcher? would like to see you rotate through a few different cabs with these amp demo's
Also, I used mine through an oversized Mesa for a while and loved it, but now I run it through an EVH 4x12 and it gives it a lot more bite.
I have the OG CR120 and MAN it's so good. This just raises that bar - Orange rocks.
I must say i've been very wrong about these amps... so thansks to enlight me about how good these are
A low-tuned guitar with a boosted Orange is a beautiful thing. That with a 5150 is personally my ultimate jam. That's why I'm finally buying a RV100 to pair with my 5150 lmao, neighbors gonna love me.
Sounds pretty cool. It’s kinda like an 800 covered in HP sauce.
I loved this video. Btw. what eq settings would you recommend to play sludge/drone metal on this amp?
This amp is no more…….But the Super Crush 100 is it’s ready to come out swinging replacement.
With the crush pro 120 the trick is to max out the channel volume and control the loudness with master volume.
Also Dave Simpson has a whole series on the styles of tones you can get out these.
Kyle, please, can you make a demo for the Super Crush as well? And maybe a full comparison between the two and the Rockerverb... It will be awesome! Thanks!
I had it a while back and for some reason it sounded better with my 7 string guitars rather 6 string tuned in d standard. I used Airis savage drive as boost and hades gate and it did metal really well but as you mentioned it’s very mid focused amp and I think it suits better for down tuned stuff, now wonder why Kirk Windstein use one of these
I have had one of these for years and it’s so versatile, but it just EXCELS at big filthy chuggage because something in the gain structure just makes it SO ANGRY when it comes out the speaker
I remember someone saying that “Orange amps are Marshall’s bigger brother that went to prison” and this solidifies it
I am about to put my victory in the shop. Hoping its just a tube if its not then i gotta ship it off to wherever victory says. I am really looking at either the crush pro or the super crush. Not sure whitch one
Sound good! I love my Orange cabs but I always keep wondering of having CP120 or Super Crush Pro solid states.
I have this head and a cab with vintage 30s and it sounds almost muffled. Is it a case of new speakers needing break in? It’s my first real cab, whereas my random no name cab with Chinese speakers sounds amazing
funny in the beginning of the video i was curious how it could do with an "all out war" type riff, thanks for demoing with soaked in torment!
...ah shoot... you and the peanut butter man - gonna go raid the kitchen (again). You managed to get some pretty good tones out of it.
Another great honest review dude!!
Dude have you done a Peavey 5150/6505+ VS Peavey 6534 shootout ... I know the 5150 has a great rep but there isn't much out there of quality on the 6534
Right on ! Peace out 🤘
Not yet but they all sound so damn similar that you can't go wrong
I have the 2x12 combo of this. It’s pretty great as a pedal platform, I throw in a fuzz factory and it sounds great on the clean channel. I use an adventure audio glacial zenith ii as a boost/eq on the dirty channel and it sounds very good. It’s a great solid state amp. The Thing sounds great in everything from playing Midwest emo clean tones to high gain HC
Upgrading to a 5150 soon but the orange crush pro 120 served me well. Would recommend to anyone in an Intermediate “budget” level
6505+ owner now and looking back I fucking hate this amp holy shit it sucks in comparison lol
I do like dudes who just ate a whole tub of peanut butter! hahahaha
Orange cabs, yes 10/10. Best in the business. I have yet to find an orange amp head I like. I run my 5150 into an Orange Cab and it rips.
I run mine clean with an empress Heavy pedal to get a non-sludgy gain with a gate, or just switch back to the Orange sound on the amp gain.
Seems like you were able to get some Reign Supreme type tones out of this thing. Mi gusta.
Why don't they make solid state amps like they used to in the 90's? Those old solid state amps from Ampeg, Crate and Randall had so much heaviness without the need for a boost.
Your Orange videos are the best sounding by far
A review of the Super Crush 100 would be cool.
Do you still have the peavey cabinet? I have a feeling it would sound better with that one.
Can't say that I agree, but couldn't be sure until I tried it.
The orangee cabs with the creamback neos have good low end thump
Ever since I got the amp I have dimed the master volume and used the channel volume as my volume control. Something about the compression when raising the channel volume takes a lot away from the openness of this amp particularly more than any other amp ive had. But damn does it sound good tho especially for the price.
which is the best pedal to tighten the solid state of orange for those percussive palm muted thrash tones?
For the tube oranges I've tried, SD1. For this one, nothing really did all that much for me
So i know I’m late to this video but I’ve been debating on ordering one of these forever but just haven’t. I have a 6505 mh and a PRs mt15 would this amp compliment those well? I don’t record or gig it would be more for my own amusement and my never ending tone hunt. I do love oranges signature tone by the way. I played a super crush 100 and it was disappointing to me so I’m now worried about ordering the 120.
hey Kyle if you still have this amp, can you compare it to your rockerverb? Thanks and sweet vids man!
Well I never played this one but I tried the 35 watt rt with 10 inch speaker. And that thing blew my mind I can't imagine what that beast sounds like in the room. Your breaking my bank Kyle 😆 🤣 😂. Another one on my wishlist. Good video 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Thanks my man! Happy to be a bad influence
The Super Crush 100 is $500. Which is not bad. Much cheaper than all those stupid tube amps, which are a total waste of money.
Late to the party on this one, been eyeing one of these up and caught your comment about pairing it with a 5150 which I do have…how would you go about running these together? Same was as slaving two tube amps, or different due to this being solid state?
I have the Orange crush 120, combined with a good fuzz & distortion pedal, it is ALL DOOM ALL DAY 🤘🏼
The thing about SS vs. tube amps isn't so much about the tone. There have been many really good sounding SS amps over the last few decades. The problem is the feel of the amp. There is no way to make an SS amp feel like a tube amp. No manufacturer has ever developed a circuit that truly feels like a tube amp. It's not possible and never will be.
So, does that make one good and the other bad? Hell no....They are just different. It comes down to each individual guitarist to decide whether they like a particular circuit or not. I have owned SS amps that I really enjoyed. And I have owned SS amps that were abominations in every way. From what I have heard out of the Crush series the tone is there. Players seem to love these amps. But I don't know until I plug into one and see how it feels under my hands. It may be glorious. Or it may be meh.
Thanks for the look and listen Kyle. You have become an important resource for all guitarist chasing high gain tones.
Oh man I’ve never liked the feel of tube amps. I’ll only own solid state amps.
@@zyxwfish then you get what I'm saying. Just in the opposite direction. Great tone is out there, but if it doesn't feel right it just doesn't work.
Not all tube amps are good, same with solid state, however there a many more good sounding tube amps than SS amps.
After playing around with my new orange super crush, I definitely get what you mean about the feel of tube vs SS.
Tube amps feel more dynamic even under a crapton of gain, however SS feels like if I threw a compressor into a tube amp. Anything you do is all or nothing 🤣🤣
@@JohnWiku I’ve only ever found one amp I like and I’ve owned many over the years. It happens to be solid state. I’d like to find a tube amp I like better but I haven’t yet. I guess this is a good thing because it will keep down the number of amps I own. I do own a tube amp right now. It’s just a power amp and I did an album recording recently running the preamp of my solid state head into it. It did sound better recorded. Mellowed out some of the scratchy pick attack.
@@zyxwfish That's interesting! I think Randall did an amp like this, SS preamp into tube power amp.
I would see the use of the reverse, tube preamp for the tone, SS power amp for that clean power, for my purposes.
What SS amp you got? Apart from my first amp ever, a fender frontman 212, I traded for a Marshall Valvestate vs100, which neither I could make sound any good, the Orange crush is the only SS amp I can say is a proper amp, regardless of what lies underneath.
Currently I have 4 tube amps, all high gain, I can make the crush sound more or less like the tube ones.
The gist of it is that I can find my sound with tubes or SS, after all, tone is in the fingers, which is the biggest contribution to overall tone (the speaker is next big contribution).
Hi kyle, thanks for your Channel! I m a big orange fan, i had this amp, i have a rocker 30 and a rockerverb 50 MK3 and the 2 micro amps . Wich orverdrive works better for you between the SD1 and the MXR M77 with the rockerverb? Thanks
I’m on a budget and I’m thinking of grabbing this for a Black/Thrash project. What pedal would you recommend if I can only afford one? Lol thank you. If it helps tone wise I really like Skeletonwitch
Also I play standard tuning a half step up or drop D. Nothing lower than that lol
Always HM2. Or even a Tube Screamer into the amps gain is a steroid boost.
I use the 60 watts combo and pair it with a MXR GT-OD, definitely changes its character, thingtens the lows and I use maxed tone for more attack and high frequencies.
EDIT: Turned up the master volume and wow! Actually readjusted the EQ and lowered the OD's overall tone! 😆
I would take that low end from the basist in my band 😁
I use mine with an 80s Japanese Boss HM-2 but with the bass rolled off on the HM-2 and it sounds mean
The Orange CR 120 is a misleading amp at low volume it's an uninspiring fuzzy experience, however.. master on full and dirty channel volume 11/12 o clock this amp brutally comes alive. Yes..the MXR super badass distortion in the clean channel works well taking the amp in a different direction. I have ruthlessly gigged three of these heads for a number of years incredibly reliable. I have a super crush as well in my opinion close..but a shade too polite !.
Is this amp "boxy" or is the sound of orange to you too mid range focused Kyle? Great review!
Using a tube screamer tightens it up
Going against the grain here but. I had both the Super Crush and the CR120. Flipped between them side by side for a few weeks. I think the CR120 sounds better and reacts better to your picking.