At first glance, Orange’s latest amp appears to be just like a typical 30-watt Orange combo – but that couldn’t be more wrong.
What sets the TremLord 30 apart from the usual Orange flavor is the addition of an actual 12AT7 tube-driven, two-spring reverb tank. Couple that with the independently foot switchable, 12AX7 driven dual tremolos, and you have serious customization right on-board the amp, an Orange rarity.
The circuit is wonderful for cleans, and has a ton of headroom — another unusual Orange attribute. The amp was warm and responded well to all pickup positions and dynamics during our playthrough. You can get a lot of crunch out of the amp when pushed to its limits, but even when dimed out it rewarded a light touch with great tone.
A handy extra feature is the Bedroom/Headroom switch, which toggles between the two scalable wattage settings. The Bedroom settings allows for a 2-watt or 1-watt output, which helps give the amp a little more character at bedroom levels, without sacrificing much of the gorgeous cleans. If you need volume and extra clarity, especially at gigging volumes, toggle to the 30-watt/15-watt Headroom setting to allow the amp open up.
This amp is all about you as a player, as it lets your own touch and feel shine through. The reverb and trem fits right at home on this type of platform. To go the extra mile, I’d recommend pairing your favorite overdrives to saturate the amp fully and really let it talk.
I was very pleased with the initial results of this amp – it can cover a lot of ground and really nailed that vintage sound Orange was aiming for. In my opinion it really does deserve its coy catchphrase “the amp Orange never made.”
