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| Company type | Independent company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 London, England |
| Founder | Clifford Cooper |
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people | Clifford Cooper (chairman) |
| Products | Amplifiers, speaker cabinets |
| Owner | Clifford Cooper |
| Website | www |
Orange Amps is an English amplifier manufacturing company, noted for their products' distinctive sound and the bright orange Tolex-like covering of their heads and speaker cabinets. The company was founded in 1968 by Cliff Cooper, who decided to build his own amplifiers when vendors refused to supply his West End musical instrument store, Orange Store, due to Cooper's youth and countercultural image.[1] Cooper also founded related companies, including the Orange record label in 1969.
The brand's early amps were adopted by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac and were used on Stevie Wonder's Superstition, which brought Orange worldwide recognition.[1] The brand's "Pics Only" models—nicknamed for their use of symbols rather than text on their control panels—were released in the early 1970s to much success and established a signature "Orange sound." However, large-scale production of Orange Amps ceased in 1978 and Cooper spent the '80s building and selling amps in limited numbers.[2] After a line of reissue models licensed by Gibson in the early '90s proved unsuccessful, Cooper regained control of the brand and found new success with the 1998 release of the AD30, with notable fans like Jimmy Page. In 2003, Orange released the Rockerverb series, which has become a favorite amp among heavy metal guitarists.[2]
- ^ a b Cooper, Gary. "The Industry Interview: Orange Amps founder and CEO Cliff Cooper". guitar.com. Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ a b Brakes, Rod (3 February 2022). "The history of Orange in four key guitar amps". guitarworld.com. Guitarist. Retrieved 9 March 2023.