Review of Orange Crush 35RT 35W Guitar Combo Amp

We’ve heard great things about this affordable combo from the Orange Crush range. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Let’s find out by taking an in depth look at what this guitar amp has to offer both the amateur and professional alike.

What are the main features? Are there any downsides to owning this amp? What do other reviewers think of it, and, more importantly, are people who’ve purchased this amp happy with it?

What do users think of this piece of equipment? Are they happy with it? Is it reliable?

Read on to find out.

Introduction

For the price, there isn’t much to match the Orange Crush 35RT. With 35 Watts of classic Orange tone, this lively little amp is extremely versatile and great for practicing or gigging. With 2 channels (clean and dirty) the 35RT is a much simpler version of some of the other combos in the Crush series. This is a no-nonsense amp that delivers tube like sound quality and performance.

If you’re after a tone filled amplifier that can hold its own in both practice or gigging conditions, the 35RT from Orange is definitely worthy of serious consideration.

The neat little top panel makes it easy to dial in the sound you want without needing to continually refer to the instruction manual. Built in reverb and a chromatic tuner add to the overall flexibility of the 35RT (RT stands for Reverb and Tuner by the way).

Specification & Dimensions

• Circuitry: Solid-State
• Output: 35-Watts RMS
• Speakers: Voice Of The World speaker x 1 (10")
• Input: Input Jack / Aux In
• Outputs: Headphone/Line Out Jack
• Width: 440mm
• Height: 400mm
• Depth: 230mm
• Weight: 11Kg

Features

Even though the 35RT is much simpler than some of the other amps in the Crush range, it still packs some great features.

Top Panel - Starting left to right we have the headphone socket, aux in, reverb control, clean & dirty channel switch, dirty volume control, treble, middle, bass, gain, chromatic tuner, tuner power switch, clean volume control, and input jack.

Two Channels - Want a nice crisp clear tone? No problem, stick with the clean channel and away you go. How about an overdriven crunchy sound or the fuzz of high gain distortion? Simply switch to the dirty channel and dial it in. Each channel has its own volume control with the dirty channel also having its own gain knob to control the distortion.

Digital Reverb - The reverb on the Orange RT is based on the classic spring reverb and is warm and natural. It works particularly well with the overdriven channel.

Built In Chromatic Tuner - Tuning up between songs is quick and easy using the accurate on board chromatic tuner. It’s a great little addition to this cracking little practice amp.

Cabinet Simulation - CabSim is a new feature from Orange that emulates a 4 x 12 cab on the headphone out. This is great for practicing and even better for recording that authentic Orange tone.

Effects Loop - With no built in digital effects this buffered loop is great for hooking up numerous external pedals either on stage or off.

Advantages

What makes this amplifier a good buy?

• Well built
• Fantastic Sound
• Good price
• Tube like tone
• Easy to use
• Portable

On the whole, this combo amp gets fantastic reviews and most owners don’t have a bad word to say about it. Even though it is solid state, it manages to capture that authentic valve sound. The amp is nice and loud and the built in tuner is very accurate. The overall opinion is that for the price, you can’t go wrong with the Orange 35RT.

Disadvantages

What’s not so good about the 35RT?

• Aux in not great
• Dirty channel can sound too fuzzy
• Power switch on back, not on top panel

One reviewer commented on the Aux in, stating that it was quite bassy. Someone also mentioned that the dirty channel can sound a bit fuzzy. A few users haven’t been pleased with the overall sound but these are few and far between. Obviously the 35RT isn’t going to compete with the high end tube amps out there, but it isn’t really trying to capture that market. Bear in mind that most owners of this amplifier have been blown away by the quality of sound produced.

The placing of the power switch on the back of the amp was also a small bone of contention, but other than that, this amp gets glowing reviews.

Summary

If you’re after a tone filled amplifier that can hold its own in both practice and gigging conditions, the 35RT from Orange is definitely worthy of serious consideration. It’s a great little workhorse with a huge sound. The cabinet simulation makes it ideal for recording either at home or in the studio. There are hardly any negative reviews of this practice amp and, on the whole, this well-built little combo is a great buy.

In the words of Ferris Bueller, "You're still here? It's over. Go home."

Or, better still, go to Amazon and buy this great sounding amplifier today!