Orange Thunderverb 200 Head

Orange Thunderverb 200 Head

The Orange Thunderverb 200 kicks out 200 watts of all-valve power. Thunder by name, thunder by nature. The loudest offering from Orange (and probably one of the loudest guitar amps out there) has a whole host of useful features and is built to last. This amp is means business. 

The Thunderverb 200 packs that classic old-school Orange valve tone but it has a few tricks up its sleeve. The Thunderverb has a more aggressive voicing and will suit metal guitarists down to the ground when those gain controls are cranked up, yet it boasts the loudest and cleanest-clean of the entire Orange range. Of course, in between the aggressive metal tones and the stunning cleans you’ve got your crunch, blues and thick valve tone that Orange amps have become famous for. 

With the capability of operating as low as 30Hz, the Thunderverb 200 will put a smile on the faces of people that play 7 string guitars or like to down-tune. The Thunderverb will support the low, resonant tones of low notes with ease. 

Designed for use with Guitar or Bass

The Orange Thunderverb 200 has something a bit special, it contains a world-first in valve amp technology, harnessing a secret weapon known as Extended Tone Range technology (ETR), the Thunderverb doubles up as a bass amp. 

A combination of valve engineering and unique output transformers allow the amplifiers’ bass bandwidth to operate as low as 30Hz without distortion.

On the front of the Thunderverb 200

The Thunderverb 200 has two channels each with a unique voicing, making this amp very versatile. 

Channel A features Gain, Volume, Treble, Middle and Bass controls. In testing I found that I unlocked some stunning tones by setting the treble, middle and bass to 12 o’clock and setting the gain and volume to taste, then I went back over the EQ controls to shape the tone and then back to the gain control again for final adjustments. 

Channel B features Volume, Gain and Shape control. Rotating the Shape control clockwise cuts back on mid-frequencies whilst boosting bass and treble. Rolled forward, this control will give you razor-sharp metal tones when the gain is up, rolled back it will open up an array of thicker, blues tones. 

Attenuation

The Orange Thunderverb 200 has been fitted with one of the most useful controls ever to grace a valve amp- an attenuation control. This means that you can drive the valves in the Thunderverb and get that “pushed valve” tone whilst playing at volumes that won’t annoy the neighbours. The attenuator control is essentially an extra volume control that allows you to get the best possible tone out of the Thunderverb whether you’re playing at home or on stage. Turn the attenuator clockwise to bring the volume down, when turned all the way anti-clockwise it has no effect. 

Classic Orange Reverb

Featuring a high quality Accutronics 3 spring reverb tank. A valve driven, valve returned reverb circuit supplies the Thunderverb 200 with vast-sounding reverb. The big reverb dial on the front of the amp is very sensitive, the Thunderverb can reverberate from subtle chimes to intense spacey tones. 

Effects Loop

Orange pioneered the effects loops back in the 1970’s. The Thunderverb 200 comes with a high quality effects loop that will ensure your tone stays crystal clear. 

Footswitch Capabilities 

The Orange Thunderverb 200 has 3 footswitch capabilities. Reverb On/Off, Attenuator On/Off and Channel A/B. This gives you options of boosting tones, jumping channels, cutting volume back (to name a few!) all at the stomp of a footswitch. 

How does it actually sound with bass?

When playing bass through the Thunderverb 200 you can get anything from big, clean tones to old-school sounding overdrive.

In testing I plugged in a 70’s Fender Precision and a Warwick Streamer Stage 1. 

If you plug a passive bass into the Thunderverb you’ll really feel the benefits of how well Orange amps react to passive pickups. Active basses sound great through the the Thunderverbs but they lack some some of the dynamics that are easily achievable with passive instruments. To elaborate on that, I found it very beneficial to set up the tone I liked on the Thunderverb whilst leaving the volume pot on the Fender Precision just past half-way up. This allowed me to roll the Precisions’ volume pot forward to get more bite out of the amp when I required it. 

With a Warwick Streamer plugged into the Thunderverb I found a surprising amount of clarity in the tone. The bright tone of the all-maple Streamer really came through and the Orange Thunderverb portrayed this tone with a big, fat bottom end. I must admit that I was skeptical about running a hifi-sounding bass into this amp and achieving usable tones, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of clarity at high volumes that was accessible- definitely a very usable palate of tones for the stage and the studio. 

With both basses I achieved some of the nicest tones using the Thunderverbs’ channel B, which I wasn’t expecting as the only EQ Channel B has to offer is a mid-scoop (Shape). The ‘Shape’ control on the Thunderverb amps shouldn’t get overlooked, as it proves itself to a very versatile control for both guitar and bass use. 

Channel A gives quite a different palate of tones. I found channel A to be slightly less aggressive sounding than channel B and I imagine it to be the more useful channel of the two in a live situation because of the extra tone control of Treble, Middle and Bass.

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Specification:

Designed for use with guitar or bass.

Power: 200 Watts RMS into 4/8 ohms / 100 Watts RMS into 8/16 ohms

Channel Configuration: Channel A / Channel B

Channel A Controls: Gain / Bass / Middle / Treble / Volume

Channel B Controls: Gain / Shape / Volume

Shared Controls: Attenuator / Reverb

Footswitch Function: Channels / Attenuator / Reverb

Features: Valve Driven FX Loop + Accutronics Spring Reverb

Preamp Tubes: 4 x ECC83 / 12AX7

Power Tubes: 4 x 6550

Reverb Valves: 2 x ECC81 / 12AT7 

Review from Guitarist

Orange Thunderverb 200 head

200-watts of valve power with built-in attenuation not enough for you?

Well, it also doubles as a bass amp……by Chris Vinnicombe

If you have attended any of the big festivals this summer it's likely that you'll have noticed a significant number of Orange rigs amidst the backlines of the rich and famous, and there's good reason for this. Seriously roadworthy, Orange is one of the last big-name UK valve amp builders to maintain a wholly British chain of manufacture from R&D right down to the nuts and bolts of the assembly line. Also, if there's a cooler-looking backline in the business than Orange stack, we've yet to see it.

When the Thunderverb was announced, we'll admit to raising an eyebrow at the 200-watt specification and wondering who really needs 200 valve watts these days? That said, with a half-power mode, built-in attenuation and bass-amp functionality, there's clearly much more to the Tunderverb than a big power stage. Although the preamp valve complement is identical to the Rockerverb 50 and 100 heads, which we encountered in issue 253, the Thunderverb has three gain stages on each channel, rather than a four-gain-stage lead channel and more traditional clean/dirty channel configuration.

This means that each of the Thunderverb's channels has the same amount of preamp gain on tap, so unlike the majority of twin-channel, high-gain amplifiers, channels A & B here aren't simply dedicated rhythm and lead or clean and dirty channels.

The main distinction between channels is found in the way that each channel's individual EQ allows you to sculpt its sound. Channel A's standard complement of treble, middle and bass controls are characteristically powerful – completely killing the sound when all three are set hard left – while channel B features a new 'shape' control that acts like a mid contour, scooping the EQ as you twist it clockwise and boosting the extremities of treble and bass. Broadly speaking, towards hard left gives you a mid-spiked 'vintage' and hard right offers 'modern' hi-gain.

Equipped with 6550 power valves, the Thunderverb can also run KT88s or a pair of each, which opens up some interesting possibilities for tone shaping. Attenuation , channel switching and reverb on/off are all footswitchable, and each can be controlled via a standard latching footswitch. This is a good idea as far as we're concerned, as for all the ease that a dedicated three-button switch would provide, it's certainly a lot easier to replace a standard latching unit if it breaks down at a gig.

If you really feel like you need that extra stage of preamp gain, then the Rockerverb series is where it's at. However, if you scrutinise the extreme metal tones of the likes of Slayer, Lamb of God or Mastodon, you'll notice that it's definition that's the order of the day, not scooped-out fuzztones. You might be forgiven for assuming that a 200-watt valve head is only at home on the biggest of stages, but for a studio musician or producer, the Thunderverb's combination of built-in attenuation and world-class guitar and bass tones will prove very tempting.

Priced at £1,399 (RRP), it's a serious investment but in return you're getting an amp that punches its weight without breaking a sweat. Also, to buy separate guitar and bass heads with a similar tonal quality and an outboard attenuator would cost well in excess of this price. However, with an amp like this, you don't have to be a professional to get access to top-drawer performance.