Orange Amps has unveiled a revised version of its legendary 2x12 tube amp combo that promises to be 18 per cent lighter than its predecessors, with all the same tone and power.
The new Rockerverb 50 Mk III Combo Neo does all this by swapping out the V30 speakers of yore for a pair of Celestion Creambacks, and then fitting them in a newly designed cabinet.
The cab is still all Baltic birch ply but Orange has taken 3mm off its thickness, from 18mm to 15mm, a small difference that it promises won’t make any difference to the performance of the guitar amp but shaves a considerable 2kg off its total weight.
Furthermore, those neodymium Creambacks are considerably lighter than the Vintage 30s that previous Rockerverb combo amps were fitted with. With each weighing just 1.9kgs each – bear in mind a Vintage 30 is rated on the Celestion site at 4.7kg – that’s a considerable weight saving.
“Retaining all the authoritative high-mid push of the v30s, but a little darker and fuller when the tone breaks into overdrive, these UK-built speakers will make lead lines more muscular and rounded, and rhythm playing warmer and fatter than ever,” says Orange.
Elsewhere, the Rockerverb 50 Mk III is as it was, offering a powerful two-channel platform that Orange describes as “the ultimate workhorse”. You can run it at a super-loud 50-watts or a very loud 25-watts.
The Clean channel has controls for Volume, Bass and Treble. The Dirty channel has Gain, Bass, Middle, and Treble controls. A tube-driven spring reverb serves both channel and elsewhere on that front panel you’ll find switches for the power scaling, channel switching.
The reverb and the attentuator are booth footswitchable, and around the back of the amp you’ll find a tube-driven buffered effects loop, too. Handy for integrating your pedalboard.
Indeed, the Rockerverb 50 makes an excellent platform for pedals with abundant headroom to be found on the Clean channel, which was revoiced for the launch of the MKIII, and of course plenty of grit and drive on that Dirty channel. The Rockerverb is a bit of an animal when it gets going but you don’t need us to tell you that.
The Rockerverb 50 Mk III Combo Neo is available now in Orange or Black, and it is priced £2,199 / $2,699. See Orange Amps for more details.
