Orange Amps and Orianthi have unveiled the White Crush 20RT, a limited edition solid-state combo that has 20-watts driving a single eight-inch speaker, and a heap of cool features and a cool aesthetic.
Like Orianthi’s signature Oriverb, a fire-breathing 2x12 tube amp inspired by the Rockerverb MKIII 50 NEO, the White Crush arrives resplendent in a textured leaf Tolex with a black grille clothe – and there’s even a signature bronze plaque on the top of the amp.
The amp was designed as Orianthi’s practice amp. It is what she uses to warm-up with backstage. But that’s the thing with the White Crush, and with the regular edition Orange Crush; these guitar amps might be compact, modestly powered, and very affordable at £189/$219 street, but you can dial in some respectable electric guitar tones on it.
“I wanted a portable amp I could use anywhere,” says Orianthi. “There’s a soaring tone you get from this amp despite its small, compact size. Plus this amp is really diverse – from the clean channel to the dirty channel – there’s warmth and there’s grit, it’s really quite incredible. I think everyone is really going to dig it!”
Orianthi says she has even recorded with it, and why not? Sometimes the best studio tones are the ones that are staring us in the face, and there is a certain magic about small 1x8 solid-state combo dimed to the limit.
There are two footswitchable channels here, Clean and Dirty, with the latter served by a high-gain preamp. A three-band EQ serves both, and each channel has its own independent volume control. Crank the Gain dial to squeeze all the juice out of the Dirty channel’s aforementioned high-gain preamp.
There is also digitally emulated spring reverb. All controls are laid out with Orange’s hieroglyphic-style icons, which can be momentarily bewildering but ultimately is part of the charm when using the iconic British amp brand’s designs.
The footswitch input is on the back of the amp, as is the on/off switch. Everything else you need can be found on the control panel – including a mini-jack aux-in to accommodate an external audio source, an onboard guitar tuner with LEDs to guide you, the all-important headphones output for silent practice.
And those practice sessions with the guitar amp headphones will be made all the more rewarding with the onboard CabSim tech that replicates the response of an Orange 4x12 speaker cabinet. And who doesn’t want that?
The White Crush 20RT weighs 6.55kg/14.44lbs, is available now. Watch Orianthi put it through its paces in the video above, and find out more at Orange Amps.
