Orange TH30 Settings Guide
Thirty watts of dual-channel Orange character. Clean and Dirty channels with independent volume controls, switchable 30/15W power reduction. The Orange workhorse for gigging and recording.
Used by: Josh Homme, Noel Gallagher, Kurt Cobain
The best Orange TH30 settings start with: Clean Volume at 6/10, Dirty Volume at 4/10, Gain at 5/10, Bass at 5/10, Treble at 6/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Classic Rock: Dirty Volume 5/10, Gain 6/10, Bass 5/10, Treble 6/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Volume | 6/10 | Silent → Full |
| Dirty Volume | 4/10 | Silent → Full |
| Gain | 5/10 | Crunch → High-Gain |
| Bass | 5/10 | Thin → Heavy |
| Treble | 6/10 | Dark → Bright |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Dirty channel at moderate Gain — the Orange midrange baked in to the circuit gives instant classic rock character. Treble at 6 adds presence. The TH30 at moderate settings sounds like a British amp without requiring pedals for its core character.
Higher Gain pushes the Dirty channel into thick, compressed crunch. The Orange midrange character suits modern alternative as well as classic rock. Bass neutral, Treble moderate.
Use the Clean channel pushed hard — the EL84 tubes compress and add bloom as the Clean Volume hits 7–8. The result is warm, natural tube saturation without a dirty channel voice. Add a Tube Screamer in front at Drive 0, Level high for extra push.
Clean channel at moderate volume for maximum headroom. The TH30 clean is warmer and more compressed than a Fender — less headroom but a pleasing harmonic content even at clean settings.
Artist Settings
Documented settings used by professional guitarists on this unit.
Homme runs Orange amps at high Gain with raised Bass for the thick, compressed stoner rock rhythm character of Queens of the Stone Age. The Orange midrange under these settings produces the heavy-but-musical drive that QOTSA use — not metal saturation, but pushed rock character.
Gallagher uses Orange TH30s as his primary touring amp. Moderate Gain with the natural Orange character — his approach is a medium-gain rhythm crunch that responds to Epiphone and Gibson humbuckers. The Orange midrange gives him the warmth and presence his Britpop rhythm tones require.
Cobain used Orange amps for their natural crunch — darker Treble and pushed Gain into a Big Muff produces the wall-of-sound character associated with his studio work. The Orange warm midrange under heavy fuzz is less scooped than the typical clean-amp-with-muff approach.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The TH30 has no Mid control — the circuit sets the midrange. Use a mid-focused pedal (Tube Screamer, SD-1) in front to add or shift mid-range character.
- The 15W mode (half power) changes the feel significantly — more sag and compression. Use 15W for home/studio use; 30W for stage where headroom matters.
- Both channels share the EQ — set it to suit your primary channel, then compensate for the other channel with a pedal if needed.
- The Dirty channel responds very well to a Tube Screamer at Drive 0, Level high in front — the boost adds tightness and push without changing the Orange's fundamental character.
- The TH30 head pairs with any 16Ω or 8Ω cab. An Orange 1×12 PPC112 is the natural match; a 4×12 at 16Ω increases headroom and tightens the bass response.
FAQ
Orange TH30 — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Orange TH30: Clean Volume at 6/10, Dirty Volume at 4/10, Gain at 5/10, Bass at 5/10, Treble at 6/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Classic Rock: Dirty Volume 5/10, Gain 6/10, Bass 5/10, Treble 6/10. Dirty channel at moderate Gain — the Orange midrange baked in to the circuit gives instant classic rock character. Treble at 6 adds presence. The TH30 at moderate settings sounds like a British amp without requiring pedals for its core character.
For Alternative: Dirty Volume 5/10, Gain 7/10, Bass 5/10, Treble 5/10. Higher Gain pushes the Dirty channel into thick, compressed crunch. The Orange midrange character suits modern alternative as well as classic rock. Bass neutral, Treble moderate.
Clean Volume: Clean channel output. Push it high for natural EL84 power amp saturation — the TH30 clean channel breaks up musically at volume. (Silent to Full). Dirty Volume: Dirty channel output. This channel uses the gain stage — Volume controls output without affecting the gain character. (Silent to Full). Gain: Preamp drive on the Dirty channel. Low Gain = crunchy; high Gain = saturated Orange lead tone. (Crunch to High-Gain). Bass: Shared EQ. The Orange circuit sets the midrange — Bass and Treble work around the fixed midrange character. (Thin to Heavy). Treble: High-frequency content. Orange voicing is naturally warm — Treble at 6 adds presence without harshness. (Dark to Bright)
The TH30 has no Mid control — the circuit sets the midrange. Use a mid-focused pedal (Tube Screamer, SD-1) in front to add or shift mid-range character. The 15W mode (half power) changes the feel significantly — more sag and compression. Use 15W for home/studio use; 30W for stage where headroom matters. Both channels share the EQ — set it to suit your primary channel, then compensate for the other channel with a pedal if needed. The Dirty channel responds very well to a Tube Screamer at Drive 0, Level high in front — the boost adds tightness and push without changing the Orange's fundamental character. The TH30 head pairs with any 16Ω or 8Ω cab. An Orange 1×12 PPC112 is the natural match; a 4×12 at 16Ω increases headroom and tightens the bass response.
Josh Homme settings: Dirty Volume 5/10, Gain 7/10, Bass 6/10, Treble 5/10. Homme runs Orange amps at high Gain with raised Bass for the thick, compressed stoner rock rhythm character of Queens of the Stone Age. The Orange midrange under these settings produces the heavy-but-musical drive that QOTSA use — not metal saturation, but pushed rock character.
Got the Orange TH30? Build the rest of your rig.
Use the Rig Builder to find matching guitars, pedals and cables for your genre and budget.