Gibson | Matamp - Reissues - 1993-1997

Orange | Matamp - Reissues & OTR - 1997-1998

Orange | Trace Elliot - AD Series - 1998-2002

Orange - AD Series - 2002-2004

In this section we will cover Orange from 1993-2004. This is another era of Orange that really peaks my interest and is definitely worth talking about. During this time period a lot of cool and unique products were built. It reminds me of the 1970s in a way. Building the brand back up, Exciting times in my eyes!

Let’s dive into this time period!

Sadly, the legendary amp builder Hans Alfred Mathias or better known as Mat Mathias passed away in 1989. Matamp was sold to Jeff Lewis in 1992.

In 1993, Orange licensed Gibson to build Orange equipment. During this time period Gibson used Matamp for the production of their equipment. The license to Gibson lasted until February of 1997.

Below is a mid 90s Catalogue and some Price Lists. During this time period they built reissues of the OR80/120 & Overdrive 80/120 amps and 2x12” & 4x12” cabinets.

1994 Gibson | Matamp - Reissues Catalogue

In 1997 after the licensing to Gibson ended, Orange released the OTR and some really cool reissue amplifiers and cabs. The Super Bass, the Hustler, the Graphic 120/80, Slave 120 and more. These were produced by Matamp through 1998. Since these were produced for such a short time, they are hard to come by.

In Early 1998 Matamp did a prototype of an amplifier called the Millennium 15. A small 15 Watt combo amplifier. However, this never made it to production. I got my hands on it and will post pictures below.

In late 1998, Orange designed a new line of amplifiers called the AD Series. These were produced at Trace Elliot from 1998-2002. Production for the AD Series then moved to Orange from 2002-2004.

By the end of 2004, Orange stopped producing the AD Series with a few exceptions. The AD30 Twin Channel head and combo and the AD200 MKIII bass head. Those are still made to this day. Also in 2008 there was a third version of the AD5 released.

It’s a bummer they discontinued the AD Series, it was something really special. They even made some custom shop hand wired versions. The AD Series were quality amps but from what I heard were expensive to keep producing. I suppose Orange wanted to create more profits, as this is the same time frame (2002-2003) when Orange released the Crush series amps that are built in China.

Below is a 97/98 Catalogue displaying some of this amazing gear.

1997-1998 Orange | Matamp - Reissues, OTR & AD Series Catalogue

AD Series

In 1998 Orange designed a new range of amplifiers. The AD Series. These were built at Trace Elliot from 1998-2002. However, the hand wired custom shop amps where built by Orange. From 2002-2004 production moved to Orange. By the end of 2004 Orange discontinued most of the AD Series. To this day they still produce the AD30 Twin Channel Head and Combo as well as the AD200 MKIII Bass head. In 2006 Orange switched from Douglas to Demeter transformers in the AD30s. In 2008 they changed the cosmetics of the panels on the AD30s and produced a third run of AD5 combo amplifiers.

Let’s take a look at the AD Series range:

1998 - 2004 AD15/10” & AD15/12” Combos - One of my favorites and I estimate about 1500 were produced

1998 - 2004 AD30 Single Channel Heads - These are fantastic amplifiers! These and the AD15’s are essentially the same amplifiers. The tube rectifiers in these two models make the tone very vintage sounding. I love that this amp has Lo & Hi inputs on it.

1998 - 2004 AD30R 2x12” Combo with Reverb - This is a great combo but I have sided by sided it with the AD30 Single Channel and they are definitely a little different in tone. The head version was better in my opinion. The reverb is also quite lacking in this combo. It’s not as useable of a feature as I was hoping.

1999 AD5 Hand Wired Custom Shop 1x10” Combo - 64 of these were built - Cool little amps. A wonderful tone but in my opinion its a little limited in live settings.

1999 - 2001 AD140 Lead Hand Wired Custom Shop Head - 60 of these were built

1999 - 2000 AD140B Bass Hand Wired Custom Shop Head - 17 of these were built

2000 - 2001 AD200 MKI Bass Hand Wired Custom Shop Head - 50 or so of these were built

2001 - 2003 AD200 MKII Bass Hand Wired Custom Shop Head - 60 or so of these were built

2001 - 2024 AD30 Twin Channel Head and 2x12” Combo - These are incredible tube rectified amps! The two channels makes them very useful as a live amplifier. I often see this amp compared to the AD30 Single Channel. Some people say they are exactly the same but I feel they are a little different. Both are wonderful amplifiers and you can’t go wrong with either. The TC is a little more versatile and can change settings quickly with the stomp of a foot switch. However, if you like working the guitars volume knob to get your rhythm and lead tones, you might prefer the SC like I do!

2001 - 2004 AD140 Twin Channel Head

2002 - ? AD50 Custom Shop Head - A few hundred were produced

2003 - AD5 1x10” Combo - PCB Version - 60 of these were built

2003 - 2024 AD200 MKIII Bass Head

2008 - AD5 1x10” Combo - PCB Version (the only AD Series amp built in china)

The AD15/12 is my favorite modern Orange Amp since they came back in the 90’s! Load it with an original 60s-70s Celestion Pulsonic Greenback and you’ll have all the tone you ever need for that rich classic rock sound. It’s the perfect amp for home, studio and live gigs.

Fun Fact: The AD15’s and AD30’s are tube rectified circuits. In my opinion, it’s a huge part in why these two models of amplifiers sound so good and make them popular. They aren’t as tight sounding as other orange models, they have a nice saggy/fuzzy tone giving them more of a vintage voicing.

Below are the AD Series catalogs from 1999-2004