Since its inception in 1968, the Orange brand has become synonymous with rich, complex tone and premium build quality in guitar and bass amplification. Adopted early on by Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Wonder — who deployed an Orange amp to achieve his signature Clavinet keyboard sound — the manufactory continues to release industry-leading heads, cabinets, and combo amps of distinction. During their entire tenure, Orange have relied on Celestion speakers, the company celebrating 100 years of excellence in loudspeaker design in 2024, as the foundation of their tone and reliability. The long-time partnership between Celestion and Orange continues in the new Orange OBC115C, OBC410HC, and OBC810Ccabinets for bass guitar, employing Celestion’s PULSE XL drivers: the 15.25 in the15-inch OBC115C, and the 10.20 in the multi-speaker OBC 410C and 810C.
“We needed to update our bass cabinets,” says Adrian Emsley, designer of the new OBC series. “We got a group of bass players in and did a shootout between the Eminence, LaVoce, and Celestion PULSE XL in our 8 x 10", 4 x 10", and 1 x 15" [OBC 810C, 410C, and 115C, respectively] cabinets. The Celestions came out as the preference in these listening tests for all three cabinets.”
“It didn’t come as a surprise that we were very pleased with Celestion,” adds Cliff Cooper, founder and CEO of Orange Amps. “We like to build simple amps and cabinets, with no more than the number of components necessary to achieve the desired sound. I think they sound purer that way. Celestion speakers contribute to this because we can be sure of getting the sonics we want without over-engineering the signal path.”
“Bass cabinets with multi-speaker configurations apply more damping to each other when wired in parallel, which is why we use the 32-ohm versions of the PULSE XL in the 10-inch cabinets,” Emsley elaborates. “This results in the cabinet staying cleaner at higher volume. In general, Celestion drivers have a lot of sonic detail, along with a smooth and musical breakup. This has been the case since the original G12 alnico, right up to the current Vintage 30.”
Orange’s relationship with Celestion dates back to their very beginnings. “It’s over 55 years now,” explains founder Cooper. “In the very early days we couldn’t get supplies. Like many small shops, we had trouble getting the bigger brands to consider us registered dealers or send us equipment. I had a background in electronics and thought, ‘Well, let’s make our own amps and put them in the window!’ When we couldn’t get [Celestion speakers], nothing else we tried sounded the same, nor was built with the same quality.”
“Celestion is a legend in the music equipment business,” lauds Cooper. “The know everything about amps, want the companies who use their drivers to succeed, and are so helpful. They’re simply lovely to work with. There’s not much more to say than that!”
