Orange Rocker 30 "Icapable of Preamp Disotrion"

[mountain2012]

Orange is advertising the "Natural" channel of their Rocker 30 series as being incapable of preamp distortion.

"The Rocker 30's Natural channel is controlled by just one volume pot and features a single-stage preamp incapable of preamp distortion, so any break up on this channel is pure power amp drive."

My questions: On most non master volume tube amps does the power section start to break up before the preamp section when playing at various volume settings?

Is Orange claiming preamp distortion doesn't exist on their Natural channel just a sales gimmick?

[guitarmike2107]

No that’s too much of a generalisation, non all non master volume amps distort in the power stage first. some amps start to distort in the PI first, and it really depends on how the whole thing is set up anyway.

[mountain2012]

^ How can you tell other than having technical knowledge and picking apart schematics?

How about a Marshall Plexi, what section breaks up first?

[guitarmike2107]

How can you tell without doing the math?

First use an oscilloscope .. this is the easiest. Check out this link for an example of a trainwreck style amp that distorts in the power amp first
Trainwreck Express Clone Oscilloscope Photos

Secondly option, which is only an approximation, hook up a post phase inverter master volume control,
1. turn the master all the way up,
2. then turn up the pre amp volume until the amp starts to overdrive,
3. then turn down the master and see if it cleans up.

if it cleans up the power amp was the section causing the overdrive,
if it doesn’t clean up then the pre amp is distorting
easy

… Don’t be led down the line that one type of set up is betrter than the other… each serve there own purposes.

[mountain2012]

^Cool! I read somewhere that the power section distorts before the preamp in the Trainwreck. This confirms it and I might look into a Ceriatone Expression...

Thanks for the advice.