Orange 20 Rt roundup
Orange 20 Rt: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Cheap and characterful isn't automatically right for you — here's whether an Orange Crush 20RT actually matches what you need.
Thinking about the Orange Crush 20RT as your next amp? It's a genuinely appealing little combo, but let's work through whether it actually matches what you'll use it for, because "cheap and characterful" isn't automatically "right for you."
First, be honest about your use case
The Orange Crush 20RT is a practice amp, not a gigging or full-band rehearsal combo. Its single 8-inch speaker is built for bedroom and apartment volumes, not for cutting through a drummer and bassist in a live room. If your plan is small-scale home practice, backing-track work, or a straightforward high-gain sound without pedals, it fits well. If you need serious stage volume or a bigger low end, look elsewhere in Orange's range or at larger combos generally.
Two channels, one shared EQ — know what that means
Because the bass, middle and treble controls are shared across both the clean and dirty channels, you can't dial in a bright clean tone and a scooped, bassy dirty tone at the same time — adjusting the EQ affects whichever channel is active. That's a genuine simplification worth understanding before you buy, not a fault exactly, but a limitation on how differently your two channels can be voiced.
Check these things before buying
- Footswitch: it's sold separately in most cases, so budget for it if you want hands-free channel switching, and confirm exactly what functions your specific footswitch supports (some retailer material suggests reverb can be footswitch-controlled too, but verify against the current manual).
- Weight and dimensions: Orange's own listing states roughly 7.2kg, though some third-party listings report slightly less — not usually significant, but worth knowing if you're comparing against other small combos.
- No effects loop: if you're a heavy user of delay or reverb pedals after your gain stage, this amp's lack of a loop means those effects sit before the preamp instead — a real difference in how they interact with distortion.
- No USB audio: if home recording is a priority, you'll need a separate audio interface; the CabSim headphone output is useful for monitoring, not a full recording solution.
Comparing against modelling amps
If you're torn between this and a modelling amp at a similar price, the trade-off is straightforward: modelling amps generally offer more amp voicings, built-in effects and often USB connectivity, while the Crush 20RT trades all of that for simplicity and a genuinely strong, immediate analogue overdrive sound with nothing to program or scroll through. Neither approach is objectively better — it depends whether you want options or immediacy.
New or secondhand for an Orange Crush 20RT
Buying new is straightforward and low-risk given the amp's simple design. Buying used is also reasonable — check that both channels switch cleanly, that the reverb and tuner function correctly, and that the speaker shows no visible damage or unusual buzzing at moderate volume. There's little in this amp's design to go seriously wrong, but always test it powered up before handing over money.
Don't overlook the basics
It's easy to focus entirely on tone and forget the practical side. Check the mains voltage rating matches your region if you're importing one, confirm what's actually included in the box (the footswitch generally isn't), and factor in a cable and, if you want silent practice, a decent pair of headphones — the CabSim output is only as good as what you're listening through.
Quick pre-purchase checklist
- Confirm this is genuinely a practice or small home-recording amp for your needs, not a gigging combo.
- Decide if you need the optional footswitch, and check what functions it covers.
- Check current pricing directly, since it varies by region, retailer and stock status.
- If recording matters to you, plan for a separate audio interface alongside it.
- Test both channels and the reverb/tuner functions before buying used.
Still deciding?
For the full feature rundown, see our complete guide to the Orange 20 RT. If you're completely new to practice amps, our beginner's guide is a gentler starting point, and our common mistakes to avoid is worth reading before you commit.
The bottom line
As a purchase, the Orange Crush 20RT is an easy recommendation for straightforward practice use, provided you're not expecting gigging volume, a recording interface, or an effects loop. Know its limits going in, and it's genuinely hard to be disappointed by what it does offer.
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