Let me know which amp you liked the best and if you could identify them! Enjoy :)

I prefered Orange on all tones. And i thought i'd prefer the Marshall.

Never played thru one but for me and I must say very surprisingly, Orange got my vote on all 3 tests.

I have played all three in live band situations many times. Really love all of them. Having said that. Once I got my Rockerverb Mk11, I haven’t been able to play on anything else at all. I can easily get a plexi tone on it, and all the tones I got from the Mesa, and Marshall. But can’t get any other amp to sound like my sweet sweet love. I truly believe that once you go orange there’s no going back. I play classic to hard rock, and 90s grunge style.

I think the biggest takeaway is that all-noon is not the correct EQ setting for most amps. Also, I think the Marshall needed to be a little louder. Also, killer Paul!

I love the low gain grit that Orange has for 70s and 80s rock, and the high gain doomy style that modern Orange amps have, But I'm still a Peavey guy

Marshall struck my ear best each time. I was surprised how nice the Orange sounded in the final test - lost its tinniness, turning it into a great bright tone.

I’m a Mesa and Marshal guy because of my 80s obsession but you can’t deny that Orange sounds good.

The Marshall was my overall winner, with the Orange coming in second. I love that DSL brightness and crunch.

I never thought I’d say it, but the Marshall made the hair on my arms stand up. It’s my favorite. I guess I just like my 80s metal for a reason.

I never realized how much I loved the Orange tone until I saw this, thank you.

Orange all the way. Amazing sounds

The Orange scored a 3 out of 3. It is clearly my favourite. Very interesting and informative video, as always.

I've used all 3 in studio and live situations. They're all great brands. Using a Tiny Terror all the time now. It just feels right. Cool video!

The Orange Rocker/Rockerverb is such an underrated amp.

I was surprised how much I liked the Orange. There was an Orange amp in the practice studio I used to go to which didn’t sound like that, so I thought didn’t like Orange. Will definitely try them out more!

I'm a bassist and I've been using Orange for years. Great sound and loud enough to knock birds out of the sky. Plus, the gear holds up to heavy gigging...almost like it's bulletproof. I was so impressed that all my six string stuff is Orange was well. My guitarist in my blues trio is a Mesa girl. She absolutely loves Mesa...

Orange! The TH30 has a wonderful clean channel as well.

Did this blind and was really surprised to have picked Orange all 3 times! I've been a budget player since like 2005 and always wanted a Mesa Double/Triple Rec but may navigate towards the Orange heads now. Thanks so much for this! Quality content as usual

I prefer simplicity in an amp in order to get the tones I want. One of the biggest reasons I gravitate towards Orange. Also the note definition is unbelievable with them. I have the Crush 120, & even for a solid state, I get every Orange sound I want

I had the easiest time picking out the Mesa...the mid scoop was pretty apparent to my ears. The Marshall and Orange seemed most similar to me.

I honestly thought I'd end up going for Mesa but every single round I picked the orange, I think that's telling me I should spend more time with the micro terror I got a few months back.

Orange FTW, but I've never seen such a simple and clear example of the iconic tone of each. Now, if I could only afford any one of those . . .

Damn, Orange really shines here, especially from 3:49. Full, very balanced, round and punchy tone. Mesa was too flubby and wooly. Marshall has too much hi end spike and harshness.

I picked the Marshall on every one! I love that upper brightness in the distortion.

Love your videos Darrell! Comparisons like this are inherently difficult where you're trying to reduce the variables for a true A/B comp, but setting all EQ knobs on 12 o'clock really does the Mesa a disservice. I've owned several amps and the dual rec is the only one where 12'oclock across the board doesn't sound very good IMO. The manual even says 12 o'clock isn't a great starting place, and people who claim they can't get a good tone out of a dual rec just need to read the manual to figure out how to use the EQ knobs to get the tone they are after. It's insane how versatile that amp is once you know how to use it! But yeah, for this comp I think the Orange won, and it's the only one of the 3 I don't own..go figure XD

The problem with that is Darrell, each amp's "innate character" also means that the tone stack is totally different. Setting all at 12 means nothing, as that isn't a magic spot where there is no boost/cut like is often mistaken.

I was really diggin the orange on the distortion

How do I get here 3 minutes after upload and there's already several other comments? Bravo Darrell! :)

Never seen or played any of those but still watched all the way. Greetings from Tanzania

Found I liked the Orange on all three comparisons

I liked them all in the different spots, but I guess that shows their differences. For each on I chose a different amp on the blind test 1. Mesa 2. Marshall 3. Orange (not surprising because of the lows) The only one I could pick out was orange because it has its own character I found pretty evident

I got the first set wrong, but got the rest correct. The Marshall was easy to tell apart and the Mesa you could tell on the high gain pretty easy. Love them all!

Marshall for me all the way but that’s what was big in 80’s when I was young. That’s what my friends all played so that is the sound that sounds right to me. With that said I wouldn’t complain if someone would give me any of them. Great video as always. You are definitely on of my favorite channels. 🤠🎸🤘

I own a Dual Rec and a Marshall. I need a Rockerverb to complete the collection! Love them all. This demo really didn't do the Dual Rec any favors. It is so versatile I can get almost any tone I want from it. I also have an old Boogie Studio Pre that sounds amazing. Just buy all three!!

That orange amp really blew me away. Picked it every time. Never thought I’d like an orange amp!

I preferred orange on all of the tests, it just has that tone I would want to look for

Good blind test, I best like Marshall and Mesa.

I would love to see a video on recording / amp set-up at home, so I don't kill my ears or my neighbours and still get to play with a great tone. Much love

Blind Taste Test (as I watched) = T1. 12 O'clock Tone. = AMP 2 Orange then Amp 1 Marshall Next T2 Classic Rock. =Amp 1 Dual Rectifier then 3 Orange Next T3 Aggressive Rock Tone = Amp 1 Orange then 3 Marshall Marshall was like, plug and play; simple, easy & ready to rock. However, I say this, because... feasibly I think one could Re-EQ each one of them to nearly sound like the other. But the one thing I didn't realize is and I think I heard you say The Dual Rectifier can be separated allowing one muitple cabinates to include a foot switch enabling one to easily switch from Heavy to Clean. So that sounds like a huge benefit if you're a super versatile player. I'd really have to hear it all in a large room or outdoors and then mic'd through a PA. A Good or Bad Soundman could make or wreck the whole thing and then it's all subject to each individual's ear ability. So your back to talent - execution, and pure personal charismatic presence to please an entire audience. Hmmm And it makes Me Wonder? I wish I had KZfaq Experts back in the day back in the day. Yeah, I confess that photo is me in the heyday... I'm pushing 60 now LOL Yolks on me I guess or maybe on than Kids these daze who won't appreciate all they have until it's gone. Sad Days to Come from the look of things. Good Clips Later ~x M x~

Great comparison, thank you. Les Paul and Marshall: match made in heaven!

Wow I preferred the dual rectifier, I’m shocked 😮 gotta love these blind tests!!

Wow ! If you would have ask me I would have told you the Orange would be the last of the three that I would buy but it was my favorite on each of the three you played.

Blind, I liked the orange most... that low throaty midrange sounded great to my ears.

What I learned: I don’t know tone 😂

Solo’d the orange definitely sounded the best, but in a mix I think the Marshall would really let the bass guitar shine, when the other two might compete a bit for the bass frequencies.

I haven't had a new amp in 10 years.After listening to a bunch of videos and doing my own experiments,I had settled on an Orange Crush...until I played through a Boss Katana.

That Les Paul is beautiful

I have a Mesa Boogie Mark V and I won't be getting rid of it any time soon :) I do also really like the other two amps, but the Mark V is easily capable of making almost any type of sound you might ever want for an electric guitar. [ and it's REAAALLY loud ;) ]

In my order of preference, it was Orange, Marshall, and Mesa. I was able to spot the Orange in the first two examples and the Marshall fooled me on the third. I guess I have a preference with a powerful mid-range tone.

Nice comparison. Easy to detect the Rockerverb, as I play a RV50 MKI head (6V6 tubes) for years. I disagree about some views. The RV is quite versatile once you understand how to work with the four gainstages in the drivechannel. And the cleans are phenomenal, if you use the right preamptubes and crank the clean channel a bit. You might not expect it, but this amp can cover many styles. And yes, it has character in spades.

Love my orange micro dark terror and has surprisingly sweet clean tones as well

I see a lot of people saying that they preferred one brand on all three tones, and I liked a different one each time. At lower gain, the bottom end of the Mesa Boogie provided a lot of clarity, where the other two sounded a bit congested or brittle. At higher gain, the Orange really shines through, with the compression causing the false harmonic bottom end to really fill out, where with the Mesa, it became overpowering and boomy. In the midrange gain, I liked the Marshall and mesa, it had a good balance of lows from compression, while being voiced with lots of high end as well, maintained string separation and chimey high end sparkle. I guess I'll buy an EVH 5150iii. LOL.

It's very true man. These are iconic amps for their tones!

I think the Orange was my favorite. It had the most balanced tone. The Marshall was a little thin and the Mesa Boogie was way too dark. The Mesa Boogie was definitely my least favorite of the three.

I always thought Marshall's sounded better than Orange, even though Ive never personally played one. But I guess I was wrong. The only reason I think that is necause my orange crush 12 (yes I know it's a small practice amp but still) is really bright and twangy on the lower part of the fret board on the G and B. But whenever I here Marshall's on songs or videos and they sound smoother and more well rounded. But the orange just sounds better imo (atleast in the video).

Wow, this surprised me! I favored the Mesa/Boogie all three times, it sounded killer. The Orange took 2nd place for me. Marshall also sounded great, just a little too fizzy in the high end for my taste. Awesome comparison, Darrell!

Darrell you are a mind reader!!! said that dozens of times to myself before.

Child of the Late 50's through the present. Fender Reverbs, VOX, Kustom, Sun, Boogies, Peavy, EVH, Marshall, Orange.... is all in the hands of the artist that makes the sound happen.

Picked the Marshall all 3 times!

Interesting comparison. People rarely play/record with EQ set to neutral, so I'm used to hearing these amps with EQ's/presence adjusted. I couldn't tell which one was which until he named them.

Boogie of course. And i win every time whit it. Boogie have something different from any other amp. Love it. My second choice will be for the Marshall. Damn i miss my DSL20C. Not a fan of Orange. Doesn't like the layout and i never be able to get a good sound frome it. But still a iconic amp, but not my taste. Thank's for the blind test. I really like it when you do it. Hello from Quebec ✌️

Was surprised that I loved the Orange the most for the 3 tones

That Orange sounds great and full. Not a fan of the DSL series from Marshall but I'm happy with my JVM. Gotta look into Orange more though

The presentation of the blind test was great! I picked Orange twice, and I originally thought that I didn't care for Orange.

Man, I miss my Dual Rectifier. ☹️

This was a great way to compare amps! The blind samples made me focus on the sound without having the presumption of already knowing which brand it was. Btw, I'm diggin' that flannel! 👌

I prefer the Marshall. The Orange is my second fave. The Dual Recto is a distant third as I never liked Rectos. I prefer bright crunchy distortion, not the sloggy, dark thrashy grungy thing. I do love the amps Orange has developed over the past decade. Some of the best high gain amps out there.

I have the Orange Super Crush 100 and ot has that grind I've been looking for. Orange makes great stuff. It's modeled after the Rocker Verb with extra dirt.

I searched for my first amp to play mostly blues (I have a Godin Session Custom 59') 1 year ago. I went with Orange (Crush 35RT). The Orange sound with pure nickel strings and vintage pickups is simply beautiful.

Orange has a saturation and character I love! Marshall a close second. Was kinda hoping the Badlander would be in here too!

I was impressed with the Orange. All great amps. Enjoyed the video... As usual!

DAMN!!! Not only was I able to correctly guess each amp in each tone comparison, but I'm now convinced I need a Mesa Dual Rec!!

There is lots of thumbs up for the Orange here, but I preferred the Mesa here. The Mesa Dual Rectifier was used by Killswitch Engage.

Keep up the fire content dude

As a huge Queen fan, I would choose the Vox AC. But the Marshall and the Fender Bassbreaker would be a close 2nd and 3rd for my favorite crunch tones, with the Mesa close behind. (5150 for Lead tones)

I am a simple man. When I see Darrell Braun, I click.

Oranges sound great but they do sometimes sound a little too “Orangey.” But I think it would be hard to be unhappy with any of these amps. Great comparison. Cheers!

I'm going for orange before listening because they're my favorite amp brand

I was suprised I liked the Dual Rectifier best on the classic rock tones. I thought it was a one trick pony for modern metal tones. The Orange was great as well.

Hi. That was a fantastic demo of just the right length too. Thank you for taking the time to make this comparison. Regards.

I like Fender amps but I took this test just to learn more about Orange. I was able to guess all the amps on each test. To my ear for whatever reason the Marshall sounded too bright almost harsh. The Mesa sounded the best and the Orange sounded in between the two except on the third test in High Gain and then the Orange sounded almost as good as the Mesa. When you do a test like this I would appreciate if you would include the retail price for each of the amps so we know if we're getting an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of price range. Thanks for this test

I didn’t pick the Marshall once 😳. I picked Mesa twice and Orange once in what tones I liked in that demo.

Damn!!!.loved the orange on all blind tests. Looked it up and DAMN THEY PRICEY AS FUGH!! Gonna keep an eye out for some used ones

With these settings the Boogie sounded like it had a bit of a blanket over it. Orange was my favorite of the 3.

As pointed out by other viewers, setting out the EQs to 12 'o clock doesn't actually remove the EQ from the equation. It's due to how the FMV tone stack is arranged, as their knobs are highly interactive and in general not a great design. While different brands use more or less the same tone stack layout, their component values are sometimes different, so a setting of 12 12 12 is not the way to obtain a flat response (there would be a scoop in the middle at different frequencies, plus a low pass filter in the Marshalls). You could do it more effectively by setting mids to 100%, treble to 0% and bass to about 5%. Be aware that in Mesa amps the gain/volume knob is higly interactive with treble, so the gain may be compensated with a bit of treble. The most accurate way to go would be to find a schematic for each amp and use some software like "Tone Stack Calculator" to figure out the settings that provide the flattest response.

Decisions, all amazing. I’m a Spark fan at home . Love Mesa and Marshall

I’ve had two Orange amps. I loved them both. The last one I had was an OR50. My buddy plugged it into his giant ass wall of Sound City cabs and it ripped. My favorite thing about the Orange amps is that they sound good set at 12 O clock no matter what. The EQ sections are also very good when you do use them.

I think what would’ve made this even more interesting is to have these sounds in the context of a mix. Simply put what may sound good by itself doesn’t always work in the context of a mix

Mesa for all three for me. I do love all three amps though. All three of these are top-tier amps for rock and metal.

Orange without seeing video...Orange confirmation, after seeing video.🤘

Wow, I preferred the Orange for all samples, read through the comments and found i wasn't alone!

This three-way comparison seems to be a popular one. What I'm taking away from watching several of them, is that all three have incredible, awesome tone, and any guitarist would want to have ALL THREE available from their rig. That being said, I think that as awesome as the Mesa and Orange tones are, I think they can be achieved from pedals and pre-amp boxes. Whereas the Marshall has a huge stand-out sound that cannot be replicated. Therefore, as much as I hate to say it, because I've always loved playing on Orange and Mesa gear - and currently own both - the best rig would be a Marshall head, with an Orange box and a Mesa box on footpedals.

The Orange really surprised me, I was dead set on getting a DSL100 but now I'm debating on the Rockerverb 50, sounds great, but at this point in time I think I would like a decent to good clean channel as well, so I might stick with getting a DSL

Marshall, then Mesa, then Orange for me, but all sounded great.

So I liked the Marshall in the low gain, Mesa in the classic rock, and the Orange in the high gain!

1st seg-amp ! 2nd seg-amp 3 3rd seg-amp 2.....and for even more toneal bliss 'use an equalizer in front of it as well!!!!!I personally love the JCM900 head too Darrell!!!!!!

That was interesting. In the lowest gain samples, I was able to tell which amp was which with no trouble, but with the other gain levels I got the Orange and Mesa mixed up both times, haha. The Marshall was always obvious.

The Orange, in my opinion, had character and was a lot more transparent and way more pedal friendly, due to the transparency

Orange all the way for me Darrell. Surprisingly!