Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

[guitarSQUIRELL]

Has anyone here ever had or tried one of these 15 watt hybrid amps? I like what I hear from them and I like the size as well. I know the amp has a single 12AX7 inside.

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

I started a thread on this recently. Micro Dark is awesome. I'll have one soon...

[Shooter.556]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

I had one for a month, I bought one of the first ones that Sweetwater got in. It is a nice little amp, it just wasn't for me.
I traded it towards a Strat.

[guitarSQUIRELL]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

I had one for a month, I bought one of the first ones that Sweetwater got in. It is a nice little amp, it just wasn't for me.
I traded it towards a Strat.

What was it that didnt work for you? Tone, features, etc.?

[Shooter.556]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

What was it that didnt work for you? Tone, features, etc.?

I didn't get to play it thru a 12" speaker only a 1x8 orange cab. It was just one dimensional and very lifeless to me.
Also it was grainy and fizzy at high gain. I think that maybe with a 1x12 or bigger it may open up but I wasn't going to buy a new cab for it and start playing with tubes to get what I wanted, I have a 5150iii that I love so I just bailed on the orange.
You may have good luck with it but I'd highly recommend getting at least a 1x12 and possibly bigger.
It needs some speakers to push. FYI: It is stupid loud for 20 watts. It will rock a 2x12 and I mean at gig volume.
I'd also plan on playing with 12ax7s, I think you can get some better dynamics with a a different tube. I'm convinced that it was also part of the reason I didn't like it. I think a Tungsol or a Mullard reissue would change that amp for the better.
Honestly, the only reason I sold it was I fell into a strat trade and I swapped it and a cab for a mint mim strat.
Try it, at $188 you can't lose, just be prepared to to a little dialing in, it was kinda finicky to me.

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

I just bought one today and it's on its way. My practice amp for the last 15 years has been god awful so I figured it was time to step it up. I tried it at guitar center and liked what I heard. I saw some demos online and noticed that the thing REALLY will be as good as the cab it is paired with. I got a deep and punchy 1x12 I plan to use it with.

I liked the cleans and mid gain break up a lot. The distortion can get VERY saturated and smushy with the gain knob up, but most distortion oriented amps do when they're set that high anyway. I actually really liked the tone filter, a similar style knob is on my swollen pickle and it's really intuitive to dial in good tone with. I liked the simplicity of it and it sounded leagues better than my garbage practice amp so I jumped. The head costs roughly what a boutique pedal costs so I figured why the hell not? I'll give a more thorough opinion when I get it and spend more time with it.

[Shooter.556]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

Yeah, the tone filter works a lot like the Blackstar ISF knob. Either side of 12 o'clock is a sweet spot.
I think you will be fine with the big cab, I might have liked it better then myself.
Good luck with it! Like you said, it's the price of a boutique stompbox, you really can't go wrong and I lost $10 on mine when I traded it.
It was worth $10 to try it out..

[Powerstrokedr]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

The Mullard reissue (aka russian) greatly improved my Orange Micro Terror. Not as compressed, a clearer, and a whole lot louder as if it really needed that.

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

Oh yeah, I got it.

This is a fantastic amp. Not fantastic for recording, or bedroom or practice. I mean fantastic PERIOD, at least though my 1x12. Loud. Very loud. Like neighbors 3 doors over heard it from my place with the doors and windows shut and the speaker facing the bed loud.

So far, my favorite setting on the thing is (0-10) like 3 vol 6 shape 6 gain for just jamming with my humbucker guitar. Haven't tried the headphone jack cabsim thing yet. Super fun. Can't wait to try it with my strat. Loves responding to pick attack and guitar volume.

More gain than anyone's body can handle, so like anything past 3oclock on the gain knob gets pretty mushy, even when not in a band, so yeah, I can see what people are talking anout when they mention the "fizziness." The cleans and mid gain break up impress me more than anything, as I don't use too much gain, even for metal guitar stuff. The setting I have will get pretty sparkly using just the volume on the guitar to clean it up. Jazz, Country, Pop style cleans are all there. Distortion can do some thick later Sabbath and crunchy Metallica and essentially anything inbetween. It can even do some smooth/scooped Smashing Pumpkins stuff. HELL of a BLUES amp too.

My only real complaint so far is that it is too light. Like "plugged it in, dropped the cable, and the cable almost pulled it off the amp" kinds of light. I hope the thing can take a beating.

[Demanic]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

Now I finally have a bad case of G.A.S.

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Opinions: Orange Micro Dark Terror

Now I finally have a bad case of G.A.S.

If you can find it, try it definitely. It isn't much of an investment if you end up not liking it either, but I'm digging it.