Orange Micro Dark

[Shooter.556]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Well mine is on the way.. I just ordered from Sweetwater, they have plenty of them in the states.
Head and 1x8 for $288 with a 2 year warranty and free shipping.
I'll try to have a review this week.

 

[jmh151]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

I have a 5150iii 1x12 that I love.. I am with you, I wanted a Jim Root though but this is much more versatile and really fits my needs for a small portable head I can plug into a board or a cabinet.

My only problem with the 50 watt is it still weighs a ton- far from a "mini" amp. The EVH lunchbox is up my alley and I'll have both.

Once I track down a micro dark terror I'll be playing it through an EVH 1x12 cab

 

[Demanic]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Dang, now you all have got me G.A.S.ing for one!

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[Progbusters]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

hmm. sounds like my Orange indeed

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Orange Micro Dark



I got home today and look what was waiting on the porch..
My Micro Dark.
I have been playing on it for about 40 minutes and I figured I'd give a few thoughts on it.
The distortion is pure Dark Terror, gainy and fizzy. Not really my cup of tea. I like a good crunch.
The cleans! Holy crap! They get this sweet tele honky twang and. really good blues tones.
You can dial in that Fender scooped clean tone and a good middy tone as well.
The high gain may do really well in a 2x12 or a 4x12 but it is unusable for me in that little 1x8 but the blues and country tones thru the 1x8 blew my mind.
The 1x8 also hated my Les Paul with the JB and the 59 on the bridge alone. It was just too much ass for that little speaker, it distorted like crazy and with gain it sounded like a can of bees. My RG655 however loved this little setup. I was chicken pickin on the bridge split and middle pickups. A Tone Zone and a True Velvet.
I was getting some serious twang on the cleans.
Totally worth $288 for something to jam on. I'm gonna play with it and see how it likes an overdrive pedal and go to a buddies house and plug into some 4x12s. He has many cabs to play with. I also haven't tried the cab simulator or headphones yet.

 

[EpiphoneSG77]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Just checked out the website and saw that they dropped the AUX input so thats kind of a minus ! I had an original model and this actually seems to be the same amp except minus the AUX input and adding an effects loop.. Looks like a cool little rig anyway..

 

[TeleJr24]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Wow, I love my Micro Terror but it really needs an effects loop (IMO). I know what I'm getting for Christmas!

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

I wonder how it'd sound running the preamp out from the FX loop into my Bassman. I'd expect this amp's weakness to be the power section.

 

[pushedcrayon1]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

I got a chance to play one of these today, and I loved it! It basically took the original micro terror and fixed a couple of the small things. The gain is much better sounding, and it cleans up okay. I'm tempted to go back and get it someday soon..

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[Demanic]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

It's still 20 watts right?

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[Animal]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Rob Chappers review now up:

 

[Lampy H]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

I wonder how it'd sound running the preamp out from the FX loop into my Bassman. I'd expect this amp's weakness to be the power section.

Oh man, I bet that'd be killer

That Chappers review sounds great when they're running it into that 212.

 

[tman]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Yeah I agree I think this sounds better through a bigger cab. I think the gain sounds a bit muddy through the little speaker or like its underwater to my ears. However, it seems to clear up a bit when its ran through a larger cab like a 1x12 or 2x12 etc..

 

[tman]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

But I still like my Marshall better lol

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Did this the other day:


I don't usually like to use words like "better" or bluntly state that one amp is better than another... I think everything has it's place, y'know? But in this instance, I think the Micro Dark is simply a superior, refined version of the Micro Terror. More usable sounds. The Shape knob has no bad settings, where the Tone knob can go too flubby or too shrill. Every setting on the Micro Dark is useful whereas the Micro Terror has a "sweet spot" you don't really want to stray from.

The Terror is like an old school 70's Marshall or similar beast in that respect... It does that midrangey distortion tone all day without slouching. The Dark is more like an Ampeg V4 or my Orange Overdrive where the amp has a ton of different usable sounds and reacts the way you'd expect it to as you tweak the knobs. I would recommend both but I prefer the Dark and I'll pick one up soon as a back-up for some gigs I have coming up.

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Did this the other day:


I don't usually like to use words like "better" or bluntly state that one amp is better than another... I think everything has it's place, y'know? But in this instance, I think the Micro Dark is simply a superior, refined version of the Micro Terror. More usable sounds. The Shape knob has no bad settings, where the Tone knob can go too flubby or too shrill. Every setting on the Micro Dark is useful whereas the Micro Terror has a "sweet spot" you don't really want to stray from.

The Terror is like an old school 70's Marshall or similar beast in that respect... It does that midrangey distortion tone all day without slouching. The Dark is more like an Ampeg V4 or my Orange Overdrive where the amp has a ton of different usable sounds and reacts the way you'd expect it to as you tweak the knobs. I would recommend both but I prefer the Dark and I'll pick one up soon as a back-up for some gigs I have coming up.

Awesome comparison!!

Were you able to get that "Sweet Spot tone" of the Terror on the Dark?

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

I've been playing with mine for a couple of weeks now experimenting with pedals and the cab simulator.
It takes pedals very well, I am going to get a 2x12 or a 4x12 for it. I think the amp needs a 12" speaker to breath and growl like it wants to.
I played this and a micro terror, this sounds nothing like a micro terror. The entire EQ and gain structure is way better than a micro terror.
Orange hit a home run with this one, It's really growing on me, I still play my 5150iii 95% of the time but that will probably change some when I get a cab for this head.

 

[Shooter.556]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

My only problem with the 50 watt is it still weighs a ton- far from a "mini" amp. The EVH lunchbox is up my alley and I'll have both.

Once I track down a micro dark terror I'll be playing it through an EVH 1x12 cab

I agree 100%! The 50 watt is not something you want to lug around on a regular basis, honestly a head and a 4x12 is easier to lug around than my 5150iii combo. That sucker is just heavy dead weight.
It does however sound awesome, so it just sits in my man cave for my enjoyment.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Orange Micro Dark

Awesome comparison!!

Were you able to get that "Sweet Spot tone" of the Terror on the Dark?

You can get close enough. The Terror to me is "start with every knob at noon and tweak to taste" and it gives you a retro British rock tone, like an AD30. The Dark is "try every knob in every position" and gives you lots of useful sounds. I got it to sound remarkably close to my Matamp Classic 120 today...

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Orange Micro Dark



I don't like to necrobump but i didn't want to start an entire new thread just because I finally scored one of these things. Now that I've sat it next to my Overdrive and Matamp i have to take back my statements about the Micro sounding similar to them. It's definitely orange flavored the way they are, but it's tighter and more modern sounding, like a TH100 or a Rockerverb. This isn't necessarily a problem for me because none of my other amps do the "modern" sound that these little amps excell at. That said, I got it close enough to the thick, warm, clean-on-the-edge-of-breakup tone that i use live, which means I'm going to put it on my pedalboard with a long speaker cable and use it if i have an amp break down, or just a smaller show that i don't want to bring a big head to.

Still highly recommended. It's not going to have me selling my vintage tube monster heads, but it sounds great and is a practical tool for a working rocknroll guitarist.