Can you use the orange terror stamp as a pedal?

How will this Micro Terror in a box fit on my pedalboard and will it simply my home recording setup?

Overview & Cost: $199.00 from Amazon.com or Reverb.com

The Orange Terror Stamp was unveiled at Winter NAMM 2020 and while it took awhile to get one, it has not disappointed at all. This is a hybrid tube-solid state amp head in a box, essentially their popular Micro Terror head but it fits on your pedalboard. It has two switchable channels that each have independent volume knobs, perfect for creating a rhythm/lead dichotomy for your rig. You can adjust the mid scoop via the shape knob, with a full scoop in the clockwise direction and mid saturation on the other end. The gain knob controls the amount of distortion and drive as well. What’s really exciting is all the abilities of the Terror Stamp, despite its limited tone tweaking. You can run it direct into an audio interface or PA system but also have an output for a regular guitar speaker cab. This means you can plug into a backline cab and essentially replace an amp in your to-go rig. There’s also headphone capabilities thanks to the built-in cab sim, so you can practice quality all night long without annoying any neighbors or roommates. Add in a buffered FX loop, and a 12AX7 pre-amp tube and you have quite the amp for about $200 all while getting that classic Orange Amps gain tone.

Review & Opinion

This Orange Terror Stamp should sound wholly familiar to everyone who has ever heard a Micro Terror or Micro Terror Dark amp head before. The cleans are unimpressive but fine, the crunch is really where the fun is and you can produce some super useable tones. In defense of the clean tone though, I found it took effects, especially drive pedals, pretty well which helps thicken it up a bit and make it more useable in my opinion. With the limited set of controls, your tone is going to have to shaped by pedals if you’re planning on using this live or for home recording and want more than just rich, crunch. What it does do, it does really well, and I love plugging in and practicing like I would to my Orange Crush 20 or Micro Terror. What really wins me over is just how much function they build into this little guy, the FX loop, the cab sim, it all comes together really nicely to provide good bang for the buck. You’re not getting a Strymon Iridium alternative, but this isn’t mean to be that and you shouldn’t purchase it with that in mind. Instead, Orange has crafted a perfectly user friendly overdriven amp in a box, that will help make your rig and playing more flexible. For fans of punk music like myself, the mid scoop will get you into a nice early Green Day-era sound. When you twist it back to mid saturation, it’s rich and shapeable to cover more rock-adjacent ground, though this certainly isn’t for jazz or country players to say the least. I mean, there’s basically a built-in boost when you set the channels to two different volumes too, so that’s one less pedal to need.

Final Conclusions & Rating: 8 out of 10

What you see is what you get, this is an incredibly accessible pedalboard amp for someone who isn’t asking a lot from it. If you’re looking to take your fusion-jazz-metal rig down into a pedal, this isn’t for you. If you’re looking to practice and record quietly at home with reliable, quality sound this is for you. If you have a micro terror stack and don’t want to haul it around, this is for you. The reason the score is so high on such a straightforward product is because it has that fun factor. Once this was on my board, it was never coming off, and I pulled it out all the time to play. Orange’s Terror Stamp is also a phenomenal intro into pedalboard amps and traditional amp alternatives. I for one found it to be a bit intimidating to dive into the world of modelers and cab sims and what not, this was a great starting point for me. Any way you slice it, you will never be disappointed by this thing, especially for the price and convenience. I’m really digging the Terror Stamp and I’m going to see how much more I can get out of it in 2021.

Guitar and music journalist for Ultimate-Guitar.com and Guitarsforidiots.com as well as a contributor for Guitarniche.com and Stringjoy.com. Reach out to talk about guitars, commission a partscaster, or ask for a review. View more posts