Orange Micro Terror
124 Guitarist July 2012
£439 & £99
Guitar amps
that the diminutive Micro
Terror couldn’t be a serious
option for live performance.
Orange’s specially-designed
eight-inch speaker-loaded
PPC108 cabinets (£59 each)
can be used in conjunction
with the Micro Terror for cute
mini-stack bedroom or studio
thrills, but for the stage you’ll
likely require something
somewhat beefier as far as cabs
are concerned. The amplifier’s
eight-ohm minimum
impedance output will safely
drive eight- or 16-ohm cabs, but
needs to be matched with an
eight-ohm load to deliver the
full 20 watts.
Sounds
As fearsome as the Jim Root
head appears, when it’s time to
fire up and plug in, we’re drawn
initially to the Micro Terror.
Can an amplifier this physically
small really deliver the kind of
juicy crunch upon which
Orange built its reputation?
Before we answer that
question, it’s worth noting that
an amp head this light can get
very mobile, very quickly, even
when equipped with non-slip
readily replaceable as a regular
kettle lead, so you may want to
consider obtaining a backup for
regular live use.
Once stationary, with the
volume and gain controls
working hard, we’re struck by
how unexpectedly loud this
thing is. Fans of classic rock
guitar raunch will be in their
element as this tiniest of
Terrors pumps out a ferocious
crunch with no shortage of
character. For fans of Led
Zeppelin, AC/DC or even Oasis,
there’s a whole lot to love here.
While the PPC108 cab might
seem a little boxy in isolation,
for studio recording, it’s just the
ticket for a Dave Davies-style
garage-rock bark, with none of
the boomy bottom end that you
might usually need to EQ out
when mixing.
Through a more substantial
cabinet, there’s no shortage of
low end, and this translates into
even bigger versions of the
sounds we’ve already
described, opening the door to
everything from a rich Keith
Richards-style breaking up
rhythm chime right through to
stoner rock. You might struggle
to get pristine cleans out of the
Micro Terror, however: it really
does like to rock.
Despite its incredibly
compact size, this is an amp
that’s most at home on stage or
in a soundproof studio. It just
sounds better with the volume
working harder and the
headphone output is a little
harsh for sustained solo
practice sessions.
Turning our attentions to the
Jim Root head and cab,
predictably there’s even more
filth on tap. Didn’t think you
could play heavy metal with a
regular single-coil Telecaster
bridge pickup? Think again. It’s
such a big throaty drive sound
that for alt-rock and hard rock,
single-coils work remarkably
well and open up a wealth of
bluesier tones with judicious
use of the amp’s onboard EQ
and your guitar’s volume
control. Despite the livery,
one-dimensional this ain’t.
Switching to a guitar with
humbuckers takes things into
modern metal territory and you
can really hear the immediate
response of those Voice Of The
World speakers keeping things
tight and punchy, even with the
massive bottom-end character
of a seven-string or baritone.
For maximum articulation,
we’d recommend resisting the
urge to wind the gain right up,
as there’s more ferocity and
definition to be had in the
two-to-three o’clock region.
Seriously meaty.
The 15-watt setting is where
it’s at for the stage but the
With the volume and gain controls
working hard, we’re struck by how
unexpectedly loud the Micro Terror is
The Micro Terror has headphone and auxiliary-input capabilities, but sounds best when cranked up on stage or in a studio
rubber feet. With little more
than a careless tug of your
guitar lead, the unit can be
dragged off the top of a speaker
cabinet or desk. For live use
we’d recommend using tape or
Velcro to secure the Micro
Terror in place. In addition,
although the supplied 15-volt
DC mains ‘wall wart’ adaptor
works perfectly, it’s not as
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GIT356.rev_orange.indd 124 5/16/12 10:02:51 AM