Orange Micro Terror

I have not purchased a product in a long time which has completely blown me away in terms of really surprising me how good it it.

Firstly it is tiny, really tiny, just a bit bigger than a small carton of milk (can't think of other things that size) and weighs nothing at all (mainly due to the external power supply). I bought it in conjunction with the matching gig bag.

The second surprise for it's size is that t is loud, very loud. I am running it through a home-made 1x12 cab (as I personally think the matching 1x8 is a bit naff and there are lots of alternatives n the same price range - Harley Benton G112 for instance) and I am getting to 9 o'clock and starting to worry about the upsetting the neighbours.

I was split between this and the Micro Dark, but I wanted more volume before breaking and entering into distortion territory. With the gain cranked to 2 o'clock you get a gorgeous rock overdrive sound and above that into mild to middle distortion.

The tone control is very basic but extreme from ear splitting sharpness to sounding like it is under a dozen pillows. I have combined this with an Orange Two Stroke to drive the front end a bit harder and have a much wider control of the tone shaping and I am in heaven.

The Aux input is a 'bit of whatever', I can't see myself using it and they also dropped it on the Dark model. The lack of effects loop is also not a deal breaker.

You could easily do a small pub gig with this amp and there are many videos on the 'the tube' which show how it can easily drive a 4x12. There is also the option to swap out the pre-amp valve for a better one, but until the one in it dies, I am quite happy with the sound.

Lastly it is pretty much the price of a decent effects pedal. It is an amp that takes you back to basics, with a phenomenal sound and punch.

As I mentioned at the beginning, there are a few products which have given me a 'wow factor' over the years and this is quite high on that list.

This is an uncategorically superb piece of gear and highly recommended.

These are a remarkably good amp for their price and size. As an amp for small gigs (or even for bigger events) these perform far beyond what they look like they should be capable of.
The first thing to note about these amps is obviously their size. They are significantly smaller than a loaf of bread, and look amusingly small on top of a 2x12 cabinet.
Having said this, the sound could never be described as 'small'. These are louder than any amp this size has a right to be. I have used mine in some big rooms and still had sound guys telling me to turn down. If you're playing in venues with microphones for electric guitar, there'll never be an issue with dialling in a great clean tone. If anything, you'll want to run them a little bit hotter (isn't that always the way with guitarists?) because in my experience the best sounds have been just on the edge of breakup.
I generally dial in a fairly transparent clean tone to use as a base for drive pedals, and have found that they work well with pedals. Obviously, there is no effects loop, so that's something to be aware of if you like running pedals through a loop.
One of the most important recommendations I could make with regard to these amps is to consider using a larger cabinet than the matching PPC108 cab. I have been using a Jet City 24S+ 2x12 cabinet, and have found that while it takes away from the portability of the stack a bit, the gains in tone are well worth it.
I can't comment on the auxiliary jack which is included, but I'm sure it would serve a purpose if you needed it, and I suppose there's no harm in having the facility there.
In terms of cons, the tone control is fairly basic , and only allows a certain level of tone shaping, but it does have a good range. In general, I keep it set between 11am and 1pm and find that going outside of this leads to very dark and muddy or ear-piercingly bright.
To summarise, this is a really good amp for the price, and for me it has performed consistently for the past three years without missing a beat. I'm so fond of them, that I bought a second one.