ORANGE TERROR STAMP

IT’S THE TINIEST TERROR YET, BUT DOES IT HAVE THE POWER TO REPLACE YOUR BACKLINE? REVIEW BY ROB LAING.

Small stompbox-sized and weighing under a pound, the Terror Stamp is titchy. The company claim it combines their Micro Terror and and Dark – a potent combination if it can pull it off. Orange deliver the all-analogue design by combining valve and solid state elements; an ECC83 (12AX7) valve preamp with a 20W Class A/B solid-state power amp.

The layout is simple, especially so compared to the likes of Blug and Victory, with a switchable master volume offering an instant boost for your leads, alongside a shape control that is key to shaping your tone and the all-important gain. No bass, middle or treble here. The streamlining is actually liberating.

It may be small, but the Terror Stamp is loud. People are going to be surprised by how loud it is. It also becomes apparent this sounds like an Orange amp – articulate, full... Did we mention loud?

On its own, the Terror Stamp is versatile and based in the Micro Terror’s territory; from rolling back to a light chimey gain to Orange mid spank and poke and fuller bore fuzz-tinged heavy rock.

Its gain range plays very well as a pedal platform; namely, the overdrives we tried out with it enable more gain voices for your palate, and you’ll need one to get it into those scoopy metal chug realms. And while the stamp is loud with gain, dialling back to crystal clean might see you struggle in a band mix.

It feels like Cliff Cooper’s company have packed a lot into the little Stamp – great Orange tones at a great price and all at your feet.

VERDICT

PROS

Some players may not appreciate Orange’s aversion to three-band EQ controls, but the shape control is very sensitive and versatile, and you can further tweak by aligning the Terror Stamp with other pedals.

Whether it’s your backup amp, introduction to Orange, portable rig or a power amp for a modeller, the Terror Stamp is one of the best gear buys of the year. CONS DISTRIBUTOR