Orange Micro Dark

217

Amp Head for Guitar

  • Power: 20 W
  • Preamp tubes: ECC83 / 12AX7
  • Controls: Gain, shape and volume
  • Speaker connector: 1x 8-16 Ohm
  • Headphone jack with CabSim (speaker simulation)
  • FX loop
  • Dimensions (W x H x D): 165 x 135 x 95 mm
  • Weight: 1 kg
  • Incl. 15 V DC power supply
Available since October 2015
Item number 369213
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Power 20 W
Channels 1
Reverb No
Effects No
Footswitch No
$199
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Tiny amp head – huge tube-driven sound

Orange presents the Micro Dark, an extremely compact hybrid amplifier with a tube-driven preamp stage and a 20-watt transistor power stage that delivers an outstandingly flexible sound: From clean and crunch through to high-gain Metal tones. And the Micro Dark also has plenty of volume on tap. Its clear three-control layout with Gain, Volume, and Shape lets you quickly dial in the tone you are looking for, and a series effects loop is also included to accommodate your favourite effects. To top it all off, the Micro Dark features a combined headphone/line out jack with cabinet simulation circuitry, so you can enjoy the full quality of the sound when practising silently and record directly in the studio without needing to connect speakers.

From Funk to scooped Metal

Despite weighing just one kilogramme, the Micro Dark packs enormous flexibility and tone-shaping capabilities into its diminutive sheet metal housing: From warm and shimmering clean sounds for Funk, down-and-dirty breakup for Blues, and gritty crunch for all genres of Rock through to mid-scooped Metal tones with plenty of gain. The Shape control, which is the centrepiece of the amp’s front panel and replaces a conventional EQ section, profoundly affects the amp’s tone in every position, delivering new and interesting sounds with every adjustment made. The Micro Dark may have just 20 watts of output power, but it can do a lot more than meets the eye: Pair it up with a full-sized speaker cabinet and it can definitely hold its own both in the rehearsal room and on smaller stages.

Dynamic tube tone for all

Thanks to its budget-friendly price, the Orange Micro Dark is of course ideal for beginners looking for a tonally versatile and easy-to-operate amplifier that delivers authentic tube tone, but the astonishingly rich variety of sounds available means that this head will also find favour with more experienced players. The Micro Dark’s effects loop and combined headphone/recording output are important tools which allow it to be used at home, in the rehearsal room, in the studio, and even on stage. Its compact dimensions and light weight are also advantages that are not to be underestimated, particularly when it comes to moving your gear from A to B.

About Orange

The British company Orange was founded in 1968 by electronics engineer, bassist, and guitarist Cliff Cooper, who among other things was a member of the band "The Millionaires". Even in its early days, when the company was already producing guitar and bass amplifiers and speaker cabinets, it recognised the value of an eye-catching and easily identifiable design. The orange colour, the striking logo, the picture-frame image of the solid-looking amplifiers and speaker cabinets, and the basket-weave speaker grille cloth are still among the distinguishing features of Orange products to this day. In 1979, the unexpected and sudden bankruptcy of its distribution partners obliged Orange to close. Then, in 1993, the U.S. Gibson Group revived the cult brand in England under license and, in 1997, the brand finally went back into the hands of Cliff Cooper. Since then, Orange has once again been actively developing its product range.

Flexible in every situation

It makes no difference whether you are using the Micro Dark with a small speaker cabinet for practising at home or running it through a 4x12” cabinet on stage: It will always deliver an outstanding sound. Despite having only one channel, this amp produces an authentic-sounding tube tone that is versatile enough to satisfy both Blues and Metal guitarists, and the series effects loop means the sound can also be further enhanced by adding delay, reverb, and other modulation effects. What is more, the combined headphone/line out with cabinet simulation allows you to record directly without needing to connect the amp to a speaker cabinet.

217 Customer ratings

4.7 / 5

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149 Reviews

E
Amazing despite its size
EliasH 23.07.2020
Bought this originally for home use with a 1x12 Celestion Greenback, but this is definitely made for more.

Loudness:
If you're wondering if this has enough volume for your bedroom, the answer is clear. YES! Especially if you like to crank the gain. For some it would maybe be too loud with a 12" speaker as you need to reach a certain volume to get a good tone. The volume knob is really sensitive at the first quarter so it's either no volume, or a lot of volume. This is also powerful enough gor gigs, and you can connect it to a 4x12 with no problem.

Tone:
The tones on this thing is amazing, even compared to the more expensive amps. Even though it's a hybrid it sounds like an all-valve. Honestly, most people wouldn't even hear the difference.
It's versitile too. Grab a stratocaster and dial it in for the good old rock tones, or switch to a humbucker and crank the gain for some killer doom metal tones.

It works great with gain/booster pedals, but for myself I see no use in it, as the gain already is badass. I put a reverb/delay, and maybe a looper pedal in the effects loop, and I'm good to go.

Size:
I just have to point out, this thing is ridiculous small. It's smaller than a six pack of 0.5L cans. Traveling with this is the last of your worries.


Cons with this amp:

Only 1 channel:
This can be a problem if you like to switch between clean and dirty mid-song. To do this you must either use your guitars volume knob, or use gain pedals instead of amp gain.

No aux in:
Can make it harder to practice with backing tracks, but if this bothers you I must inform you that yes, you can work around this by using the buffered effects loop. although you might need some extra gear for it. Do a quick google search ;)

Shape instead of tone knob:
Not a huge problem, but this knob acts a bit different than the normal tone knobs. I like it, and I usually just leave it around the 1-2 o'clock position as I find that to be the sweet spot. If this really annoys you, you might want to add an equalizer.

The headphone output sucks:
Even though it got a 4x12 cab sim, I can't say it sounds any good. On the other side, I've never seen an amp with a good headphone out, so compared to them.. Maybe it's not that bad. Just don't have high hopes.

In the end i would say it's a fantastic amp where you really get what you pay for. There aren't many extra functions on this, but that's probably why it's so cheap. I would highly recomend it if you're looking for the good Orange tones at a low price.
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A micro monster
Duley 21.08.2019
I bought it to bring it with myself when I go to college, as it would be pretty difficult to bring its bigger brother, a full sized head and its cab I have.
I've played this little thing through a 2x12 and a 4x12 cab as well. Got to admit, it sounds pretty damn awesome. And it's surprisingly loud. You can easily rehearse, gig, keep up with a drummer, a whole band with one of these little bad boys, as long as you pair it with a bigger cab.
The clean and crunchy tones you can get out of this little head are gorgeous. And it's true that it has loads of gain too, but as you turn the gain up, let's say above 2 or 3 o'clock, it becomes a little bit too fuzzy, for me at least. I've played with the shape knob, and tried various type of guitars with different pickups (Les Paul, Strat, SG and so on), but the fuzziness is still there. I mean it's nothing crazy, it's totally fine if you're up to play some classics that require that kind of tone, but if you want to play heavier stuff, you'd have to consider adding an overdrive/boost pedal, just to tighten it up a little bit. So I've put a TS mini in front of it, and it works like dream for me.
Had it for almost a month now, and since I have it, I barely even touched my other amp. This little, affordable rock'n'roll machine deserves a big thumbs up. Although you can't just really limit its potential to rock'n'roll, as if it's set and used properly, it can play pretty much anything.
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wow
emi19 24.09.2019
I always wanted a tube amp, but they are a bit too expensive for me and most importantly, they are simply too loud for a bedroom.
so after reading and watching videos regarding this head, I thought I was making the right decision by going with this head, due to its solide state power section.
(keep in mind I only play in my bedroom)
the cleans: you'd expect them to be just okay, well actually, they are very good. I was pleasantly surprised with them.
the crunch is very good as well, nothing to complain about.
when you start to push the gain and get into metal territory, things can get a little too loud, to the point where i have to keep the volume of both guitar and amp to 2.
However, the distorted sound is amazing, even at low volumes.
do I regret buying this? absolutely not, the sounds it offers are wonderful.
the only con I can find is the lack of a 3 band eq, replaced by the shape knob.
if you want to upgrade from SS but not really fond of tube amps, this is the perfect compromise
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Incredible...
ChrisR 17.02.2017
I originally purchased this amp thinking it would make a good home practice amp and I'd buy an all-valve Orange head later to take into the studio and on tour (I now also own a Dual Terror but this little beast still gets regular outings).

What can I say? It sounds great even when you forget the size, price AND the fact that it's not even all-valve. It sounds simply unbelievable when you take those things into consideration.

I've used it in the studio a lot and it's always sounded great (clean, crunchy or just cranked loud for hard rock sounds) and it takes pedals very well too - I use it a lot with a Maxon OD808 in front but it responds very well to boosters and overdrives in general (and the effects loop works great). The one thing I'd prefer would be a tone knob rather than the shape knob, but that's just my preference.

I have also taken it on tour (being sick of schlepping heavy amps) and the laughter that came from the other band members quickly turned to shock and awe. It can easily drive a 4x12 cab and is absolutely up to touring. Absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants something lightweight that sounds good and won't break the bank.
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