Harking back to one of the golden eras of rock, the Distortion, Phaser and Sustain pedals are modernized takes on Orange's original stompboxes from that decade
(Image credit: Orange)
Orange has introduced a trio of no-nonsense, retro-inspired effects pedals that pay tribute to “one of rock’s golden eras”.
Arriving in Sustain, Phaser and Distortion iterations, the revamped pedals were conceived back in 2019, when a picture of Orange’s long-discontinued Sustain pedal from the ‘70s caused a stir on an Orange message board.
The original schematics of the Sustain were swiftly located, and things were set in motion to bring about a triumphant return of the out-sized, art nouveau-esque effects pedal. Orange didn’t stop there, though, and as the Sustain was revisited, so too were its colleagues: the Distortion and Phaser.
As such, the company rebooted the three effects pedals closely following the original templates, though introducing a handful of contemporary tweaks, such as LEDs, DC inputs and more.
The result is said to be “three seasoned British-made pedals re-tuned and ready for the modern age”.
Read on to find out more about Orange's latest effects pedals, which are available for $249 each.
Orange Sustain
Up first is the pedal that started the whole project, the Sustain, which promises to “smooth and regulate guitar sounds” via its Level and Depth controls. Said to boost volume without compromising purity, the Sustain acts like an overdrive for clean tones, offering to equip your tone with expression and nuance.
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Elsewhere, the double LED indicator changes from blue to purple when gain reduction is kicking in, while the high-quality buffered bypass seeks to support signal chain integrity. In terms of other modern tonal tweaks, the Sustain also features a differential side-chain that seeks to provide a smoother bloom.
(Image credit: Orange)
Orange Phaser
Next on the list is the Phaser – one of the simplest pedals, well, ever. With just one control knob and bypass footswitch, it’s the epitome of a no-frills phaser, vowing to instill sweet psychedelic swirl to your rig.
Through the sole control, Orange claims the Phaser can traverse from woozy sweeps all the way to fast, choppy stabs, with the pedal boasting a four-stage circuitry resurrected from the original schematics.
Like the above, it features modern adjustments: a new LED crops up again, and lines up alongside a reduced noise floor crafted from some contemporary electronic techniques. Smartly dubbed a “set-it-and-forget-it” companion for your pedalboard, the Phaser also features a JFET input buffer.
(Image credit: Orange)
Orange Distortion
Last but certainly not least is the Distortion. Featuring nothing but Level and Depth controls, and a true bypass footswitch, the Distortion features new circuitry that has been built from the ground up. That means the original’s back-to-back diode design has been ditched in favor of an amp circuit with a tone stack.
Despite the differences, it’s said to harness the same high-gain charm as its predecessor, promising all the bite and howl you’d want from a ‘70s amp-like distortion. Specifically, it is apparently suited to Jimmy Page-style sounds as well as garage rock squall.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
