The Orange Terror Stamp has some very persuasive drive tones and makes an excellent pedalboard-friendly rig on the fly or backup amp option. It's a lot of amp for the size and price.
Pros
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It's a loud 20 watts.
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Stating the obvious here, but very portable.
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Super-tough.
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Takes pedals well.
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Excellent drive tones.
Cons
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Lacks a bit of clean headroom.
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Orange's EQ setup is good but unconventional.
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The emergence of pedalboard-based amps isn’t just significant for portability, it’s also a huge development for accessibility.
If you’ve lusted after a company’s valve-driven heads in the past but have been priced out, or can’t justify the outlay to try an extra amp to add to your arsenal, these things are very good news.
A prime example is how Victory’s range of preamp pedals brought the tones of three of its most popular £1,000 heads to your feet for £349. Now, Orange are combining a preamp and power amp in an even smaller package. Surely something’s got to give?
Orange were at the forefront of the lunchbox heads movement that’s still going strong, eventually sizing down to Micro Terror and Micro Dark that this is the logical next step from. Small stompbox-sized and weighing under a pound, the Terror Stamp pedal amp is titchy. The company claim it combines the Micro Terror and Dark – a potent combination if it can pull it off .
It may be small, but the Terror Stamp is LOUD
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.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
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.
It’s gain range plays very well as a pedal platform; namely the overdrives we tried out with it (such as the Korg OD-S) that 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.
Some players may not appreciate Orange’s aversion to three-band EQ controls, but the shape control is very sensitive and versatile
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.
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, this is one of the best gear buys of the year.
Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear, while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
