Orange Tiny Terror - Finally The Perfect Sound! - Video

[yell03]

I've went through many amps trying to find the perfect sound, that 80s type Tube distortion without a pedal.

Listen to some early Kiss songs, "Hotter than Hell", "Cold Gin", etc.. or even some AC/DC (Back IN Black). you'll know the tone.

Those bands used Marshalls cranked to the hilt, but that is too loud for my Home so after lots of traveling to Music stores and buying and returning amps I found the perfect amp.

It is the Orange Tiny Terror Class A Tube Amp.
It has a toggle to vary between 7 watts or 15 watts.
Only 3 control knobs - Gain, Tone, and Volume.

Even at low Master Volumes tunring the Gain Knob gets you anywhere to Marshall Crunch to Heavy Hard Rock/Metal Distortion.

Within the last month I bought and returned a Peavey Valveking 112 50w tube amp ($400) and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 112 40 watt Tube amp ($590).
The Peavey had slightly better distortion, but not great, the Fender Hot Rod had beautiful cleans, but the distortion sucked without a Boss DS1 Pedal. Oh yea, I retuned the $40 pedal too as it is no longer needed.

I also returned my Fender Vibro Champ XD 5 watt Tube/Digital amp ($240), it was nice, but not that authentic sound and the 1x8 speaker was weak.

I also sold my Roland Cube 60w modeling amp and my Fender Microcube amp along with my Dean Vendetta XM.

All those returns, exchanges, and sales left me with $1000 to spend on a perfect amp.
I played the Marshall DSL and TSL combos, the Mesa Express 5:25 and 5:50, and my favorite a Marshall JCM2000 head thru a 4x12 Marshall cab.

Then it happened, the little Orange won me over. The guy felt bad about not recommending it first and cut me a great deal at $400 BRAND NEW for the head, then he was going to sell me a New Marshall 2x12 cabinet specially wired for the Head for $290, but I explained it would not fit in my sports car and it was kind of heavy after my Back surgery..

I asked him about the Epiphone 1x12 Cabinet. He looked it up and said that would actually be even better, but he did not have one in stock. So off to GC and $130 later I had the perfect cabinet.

I still have a $230 credit at the one Music Store, hmmm, maybe a nice reverb/delay pedal (any suggestions?) and/or a Vox DA5 battery operated practice amp for travel when I don't want to risk losing my Orange.

Here is a video of the exact combo I found on YouTube, it is not me, but at least you can hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bng-zXiZfMY

Howard

[jjthinline]

memory man pedal

[stratcat55]

The Tiny Terror is now being made in a combo. I liked the head, but I also have a small car.

[yell03]

The Tiny Terror is now being made in a combo. I liked the head, but I also have a small car.

That will be my next amp if I buy one.

Howard

[madmark]

Can you tell me where they are made.. There is a guy local who has one on craigslist. Thanks

[yell03]

Designed in England, but made in Korea or China I believe.

I'm not entirely sure.

Howard

[yankeerob]

In my opinion they're a Chinese made - EL-84 based - piece of dung... I had a Laney TT20H that at least came in a vinyl covered cabinet and pretty much did the same thing but better - had a pentode/triode switch, a half power switch, a full tone stack and reverb... and I can't help but ask what the point of spouting on about these things is on TFF??? If I had a spare 300 clams I'd buy the iron & bits to build a 5E3 clone a la Kap'n's 6L6 version and still have change to take the out to her favorite restaurant...

[madmark]

In my opinion they're a Chinese made - EL-84 based - piece of dung... I had a Laney TT20H that at least came in a vinyl covered cabinet and pretty much did the same thing but better - had a pentode/triode switch, a half power switch, a full tone stack and reverb... and I can't help but ask what the point of spouting on about these things is on TFF??? If I had a spare 300 clams I'd buy the iron & bits to build a 5E3 clone a la Kap'n's 6L6 version and still have change to take the out to her favorite restaurant...

+1 chinese made

[elicross]

I can't help but ask what the point of spouting on about these things is on TFF???

I don't get this. Is it pointless for him to post on TFF about an amp he likes? Why, exactly? Because it's not a Fender? Because it uses EL84s? Because he didn't build it himself from somebody else's plans? Or just because you don't care for it personally?

[yell03]

In my opinion they're a Chinese made - EL-84 based - piece of dung... I had a Laney TT20H that at least came in a vinyl covered cabinet and pretty much did the same thing but better - had a pentode/triode switch, a half power switch, a full tone stack and reverb... and I can't help but ask what the point of spouting on about these things is on TFF??? If I had a spare 300 clams I'd buy the iron & bits to build a 5E3 clone a la Kap'n's 6L6 version and still have change to take the out to her favorite restaurant...

I'll respect your opinion, that is why we live in the USA.

First off, it has a half power switch, 7w or 15w.

Just because this is TFF, that doesn't mean everybody wants to sound like SRV.
IMHO, I like that sound, but it doesn't give me goosebumps like a Screaming Powerchord ala Kiss, AC/DC, or any number of late 70s early 80s hair bands.

As for weaknesses, sure seperate Bass, Midrange, & Treble controls would be cool as well as a Spring reverb, but to tell you the truth.....

I would leave all the Tone controls at 12 o'clock anyway and if I use reverb at all, you can barely hear it, so for me it would be a waste.

Fender Forum or not, when I traded my Mustang Cobra for a Viper, my Viper for a Corvette Z06, and my Z06 for a Porsche 911 the people on the Chevy, Dodge, and Mustang Forums didn't all agree, but they were cool and wanted to hear about it and the differences between them.

I don't get this. Is it pointless for him to post on TFF about an amp he likes? Why, exactly? Because it's not a Fender? Because it uses EL84s? Because he didn't build it himself from somebody else's plans? Or just because you don't care for it personally?

Well said!!!!

Howard

[stratcat55]

I tried a Tiny Terror out and it's really and interesting amp. I used to use Orange amps way back. The Tiny Terror has that distinctive 70's hard rock thing going for it.
I've seen all kinds of amps discussed on TFF besides Fender. Vox, Trayner, Mesa, Marshall, home brews. Gibson and other guitars are discussed on the forum too. That's why I keep coming back. It's interesting and informative.
I figure if I don't like the topic, I don't read or respond to it.

[Kap'n]

No idea whether it's based in fact or not, but I've heard that the Tiny Terror is based on the AC15, with some extra gain.

[stratcat55]

One thing it does have is a lot of gain.
Clean, it's a decent blues /rock amp, mostly because it's not a really clean amp. I'm not too much into a lot of gain.

[NeoFauve]

I can't help but ask what the point of spouting on about these things is on TFF??? If I had a spare 300 clams I'd buy the iron & bits to build a 5E3 clone a la Kap'n's 6L6 ...

I have no interest at all in getting a Tiny Terror, but jeeze...

People "spout on" about things they like. That's just what happens.

Usually people "spout on" about things they don't like after using that thing, rather than saying My thing is better, so yours sucks, and suggesting that a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT type of amp is what you should get, and you should build it yourself.

[ziess]

I'm not into 'Gain' controls myself. They should really be labelled 'Suck' but that's jsut my opinion.

However, the Tiny Terror looks to be a cool little amp. I've played a couple of decent Oranges and they were great. It's a great looking little amp too.

Tommy.

[NeoFauve]

It crossed my mind that they could appeal to a very different market segment if they called it the Clementine.

[stratcat55]

Yell03
The important thing is it doesn't really matter if your amp is a piece of string and a tin can, if it's the tone you were looking for it's all good.
Have fun with it and congrats on finding what you were looking for.
It beats the shit out of trading amps in every other month and still not being happy.

[yell03]

I tried a Tiny Terror out and it's really and interesting amp. I used to use Orange amps way back. The Tiny Terror has that distinctive 70's hard rock thing going for it.
I've seen all kinds of amps discussed on TFF besides Fender. Vox, Trayner, Mesa, Marshall, home brews. Gibson and other guitars are discussed on the forum too. That's why I keep coming back. It's interesting and informative.
I figure if I don't like the topic, I don't read or respond to it.

Exactly, you can always change the channel

No idea whether it's based in fact or not, but I've heard that the Tiny Terror is based on the AC15, with some extra gain.

I've heard people say they are similar

One thing it does have is a lot of gain.
Clean, it's a decent blues /rock amp, mostly because it's not a really clean amp. I'm not too much into a lot of gain.

It does GAIN very well, clean is GOOD, but not FENDER GOOD.
I love GAIN more than CLEAN.

I have no interest at all in getting a Tiny Terror, but jeeze...

People "spout on" about things they like. That's just what happens.

Usually people "spout on" about things they don't like after using that thing, rather than saying My thing is better, so yours sucks, and suggesting that a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT type of amp is what you should get, and you should build it yourself.

Exactly, I loved the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Clean, but since I am more in to GAIN I returned it. The Orange does clean well enough, but the Fender did not do GAIN to my liking.

I'm not into 'Gain' controls myself. They should really be labelled 'Suck' but that's jsut my opinion.

However, the Tiny Terror looks to be a cool little amp. I've played a couple of decent Oranges and they were great. It's a great looking little amp too.

Tommy.

GAIN hides all my mistakes, I need it.
Seriously, it is a High Quality little amp.

Yell03
The important thing is it doesn't really matter if your amp is a piece of string and a tin can, if it's the tone you were looking for it's all good.
Have fun with it and congrats on finding what you were looking for.
It beats the shit out of trading amps in every other month and still not being happy.

Now I can keep trading my guitars

Howard

[JAM]

Schematic here.

[Rickenjangle]

No idea whether it's based in fact or not, but I've heard that the Tiny Terror is based on the AC15, with some extra gain.

It's a great sounding little amp. I'd like one, with a 1x12 extension cabinet...but I didn't think it sounded much like the AC15. More '70's that '60's, if you ask me.

However, there's plenty of room in everyone's life for a nice little tone toy like that...

Too bad I had to sink 1000 into my car today...there goes my Economic Stimulus package...

[Kap'n]

Schematic here.

Very interesting. I dig the use of the ganged pot altering two gain stages at once, even though there's a giant bright cap that has got to cause one of the stages to really jump in volume.

They used a really small coupling cap to trim out bass in the first gain stage - a pretty brute force method. If I was working the circuit, I'd mess with more subtle sculpting of bypass caps and coupling caps together.

Big-ass bypass cap on the plate resistor. Probably gets rid of hiss/oscillaion, but I'd try a cap 1/10 that size first, or remove it. It's got to be sucking highs big-time.

Long tail phase inverter with cut control feeding what I'm guessing is a pair of cathode bias EL84s with no negative feedback. Definite Vox heritage there.

Post-PI master volume.


No choke, but no tube rectifier either - probably to cut costs. Wicked small resistor in place of the chokem and - even smaller than I might have used. Stiff filtering on the first pole. Probably pretty stout when driven hard.

[yell03]

It's a great sounding little amp. I'd like one, with a 1x12 extension cabinet...but I didn't think it sounded much like the AC15. More '70's that '60's, if you ask me.

However, there's plenty of room in everyone's life for a nice little tone toy like that...

Too bad I had to sink 1000 into my car today...there goes my Economic Stimulus package...

Tone Toy, I like that.

Right now I am wondering about buying a Reverb or delay pedal like the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, I am just afraid a digital effect will alter the great sound.



Howard

[stratcat55]

A good sounding amp really doesn't need reverb. Look at the 5e3. When I get to borrow my buddies 5e3, I feel like reverb would only pollute the tone. That's just me though. YMMV

[yell03]

A good sounding amp really doesn't need reverb. Look at the 5e3. When I get to borrow my buddies 5e3, I feel like reverb would only pollute the tone. That's just me though. YMMV

I agree 100%.

BTW, another non-Fender sidenote.

I traded my Gibson SG in for a Carvin DC400.
What a killer guitar, active or passive pups at the flick of a switch, single coil or humbucker at the flick of a switch, ebony board, wilkinson trem, Sperzel locking tuners, 24 frets, WOW!!!

I am just in heaven with anything I plug in to the Tiny Terror.

BTW, Southampton, PA in the house.

Howard

[Rickenjangle]

I love reverb as much as the next guy, but lately I've been using less and less. My amps are all British-style (except the lil' Gibson, which is essentially a tweed champ) and I find that for the most part, the 'verb is like the icing on an already-great cake - if you have more than a tiny bit, it's too much.

I'm thinking up schemes to afford a TT. Now I'm kind of sorry I jumped so quickly on the Gibson amp bandwagon a few months ago.

[yell03]

I love reverb as much as the next guy, but lately I've been using less and less. My amps are all British-style (except the lil' Gibson, which is essentially a tweed champ) and I find that for the most part, the 'verb is like the icing on an already-great cake - if you have more than a tiny bit, it's too much.

I'm thinking up schemes to afford a TT. Now I'm kind of sorry I jumped so quickly on the Gibson amp bandwagon a few months ago.

If you want one I can talk to Kevin at the Music store near about getting you the sanme screaming deal I did, + shipping of course.

Howard

[Rickenjangle]

If you want one I can talk to Kevin at the Music store near about getting you the sanme screaming deal I did, + shipping of course.

Howard

Thanks Howard, I appreciate it. However, I have to craigslist some stuff first. Plus, looking at the prices - well, I thought the amp was $300. At $400+, without cabinet, its not quite so exciting... I'll have to try it again at the store and see if I can get a pleasing clean tone out of it. See if it's worth it.

Heck, for the price of one of those plus a cabinet, I could get a HRDx...just kidding, I could probably get into a used DRRI.

[yell03]

Thanks Howard, I appreciate it. However, I have to craigslist some stuff first. Plus, looking at the prices - well, I thought the amp was $300. At $400+, without cabinet, its not quite so exciting... I'll have to try it again at the store and see if I can get a pleasing clean tone out of it. See if it's worth it.

Heck, for the price of one of those plus a cabinet, I could get a HRDx...just kidding, I could probably get into a used DRRI.

I hear you.

15w for $400 + $125 for a cab = $530, it doesn't seem like a bargain, but for me it was perfect. The only thing I heard that sounded as good or better was a 100w Marshall JCM2000 head pushing a 4x12 cabinet with Celestion Greenbacks, but I don't want to push those volumes.

The Tiny Terror actually is still too loud, but thankfully the gain sounds great so I can play it at low volumes.

If I didn't find this I would have probably went for the 1w Blackheart Killer Ant or the 5w Blackheart BH5H, at least that has a 3w switch, but no seperate gain, so chances are I'd need a distortion or overdrive pedal to get my sound.
For $300 including cabinet that would have been pretty nice too.

Howard

[boobtube21]

That thing sounds pretty cool man. Glad you found the sound you were looking for.

But what I really want to know is, how come they can't put it in the classic orange tolex box? I mean, for $400, would it kill 'em??

[yell03]

That thing sounds pretty cool man. Glad you found the sound you were looking for.

But what I really want to know is, how come they can't put it in the classic orange tolex box? I mean, for $400, would it kill 'em??

The Metal box actually looks cool, but for this sound it could have been ripped tolex and I would have been happy.

Howard

[boobtube21]

Well, that's all that really matters. Congrats on your purchase.

[yell03]

Exactly!

Howard

[yankeerob]

I don't mind people being happy with their amp - I just have a thing about how the Orange website refers to the Matamp factory as something Cliff Cooper bank-rolled when Radiocraft was already an established business with it's own brand, Matamp - before Orange was a music shop in London - they weren't a manufacturer whereas Radiocraft was and already had a top quality product - the allusion that Orange 'sportingly' marketed the 100W amps they ordered from Radiocraft as 'Orange/Matamp' is a paradox but then it would appear that Mr Cooper is prepared to say anything to further his own interests - I could quote anecdotes from associates who have had business dealings with him (some of whom are of the opinion that CC owed Radiocraft a considerable sum of money when they parted company) and even have a close personal friend who was signed to his record label - a 'ten foot pole' springs to my mind as something that might be of use... there is no mention of the fact that the Tiny Terror is made in China on the Orange website - it states in the FAQ that all Orange amps apart from the Crush series (made in Korea) are made in Essex - a statement that is clearly not true...

I suppose that might have something to do with my 'opinion' and I apologise for infringing upon the Constitution... I don't like EL-84s for a number of reasons anyway and an amp that comes in a steel box with an old rack handle on top just smacks as being what it is - another scam - if you're into the sound of it - rock on - oh and by the way - Paul Stanley derived his sound - both live and in the studio - from a BF Twin - it was in a 'fake' Marshall 4x12 and miked up... that's a fact

[NeoFauve]

Unless you make the effort to zoom in on available rear views of their amps, Fender doesn't celebrate the Chinese or Mexican origins of some of their hottest sellers.

[Kap'n]

The only amp I know that loudly and proudly states it's non-North American/European origin is Ceriatone.

I don't see many "MIC" labels on Celestions either.

[yankeerob]

No - not on the speakers themselves but my Hot 100's did have MIC stickers on the boxes - they don't - as you quite rightly point out -shout it from the rooftops - I suppose at the price I can't complain but they're not 100Wer's... I've found a company in Gt Yarmouth called Tayden Acoustics who'll make me whatever I want (and recone the 2 prs of EV's I have laying around in boxes for a miserly $90 ea. - Sound Speaker Repair do kits now for $60 but I'll give a pro the other 30 for doing the job right) and the Taydens come with alloy baskets to save a hell of a lot of weight... he doesn't do neo's but ceramic (about £28) or alnico (nearer the £75 mark) no probs...

Like I said previous - my opinion of Orange anything (apart from real ones...) and Marshall for that matter (have you ever seen the inside of a JCM2000? - what a pile) is tainted and I don't like EL84's anyway - also if the TT goes out at $450 Stateside then the £300 pricetag here is a bit questionable - and when you work out that they make a little and the dealer's got to get his cut then they can't cost very much to make... for my money if someone here wanted a little amp like that they could buy a Matamp Minimat for another £59 (inc tax and mainland delivery) that's almost entirely PTP wired, has a 6V6 in as standard but accepts a few other octal pentodes and comes in a variety of vinyl coverings - I personally think my little 1W wonder (thank you Guido) does a great job at small and when I get the line out sorted it'll be awesome into a bigger power amp

[CzarSketch]

can someone delete this guy? seriously, i can't browse at work if this is the sh*t spammers are pulling these days.

[pc]

can someone delete this guy? seriously, i can't browse at work if this is the sh*t spammers are pulling these days.

It's not a guy. They're automated. As I said elsewhere, I don't why a couple of them are targeting this thread as opposed to their usual MO of starting new threads.

We're currently being overrun by the spambots again after a period of relative respite.

Welcome to the Internet, I guess.

[Cogs]

I just deleted another spambot from this thread & I think it may have been attracted by the word "video" used in the thread title. Seeing that noone has posted to it in two months, & the thread was buried in the amp section, & that this was the third spammer to hit this particular thread I'm guessing that there was some sort of search conducted using certain terms.
I'm setting up a thread in the test area as bait to test my theory.

[phantomman]

Way-ell......(scratching chinny-chin-chin in feigned rumination)......

I know squat about "Tiny Terrors", "Dinky Dreads" or whatever.

But I do know that I did like the sound of real Orange Amps as used on the first three Wishbone Ash albums. I seen 'em live a few times an' those boys (Turner an' Powell) flat out kicked some serious ass. Strats, Flying Vs, Firebirds, LPs. Didn't matter much -- it all sounded great.

If'n that itty-bitty Orange thang sounds like them then I say it's money well spent. An' those who are disappointed in this gentleman's choice can sleep soundly knowin' it wasn't their money he invested.

Jus' mah 'pinion, y'unnerstan'......

I'll hafta be a warrior, a slave I'll never be
A soldier and a conqueror, fighting to be free!