Dark Terror

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Dark Terror

Postby Alain Benoit » Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:56 pm

In this week to replace the Mazz, see details here, is an Orange Dark Terror.
I've always wanted to hear one of these.

Image

A.
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Re: Dark Terror

Postby Scott DeVarenne » Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:42 am

It has less things.
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Re: Dark Terror

Postby Alain Benoit » Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:47 am

After jamming with it for a good stretch tonight I have to say that it is so far my favourite amp of this series.
It is NOT a one trick pony as I first assumed. It's a great freaking amp. I want one bad. I'll build one maybe someday.

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Re: Dark Terror

Postby Scott DeVarenne » Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:02 am

Oh, I got one- nasty things come in small packages. Here's another- With great gain comes great noise. Nothing unusual, noise-wise, there is just so much available gain that without a guitar plugged in you could use this amp as a white noise generator to drown out unpleasant conversation. So much gain that when you get this baby cooking, if you need to approach your cabinet, be warned that a hand across the guitar strings may not be enough to keep the squeals away. Best to turn the guitar volume down. Al described the tone as very British. I really see what he was getting at. Although there are similarities to a Marshall, sound-wise, the Dark Terror undeniably has its own unique flavour. Rich and fat would be appropriate adjectives. Very rock and roll. Two of the four 12a_7 are truly preamp tubes- that's four layers of yum. The other two are effects loop and phase inverter. I could be wrong, but I interpret that as meaning there are twice as many gain stages in this amp in comparision to many/most other under 20watt, under $800 amplifiers. Since I'm in the mood to make sweeping generalizations, I will declare that if you're looking for rich preamp overdrive, beyond just fizz, then more gain stages is usually better. I'm not crazy about the tone shape control (singular). My understanding is that it is a mid scoop control. Zero is flat, ten is most scooped. I might be wrong. Flat, if that's what it was, sounded off. Maybe I'm just not used to hearing my guitar flat. I found two, maybe three points on the control where things sounded somewhat pleasing/balanced to me, but there was no setting which felt like "ah, that's it". My kingdom for a three band EQ. Effects loop, awesome. 15 or 7 watts, awesome. I liked that turning the Volume from 50% to 80% resulted most notably in an increase in volume as opposed to a significant increase in overdrive and compression. I liked the DT enough to feel like I really, really want to check out the latest Orange lunchbox amp, the Jim Root #4 Terror. It's got a lot in common with the Dark Terror- single channel, tube configuration, oodles of gain, effects-loop and it looks very similar. But, it has a three band EQ (yay).
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