Orange Micro Dark 20-watt Hybrid Guitar Head STUDIO PAK

Building on the overwhelming success of the acclaimed Dark Terror and Dual Dark amps, Orange has distilled thousands of customer demands into a pint-sized valve hybrid head – the Micro Dark.

The Micro Dark shares the same intuitive Shape control combined with a new ECC83 (12AX7)-driven high gain preamp section, yielding screaming dirty tones that make a mockery of its miniature frame. Like its bigger brothers, however, the Micro Dark’s smoky black chassis and simple layout actually disguise its cunning versatility.

Of course, there’s plenty of gain on tap to satisfy even the most discerning devotee of distortion, but this little beast is by no means just a one-trick Metal monster! Beneath the menacing exterior you’ll find a rich and diverse palette of classy and confident tones. From squeaky clean to brash and mean – whatever your style – you’re gonna love this thing.

Other features include a transparent, fully-buffered effects loop and a headphone output with Orange's popular CabSim circuitry. With the optional PPC108 cabinet, the Micro is an ideal practice rig… Plug into something a little larger, though, and you might find your new secret weapon in the studio!

Valve/solid State Hybrid Design

The Micro Dark sports a new high gain circuit which blends valve and solid state technology. The preamp uses a single ECC83 (12AX7) valve and produces a huge range of usable tones with warm cleans, smooth overdrive and immense, crushing distortion. Its robustly designed solid state output section means the Micro Dark can be paired with any 8-16 Ohm cabinet.

Shape Control

Orange's exclusive Shape control varies the midrange response whilst interacting with the bass and treble. Working from the 12 o’clock position, a subtle nudge to the left adds more midrange and smooths the highs. A clockwise notch or two reduces the mids and brightens the tone.

At the extremes the Shape’s effect becomes even more pronounced, especially as you begin to push the Gain control. A scooped, thrashy voicing with a ‘smiley face’ EQ is easily achieved in the fully clockwise position, whilst turning fully anticlockwise aggressively boosts the mids, for a more ‘classic’ bark.

Buffered Effects Loop

The Micro Dark’s fully buffered, low impedance loop allows for any number of effects and cables to be patched in without sacrificing tone. It’s incredibly transparent, meaning your pedal arsenal will perform at its absolute peak.

Cabsim Headphone Output

A popular feature on our Crush Series amps, the headphone output includes our CabSim circuitry which faithfully emulates the sound of a mic’d Orange 4×12″ cabinet loaded with our flagship Voice of the World speakers. Use headphones for silent practice or connect to a mixer/recording console to capture huge, authentic Orange tones in the studio.