Orange Jim Root Terror

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 4:15 pm

I wish I bought one of these a long time ago! I've been half heartedly looking for a few months, and this one finally popped up and wasn't outrageously priced. I jumped on it and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's enough for a gig (At least, not with any drummers I know) but it's a very loud 15 watts. Gain for days, but it cleans up ok too. It has a three band EQ instead of just the shape knob you get on the Dark Terror and TH amps. It really does have the feel of the Rockerverb in a small package.

GreenKnee · Post by **GreenKnee** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 4:38 pm

Very nice! After playing a friend's Rockerverb I've fallen in love with the meaty Orange sound. Trying to convince myself a dual-amp rig with a Twin Reverb would somehow be necessary, but I'm not sure my ear drums are agreeing with me

Post by **dots** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 4:46 pm

looks awesome! i bet some smaller gigs it could do fine for, or at least some rehearsals. how well does it take pedals?

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:01 pm

dots wrote:how well does it take pedals?

I haven't run any through it yet, but it has an FX loop. I should try that out later. I suspect the classic Tiny Terror, or even the Hinds Terror would make better pedal platforms.

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:01 pm

Cool amp. You don't think it would be loud enough through the 4x12" if you didn't need any clean sounds?

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:01 pm

Fakir Mustache wrote:Cool amp. You don't think it would be loud enough through the 4x12" if you didn't need any clean sounds?

It's loud with a 4x12, but from my past experiences practicing in a garage and playing punk rock stages around the country, 25-30 watts is what I always found to be the lowest I could get away with in a full band. Unless you're talking about a venue with a great PA you can run everything into. Besides just being heard over the drums, the bassist is going to steal some of the spectrum, and if there's another guitarist they will too. I don't think you'd stand out much, even with all the mids from an Orange.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:08 pm

Nice amp, always thought they looked/sounded like they would be good. Nearly got one once for practicality and ease of practicing, but I was just being lazy as I have a Rockerverb.

GreenKnee, the dual amp setup with a Twin is clearly a great idea - do it!!

GreenKnee · Post by **GreenKnee** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:56 pm

Thom wrote:GreenKnee, the dual amp setup with a Twin is clearly a great idea - do it!!

Imagine how huge that would sound... leaving the Orange to handle the dirt/fuzz and the Twin underneath for clarity and modulation fx.

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 7:42 pm

GreenKnee wrote:Imagine how huge that would sound... leaving the Orange to handle the dirt/fuzz and the Twin underneath for clarity and modulation fx.

Yes, now you have to do it. I've actually been keeping an eye on The Twin/Evil Twins lately just in case I see something I can't pass up. They always go for less than the more desirable Twin Reverbs, and I like the idea of a Twin with a little more dirt. Gear prices are generally inflated right now but I've found some amazing deals.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 8:13 am

SAVEStheDAY wrote:
GreenKnee wrote:Imagine how huge that would sound... leaving the Orange to handle the dirt/fuzz and the Twin underneath for clarity and modulation fx.
Yes, now you have to do it. I've actually been keeping an eye on The Twin/Evil Twins lately just in case I see something I can't pass up. They always go for less than the more desirable Twin Reverbs, and I like the idea of a Twin with a little more dirt. Gear prices are generally inflated right now but I've found some amazing deals.

Be careful with those amps, my The Twin was the only unreliable amp I've ever owned.

kingkiller · Post by **kingkiller** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 8:24 am

Does it have the Micro Terror footprint? IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m just wondering bc my Micro Terror is 20 watts, and if thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s 15, then maybe extra gain stages or the effects loop took up space and they had to reduce wattage? (Can you tell I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know very much about amplifier engineering) Looks cool as hell either way!

Freddy V-C · Post by **Freddy V-C** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 10:08 am

kingkiller wrote:Does it have the Micro Terror footprint? IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m just wondering bc my Micro Terror is 20 watts, and if thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s 15, then maybe extra gain stages or the effects loop took up space and they had to reduce wattage? (Can you tell I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know very much about amplifier engineering) Looks cool as hell either way!

AFAIK the Micro Terror is solid state, and this amp is a variation on the Tiny Terror which is 15 watts tube, so not really comparable. The Tiny Terror is pretty small but still larger than the Micro Terror, same with its variants.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:10 am

Freddy V-C wrote:
kingkiller wrote:Does it have the Micro Terror footprint? IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m just wondering bc my Micro Terror is 20 watts, and if thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s 15, then maybe extra gain stages or the effects loop took up space and they had to reduce wattage? (Can you tell I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know very much about amplifier engineering) Looks cool as hell either way!
AFAIK the Micro Terror is solid state, and this amp is a variation on the Tiny Terror which is 15 watts tube, so not really comparable. The Tiny Terror is pretty small but still larger than the Micro Terror, same with its variants.

Correct.

Freddy V-C · Post by **Freddy V-C** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:23 pm

Also FWIW, I used to gig/rehearse with a Tiny Terror from 2010 to 2012, competing against a heavy-handed drummer, a bass player and another guitarist. Regardless of cab size, it always seemed to fall just slightly short of how loud I wanted it, although it was adequate. Considering at that time I used public transport to get to most gigs, being slightly too quiet was an okay trade-off for the convenience of using a tiny amp.

kingkiller · Post by **kingkiller** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:22 pm

Freddy V-C wrote:
kingkiller wrote:Does it have the Micro Terror footprint? IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m just wondering bc my Micro Terror is 20 watts, and if thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s 15, then maybe extra gain stages or the effects loop took up space and they had to reduce wattage? (Can you tell I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know very much about amplifier engineering) Looks cool as hell either way!
AFAIK the Micro Terror is solid state, and this amp is a variation on the Tiny Terror which is 15 watts tube, so not really comparable. The Tiny Terror is pretty small but still larger than the Micro Terror, same with its variants.

Ah yes. At like 4am my time, I completely forgot that the power stage was solid state lol

Freddy V-C · Post by **Freddy V-C** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:09 pm

Does it have a tube preamp? Interesting.

I always feel like it should be the other way around for hybrid amps. I can't imagine many people choosing a hybrid amp for any reason other than budgetary (not to say that tube amps are inherently better than solid state, but why compromise in either direction if you can afford not to?), and in my experience guitarists on a budget are much more likely to be concerned about volume than ~tone~.

But I digress.

kingkiller · Post by **kingkiller** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:14 pm

Freddy V-C wrote:Does it have a tube preamp? Interesting.

I always feel like it should be the other way around for hybrid amps. I can't imagine many people choosing a hybrid amp for any reason other than budgetary (not to say that tube amps are inherently better than solid state, but why compromise in either direction if you can afford not to?), and in my experience guitarists on a budget are much more likely to be concerned about volume than ~tone~.

But I digress.

Yes, the preamp is tube. I was maybe 17 when I got it? And it was for budget reasons. It was the only Ã¢â‚¬Å“real ampÃ¢â‚¬Â� I could afford, and I really didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t start using it at home until I sold my cheap combo and got a 1x12 and everything.

SAVEStheDAY · Post by **SAVEStheDAY** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:34 pm

Freddy V-C wrote:Does it have a tube preamp? Interesting.

I always feel like it should be the other way around for hybrid amps.

Music Man actually had some hybrid designs with tube power sections and solid state preamps. It sounds to me like it would be a better solution. The cost savings over a "Real" tube amp might just not be there since nobody else has really played around with that idea. Or maybe they just sounded bad. I dunno.

kingkiller · Post by **kingkiller** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 8:33 pm

SAVEStheDAY wrote:
Freddy V-C wrote:Does it have a tube preamp? Interesting.

I always feel like it should be the other way around for hybrid amps.
Music Man actually had some hybrid designs with tube power sections and solid state preamps. It sounds to me like it would be a better solution. The cost savings over a "Real" tube amp might just not be there since nobody else has really played around with that idea. Or maybe they just sounded bad. I dunno.

I would be interested to see it scaled up, it seems like a lot of the hybrid stuff is marketed as Ã¢â‚¬Å“bedroomÃ¢â‚¬Â� amps bc Tube Toanz at lower volumes, but if having a solid state power section and tube preamp means that the product is affordable for working musicians and can approximate the sound or volume of a full tube amp, then theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d have my purchase for sure. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m also sure that tone is subjective, blues lawyers like their amps to be full of glass, and amplifier manufacturers know both of those things and aim at that market for higher output amps. I didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t know about the Music Man amps either, which IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sure also means that other hybrid options do exist and IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m just not aware

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 10:18 pm

Freddy V-C wrote:Does it have a tube preamp? Interesting.

I always feel like it should be the other way around for hybrid amps. I can't imagine many people choosing a hybrid amp for any reason other than budgetary (not to say that tube amps are inherently better than solid state, but why compromise in either direction if you can afford not to?), and in my experience guitarists on a budget are much more likely to be concerned about volume than ~tone~.

But I digress.

The Micro Terror? It's like a hybrid preamp, two valve stages and two solid-state stages. Sounds great with pedals though, I set it mostly clean then add pedals. Doesn't really sound solid-state, but the low end is pretty tight and it's quite loud.

The thing is the mids are quite boosted, but you can cut them on the dirt pedal or add an eq pedal.

The built in distortion is ok for crunchy stuff, but not for my style really.