Orange releases King Comp compressor pedal
October 27, 2025 · 3 sources
Orange has released the King Comp, a compressor pedal built around a Class A VCA circuit and powered by an external 18V DC supply12. Guitar World reported the release on October 27, 2025, and said the pedal is available to order for $1792.
The pedal has four knobs: Volume, Compression level, Attack and Release2. Orange says the attack control sets how quickly compression engages, with faster times "squish the front of the note more quickly" and slower times adding punch as compression reacts on the note's tail1. It describes fast release times as giving higher perceived clean volume and more transparent compression, and slower release times as offering a "slower, mellower bloom"1. An onboard LED switches from blue to pink when compression is applied12.
Orange says the 18V supply provides greater headroom for hot pickups, basses and complex pedalboards, and that the pedal uses a buffered bypass to keep signal strength consistent when it is off1. The maker also says the King Comp suits bass rigs, "tightening up lows, adding presence, and keeping dynamics smooth and regular without robbing low-end power"1. Guitar World describes the pedal as built with hot pickups, bass guitars and complex pedalboards in mind2. The pedal face carries King Kong-inspired artwork, per Guitar World2.
"The King Comp pedal offers precise dynamic control with a musical feel that responds like a great amp."
Orange's page lists the UPC code as 50602991789601. The King Comp shares its name and King Kong theme with Orange's earlier Kongpressor, a 2017 pedal that Gearnews described as an analog Class A compression effect based on a vactrol VTL5C3 optocoupler with an internal charge pump maintaining 18V internally3. Orange's King Comp page describes a VCA circuit rather than an optocoupler design1.