The Orange 1970s Distortion is a distortion pedal from Orange, part of the company's first series of pedals released in the 1970s. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen notes that the range consisted of the Phazer, the Sustain and the Distortion, making this pedal one of three in the original line1. It belongs to the wider family of distortion pedals.
Circuit and design
The original pedal used a back-to-back diode design, the arrangement of clipping diodes that shapes how the circuit distorts the guitar signal. Curwen makes the distinction when comparing it against later versions of the Orange Distortion: "The original Orange Distortion pedal featured a back-to-back diode design, but not so for this one"1. That difference in clipping arrangement is what sets the 1970s circuit apart from the Orange Distortion that came after it.
The knobs
The knobs fitted to the 1970s pedals are a point of interest for collectors. The independent history site fuzzboxes.org writes that "The knobs might have been made by Schurter, and they're very similar (if not identical) to the knobs that were famously" fitted to Orange amplifiers of the same period2. In other words, the pedals carried the same style of knob that players associate with Orange amps from the era.
Rarity and the reissues
"These units weren't produced in large quantities and are now very rare."
Originals are scarce, and players looking for the 1970s circuit today generally encounter it through Orange's later reissues. The reissued distortion is covered on its own page at the Orange Vintage Distortion.
The 1970s original is a collector's piece rather than a working player's pedal, given how few units were made. The 2022 reissue adds modern conveniences the original never had.
Questions
Is the Orange 1970s Distortion still available?
No. The original units were not produced in large quantities in the 1970s and are now very rare, according to Guitar World's Trevor Curwen. Orange later returned to this territory with updated reissues of its 1970s pedal range, so players looking for the sound today would look to those modern versions rather than the original.
What other pedals were in the 1970s Orange range?
Guitar World notes that Orange had a series of pedals in the 1970s consisting of the Phazer, the Sustain and the Distortion. The Distortion was one part of that three-pedal line, and the series was later reissued as updated versions of the 1970s originals.
Sources (2)
- Orange Distortion review, Guitar World, 2022-11-17
- Arbiter Fuzz Face • Fuzzboxes, fuzzboxes.org, 2021-05-12
