The Orange Getaway Driver is an analog overdrive pedal built as an amp-in-a-box: a whole cranked 70s Orange amp voiced into a single stompbox. Orange describes it as inspired by cranked 70s Orange amps, with bold gain, a touch-sensitive feel and natural compression, and calls it "gritty, dynamic, and packed with character, the perfect tool for vintage-style gain"1. It is more than a drive box, though: RockBoard's PedalPedia lists it as overdrive, cab sim, preamp and buffer in one2, and its second output lets it feed a PA or recording interface without an amp at all.
A vintage Orange amp in a box
Orange's own pitch is an amp in pedal form: "Inspired by cranked 70s Orange amps: bold gain, touch-sensitive feel, and natural compression"1. The saturation is based on the Orange Rockerverb, according to gearnews.com7, and Pedal of the Day frames it as based on classic amp tones from the 70s4. Orange had entered the stompbox market a few years before the pedal's release, as Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio noted3.
The build is substantial. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis found "these are hefty metal units with massive blue status LEDs and side recesses to protect the input and output jacks", with the three knobs tucked near the top of the enclosure6.
Controls and the CabSim output
The front panel is deliberately simple: three white knobs covering volume, gain and bite, where bite is the tone control64. Orange describes the EQ as active, so the pedal "responds just like an amp: touch-sensitive, dynamic, and full of growl"1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets output level6 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive6 |
| Bite | Tone control, active EQ16 |
| Internal push-push switch | Tames the treble in the 20kHz zone, accessed under the baseplate6 |
The second output is the pedal's party trick. It is a buffered CabSim and headphone amp output35 that emulates a miked Orange 4x12 cabinet, and because it runs alongside the regular amp output, both can be used at once, blending a miked amp and a direct signal1. Delicious Audio notes it "can also work into a PA (via a DI box) or directly into a recording interface"3. Pedal of the Day describes the 1/4-inch jack labeled with a headphones icon as doing much more than practice duty, working as a cab simulator output that can plug straight into a recording interface4.
Under the baseplate there is a push-push switch that tames the treble in the 20kHz zone, and flipping the internal preamp mode changes what the main output is for. Unscrewing the baseplate is required to reach it6.
Preamp mode
Flip the internal switch to preamp mode and the pedal's output is optimized for running straight into a power amp or FX return, bypassing the front end of an amp entirely1. That, plus the CabSim output, makes the Getaway Driver usable as a preamp into anything from a valve power stage to an interface. Guitar World also noted a voicing difference with supply voltage: running it at 12V "gives it a EL34 flavor"5.
How the circuit works
The Getaway Driver is analog throughout2. The gain structure is produced using single-ended JFET circuitry running in Class A, just like a valve amp, as both Delicious Audio and Pedal of the Day describe it34. Around that sit an input buffer and an output buffer plus the CabSim, all handled using op-amps, with an internal charge pump giving 18V of headroom7. Orange specifies that the pedal runs internally at 18V for extra headroom and dynamic range while being powered by a standard 9 to 12 V DC supply, drawing 30 mA at 9V1.
What reviewers found
MusicRadar's verdict was that "both the amount of volume on tap and the warmth of the clipping leave plenty of scope for combinations that will work with any amp volume and clipping"8. Pedal of the Day called it an overdrive pedal that is also versatile, with a load of sounds, output choices and classic rock and roll tones, but noted that despite the familiar Volume, Gain and Bite controls, "this pedal sounds…different" from a typical overdrive4.
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Questions
What does the headphone jack on the Orange Getaway Driver do?
The 1/4-inch jack labeled with a headphones icon is more than a practice output. It carries the pedal's CabSim signal, which emulates a miked Orange 4x12 cabinet, and Pedal of the Day notes it can be plugged directly into a recording interface as well as used for silent practice with headphones.
Can the Getaway Driver go straight into a mixer or interface?
Yes. The second output is a buffered CabSim and headphone amp that Delicious Audio says can work into a PA through a DI box or directly into a recording interface. The CabSim output emulates a miked Orange 4x12 cab and runs alongside the regular amp output, so both can be used at once.
What does the Bite knob do on the Getaway Driver?
Bite is the pedal's tone control. Guitar.com's reviewer describes the three white knobs as volume, gain and bite (tone), and Orange describes the EQ as active, so the pedal responds like an amp: touch-sensitive, dynamic and full of growl.
Is the Orange Getaway Driver a JFET circuit?
Yes. Both Delicious Audio and Pedal of the Day report that the gain structure is produced using single-ended JFET circuitry running in Class A, just like a valve amp. The pedal is analog throughout, with op-amp buffers and an internal charge pump that runs the circuit at 18V.
What kind of tones does the Getaway Driver make?
Orange describes it as gritty, dynamic and packed with character, a tool for vintage-style gain inspired by cranked 70s Orange amps. Pedal of the Day calls it versatile, with a load of sounds, output choices and classic rock and roll tones, and notes it sounds different from a typical overdrive despite familiar controls.
Sources (8)
- Getaway Driver Overdrive Pedal, Orange Music Electronic Co Ltd
- Getaway Driver by Orange, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Orange Getaway Driver Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2019-03-27
- Orange Amps Getaway Driver Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-11-08
- Orange Amplification Launches Fur Coat and Getaway Driver Pedals, Guitar World, 2017-08-28
- Orange Getaway Driver & Fur Coat Review, Guitar.com, 2017-11-27
- Orange launch Getaway Driver and Fur Coat Fuzz pedals, gearnews.com, 2017-08-25
- Orange Getaway Driver review, MusicRadar, 2017-12-11
