I have to record bass direct instead of miking up the amp (to avoid apartment eviction.) So I'm always looking for ways to "amp up" my bass tone and make it stick out more in the mix. I've been a long time SansAmp user but their overdrive sounds horrible going direct because there's no cab sim in those. I think it's time to upgrade to that pedal you got there. It's awesome and loaded with features. The Darkglass clean tone sounds a little plain to me. Maybe that's on purpose so you can add the overdrive and turn it into an SVT machine. Great video. You've convinced me to buy one!
You talk about using creatively using "different drives pedals" for different musical context. Could you maybe do a video what pedals you would use for those contexts? Would be quite educational.👍 Edit: and would also be nice opportunity to hear more pedals :)
@@HondoFelder Sure thing! I would enjoy to hear more of your musical endeavors, pedal usage, "bass timbre biodiversity" ;) ps. I also like that your pedal-videos start-out really to the point: we get to hear the pedal with your cool riffs early on the video. And i personally like that you have a calm presentation.🧘👍 pss. Have you heard of the Ashdown "Double Shot"? Im curious about the pedal ever since the "Triple Shot" version of that drive. They also have a "Retro Drive", FUZZ, "Pro drive". I think they could possible be something you would enjoy... (reviewing?😉👍) all the best
@@Thallishman Thanks for the kind words! Really appreciate it and it's very motivating 😁. I've reached out to a couple people at Ashdown a few times but they have ignored me lol. I definitely want to get some Ashdown stuff in here one day! Super interested in the drives and the amps. 🤔
This is my favorite Darkglass pedal. I think it's because it's the most natural or "old school" sounding (to my ear, anyway). That said, all I have is the Neural DSP sim of this. Not sure how accurate it is, but I love it.
Curious, which Beta variant? Also as a combo.. Do you stack them? i was curious about doing a Beta first then the VMT. You get the wooly warmness of the Beta, and the 'vintage hair' of the VMT
@@Thallishman it's the Beta mk2. I use it with the preamp mode to "growl" my clean sound or as a light OD (in OD mode of course). Then I have the Vintage Ultra with the clean channel always on. I use the distorsion channel as a dirty boost.
7:50 - Hard agree. This suggests to me that a Photon version of this circuit with its preset capability (and Compression knob or equivalent) would be extremely useful and cool. Just dreaming tho.
I used one in a country band for years. The eq is pretty modern sounding but it’s still very flexible. It does a really convincing tube amp emulation. I still use a vintage microtubes as a drive.
Just curious. What made you use the vintage microtubes as a drive? Is the drive on the vintage microtubes that better compared to that of the vintage ultra?
How would you compare the distortion engines of the Darkglass lineup to the MBD-2 you reviewed? I'm looking for a distortion pedal and everybody on talkbass is raving about the Damnation Audio stuff but Darkglass is basically the industry standard at this point. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. :)
That's super tough. I think the MBD2 is an incredible pedal and I dont think darkglass does anything that's exactly like that, but I also dont think the MBD2 can do darkglass sounds. To say the absolute least there is a tightness to the darkglass sounds in the low mids that the MBD2 cant really do the same way, and the darkglass stuff is "harder" sounding in the midrange. Maybe I need to do a video on this...🤔. I hope that answers your question some. If not, keep hitting me with questions here or in my discord!
Excellent demo of this pedal. One question, though, what if I want to have a more old-school vintage tone like Jamerson? Is that something this pedal can do?
With the right bass, cab sim, and EQ? Yup. I don't think the cabs that are on here will do that, but you can load a nice 15" IR and rock a P-ish bass with flats and you'll be on your way. It won't be EXACTLY the same tone, but it will def be in the motown ballpark. If you'd like to hear me give it a shot, give me a tune to mimic and i'll try to make a quick video!
Thank you for watching! I think the value depends on if you want all the features or not. If you do, id say yea it’s worth it. However, I wouldn’t say its a no brainer sound wise, so If you like the Sansamp sound, i say go for that instead. If you really like the darkglass sound, there are two cheaper versions of this pedal as well that ditch some features in exchange for price. Hope that was helpful. Would love to know what you end up doing!
For me personally I'd prefer the VT Bass for the sound, I could put my favorite drive in front of it, and that combo would be less money than the V Ultra However, I think for the cab sim catalog, the extra EQ functions, built in drive, all in one package, the value of the Ultra is definitely worth considering. I'm still torn between both options, myself. I'll have to get my hands on both and mess around before I make a final decision.
I dont understand how everyone gets the Vintage to sound so good. Mine sounds good too, but it gets very wooly instead of aggressive when I turn the drive up. I suspect its because of my amp setup
Yea your amp and bass set up can definitely have a massive impact with this pedal! If you're using really hot pickups or an active bass, sometimes the signal is too hot and mushes (technical term 🧐) the drive sound as well. Hopefully you find settings that work out for you! 🤘🏽
@@HondoFelder I bought the pedal both for the tones and for the EQ. I play through an HX Stomp that goes out to either a Blackstar unity powered combo amp (through the fx return) or a FR monitor/PA split to FOH. I wanted a pedal that would either supplement or replace my stomp chains for some of the band's 60s and 70s covers. I jumped on the V3 because it was newer and the control options were easier for me to understand. I didn't realize that what I really wanted was the always on EQ with drive toggle. I can get a general tone I like for everything but then I have to turn a knob with my foot or try (and fail) to stack drives for songs that need a switchable drive effect. Really I bought two items that have more power than I need and don't fit my situation. I tried to cover for the fact that I haven't taken the time to really learn how to dig into the stomp and a vintage ultra could easily replace it for most of my gigs. Still, with more time to figure it out and a little more engagement on Janek's discord I can probably get it worked out
Makes total sense. I recently became a stomp user myself! I must say, drives are the one area where it sounds flat out awful to me. It's pretty solid at just about everything else though. Ridiculously cool pedal.
Oooo tough call. I think i'd take the ADAM for any heavier music, and the VU for everything else. The multiband comp on the ADAM just makes things so easy to dial in for a modern hard-rock/metal sound. The VU is much easier to slot into most of my other playing situations. That said, i just got bought and X7, and that immediately took over distortion duties in my current main original project! It (the project) is on the heavy side but more in the vein of stuff like tool. the X7 was magic. I'd be struggling to pick between the ADAM and the VU for this one!
@@PhilosophicalCat Yes and it's super badass! I haven't done a serious test yet, but from my memory i think that one is the biggest sounding and best inclined for the bass being the star of the song, which kinda makes sense. But like with all the DG pedals, the EQ is hugely important and can help it get a little more versatile. It can get pretty filthy on the Omega side for a modern almost fuzz-like sound as well. Just a killer pedal overall.
@@HondoFelder I'd definitely check that demo out. I've been really curious about how it sounds on low-gain settings and for styles other than metal. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to metal but I keep hearing about how versatile the Alpha Omega Ultra really is.
Turn the bass down? How dare you suggest such a thing?! 🤣. Sure I'll test that out in the next video if you promise to come back and let me know what you think 🤙🏽
I would say that is very unlikely. The emphasized frequency ranges of the pedal are not in good places for (non-nylon) acoustic and would probably make it sound pretty harsh.
@@HondoFelder your probably right, I use Tech 21 Parametric equalizer UADs Golden reverberatory and the Cali 76 on my acoustic and I am hooked on how good it sounds so discovering new sounds is addicting I’ll probably buy it and I’ll let you know in two months…
@@The_Penny_Seventeens Just for anyone reading this months later, I'm currently experimenting with the Vintage Ultra on my electric guitars and would say... there are DEFINITELY some cool / beautiful sounds to get out of it, but the number of "sweet spots" on the settings is dramatically decreased. This is absolutely a pedal tuned for the electric bass, not for any kind of guitar, and the range of knob settings and sweet spots totally reflects this (to my ears) Still, it's always fun to get creative! bet this pedal will be massive on my modular synth basses :D
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I have to record bass direct instead of miking up the amp (to avoid apartment eviction.) So I'm always looking for ways to "amp up" my bass tone and make it stick out more in the mix. I've been a long time SansAmp user but their overdrive sounds horrible going direct because there's no cab sim in those. I think it's time to upgrade to that pedal you got there. It's awesome and loaded with features. The Darkglass clean tone sounds a little plain to me. Maybe that's on purpose so you can add the overdrive and turn it into an SVT machine. Great video. You've convinced me to buy one!
THANK YOU what a great review, best review of this on youtube.
Thank you for watching. So glad you dug it!
Awesome review dude, genuinely one of the best I’ve seen in ages. Super informative, format and pacing was great too.
Much appreciated my friend! Thanks for watching!! 🙏🏽
I just ordered 1 because of this review. Great vid.
Thanks for that in-depth review! I can't wait for its plugin to arrive on the Quad Cortex!
Same here! Will definitely do an AB.
Very good review
This is a really cool review, Well done!!!!!
Thanks for watching!
Man that Seldon 6er looks awesome.
Dude this thing is sooooo awesome. I'll eventually end up doing a review on it 🤘🏽
You talk about using creatively using "different drives pedals" for different musical context. Could you maybe do a video what pedals you would use for those contexts? Would be quite educational.👍
Edit: and would also be nice opportunity to hear more pedals :)
That's a cool idea! I didn't think anyone would care about my opinions on that lol.
I 2nd this idea. I would be interested! Great video as always btw.
@@HondoFelder Sure thing! I would enjoy to hear more of your musical endeavors, pedal usage, "bass timbre biodiversity" ;)
ps. I also like that your pedal-videos start-out really to the point: we get to hear the pedal with your cool riffs early on the video. And i personally like that you have a calm presentation.🧘👍
pss. Have you heard of the Ashdown "Double Shot"? Im curious about the pedal ever since the "Triple Shot" version of that drive. They also have a "Retro Drive", FUZZ, "Pro drive". I think they could possible be something you would enjoy... (reviewing?😉👍)
all the best
@@Thallishman Thanks for the kind words! Really appreciate it and it's very motivating 😁. I've reached out to a couple people at Ashdown a few times but they have ignored me lol. I definitely want to get some Ashdown stuff in here one day! Super interested in the drives and the amps. 🤔
Love your review vids, always spot on.
This is my favorite Darkglass pedal. I think it's because it's the most natural or "old school" sounding (to my ear, anyway). That said, all I have is the Neural DSP sim of this. Not sure how accurate it is, but I love it.
I have this one and the Beta from SGFx. It's a huge combo. Very versatile! Thanks for this excellent review!
What a pair!
Curious, which Beta variant? Also as a combo.. Do you stack them? i was curious about doing a Beta first then the VMT. You get the wooly warmness of the Beta, and the 'vintage hair' of the VMT
@@Thallishman it's the Beta mk2. I use it with the preamp mode to "growl" my clean sound or as a light OD (in OD mode of course). Then I have the Vintage Ultra with the clean channel always on. I use the distorsion channel as a dirty boost.
MBD-2 and Golden Guillotine?
MBD-2, solid gold beta
Nice review!- Brent
Thanks! Lots more darkglass stuff comin down the pipe. 🤘🏽
Super versatile
7:50 - Hard agree. This suggests to me that a Photon version of this circuit with its preset capability (and Compression knob or equivalent) would be extremely useful and cool. Just dreaming tho.
Wow with the release of the Infinity I guess I wasn't dreaming after all!
I used one in a country band for years. The eq is pretty modern sounding but it’s still very flexible. It does a really convincing tube amp emulation. I still use a vintage microtubes as a drive.
Nice!
Just curious. What made you use the vintage microtubes as a drive? Is the drive on the vintage microtubes that better compared to that of the vintage ultra?
@@khupsukte7853 it’s the same. I use a different preamp now that doesn’t have a drive.
I wish my bass tone was as smooth as a Hondo presentation
Only you can pull off a sweater like that……great review as always. The ladies be ordering hondo posters for there walls.
HA!
MBD-2 and ModelFet
How would you compare the distortion engines of the Darkglass lineup to the MBD-2 you reviewed? I'm looking for a distortion pedal and everybody on talkbass is raving about the Damnation Audio stuff but Darkglass is basically the industry standard at this point. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. :)
That's super tough. I think the MBD2 is an incredible pedal and I dont think darkglass does anything that's exactly like that, but I also dont think the MBD2 can do darkglass sounds. To say the absolute least there is a tightness to the darkglass sounds in the low mids that the MBD2 cant really do the same way, and the darkglass stuff is "harder" sounding in the midrange. Maybe I need to do a video on this...🤔. I hope that answers your question some. If not, keep hitting me with questions here or in my discord!
Excellent demo of this pedal. One question, though, what if I want to have a more old-school vintage tone like Jamerson? Is that something this pedal can do?
With the right bass, cab sim, and EQ? Yup. I don't think the cabs that are on here will do that, but you can load a nice 15" IR and rock a P-ish bass with flats and you'll be on your way. It won't be EXACTLY the same tone, but it will def be in the motown ballpark. If you'd like to hear me give it a shot, give me a tune to mimic and i'll try to make a quick video!
Great review - thanks! Is it worth the hefty price tag? I am also looking at the VT Bass Tech 21 from SansAmp, which is half the price
Thank you for watching! I think the value depends on if you want all the features or not. If you do, id say yea it’s worth it. However, I wouldn’t say its a no brainer sound wise, so If you like the Sansamp sound, i say go for that instead. If you really like the darkglass sound, there are two cheaper versions of this pedal as well that ditch some features in exchange for price. Hope that was helpful. Would love to know what you end up doing!
For me personally I'd prefer the VT Bass for the sound, I could put my favorite drive in front of it, and that combo would be less money than the V Ultra However, I think for the cab sim catalog, the extra EQ functions, built in drive, all in one package, the value of the Ultra is definitely worth considering. I'm still torn between both options, myself. I'll have to get my hands on both and mess around before I make a final decision.
I dont understand how everyone gets the Vintage to sound so good. Mine sounds good too, but it gets very wooly instead of aggressive when I turn the drive up. I suspect its because of my amp setup
Yea your amp and bass set up can definitely have a massive impact with this pedal! If you're using really hot pickups or an active bass, sometimes the signal is too hot and mushes (technical term 🧐) the drive sound as well. Hopefully you find settings that work out for you! 🤘🏽
More and more I'm realizing I should've bought the ultra v2 instead of the deluxe v3. Staying optimistic though, I'm still dialing it in
What makes you say that? Very interested to know.
@@HondoFelder I bought the pedal both for the tones and for the EQ. I play through an HX Stomp that goes out to either a Blackstar unity powered combo amp (through the fx return) or a FR monitor/PA split to FOH. I wanted a pedal that would either supplement or replace my stomp chains for some of the band's 60s and 70s covers. I jumped on the V3 because it was newer and the control options were easier for me to understand. I didn't realize that what I really wanted was the always on EQ with drive toggle. I can get a general tone I like for everything but then I have to turn a knob with my foot or try (and fail) to stack drives for songs that need a switchable drive effect. Really I bought two items that have more power than I need and don't fit my situation. I tried to cover for the fact that I haven't taken the time to really learn how to dig into the stomp and a vintage ultra could easily replace it for most of my gigs. Still, with more time to figure it out and a little more engagement on Janek's discord I can probably get it worked out
Makes total sense. I recently became a stomp user myself! I must say, drives are the one area where it sounds flat out awful to me. It's pretty solid at just about everything else though. Ridiculously cool pedal.
Great demo Hondo! Between this and the ADAM, do you have a preference?
Oooo tough call. I think i'd take the ADAM for any heavier music, and the VU for everything else. The multiband comp on the ADAM just makes things so easy to dial in for a modern hard-rock/metal sound. The VU is much easier to slot into most of my other playing situations. That said, i just got bought and X7, and that immediately took over distortion duties in my current main original project! It (the project) is on the heavy side but more in the vein of stuff like tool. the X7 was magic. I'd be struggling to pick between the ADAM and the VU for this one!
@@HondoFelder thanks for the thoughtful response! Have you tried the Alpha Omega Ultra? That one's at the top of my list of pedals
@@PhilosophicalCat Yes and it's super badass! I haven't done a serious test yet, but from my memory i think that one is the biggest sounding and best inclined for the bass being the star of the song, which kinda makes sense. But like with all the DG pedals, the EQ is hugely important and can help it get a little more versatile. It can get pretty filthy on the Omega side for a modern almost fuzz-like sound as well. Just a killer pedal overall.
@@HondoFelder I'd definitely check that demo out. I've been really curious about how it sounds on low-gain settings and for styles other than metal. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to metal but I keep hearing about how versatile the Alpha Omega Ultra really is.
Nice review! Can you please turn your voice up or the bass sounds down? There is a big difference between the two volumes in your videos. Thanks!
Turn the bass down? How dare you suggest such a thing?! 🤣. Sure I'll test that out in the next video if you promise to come back and let me know what you think 🤙🏽
@@HondoFelder hahaha!! Of course I will let you know ✨🤘
I am curious if this would be a good pedal for acoustic guitar...?
I would say that is very unlikely. The emphasized frequency ranges of the pedal are not in good places for (non-nylon) acoustic and would probably make it sound pretty harsh.
@@HondoFelder your probably right, I use Tech 21 Parametric equalizer UADs Golden reverberatory and the Cali 76 on my acoustic and I am hooked on how good it sounds so discovering new sounds is addicting I’ll probably buy it and I’ll let you know in two months…
@@The_Penny_Seventeens Just for anyone reading this months later, I'm currently experimenting with the Vintage Ultra on my electric guitars and would say... there are DEFINITELY some cool / beautiful sounds to get out of it, but the number of "sweet spots" on the settings is dramatically decreased. This is absolutely a pedal tuned for the electric bass, not for any kind of guitar, and the range of knob settings and sweet spots totally reflects this (to my ears)
Still, it's always fun to get creative! bet this pedal will be massive on my modular synth basses :D
Unfortunately darkglass jacked there prices up recently….
Everyone is sadly. Manufacturing is killing a lot of companies due to scarcity and what not. No bueno. 😔