Anyone use Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive?

mouthmw · #1 09-09-2011, 01:03 PM

I heard a few clips and read threads about it, and general consensus seems to be that it's on the milder side.
Does anyone use it as a dirt pedal with a nice ammount of hair?
How does the unmodified version work with bass? I heard some low end loss in clips.

Does it come anywhere near the grindy, high-mid clanky bite action of Darkglass Microtubes B3K? I know it's a long shot, but I'm gassing bad for B3K, and will probably get it but the sparkle drive in the classifieds is a hell of a lot cheaper.

DeltaPhoenix · #2 09-09-2011, 01:34 PM

Good luck emulating a B3K with a Sparkle Drive.....

rockstarbassist · #3 09-09-2011, 01:56 PM

Low to Med OD, kinda like a Tubescreamer, with similar low-end loss.

bassboysam · #4 09-09-2011, 05:10 PM

The SD is a great overdrive if you play through a tube head, like most tubescreamer type pedals.

It will not come close to the B3K which in my opinion is more of an OD simulator creating an overdriven sound in a clean amp. The SD is better to actually push your amp into overdrive to generate distortion from the tubes. The overdrive does cut the low end but you can get most of it back with it's clean blend.

2 very different pedals. The B3K will sound good at bedroom sound levels into a small or clean amp. The SD needs loud volumes and tubes to work it's magic.

bassicsax · #5 09-10-2011, 10:59 AM

i liked the sparkle drive when i was using my eden amp... i sold it when i got my pre fender swr because it didnt sound as good with it... i used it as a low gain od...

ocoaibass · #6 09-13-2011, 04:36 PM

I just got one off of a fellow TB'er, but won't get to fiddle with it until tomorrow. I'll let you know what I can get out of it. I'll be running it into a 300 watt, all tube head & at very loud volumes, so I should be able to see what it can do. It's stock, as far as I know, so can only speak to that, not the modded versions.

I'll be in touch.

That being said, I also got a Green Rhino (also from a TB'er, albeit a different one) & it will be pretty hard to beat! It's also a Tubescreamer type pedal. No blend knob, like the SD, but it does have a 100k boost/cut knob so I'm not losing any low end.