Darkglass B3K OR B7K

[Envincibal]

Update... turns out the issue I was experiencing was due to the 9-volt adapter, and going with Doug's and Spencer's suggestion of the 1spot, I am very happy and quite impressed with the B7K.

I haven't used it in a live setting (yet), but have for some recordings, and the results are very nice. I play metal (roots in Maiden, Dream Theater, Sabbath, etc for the original material), and I've never used any type of overdrive/distortion/grit, but this pedal worked out very nicely, just adding a bit of grit to my sound, and not only sits nicely in the mix, but cuts through with very little adjustment in the recording/mixing environment. I kept the settings at noon, grunt on thin and attack set flat, and there's this bit of crisp growl that makes the bass really come alive and far from harsh - it just works (btw, my signal chain for recording:
Modified Pedulla T-bolt --> B7K --> ISP Beta preamp --> Presonus --> PC w/Audition CS 6).

The tonal arsenal from this pedal is pretty amazing, and most of you already know that, and those of you who don't, take a look at the youTube demos - it does all that and more. I'm looking forward to jamming with some friends and see how it works with my live rig (I don't think I'll be disappointed).

[Filip Burdon]

I as bass od/distortion fan, am really pleased with the B3K. I took me a while befoure I got my sound out of it, but when I found it, the b3k become my nr. 1 pedal.
I'm using the polsih Taurus Abigar, Aguilar Agro, el grande bass fuzz, VT bass v2...and from all of those the b3k got most raves from different musicans and people that have hered it on different stages here in Poland.
A famous polish guitar maker Jacek "Nexus" Kobylski was very impressed by its sound.
Mariusz Kumala from Closterkeller, said he hasn't heard such a good bass OD since the 80's.

I also have to say that the way DK treats customers is outstanding, and it's a pleasure to make bisness with them.

Now I have some spare money and I'm thinking about upgrading my B3K to B7K, and I have a little question here. Does the eq on the b7k affect my sound when the b7k is turned off, or?

Just to give a little sample of how I like my B3K to sound, here's a pre-mastering version of a song by my band (Poligon nr.4 - http://www.facebook.com/poligonnr4) recorded on an album "Po drugiej stronie lustra - Tribute to Closterkeller", which will come out in January. It's a cover of their song "Tyziphone".

http://www.anja.pl/tyzimix2.mp3

[Darkglass]

Originally Posted by Envincibal

Update... turns out the issue I was experiencing was due to the 9-volt adapter, and going with Doug's and Spencer's suggestion of the 1spot, I am very happy and quite impressed with the B7K.

I haven't used it in a live setting (yet), but have for some recordings, and the results are very nice. I play metal (roots in Maiden, Dream Theater, Sabbath, etc for the original material), and I've never used any type of overdrive/distortion/grit, but this pedal worked out very nicely, just adding a bit of grit to my sound, and not only sits nicely in the mix, but cuts through with very little adjustment in the recording/mixing environment. I kept the settings at noon, grunt on thin and attack set flat, and there's this bit of crisp growl that makes the bass really come alive and far from harsh - it just works (btw, my signal chain for recording:
Modified Pedulla T-bolt --> B7K --> ISP Beta preamp --> Presonus --> PC w/Audition CS 6).

The tonal arsenal from this pedal is pretty amazing, and most of you already know that, and those of you who don't, take a look at the youTube demos - it does all that and more. I'm looking forward to jamming with some friends and see how it works with my live rig (I don't think I'll be disappointed).

Great to hear you got it sorted out!
A good power supply is great for optimum pedal performance! Thanks also for the detailed testimony.

Originally Posted by Filip Burdon

I as bass od/distortion fan, am really pleased with the B3K. I took me a while befoure I got my sound out of it, but when I found it, the b3k become my nr. 1 pedal.
I'm using the polsih Taurus Abigar, Aguilar Agro, el grande bass fuzz, VT bass v2...and from all of those the b3k got most raves from different musicans and people that have hered it on different stages here in Poland.
A famous polish guitar maker Jacek "Nexus" Kobylski was very impressed by its sound.
Mariusz Kumala from Closterkeller, said he hasn't heard such a good bass OD since the 80's.

I also have to say that the way DK treats customers is outstanding, and it's a pleasure to make bisness with them.

Now I have some spare money and I'm thinking about upgrading my B3K to B7K, and I have a little question here. Does the eq on the b7k affect my sound when the b7k is turned off, or?

Just to give a little sample of how I like my B3K to sound, here's a pre-mastering version of a song by my band (Poligon nr.4 - http://www.facebook.com/poligonnr4) recorded on an album "Po drugiej stronie lustra - Tribute to Closterkeller", which will come out in January. It's a cover of their song "Tyziphone".

http://www.anja.pl/tyzimix2.mp3

That's great stuff mate!
I am very glad to hear that you are pleased with our service!

Kind regards,
Doug.

[Stevosimpson]

I have a rackmount sansamp rbi, this has a ton of preamp shaping abilities and xlr out, do you guys see any reason for the B7K over the B3K in this case?

Also I totally would dig one of those darkglass shirts for live!

[falconspatriots]

Just bought a B7K after having a B3K for the last 6 months. The EQ takes this pedal for just a distortion pedal to MY distortion pedal. Worth every penny and the extra board space!!!

[NoxNoctus]

Looking for an approximation on how much the EQ on the B7K makes a difference. Would it be similar to putting a 10 band eq pedal before or after a B3K?

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by falconspatriots

Just bought a B7K after having a B3K for the last 6 months. The EQ takes this pedal for just a distortion pedal to MY distortion pedal. Worth every penny and the extra board space!!!

I had pretty much exactly the same reaction when I upgraded to the 7 from the B3K last week. The B3K was awesome and I was a little nervous about giving it up, but the B7K is the B3 all grown up. I have a few rehearsals/gigs coming up and I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces in the wild. In the meantime, here's a post with some initial thoughts that I posted in the B3K thread.

Originally Posted by NoxNoctus

Looking for an approximation on how much the EQ on the B7K makes a difference. Would it be similar to putting a 10 band eq pedal before or after a B3K?

Seriously, the addition of the EQ makes a great overdrive even more flexible. I wouldn't say it's like adding a 10-band, but you've got the idea... I'm looking forward to recording some clips to do an A/B comparo between the two pedals.

5sg.

Originally Posted by fivestringgecko

I sure understand the $$ thing. I sold some pedals recently though, so I did get in on the B7K (USA). I had to send my B3K (Finnish) out before the 7 got here, but I did crack out a few clips of the 3 at various settings before doing so.

My initial thoughts are that the gain available on the Drive knob and the dirt sound itself seem pretty identical on the two pedals. Even down to when you have it all the way turned down on the B7K, there's still just a tiny hint of grit when you start digging in. The EQ controls are a great addition to the B3K sound and that Lo Mids knob is pure sex! I've always had preamp pedals with a 2- or 3- band EQ that are great, but was quite pleasantly surprised at how much of a difference having a 4-band made. The DI sounds great at the board, the EQ section is clean, the Attack and Grunt switch are still there... for everything packed into it, the 7 still manages to be a pretty pedalboard friendly size. My Tone Hammer (which I still won't be getting rid of, it'll be going to board #2 I think) feels like quite a chunk by comparison.

Getting some clips recorded to compare will tell the true tale, but so far I'm pretty convinced that the 7 really is a B3K on steroids. I was nervous about giving up a Finnish version B3K for a USA 7, but Doug and Spencer totally nailed it. I know this is the B3K thread, but... If you love the B3K sound (like I do) and do a lot of DI'ing, the 7 is totally killer.

[Stevosimpson]

So even though I already have a sansamp RBI would you guys recommend the B7K over the B3?

[Filip Burdon]

Just to ask once again does the eq on the b7k affect your sound when the pedal is turned off? (because its buffered bypass and not true bypass?)

[Spencer!]

Originally Posted by Filip Burdon

Just to ask once again does the eq on the b7k affect your sound when the pedal is turned off? (because its buffered bypass and not true bypass?)

No - when bypassed, the pedal just outputs a buffered version of your clean sound.

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by Stevosimpson

So even though I already have a sansamp RBI would you guys recommend the B7K over the B3?

Depends on what you do with each. For now, I'm using the B7K as an always on preamp/DI with overdrive capabilities (as opposed to a dedicated overdrive... for now. ) If the RBI is handling that for you, then the B3K would work great as your main overdrive. I can't say enough about how nice having the EQ on a B3K is though, so something to consider.

I know that's a little wishy washy... Maybe start with the B3K and see how it works for you?

5sg.

[Stevosimpson]

Im thinking I'll pick one up from bassefx and if it doesnt do the job trade it in, thanks!

[NoxNoctus]

I do have to say- I picked up an MXR 6 band EQ and put it right next to my B3K....reeeeealllly handy. Don't know how it compares to the B7K but wow, you can make it punch through damn near any mix. It was fantastic before but this takes it to another level.

[fivestringgecko]

Your experience with the combination is how I felt when I went first fired up the 7. EQ + B3K = win, and having that EQ on-board EQ is huge. I tried the 7 at rehearsal last night for the first time and it's like you're saying, it punched right through the mix... For me, a bump to the LO MIDS knob made a big difference and a little push with the LOW knob added nice warmth.

Also, this pedal has quite a bit of headroom available too. I had the level set at 9:30(ish) for unity volume with the bypassed signal...

Here were my settings for church choir last night, with my Fender MIA Jazz V with Quarter Pounder pickups and Audere JZ3 preamp. I still have rehearsals and upcoming gigs with my urban gospel and funk bands to try out the 7 in, looking forward to it. I can already see that my 7 is going to be a pretty handy, always one pedal.

5sg.

[Darkglass]

Originally Posted by Filip Burdon

Just to ask once again does the eq on the b7k affect your sound when the pedal is turned off? (because its buffered bypass and not true bypass?)

The Buffer is very very transparent.
The only difference it'd make is if your bass is passive and you're running long cables from it.
In that case the buffer will actually benefit your signal by matching the impedances... your bass will sound as if you ran a foot long cable to your amp.


If your bass is active, it'll make no difference.
Regards!
Doug.

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by Darkglass

The Buffer is very very transparent.
The only difference it'd make is if your bass is passive and you're running long cables from it.
In that case the buffer will actually benefit your signal by matching the impedances... your bass will sound as if you ran a foot long cable to your amp.


If your bass is active, it'll make no difference.
Regards!
Doug.

Speaking from experience, the man who designed the pedal is right of course. lol So far I've run the B7K with my passive Fender P V, active J V, Warmoth Gecko active and my Stambaugh 6 in both active/passive mode and it sounds equally awesome with all of them, no noticeable difference. But then again, the longest run in my setup is the 18' cable from instrument to board. Board to amp is a 10' cable and the patch cables in between pedals are only 2"-5". Is that a long cable run? (Serious question there... I think of "long run" as 50ft.)

I've never worried all that much about True Bypass or buffered... if it sounds good, it sounds good.

5sg.

[Gmclachlan]

I would suggest if you already have the B3K, you might just get EQ, maybe the 6 band MXR, because the mid control is so specific. The B7K's eq is good, especially the low mid control, but I personally like having a little more shaping, especially when I use more one bass.

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by Gmclachlan

I would suggest if you already have the B3K, you might just get EQ, maybe the 6 band MXR, because the mid control is so specific. The B7K's eq is good, especially the low mid control, but I personally like having a little more shaping, especially when I use more one bass.

That's definitely a good suggestion, if you've got the pedalboard space. I thought about a Whirlwind Bass Ten, but board real estate is at a huge premium when your main board is a Pedaltrain Mini. Another thing to think about is that if a B3K/EQ the sound you want, then you'd have to stomp two pedals for one sound... unless you've got a bypass loop. Again, a problem on a smaller or full board.

No room to add an EQ for me (but that doesn't mean I don't still want the Bass Ten... lol). I had a pretty good pedal sale recently though, so I took the plunge on the 7.

5sg.

[Darkglass]

Originally Posted by fivestringgecko

Speaking from experience, the man who designed the pedal is right of course. lol So far I've run the B7K with my passive Fender P V, active J V, Warmoth Gecko active and my Stambaugh 6 in both active/passive mode and it sounds equally awesome with all of them, no noticeable difference. But then again, the longest run in my setup is the 18' cable from instrument to board. Board to amp is a 10' cable and the patch cables in between pedals are only 2"-5". Is that a long cable run? (Serious question there... I think of "long run" as 50ft.)

I've never worried all that much about True Bypass or buffered... if it sounds good, it sounds good.

5sg.

Great to hear is working for you. If a buffer is well designed is quite inaudible... Kind of like a sonic ninja.

Originally Posted by Gmclachlan

I would suggest if you already have the B3K, you might just get EQ, maybe the 6 band MXR, because the mid control is so specific. The B7K's eq is good, especially the low mid control, but I personally like having a little more shaping, especially when I use more one bass.

That's a great option too! Specially if you have semi-parametric EQ´s available... love them!

Originally Posted by fivestringgecko

That's definitely a good suggestion, if you've got the pedalboard space. I thought about a Whirlwind Bass Ten, but board real estate is at a huge premium when your main board is a Pedaltrain Mini. Another thing to think about is that if a B3K/EQ the sound you want, then you'd have to stomp two pedals for one sound... unless you've got a bypass loop. Again, a problem on a smaller or full board.

No room to add an EQ for me (but that doesn't mean I don't still want the Bass Ten... lol). I had a pretty good pedal sale recently though, so I took the plunge on the 7.

5sg.

That´s a nice looking chain mate!

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by Darkglass

That´s a nice looking chain mate!

Thanks!!! Chain(s)... two separate boards. At least, it never even occurred to me to run the Mini into the PT1, until reading your comment! lol

Another note: You weren't kidding on your web page when you say the DI is louder. I used the DI for the first time for church this morning and the sound guy commented on it... asked me if I switched DI's because my signal was pretty hot. More headroom = WIN.

Worked great!

5sg.