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Aguilar Agro vs. Darkglass B3K

#21
el murdoque said:
But i have a second spot for an OD on my board and the agro got me so stoked,
i'm kind of tempted to try the pedal that has got so much praise and worship over here at talkbass.
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I'd say if you can afford to try one, grab a B3K for sure. Easy to find on the classifieds (they come up a couple times a week) and even easier to flip back onto the classifieds if it's not your thing. I haven't tried the Agro, but I did think the AGS circuit in the Tone Hammer was awesome. I know they are not the same, but it was cool, nonetheless. Didn't sound like a tube amp, which is generally the direction I go with my tones - more to the vintage tube flavor.

I have a B7K now which I thought would replace my VT Bass but it has not so far. I agree with JohnK that there is something fizzy about the high end for me and it does not remind me at all of the tube amps I know and love. That said,the stuff I'm working on right now has a call for some modern grit + jazz bass action, and that's why I'm keeping the B7K. Let my P + VT do my vintage tones.

And again to the OP - the B3K is definitely different enough from the Agro, if you're concerned that having both would be overkill.
 
#25
I couldn't stand it, just ordered another Agro (and and Earthquaker Talons) to see if I can find a place for it. I don't have a wild, out of control distortion anymore so maybe this will do the trick. I'll also be able to do a side by side with my B3K so I can end this argument once and for all :)
 
#27
mmbongo said:
Odd how some people think the B3K is fizzy, while other hear no fizz at all :eyebrow:
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I know, I was struck by this difference in opinion as well. There are two or three others just on this thread who describe the b3k as fizzy and just as many saying they love the b3k. Maybe those pro-folks don't mind fizz, but I know you said that the lack of fizz is one of the things you like about it.

Perhaps every unit doesn't sound the same, some are fizzy and some aren't? I had one of the early ones made in Finland but they were supposed to be all the same. Or perhaps it comes down to differences in pickups, strings, amp, other pedals, etc.

Whatever the case, the one I had didn't seem to do much other than add fizz, at least at the end of my time with it. I even sent it back thinking there was a problem, because I loved it first when I got it but after a while it seemed I couldn't get much nice from it at all, just fizz. Was told it was fine so I just sold it after that.
 
#28
Hawkbone said:
Perhaps every unit doesn't sound the same, some are fizzy and some aren't? I had one of the early ones made in Finland but they were supposed to be all the same. Or perhaps it comes down to differences in pickups, strings, amp, other pedals, etc.
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I'm wondering if it's a lack of understanding how the B3K controls work, because it really took me a while to understand it. It does not really work like other pedals.

Could be a difference in terminology, too. Case in point:

Here's a clip I did (a while back) of my B3K. Note the complete lack of what I call 'fizz':
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Here's a Mercy Phuk, which I consider 'fizzy':
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I've got an Agro clip at home that I'll upload later. It's more of a 'fiddle the knobs while the loop plays' rundown rather than trying to nail a specific sound.
 
#29
No experience with the Darkglass other than the many clips I've listened to of it (I always thought it sounded pretty top-notch)
I did however own an Agro for a while, and I personally didn't care for it. Lots of top end and high mid presence, but a complete loss of low end in my experience. From what I've seen, the rack mount version is more flexible.
 
#30
I think it be a combo of the gear running through the pedal and not understanding how it works. It took me a little bit to fully grasp, and I have to make some minor adjustments depending which bass I'm playing. I also had a VT Bass pedal that I really liked, but I just sold it to purchase the Vintage Microtubes. The VT is a great pedal, but it actually simulates different Ampeg amp tones, and since I love my amp's tone, I really didn't like simulating a tone when I just wanted to ad a little vintage grit to mine. Again, all this is matter of opinion and the best way to decide is to play 'em all and pick what's best you.
 
#33
Yeah, I could be wrong, and it just seemed that way from the flavor of the dirt (I haven't had one for a couple years). It would be strange because of how great the Aguilar stuff is in general, but for whatever reason it didn't do anything for me.
 
#34
yaksonator said:
It is cool to see the versatility in tones expressed here. One is usable while the other is not, vise versa. Both are great pedals for sure you just have find the one that sounds best to you.
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It's so true, the old "different strikes for different folks." It's definitely informative to hear everyone's take. :)
 
#35
One thing about the difference in these pedals is the AGRO reacts to the rest of your signal chain more than the B3K. The AGRO will sound more different from one rig to the next, while the B3K puts it's sound on whatever rig you're playing through.

I've tried both on different bass/amp/cab set ups and the B3K always does what it does, while I've loved the AGRO on certain rigs and wasn't happy with it on others.
 
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#36
Just want to chime in and say the LAST thing I would describe the B7K as is "fizzy," in fact that's what sold me on it. Now it is capable of a lot of top end, but in my set up that mostly comes through as "clank" rather than "fizz."
 
#38
Well, my Agro just arrived and after just 10 seconds of playing thru it, I absolutely LOVE it. ZERO low end loss and balls to the max. IMO, Aguilar nailed it with this pedal. from slight overdrive to max overdrive, to me it sounds gorgeous. I realize that everyone's taste is different, but for me, my B3K never came close to sounding this good. I spent a lot of time with my B3K going thru every permutation of it's settings multiple times, and I never really found even one that I cared for. it's the complete opposite with the Agro. for me, it's pretty hard to get a bad sound out of it.
 
#39
after playing with it some more, I've found that the Agro does impart somewhat of a tone of it's own (as does the B3K). even if you set it to sound as clean and as flat as possible before you add any gain, the Agro adds a bit of mid boost. IMO, this might be why some think that it has some low end loss.
 
#40
johnk_10 said:
when I refer to the fizz on a B3K, I mean that the distortion is too fine grained for my taste. that, along with its upper mid scoop is what didn't suit my fancy.
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I would describe fizz as what you get with a Boss ODB-3's gain and treble cranked and, IMO, that's nothing like the B3K. But definitions of "fizz" aside, your description is fair and those things don't bother me at all on my B7K (where I cut low mids but bump hi mids, FWIW).
 

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