Aguilar Agro vs. Darkglass B3K

[mmbongo]

Spent the day with my two new pedals...the Agro and an Earthquaker Talons! Along with my B3K and my Empress Multidrive, here are my quick findings:

B3K vs. Agro is kinda not fair to either pedal. They do different things. The Agro is more of a midrangey, boxy, aggressive sound. This is my second Agro and I now remember why I sent the first one back. Lots of low end loss and nothing really useable for me. Very bright and shrill.

Switching from the Agro to the B3K is like adding a subwoofer to a set of small speakers. The B3K sounds huge, but does not have as much gain as the Agro. But unlike the Agro, the B3K is useable through it's whole range.

Talons..kinda like this one in a way, but only because it sounds like the Fuzz channel on my Empress Multidrive except not as good. I had to crank the bass knob and it still loses a bit of low end, but not as much as the Agro does. High end is kinda shrill and painful, through my headphones anyway.

I'll have to post a clip of all four later. I was hoping to be able to find a place for either the Agro or the Talons, but it's not happening.

 

[johnk_10]

that's strange. my agro has Zero low end loss. it even feels like it adds some at certain settings.

 

[mmbongo]

that's strange. my agro has Zero low end loss. it even feels like it adds some at certain settings.

It may not be as extreme as I make it out to be

 

[mmbongo]

Here's my quick and dirty recording of the pedals. The sounds are as follows:

Clean
Agro
B3K
Talons
Empress
Fuzzrocious BDPG into the Agro, fattens it up nicely!
BDPG alone

 

[johnk_10]

personally, I like the two Agro clips the best.

 

[andrew]

I like the BDPG into AGRO the best by far. Thats a damn good sounding combo!

*edit* listened to the clip a few times now and the BDPGAGRO sounds killer. I hope it sounds as good in person as it goes to tape.

 

[yaksonator]

Yeah the agro sounds the best to me from those clips. First I listened not knowing what order they were in and the agro clips were the ones I picked. BDPG after the agro sounds really good too. Btw

 

[johnk_10]

BTW,as far as the others go..........
to me, the empress in that was just meh, and no offense, but I know that my multidrive is capable of a lot better tones than that.

and the B3k sounded like I expected it to (also meh).

and the Talons had too much mids and sounded a bit harsh for my taste.

 

[andrew]

to me, the empress in that was just meh, and no offense, but I know that my multidrive is capable of a lot better tones than that.

I think that was only the fuzz section though, right?

 

[andrew]

Also, why are so many Empress Multidrive owners also AGRO and B3K owners?

 

[mmbongo]

BTW,as far as the others go..........
to me, the empress in that was just meh, and no offense, but I know that my multidrive is capable of a lot better tones than that.

and the B3k sounded like I expected it to (also meh).

and the Talons had too much mids and sounded a bit harsh for my taste.

On the Multidrive, yes that is just the fuzz channel. I have it set to mimic the Tall Font Russian which it replaced. I included it mainly to compare to the Talons, not the other pedals. Quite to my surprise, the Talons is more of a fuzz than an overdrive. But you're right, it's quite thin and harsh. The bass control is maxed on it, and it still loses some low end. I have the mids set to cut a little. I think the Talons is more of a guitar pedal.

I want to like the Agro, but I just don't think I can find a use for it. It's a bit out of control and harsh for anything I do. I much prefer the tight punch and bottom end of the B3K for what I do.

 

[mmbongo]

Also, why are so many Empress Multidrive owners also AGRO and B3K owners?

I think because each one is the top of the heap for what they do

You can do most anything with those three pedals.

 

[johnk_10]

I want to like the Agro, but I just don't think I can find a use for it. It's a bit out of control and harsh for anything I do. I much prefer the tight punch and bottom end of the B3K for what I do.

it didn't sound harsh at all to me, and i'm allegic to harsh.

 

[andrew]

I want to like the Agro, but I just don't think I can find a use for it. It's a bit out of control and harsh for anything I do. I much prefer the tight punch and bottom end of the B3K for what I do.

You gotta go with what your ears love most, but that Broke Dick/AGRO combo sounds damn good to me.

How's the AGRO into B3K sound? Combo I never tried despite owning/having owned both.

 

[FaithNoMan]

Strangely, I liked the Agro on those clips best as well. Maybe I like the sound of the B3K with my Ric, as it sounds more "natural"(maybe "organic" is not the word) than some other clips I've heard.

Also, many of us B3K fans also like a bit of tinge in our tone, and it seems well-suited to basses that cut through. You would think the opposite, but sometimes two things with like character work well together.

I made this clip to experiment with getting a cutting rock tone. I'm also a big fan of harsh-sounding bass in songs(early FNM, early Tool), so it may make more sense for people like me
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[Adamixoye]

Well maybe I'm biased but I actually liked the B3K and Empress tones the best...and those are the two I own (well, B7K, not B3K). I think I just like scooped tones.

 

[andrew]

What I take from this thread so far is I need to try a BDPG pedal.

 

[Guinness20]

Can the BJFE blueberry recreate the b3k's sound?

 

[johnk_10]

Can the BJFE blueberry recreate the b3k's sound?

not IMO. they're two completely different animals and achieve their tone and OD different ways.

 

[mmbongo]

Can the BJFE blueberry recreate the b3k's sound?

I agree with John. They are nothing alike.