Alternative to B3K

[47VevetS]

I like the sound of B3K and B7K, but they are nearly impossible to find here in Indonesia. Any suggestion on similar-sounding overdrive?

Cant you buy one online and have it shipped to you?

 

[Nic.]

@Sindhu Partomo

I found the page I was talking about in my previous post. Here: DarkglassB3K

Try a standard aggressive overdrive and EQ like this, and see how it works for you? Last night I didn't feel like bringing my board to a rehearsal for a cover band, so I just cranked the gain all the way on the studio's ampeg svt pro 3 and set the EQ like that. It's not as bright or modern, but it gets the same -kind- of sound with an emphasis on the cutting clank. And I know that my source audio OFD can get similar flavours of drive, just without the same nice uppermid/high boost that's the classic darkglass sound. I'd like to try running my OFD into that kind of EQ to see what it gets me.

All that said, none of that really mimics what the boost switches do on the B3k. But it does get you in the ball park

 

[Moosehead1966]

Nor many seem to mention it, but the Dr. Scientist 'The Elements' is a very flexible dirt pedal I.M.H.O. Not Darkglass I know, but awesome just the same.

Marc

 

[sunbeast]

I like the sound of B3K and B7K, but they are nearly impossible to find here in Indonesia. Any suggestion on similar-sounding overdrive?

Darklass has a dealer listed in Indonesia called "Audiolibrium". I assume you've contacted them?

 

[FaithNoMan]

Just bought a Markbass Mini Dist to go with my B3K, thought they'd have a similar character, based off a YT vid. NOPE!

So now, I got a VMT coming to match up with my B3K

 

[willbassyeah]

I like the sound of B3K and B7K, but they are nearly impossible to find here in Indonesia. Any suggestion on similar-sounding overdrive?

if you come to Singapore, i can accompany you to get the pedal...hook me up i am an indonesian residing in Singapore

 

[willbassyeah]

If you happen to be in Singapore for a while for holiday or business, you can easily grab one here. Drop me a message if you're around and I'll bring you to the retailer.

Anyway try looking for John K's review of the pedal and the frequency spectrum. It basically boosts the 150hz a bit, a sharp cut at 300, and boosts the 2k hz a lot. You could get a vaguely similar tone by overdriving and then EQ that way. Won't be the same, but close enough until you get a real one, and you might be able to figure out if this kind of sound really works for your band setup.

LOL i didnt see your message, just drop him the same message

 

[Hector_G]

Believe it or not, I'd suggest trying the Hartke Bass Attack.
It's one of my all-time absolute favorite overdrives.
Cuts through amazingly and has a fantastic grunt to it that I can't replicate with anything else I've tried. It's got a clearer upper end "clank" that's cuts through the mix.
Try it. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[CoarseBass]

Ibanez Phathead kind of does a similar thing when the BXK is cranked and the attack is boosted - I was actually surprised by that. The B7K kicked the Phathead straight off my board about a year ago when I got it, because it sounds better just about all the time and does way more useful tricks for me, but I pulled the Phathead out again just for grins, and was actually surprised at how close you could get the two for really acidic, saturated to the fuzz point levels.

 

[vitaobass]

Idiot Box - Blower Box Bass Distortion maybe?! I never played one, but as a B3K owner, I really thinks that BB sounds great in demos. Ships everywhere and its cheaper.
if I had not B3K, I'd take the Blower Box.

 

[DonBorelli]

The heart of the B3K is the ability to add a little sizzle and attack on top of the clean note.
There are other pedals that do that quite well.
Ashdown Lomenzo HyperDrive.
BOSS ODB-3 - no I'm not pulling your leg. Turn the treble all the way down and be gentle with the blend and gain. It's a cool pedal.

 

[Adamixoye]

The heart of the B3K is the ability to add a little sizzle and attack on top of the clean note.
There are other pedals that do that quite well.

That's part of it, but the B3K/B7K also imparts a particular tone coloration that is pretty unique.

 

[DonBorelli]

That's part of it, but the B3K/B7K also imparts a particular tone coloration that is pretty unique.

Yeah it scoops the mids. With a decent EQ you can get somewhat close with those overdrive pedals I mentioned before.

 

[Adamixoye]

Yeah it scoops the mids. With a decent EQ you can get somewhat close with those overdrive pedals I mentioned before.

By "decent EQ" I assume you mean something semi- or fully parametric. Sure, you could do that, but I think it's easier said than done.

 

[Nic.]

I'd say it can be done, but with more effort than just using this one pedal. So if you can afford it, might as well just get it. Or if you don't mind carrying around the other pedals then by all means yeah.

 

[DonBorelli]

Easy guys.
I didn't say it would be exactly like the B3k. We are talking about alternatives that will cop the same vibe more or less.
Peace...

 

[smeet]

I haven't found anything that gets that same vibe. I use my B7K almost 100% clean, I really like blending in the "clean affected" sound of the B7K, plus the eq brightens things up nicely.
Yeah, it's "just" eq, but so are most preamps/amps/pedals. Love it or hate it, it has a certain thing that's hard to replicate.

Blower Box won't do it. Grizzly Bass won't do it. I have and like both these pedals a lot, but they sound and feel very different from the Darkglass, not as modern/punchy.

 

[Adamixoye]

Easy guys.
I didn't say it would be exactly like the B3k. We are talking about alternatives that will cop the same vibe more or less.
Peace...

I'm not upset or defensive or anything. I'm just pointing out my opinion---the EQ, while certainly possible to replicate, is pretty unique. You'd probably have a harder time trying to replicate it than just getting the real deal.

If you think close isn't just for horseshoes and hand grenades, then yeah, you probably have a few options.

 

[ole Jason]

The EQ of the b3k/b7k pedals is totally bizarre. I don't mean that in a bad way... but I've never encountered another bass pedal that uses the same frequency centers. You might be able to combine something like the Boss Bass Parametric EQ with a CMOS based drive inside a blend box to approximate the sound. I don't have the EQ frequencies handy but I think they've been published a few times. Failing that you might have luck with some of the DSP based pedals that will allow you to select specific EQ points and assign pots to whatever.

It isn't that the b3k is magic and can't be replicated but there just isn't really anything else on the market that does that sound in the same way, which is pretty surprising considering the popularity. Even on the big DIY forums you won't find anyone trying to clone it or do a sound-alike.

 

[DonBorelli]

I'm not upset or defensive or anything. I'm just pointing out my opinion---the EQ, while certainly possible to replicate, is pretty unique. You'd probably have a harder time trying to replicate it than just getting the real deal.

If you think close isn't just for horseshoes and hand grenades, then yeah, you probably have a few options.

Cool - and I do agree with you. The B3k/b7k are unique beasts. And getting close to that sound is a matter of taste.
I just recommended something that would get you some of that "clank" that some people like about the b3k/b7k.
But I did not take into consideration that the b7k offers a very nice preamp with a voicing that a lot of people seem to dig.

I'm not knocking the Darkglass stuff. I regard them as modern classics and you should at least own one of them at some point...when you can afford them