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Darkglass Vintage Deluxe V3 has too much string/fret noise

kcducttaper

kcducttaper

Jul 1, 2019
415
450
#1
I've been toying with my DG Vintage Deluxe V3 pedal for probably 2 years now trying to get a nice overdrive sound, but every time I turn it on, I get a massive amount of string and fret noise. I've set my 'attack' switch to 'cut', dialed back my treble to at least 8 or 9 o'clock (boosting the high mid to compensate) and still - lots of string and fret noise, but now I've dialed the treble back so much it's becoming a bit too "muffled" sounding. The string noise instantly drops to a normal level when I turn the pedal off and I don't have this issue with any of my other DG pedals (B7K Ultra and X7) or even other non-DG pedals. It's just something about this particular pedal seems to really boost the fret and string noise for some reason. I really want to like this pedal for a normal "every day" slight overdrive, but the string and fret noise is just killing it for me. Anyone else experience this? Do I have a faulty one perhaps?
 
#2
I don’t know this gear, but what I know is there are a lot of variable that effect the sound of a bass. String type, pickups, pickup position…..
It looks like the EQ section on DG is semi-variable only, so just a guess the EQ frequencies aren’t at the fret noise, so you might need to run a variable parametric EQ in line with the DG to more surgically remove the fret noise.

That’s my guess.
I could be 100% wrong.
Good luck.
 
#6
That (and the very high price) is why I've never liked the DG brand. To me they are made for a particular idiom that involves a clanky scooped sound. (Not metal) My quest for a warm sounding overdrive with the right amount of mids started around 2005 and there's a list of specimens that qualify. Trying to get the sound heard on Grandfunk Live Album, Live Cream vol 2, and Who Live at Leeds, and given that I aint using a tube amp.

Right now I have 2 on the board, the smallsoundbigsound Mini is basically unavailable, but very available is the Idiotbox Blower Box Deluxe. It's a Rat variant (I think) so there is some upper harmonics but it also has a filter on the clean blend so it can remain warm. Another good bet is the Solid Gold Beta's, the most recent version has lots of tone control. A few years ago it was the Creation Labs Grizzly. It has an upper mid boost or cut in the perfect place, also high cut, and does subtle drive very well. All of these are available used also for under 150. (which is what an overdrive pedal should cost...) For real cheap I also used a Joyo Orange Juice which is like a sansamp Oxford (Orange) emulator and it's eq is a cab sim with some warmth to it.

We recently had a Talkbass member post his list of overdrives for the poor man, look for it. Lots of options there of pedals built on the small scale (not corporations). There is some discussion in the thread about the Devi Ever brand which are being made again. I'm waiting for a Dark Boost, (125. reverb, the devi ever store) and for a few years I used her Karaoke Party which is an overdrive with warm mids-- only problem is you have to keep the volume super low or else risk speakers because it's made for guitar. Dark Boost isn't probably what you are looking for, it's very dark, almost lofi sounding, but I might stack it into the Mini. Oh there's also Earthquaker Devises Blumes, which is the bass version of their Plumes.
 
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#7
Hmmm, strange. My experience with Darkglass pedals is the exact opposite. The BxK pedals give me far too much string noise and the Vintage pedals actually soften the string noise/attack a bit. At least with the settings I typically end up using.

I guess it depends on how you define string noise. With the BxK pedals it's more about "zing" than "clank". It also depends on what settings you use of course. Personally I couldn't find ANY setting that worked for the style of music I play with the BxK pedals, but the Vintage pedals give me a nice range of usable tones. However, after testing the different Vintage versions with my band I ended up with the smallest/cheapest Vintage Microtubes, because I preferred the simplicity and the range of tones I got from that one, using the "Era" knob. As far as I can remember, my main deciding factor was actually that I couldn't mellow out the tone in quite the same way with the more expensive Vintage series pedals.

Maybe it could also be a gain staging issue? What you are describing MIGHT be a case of simply boosting the signal too much with the Vintage Deluxe. Or maybe it's simply not the right pedal for the style of music you play. If you love the Bxk pedals I can totally see how the Vintage pedal might not be ideal for you. These are VERY different sounding pedals. Their basic tonal character is more or less the exact opposite: Mid-scooped (BxK) vs mid-focused (Vintage).
 
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#8
BassBrass said:
That (and the very high price) is why I've never liked the DG brand. To me they are made for a particular idiom that involves a clanky scooped sound.
Click to expand...
If you're referring to their BxK series I agree 100%. They are very mid-scooped and clanky. They can be extremely hit-or-miss depending on what style of music you play.

But the Vintage Microtubes isn't like that AT ALL. It has a strong mid presence and a tone/feel that's leaning more towards an overdriven tube amp.

Of course, the end result will also depend on what type of bass/amp you use. I use mine mostly with a passive P-bass into a Hiwatt (or other vintage British tube amps) and if anything it softens the tone a bit. I would describe it as a relatively "warm" sounding dirt pedal. I actually use mine for parts where I want to mellow out the attack, clank and upper mid presence a bit. But of course, I specifically dial in the pedal to do this (basically by setting the "Era" knob roughly around 10 o'clock).
 
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#10
BassBrass said:
That (and the very high price) is why I've never liked the DG brand. To me they are made for a particular idiom that involves a clanky scooped sound.
Click to expand...
If you watch a bunch of their videos, yes, you get the idea that they only do clanky, mid scooped, aggressive tones. And yes, they cost a bunch of money.

My experience: to avoid paying a lot for overdrives, I bought a cheaper overdrive. Not quite my thing. So I bought another, and another..... After a few years of this, I put a bunch of my overdrives up for sale this year. Even though I lost money on every sale, I had more than enough from the sale of those cheap overdrives to buy a B7K, a Deluxe Vintage, a Tech 21 YYZ, and a few other good pedals. Yes, Darkglass stuff costs more, but it costs a lot less than chasing the tone in your head with cheaper pedals.

The B7K and Deluxe vintage (I suggest you need to go to the deluxe level with Darkglass) have a LOT of options in terms of what feeds and comes back from the distortion engine. There are myriad ways to reduce the amount of fret noise:

Lower the drive into the distortion engine.

Lower the signal after the distortion engine

Blend more towards the clean side

Change the eq going into the distortion engine (one of the 3 way switches)

Change the eq coming out of the distortion engine (the other 3 way switch)

The 4 band eq - you have options for the high mid operating frequency in addition to just adjusting the knobs.

The sounds in my head have nothing to do with what you hear on Darkglass demos (not nearly as distorted or clanky), yet they are easily dialed up on a B7K or my Vintage Deluxe - it takes a while to understand what everything does, but once you do, they are very usable and flexible devices.
 
#11
kcducttaper said:
I've been toying with my DG Vintage Deluxe V3 pedal for probably 2 years now trying to get a nice overdrive sound, but every time I turn it on, I get a massive amount of string and fret noise. I've set my 'attack' switch to 'cut', dialed back my treble to at least 8 or 9 o'clock (boosting the high mid to compensate) and still - lots of string and fret noise, but now I've dialed the treble back so much it's becoming a bit too "muffled" sounding. The string noise instantly drops to a normal level when I turn the pedal off and I don't have this issue with any of my other DG pedals (B7K Ultra and X7) or even other non-DG pedals. It's just something about this particular pedal seems to really boost the fret and string noise for some reason. I really want to like this pedal for a normal "every day" slight overdrive, but the string and fret noise is just killing it for me. Anyone else experience this? Do I have a faulty one perhaps?
Click to expand...
That doesn’t sound consistent with my experience with the Vintage pedals, except with the Attack Boost selected on the newer ones. I assume you have verified the Attack switch is working as it should (Boost should be quite edgy, Cut should be pretty warm).

What is your Grunt switch set at?

I would probably suggest cutting high-mids rather than treble with the EQ as others have suggested- some of the selectable mid EQ points are quite high.

I personally settled on the basic Vintage pedal that has the “Era” control as it has an overall warmer sound to it for my tastes, though I didn’t have excessive string noise issues with the larger units.
 
#12
micguy said:
If you watch a bunch of their videos, yes, you get the idea that they only do clanky, mid scooped, aggressive tones. And yes, they cost a bunch of money.

My experience: to avoid paying a lot for overdrives, I bought a cheaper overdrive. Not quite my thing. So I bought another, and another..... After a few years of this, I put a bunch of my overdrives up for sale this year. Even though I lost money on every sale, I had more than enough from the sale of those cheap overdrives to buy a B7K, a Deluxe Vintage, a Tech 21 YYZ, and a few other good pedals. Yes, Darkglass stuff costs more, but it costs a lot less than chasing the tone in your head with cheaper pedals.

The B7K and Deluxe vintage (I suggest you need to go to the deluxe level with Darkglass) have a LOT of options in terms of what feeds and comes back from the distortion engine. There are myriad ways to reduce the amount of fret noise:

Lower the drive into the distortion engine.

Lower the signal after the distortion engine

Blend more towards the clean side

Change the eq going into the distortion engine (one of the 3 way switches)

Change the eq coming out of the distortion engine (the other 3 way switch)

The 4 band eq - you have options for the high mid operating frequency in addition to just adjusting the knobs.

The sounds in my head have nothing to do with what you hear on Darkglass demos (not nearly as distorted or clanky), yet they are easily dialed up on a B7K or my Vintage Deluxe - it takes a while to understand what everything does, but once you do, they are very usable and flexible devices.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I plead ignorance on DG details/versions, the machinations you describe on how to get a non-clank sound, but every overdrive I mentioned (and are less dolores) were simple to find the sound I'm looking for AND I thoroughly enjoyed the quest (at a lower price point) so don't consider it losing money. I don't mind paying a little for pleasant experiences.

Some of them are in a plastic box and I do enjoy rediscovering them just like I enjoy rediscovering a bass I haven't played in a while. (Which reminds me I forgot to mention the Wounded Paw Black Sheep, a 3 band light overdrive that only has clank if you jack the treble band)

There's also the DG trendiness, the band wagon for those who succumbed to the hype I imagined myself avoiding, a marketing illusion of course, but part of the fun. There was never anything more "alternative" than Devi Ever, she builds them herself and is ethically incapable of charging top dollar. How much does DG pay for marketing for market share to justify the cost? Dark Glass IS an excellent name though, but they sound like shattered glass (kidding couldn't resist) and I'm sure "many of them are fine people". And existing stock and used sales will keep them around for the next few years.
 
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#13
The general statement that "all DG pedals sound scooped and clanky" is pretty ignorant. Many of them CAN do that very well, but I can also dial in some very nice OD and lighter gain sounds from my B7k and X7 perfectly fine.

Normally, I like a boost in the ~2kHz region (via preamp pedal) just with my baseline tone and don't hear a bunch of intrusive string/fret noise with my baseline tone. I can try dialing down some of the high mids a bit, but I'd done that before and it lost a lot of definition.
 
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#15
Just spent another sesh messing with it and it's just not working for me. I just can't get the clarity I want without the fret noise. I'll probably just sell it and pick up something like a Source Audio Aftershock.
 
#17
The Deluxe v3 and Ultra versions don't have an 'era' knob (which is kinda weird, IMO).
www.darkglass.com

Vintage Deluxe V3

The natural dynamics and organic compression of vintage tube amps and tape machines 3rd-generation enhancements include low-mid and high-mid frequency selection switches Level control sets the volume of the overdrive signal Drive control sets the amount of saturation in the overdrive signal...
www.darkglass.com www.darkglass.com
 
#18
BassBrass said:
There's also the DG trendiness, the band wagon for those who succumbed to the hype
Click to expand...
Ahh yes, that trendy DG bandwagon that's only been going on for *checks notes* about 15 years!
/sarcasm

Yeah, sure, some have definitely "succumbed to the hype" as you so condescendingly put it, but I'm sure the vast majority have found DG products to nail the sound in their heads better than any other.

Also, saying DG pedals have an inherent mid-scoop is just blatantly false. They do however take post-eq very well, and given their popularity with the metal crowd, the baked-in sound (deep mid notch) lends itself very well to scooping the mids post-pedal. It is the sound of modern metal, like it or not.

Hmm, I wonder what the Venn diagram of people who bash DG for having a specific sound and being expensive, and people who swear by the SansAmp BDDI looks like... I'm guessing it's as close to a perfect circle as you can get.
 
#19
kcducttaper said:
The Deluxe v3 and Ultra versions don't have an 'era' knob (which is kinda weird, IMO).
www.darkglass.com

Vintage Deluxe V3

The natural dynamics and organic compression of vintage tube amps and tape machines 3rd-generation enhancements include low-mid and high-mid frequency selection switches Level control sets the volume of the overdrive signal Drive control sets the amount of saturation in the overdrive signal...
www.darkglass.com www.darkglass.com
Click to expand...
Having owned the "regular" and now the Deluxe version, the regular one is OK, but it has a much more limited palette - the Deluxe version has a LOT more flexibility in sounds. It goes about it in different ways than the regular version, but there are a LOT of sounds you can't get from the regular version that you can with the Deluxe.
 
#20
kcducttaper said:
The Deluxe v3 and Ultra versions don't have an 'era' knob (which is kinda weird, IMO).
www.darkglass.com

Vintage Deluxe V3

The natural dynamics and organic compression of vintage tube amps and tape machines 3rd-generation enhancements include low-mid and high-mid frequency selection switches Level control sets the volume of the overdrive signal Drive control sets the amount of saturation in the overdrive signal...
www.darkglass.com www.darkglass.com
Click to expand...
Ironically I think DG probably took to heart criticisms that the original circuit was too “dark” which was a common thing I would read on TB after it was first released (for me the Era-inclusive models were perfect for punchy/warm/present!)- so they fixed the Era control at its maximum (brightest) setting for the later Deluxe and Ultra models. For me the first version of the Deluxe was the perfect balance since it had the Era plus added EQ. I still didn’t find mine too bright at all when I had an Ultra version, I think there is still a natural roll-off in that circuit in the highs but with relative peak in the high-mids (and scoop in the mid-mids). I’m surprised that the “Cut” setting of the Attack switch still leaves it too clanky for you as I certainly didn’t find that to be the case- that to my ears pretty much smoothed out the natural high-mid peak.
 
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