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Went in to buy a B7K........


Defo
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No, but I'm very interested in getting a Vintage Deluxe so please share what prompted you to choose this in preference to the B7K?! Did you also consider getting (or have previously used) the Sansamp VT or the Xotic BB?

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[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1492427447' post='3280113']
No, but I'm very interested in getting a Vintage Deluxe so please share what prompted you to choose this in preference to the B7K?! Did you also consider getting (or have previously used) the Sansamp VT or the Xotic BB?
[/quote]

B7K is definitely a modern metal pedal, it sounds amazing but I play in a 70s/80s cover band and it just wouldn't work. Asked for the Vintage Deluxe (it's the 2 version with the toggle switches) and played some tunes off our set list - it sounds warm and punchy but if you want to growl and shake things it's all there. Still playing with it but it was definitely the right choice. Sansamp delivers one (incerdible) sound, if it's the right one for you then why not, this pedal gives you a whole ton of options which is handy in a covers band,

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[quote name='Al Krow' timestamp='1492436913' post='3280201']
Hmmm...so I think the Ultra is an extra £60 over the Deluxe, what extra are they offering for this? It is a lovely looking piece of kit, but almost the price of a half decent amp!
[/quote]

Switchable mid frequencies and separate foot switch for dirt. You lose the Parallel Out of the Deluxe, but for me the extra mid controls are worth the extra money. But, you have to draw a line with cost somewhere! They are pretty expensive units for sure.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I guess it's no surprise that there are different fans for the different tonal colour these two pedals bring. I'm gonna stick my neck out here and suggest that on the Darkglass spectrum (based on what I've gleaned from the YouTube reviews):

BK7 (warm, clean, greater articulation, Sansamp rival)...Vintage deluxe / ultra (more tube, growl, dirt)...Alpha Omega (all the way to full distortion)

Is that a fair summary? If so, it would seem to me that Vintage deluxe is actually the "compromise" pedal of the three (which took me slightly be surprise)?!

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I've heard comments that the AO does low gain better than the other pedals, certainly seems the most versatile of the three. I wouldn't call the B7K warm either, it's quite bright and metallic to me.

The Pike Vulcan is also worth consideration, controversial Darkglass comparisons aside, it's one of my top pedals! It blends between two voices like the AO, a B3K-a-like on one side, and a more-aggressive-Vintage-a-like on the other. And there's a bargain one in the FS section right now...

Edited by dannybuoy
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[quote name='Defo' timestamp='1492425805' post='3280100']
Left with a Vintage Deluxe.
This happen to anyone else?
[/quote]

Kind of, but not.., :). I had a B3K, which is a damn fine pedal, but always felt it was 'too much' for me in terms of versatility and power. Just swapped it for the vintage microtubes and it instantly suits me better. Both are killer pedals though.

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[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1492437804' post='3280208']
You lose the Parallel Out of the Deluxe
[/quote]

Apologies for the "back to basics" Q, but in what circumstances would someone be looking to use a Parallel Out anyway given that the Deluxe (and Ultra) both have a DI out?

Edited by Al Krow
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There parallel out would be useful to use the pedal as an amp sim for the PA without affecting the tone of your rig, or to send to another DI to give front of house two feeds to blend between.

However, since the Darkglass pedals have the parallel out hard-wired to the input jack rather than using a separately buffered output, you can replicate the exact same parallel out behaviour by just using a jack splitter like either of these:



Edited by dannybuoy
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Cheers for that DB.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1493485106' post='3288725']
The Pike Vulcan is also worth consideration, controversial Darkglass comparisons aside, it's one of my top pedals! It blends between two voices like the AO, a B3K-a-like on one side, and a more-aggressive-Vintage-a-like on the other.
[/quote]

Been following up on the Pike Vulcan pedals following on from your comments and some rave reviews elsewhere. Seems that the Pike brand is an offshoot of 3Leaf and has built on the DG design (without infringing copyright! - see below from TB thread). Definitely sounds like a pedal worth checking out and one that will match DG. But I can't seem to find anywhere that stocks the pedals in the UK - any help with this?

[size=3][i][color=#191919][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Here's Spencer's response from the 3Leaf thread.[/font][/color]

[color=#191919][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]"I'm honestly surprised at all the negative response and it's made me physically ill this morning so I'm gonna try my best to clear everything up.[/font][/color]

[color=#191919][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The reason for the new company is to try some different ideas with branding. I wanted a brand that's just for bass players without any ambiguity. I was also getting really burned out and I needed a new creative outlet. It has nothing to do with "keeping the 3Leaf Audio name out of the muck" as there is no threat of legal action here. I'm not infringing on any trademarks and I didn't break any contracts. I'll still be running the 3Leaf brand, and that will be focused on all the fun and weird stuff I've always made, while Pike will be more utilitarian products for bass.[/font][/color]

[color=#191919][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]As to why the pedals look similar to the old USA-made DG pedals: Doug and I had a partnership and I designed those pedals. He came to me with the schematic for the audio section of the circuits, and I designed the bypass switching and did the physical designs. I also fronted the money for every production run and managed the entire production myself. I don't think most people realize how collaborative that partnership was...I wasn't just a hired gun if that was the impression that was given off. I won't get into the ending of that partnership other than to say that Darkglass stuck me with a few hundred enclosures that were already drilled for those pedals. I couldn't afford to just throw those away since I had already paid for them, so I had to come up with a design that would work in that box. I was originally thinking of making it a limited run just to get rid of the few hundred enclosures I had, but then Darkglass changed the look of their pedals to the point that my aesthetic design was no longer there, and it was a design I was really proud of so I wanted to 'reclaim' it so to speak. I obsess over the look and feel of the products I design and I didn't want to see my work die out with the end of that partnership.[/font][/color]

[color=#191919][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Regarding the circuit: I wouldn't have done any of this if I were just going to copy Darkglass. I don't think it's fair to my customers to release a product that doesn't bring anything new to the table. The Vulcan circuit is inspired by my knowledge of the Darkglass circuits but taken in a direction that I think makes them appealing in a totally different way. I worked with those circuits for years so I learned what makes them sound good, but I also found lots of ways to change it to make it work more to my taste. The big difference with the Vulcan circuit is that it's actually two entire overdrive circuits in parallel that get blended together to form the complete sound. It's a very complex circuit design...the Vulcan circuit has 117 components and the XL has 173. In practice it sounds a lot different than a B3K or something like that, so I hope you guys get the chance to try one for yourself before just assuming that it's a ripoff since it has a similar look. I've spent most of the last year fine-tuning and obsessing over every detail of these pedals and I'm really excited about the results.[/font][/color]

[color=#191919][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Sorry to be long-winded, but I needed to be thorough because all the speculation on here gave me an anxiety attack. It really wasn't my intent to ruffle any feathers. I'm currently putting the finishing touches on a series of onboard preamps with a really cool twist, and I think you guys will like them."[/font][/color][/i][/size]

Edited by Al Krow
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No, but Prymaxe in the US have them and might give you 20% off if you ask via their online chat, they are good like that... They run discount coupons all the time but the last one just expired. You won't get stung with fees either. Pity you just missed out on the bargainous used one that just sold for £100 on here!

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I started with the VMT, then got a B7K. Didn't really use the VMT too much. Then I got a M900 amp. So the other night I was playing my Warwick Corvette $$ at rehearsal and the B3K setting on the M900 just made the whole thing sound way too scooped. Switch to the VMT setting and Voila!, it fits in the mix much better.

I normally run my basses on the B3K setting or through a B7K, but the $$ just is a bit much into that. Love having both the B3K, the VMT and the clean sound on tap that way. The VMT just worked a lot better for that bass, and maybe others too.

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[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1494150368' post='3293595']
No, but Prymaxe in the US have them and might give you 20% off if you ask via their online chat, they are good like that... They run discount coupons all the time but the last one just expired. You won't get stung with fees either. Pity you just missed out on the bargainous used one that just sold for £100 on here!
[/quote]

Cheers DB. I'm actually after the Pike Vulcan XL which has greater tone shaping and DI out, both of which are considerations for getting the DG VMT deluxe version rather than the plain vanilla DG VMT pedal for me (as well as the your point on the other thread, that [i]"[/i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][i]The standard Vintage has a rather muffled top end like your cab has a blanket over it" (![/i]) ).[/font][/color] Not seen the Vulcan XLcome up in the FS section yet - I guess I'll maybe need to get in touch with the US suppliers. (Btw - who sorts out the VAT and Customs duties on US imports?)

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