dannybuoy

YES

A lot of bass players don't like overdrive because they've only ever tried pedals like the Boss ODB-3 (and I assume the Behringer is probably similar) which is a horrible sounding distortion. I love mine though, but I only use it when I want to sound horrible!

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1451569516' post='2941606'] The angle of the pickups here mean that when using the low B string a lot sometimes you'll get a bit of a dent in your thumb from anchoring it on the pickup. I can't really complain too much keeping in mind the bas was designed for a pick player. I also hate pickguards on basses. The NG-2 is the only bass where I can stomach the pickguard. Saying that, I intend to -money permitting- add a third pickup and get rid of the pickguard. [/quote] I would get a little triangular wedge made to fit in that gap and give you a thumb rest that's perpendicular to the strings!

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1451561242' post='2941504'] Neckdive on every jazz bass I've ever played while sitting down. Drives me up the wall. [/quote] I have just run into this one too. No problem with my P, BB, or Sandberg Basic, but the Jazz I acquired recently just gave me pain in my right hand from having to constantly support the body with it!

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1451682113' post='2942499'] No information on the ultra on the Darkglass site. I'm guessing that it is still in the prototype stage. [/quote] There are a series of new product announcements coming in January. The new Vintage Deluxe has been officially announced and should be in stores this month, the new B7K ultra and the yet to be seen amp should be announced very soon. I assume it's well past the prototype stage and Thomann have just listed it early (intentionally or not, I'm not sure!)

[quote name='danbowskill' timestamp='1451680264' post='2942462'] That ultra is lush .........shuder to think how much it will be mind? [/quote] £40 more than the standard version, looks well worth the upgrade! https://m.thomann.de/gb/darkglass_microtubes_b7k_ultra.htm

Coming soon!

The bloke might have had a point - if you're not playing into a cranked tube amp then having a bit of mild grit from an overdrive pedal is just what you want in a classic rock band IMHO - I rarely turn mine off!

I have a humble Warwick Rockbass Streamer Std 5 that's a great bass apart from the electronics - 1.6K pickups mated to 25K pots means the output level is woeful. Yet boosted with a preamp and fed into a Darkglass B3K it's such a riff monster that I can play it for hours constantly inventing new riffs and it inspires me like no other bass I own!

So, has nobody taken it upon themselves to buy one from Bass Direct as a Christmas present to themselves? I might pick one up but I've just got a Line6 Sonic Port and am too busy exploring all the possibilities of the iOS modeling apps!

[quote name='JakobT' timestamp='1450574640' post='2934055'] Bad points: a little heavy [/quote] Not all of them, mine was so light that I suspected it was made out of balsa wood!

He's been dropping some not so subtle hints on the TB thread, head over there!

[quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1451169393' post='2938681'] [url="https://www.facebook.com/Jeffreyjohnrouse/posts/10205050556934906:1"]https://www.facebook...5050556934906:1[/url] Quick demo here.... [/quote] Reminds me of the grindy tone Geezer got on the last Sabbath album!

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1450801319' post='2936013'] I've been looking at pre-amp pedals and asked Marcus at Bass Direct to compare the two. He thought when set flat the Pike Vulcan XL to be more aggressive over the B7K also the gain to be a more modern sound. So not the same pedal IHO [/quote] I would have thought the opposite, the Vulcan sounds less aggressive than the B7K and more comparable to the Vintage from the demos I've heard. Interested to try one out but Darkglass have a new range of stuff being unveiled in January including an updated Vintage Deluxe with the 4 band EQ and toggles from the B7K as well as an amp!

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1450817344' post='2936199'] [url="https://www.instagram.com/p/979Ec4kbhH/"]https://www.instagra...m/p/979Ec4kbhH/[/url] [/quote] That's the best looking ugly bass of the thread so far!

Same headstock shape, natural finish with pearl plate, white blocks & binding just like the V7... probably from the same factory as Sire? [url="http://r.ebay.com/z4U4ok"]http://r.ebay.com/z4U4ok[/url]

Apart from playing through a knackered amp, the other way to get there is to use an overdrive pedal. The best thing I have come across for early Geezer tone is the Xotic Bass BB Preamp, which is very touch sensitive and expressive to play through. I hear the Digitech Hardwire CM-2 is in the same ballpark though and can be had for £44 delivered! http://www.dv247.com/guitars/digitech-hardwire-cm-2-tube-overdrive-pedal--49103

Outstanding work!

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1450721726' post='2935245'] So can we close this thread now? [/quote] We've only just begun! I'm interested to hear more demos now that a few people have got their hands on them.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1450647996' post='2934632'] It's interesting you say that, as I imagine smaller builders like 3 leaf very much rely on internet fame to sell their devices, in particular forums. I doubt anyone would have even heard of builders like iron ether and fuzzrocious without that kind of exposure. For boss, digitech, Ibanez etc completely agree with you, but not for boutique builders. [/quote] I think the forums certainly help get them off the ground when they are very small, but Darkglass and 3Leaf are now larger than that. I would hazard a guess at present more of their pedals are sold due to word of mouth, artist endorsements, social media and store presence, and most of the buyers not active on the forums. Of course I don't have any data to bass that on, but most of the bassists I've met (not including ones met through BC of course!) have either never heard of Talkbass / Basschat, or have done but are not active on them enough to know or care about the back story or have any kind of brand loyalty. I have been on both forums for years, have 3 Darkglass pedals, and have even received freebies from Doug, so have a degree of brand loyalty. But if I thought the Vulcan XL sounded better than my B7K, I would make the switch without hesitation, because they are tools and I want the best tool for the job. So if only a fraction of buyers are active on the forums, and only a fraction of them place politics / brand loyalty above price / performance, I don't think the way Spencer is conducting business will have a huge negative impact on sales. All very much IMHO of course!

I couldn't give a monkey's about the politics and would choose whatever pedal sounded best, I think most bassists not deeply involved in Basschat / Talkbass wouldn't even know or care either.

(Duplicate post)

I did measure them a while back and the EMGs / Delanos were very slightly smaller but would fit. I'll do that again and post the measurements. There are too many EMG soapbars models to choose from though! The other, potentially cheaper and better looking option is to get them rewound. I wouldn't normally go to these lengths to fix a cheap bass but apart from the pickups it's great!