Darkglass Microtubes B3K V2 CMOS Bass Overdrive Pedal

The B3K Overdrive from Darkglass very quickly made a name for itself as a transparent, modern and super-meaty bass distortion solution.

Now, Darkglass are back with a vengeance with the B3K V2! Retaining all of the killer features that gave the B3K its through-the-roof ratings, they’ve added brand new tonal shaping options so you can harness the beast to suit your darkest desires!

Simple Controls, Complex Sound

This pedal has been designed to make killer sound as accessible intuitive as possible! With its naturally scooped quality, you’ll immediately have the sound of a high-powered tube amp at your disposal. You can then make use of the simple controls to go from a tight, responsive boost to an all-out distorted assault. This pedal is not to be messed with!

Spoilt for Tonal Choice

The ‘attack’ switch from the original has been replaced by a tone knob, so you have a far broader control over the shape of your sound. The familiar grunt switch at the core of the B3K’s meaty sound is still present, and now works alongside a 6dB mid-boost switch for those crucial low-mid frequencies. This puny pedal boasts heaps of outstanding tone that’ll compliment any hard-rocking bass rig!

Here’s What Darkglass Have To Say About the B3K V2:

A perfect combination of brutality and clarity, the original Microtubes B3K delivered a sharp and scooped overdrive tone (like a modern tube amplifier) in a really easy to use pedal. Its dead simple control layout was key to the Darkglass initial success. As it is virtually impossible to set it the “wrong way”, the three knobs and toggle switches made it easy to find useful tones while rarely getting something that wasn’t useful and appealing.

However, after being at the top of the field for nearly 7 years, Darkglass thought the time had come to implement some of the engineering tricks they have learned in their relatively short journey and give this much-loved pedal the upgrade it deserved. So, with the Microtubes B3K V2 you get all the features of the original, but now get the added ability to restore the mid-range for a natural character if needed.

The attack switch has now been replaced by the tone knob, giving much more control of the higher harmonic content (3 kHz to 8 kHz). The grunt switch is still present, as you would expect, but this now comes in the form of a mid-boost, giving you a subtle 6dB boost from 300 Hz to 1 kHz. This can help you to cut through a bit more in busy mixes.

Fundamentally the Microtubes B3K V2 is the same pedal Darkglass designed nearly a decade ago, aimed to give you a perfect combination of brutality and clarity. You can guarantee that the updated version will deliver defined and powerful saturation in an intuitive format.
There are no rules and no limits, so dig in and unleash your tone.

V2 Technical upgrades

Despite B3K already being a very versatile CMOS bass overdrive, Darkglass wanted to simply add some very useful features for additional tone shaping on the V2 model:

• Tone Knob: this control uses a variable low pass filter to exactly control the high harmonic content. The Attack switch from the V1 has now been removed, as the Tone knob essentially serves the same function, but with a much greater range and control over the attack and treble.
• Mid Boost switch: Darkglass also included a control to add an alternative to the characteristic mid frequency response of the B3K. If desired, pushing this button will result in a slightly flatter and more transparent character.
• Grunt Switch: replacing the V1 three-way toggle, the new V2 modes are Raw and Fat.

Controls

• Blend: Mixes the clean input signal with the overdriven signal. The clean signal remains at unity gain while the volume of the overdriven signal is set by the Level knob, allowing for fine control of the blend ratio.
• Tone: Controls the high-frequency content of the sound. A variable low pass filter from 3kHZ (ccw) to 8kHz (cw)
• Level: Sets the volume of the overdriven signal.
• Drive: Sets the amount of saturation in the overdriven signal.
• Grunt: When engaged, provides a massive low end boost to really thicken your sound.
• Mid Boost: give a subtle 6 dB boost from 300 Hz to 1 kHz to help you cut through a little more.