Bass Pedals Shootout - Darkglass, Tech 21 & MXR

[@VictorHugoTargino]

Hey everyone, thanks so much for the feedback! This is a video I've been meaning to make for quite some time now, and it seemed like good timing, since the Darkglass Alpha•Omega came out recently and couldn't be left out. I've read all the comments here and on other social medias and took it all into consideration. There are definitely some pedals lacking, but I used what I have and it still serves a purpose. Definitely gonna work on some other shootouts. If you liked the video, please subscribe! I have a ton of other stuff and much more coming up. Cheers from Brazil!

[@jonmuir13]

Which one do you choose out of them all?

[@bryantsmith1074]

this video seems like a fraud.

[@Rymsha1]

Amazing skills being able to play those bass lines while twisting all the knobs!

[@matejgrim]

He's playing with his feet

[@trfmusic902]

Another guy playing

[@juancitolimon8743]

JAJAJAJAJA

[@benedekm.kovacs7265]

Easy: looper pedal

[@stevendugger3722]

I have not a similar problem ...

[@TyrannusEtImperium]

Did not expect to like the MXR as much as I did. Vintage Microtubes wins by a hair but I am now very interestes in the MXR.

[@juancarlosjimena376]

Lol same thoughts 😅😅😅

[@ethanlancaster76]

It’s a better pedal. Don’t buy the hype, buy the pedal that YOU like.

[@brianfrankowski]

The MXR also has 2 channels, which didn't really get shown here

[@cd0u50c9]

@@ethanlancaster76 I second this. The MXR is well worth the money and it gives you the advantage of sounding different to the whole Dingwall Darkglass crew of today...

[@ethanlancaster76]

@@cd0u50c9 MXR has been making some of the best (build quality and sound quality) stompbox’s for decades now but for me they’re one of the few companies that doesn’t forget about the bass player and they have made a lot of very innovative effects that are designed for bass specifically. They make some of the best compressors in a stompbox format for bass as well as the bass octave deluxe and the MXR M82 bass envelope filter, which along with this pedal used as a direct box and a drive/distortion pedal would be the makings of a great little gigging pedalboard that covers everything that I would probably ever need for almost any situation. A phase 90 is always cool on bass too and Jaco did wonders and changed the whole sound of bass for a while during the 80’s with their digital delay. If you don’t need the newest most hip name on your gear then you will definitely be hard pressed to find better sounding and more useful effects in durable stompbox pedals for bass than most of the offerings from other manufacturers compared to MXR.

[@drschultz]

Recording tip: use the sansamp for a clean track & a crunch pedal of your choice to add 'character' on a 2nd track. High pass the crunch track and use the sansamp to get a clean load end. Blend them and it sounds amazing - this is what i do with the Sansamp BDDI v2 & Alpha Omega.

[@sebastienfilion2428]

I agree, the SansAmp works very nicely for a clean tone. It even works for guitar.

[@8Junio76]

Post a video of your amazing tone then

[@JeserNoob]

crguti this is done very often and is a typical mixing technique.

[@JeserNoob]

crguti kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGTMqIGCfsyngZI

[@BigMuff75]

That's how you do it!

[@cd0u50c9]

I've got the MXR and the SansAmp and have on occasions ran them together - you have to be careful which bit of the sound comes from which pedal, but when dialled in correctly it sounds monstrous.

[@jeannotx]

me too mxr 132 and sansamp is the best for me

[@jasonz1771]

I own the sansamp and use it with my Ibanez sr2605. You really gotta back the blend off or it defeats the whole purpose of the split signal and kills your tone. You had it all the way up the whole time. Both the drive and blend at %50 is a great starting point and great tone.

[@trfmusic902]

Yeah, I own the tech 21 v2 of this and it just doesn't sound right with my Ibanez.

[@jasonz1771]

@@trfmusic902 if your into metal or modern stuff you should check out darkglass. I personally love the x7 and x ultra. If your looking for a warmer old school vibe there are pedals with tubes.

[@josueflores7962]

That's what ticked me off during the video, the Pedals offer way better blending and tone but he just murders it.

[@NamooNara]

For distortion, I like the Vintage Deluxe and Alpha Omega, but the MXR's ability to switch off the distortion, but keep the EQ and preamp on is a notable advantage.

[@graysonwilson-cacciapalle7989]

Namoo Nara I have the MXR and the distortion sounds pretty good, but makes the low end disappear, I’ve used it with a band and no one could hear me when I switched the distortion on

[@maxsokolov7863]

@@graysonwilson-cacciapalle7989 try to turn off a little on a BLEND knob. You are right, it eats some low end, but usually I can handle it by playing with BLEND and GAIN knobs. PS: I use MXR for many years as a main pedal and I love, it to be honest. All-in-one you need on the gig.

[@OllieWales]

The alpha omega ultra actually does do that. What they have here is the regular version of the pedal

[@1thess523]

My son is building a bass pedal board for church which will have a Sansamp, after messing with it for a bit i found that the Blend all they way on and everything else at 12 o'clock is where it shines for me through my Gallien-Kruger 700RB. The blend wide open gives you that Ampeg SVT sound

[@alexskibicki2262]

Between all of these pedals, I like the darkglass vintage deluxe and the mxr m80 bass d.i Plus.

[@manowar99]

I use the MXR D.I. myself with a Warwick Corvette Standard 5-string bass with a compressor in front of the D.I. box direct into a mixer. Brutal tone for recording.

[@JoseSanchez-ym1mj]

i use it the same way and dammmmmmm does it sound punchy and tight for live performance

[@CarcPazu]

The B7K sounds perfect for what I do. That's the sound that will cut through a super fast and brutal sound imo.

[@raphaelcote3577]

They are All Great Pedals, but I feel that Darkglass are really the Bests Distortions for Modern Bass!

[@OreaSuaste]

Totally agree, their downside are the price

[@wsb7metal]

This review helped me so much. I bought MXR months ago and I'm suprised with color eq and distortion.

[@nicolas.grisanti]

Great video! Vintage of Darkglass still my favorite, a very underated pedal, for me is perfect

[@grillman7170]

Nicolas Grisanti underrated ???? Maybe compared to other Darkglass products. But pretty much all the Darkglass line has received incredible exposure in the last 5 years.

[@raymcgirrmusic442]

I myself actually run the b7k ultra in front of my sansamp and it rips. My friend suggested it and I haven't taken it off my board. I blend the b7k all the way and get my grit then dial the sansamp blend to about half and it tightens everything up. I do want the alpha omicron eventually for my grit then I can use the b7k to shape the tone eq wise before I run into my microtubes 900. I'll post something when I have some time this weekend!

[@rafaelfranco864]

Please do

[@twangstrom]

MXR and Darkglass Vintage are great. Alpha Omega is also really good. But my oold favourite the SansAmp lost bigtime. What a FartAmp compared to the others.

[@Edoy88]

Proud mxr user here🤘🏻🤨 no noise when engaged.

[@thiagossilva21]

MXR all the way!!

[@alphaenemy]

Just got one and I LOOOOVE it.

[@elclubhellfire]

excelent video great rewiew!!!

[@kavantheterrible]

From this demo I'd call it a tie between the Darkglass Vintage and the MXR.. but I've managed to get a much grittier sound out of the Darkglass Microtubes B7K. I actually run the B7K pedal into a rack-mounted Sansamp unit then into the amp, and let the B7K to most of the lifting. It sounds killer. Thanks for the demo though! I'm actually interested in that MXR pedal now haha

[@JoseSanchez-ym1mj]

i bought the MXR and omg it adds tightness and i feel more punch from my cab, the distortion and noise gate are huge plus. distortion is really usefull becuse of the tone blend knob. get it

[@pideuhweuh8459]

I thought I would rate it Darkglass>SansAmp>MXR but surprisingly the MXR is my favourite. As it's the cheapest I think I'm gonna go with this pertty soon !

[@ClintonNunleyDude]

Love the quality of your videos. Keep it up!

[@dramado]

After trying a bunch of these bass pre/d.i. boxes, I came across a used Eden WTDI World Tour Direct Box/Preamp. It's a lot better than the others I have tried over the years. I had low expectations because I had never heard of it and I got it for cheap ($100 CAD), but it has been in use every time I've played my bass since. Gives me the sound I'm looking for.

[@brucedebak5574]

I was about to get the mxr m80, but the sansamp VT bass di sounds better! Great video dude!

[@chrisc.4517]

I'm a big beliver in the SansAmp. Don't leave home without it. Didn't think it showed how much balls it really has right here but anyway. I was surprised the MXR impressed me as much as it did.

[@Toolmybass]

Sans amp..gets my vote and I own 3 Darkglass pedals. The sans amp doesn't color the tone like the DK....they are just expensive "one trick pony" who just keep releasing the same thing, with different knobs, enclosure and charge you $300+

[@cd0u50c9]

Glad to hear an honest opinion on Darkglass pedals - they appear to be everywhere these days and despite the hype something about them never really sat well with me..

[@Toolmybass]

@@cd0u50c9 I absolutely love my B7K as a preamp. It's almost as good as my rackmount Demeter. However my drive knob is at zero to keep that od "circuit" out of my sound.

[@Ricksonmed]

Putz que teste foda valeu demais! Eu uso esse mesmo MXR mas fiquei muito fã do Alpha Omega

[@thiagossilva21]

Também uso o MXR. Já tinha visto alguns vídeos do Alpha Omega, mas o vídeo mostrou que o MXR não fica atrás não.

[@chuckcarney2099]

I added an MXR80 a few months back, and LOVE It..great video btw 💯⚡🖤🤠⚡

[@remylanca9599]

Nice!!! Im think i buy the MXR

[@gonzalitom182]

all are great. i use dark glass vintage deluxe

[@GoldStar5XL]

I have the Sansamp V2 and MXR.....thats all I'll need!

[@loku8507]

I have the vintage deluxe. I love it. Sits great in the mix. I can dial in some pretty snarly bass tones and not get lost behind the band. I used to have the sansamp. Not for me. I admit now that i wasn't using right. I used it as a main drive pedal. I should've used it as the preamp that another drive pedal goes through. Live and learn i guess.

[@jacksonwrightmusic6805]

The Vintage Deluxe sounds sweet! Do you find that you keep it on? I am still considering getting one but I have a Darkglass Alpha Omicron (one without the EQ) running into my Sansamp BDDI v2 so I can have the nice warmth of the Sans ALWAYS on and decide when I want to get dirtier with the Alpha Omicron. I could probably get the Vintage sound if I tried but it's not all in one neat package.

[@loku8507]

@@jacksonwrightmusic6805 you're lucky dude. I really want the alpha omicron. Or the alpha omega. Anything darkglass, really.

[@ironsoul11]

I use the MXR M-80 combo with the MXR M-108 10 band EQ and sounds better than only the MXR M-80 ;) .

[@DaCostaGuitars]

Same here, main Fx on my bass board. the M80 is killer fat dirt, the EQ brings out the upper mids/highs to keep definition clarity. Perfect Combo.

[@tylerwmbass]

Run the AO into the Sansamp with the blend all the way up and drive all the way down on the Sansamp, and you get a killer tone.

[@rajeshkapoor8549]

Will try it out

[@OreaSuaste]

Man of taste

[@MarkLeonTanner]

Amazing...People have different opinions on the outcome...

[@ok-tchau]

To proper drive the SansAmp you need to tone down the BLEND knob otherwise it will just suck after 60% drive. It takes some experience.

[@burningkarma]

oktchau Yeah exactly. I never dial it past halfway. Still keeps the natural tone of the instrument in there as well. Keeps the mid range there too.

[@D20band]

MXR M80 is what I prefer. I have a B7k as well but use the MXR more.

[@robertgriego5903]

MXR all the way. I've matched full rack mounts with huge cabs with a little combo and my MXR

[@PhillyWatts]

The MXR sounds awesome! The Sansamp is better when run into the effects return of an amp (bypassing the amp EQ of the Warwick). My dream is to have that Vintage Microtubes running into the Sansamp!

[@abeatty9663]

That was great thanks

[@itodios4562]

wonderful review. rhanks

[@WilDBeestMF]

The MXR pre has always quietly been really good and feature packed. It's just that SansAmp does it better, tbh. The MXR will definitely do ya, though!

[@PhillyWatts]

I love the VMT!

[@goobiedebber5059]

For the price I'd take the MXR but those Darkglass rips my pants. Damn!

[@alexmurphy5289]

I own many guitar pedals and the darkglass b7k is a phenomenal pedal for the price and the options. If it was for guitars it would be $500 or more tbh

[@rockereivanivan]

I use the mxr m80, the darkglass b7k and a boss gt 1b and the combination is killer lml

[@thiagossilva21]

MXR m80 + Boss GT1b here. Loving it!

[@ericoberman5697]

I have that Sansamp, and live by it... However That B7K kept coming in as top 2 every time.. May be worth the spend to have both

[@piedpeter1]

Microtubules seems more possibilities, great tone, clean yet nasty modern distortion, more headroom and presence, probably works well in the mix. $300 f'ing dollars! I like my tech 21 VT bass driver blows doors on sans amp for modern bass tones, I prefer crunchy nasty tone it really stands out in the mix especially with the character knob on 10 for punk and metal.

[@tunggalsiahaan2501]

where’s the ampeg scr?

[@hamadxjm]

Vintage delux and Omega are the best

[@mastereact]

i like MXR DI, it has noise gate + Phantom Ground, more gain !

[@daynejosephh]

I wonder why the SansAmp sounds so weak in this video :/ I've heard it in other videos and it usually sounds better.

[@larrycjones6765]

Look at the level setting. I use that for a clean tone at home. Turn it up!

[@sethnicholls7861]

Maybe weak pickups on tester bass, onboard eq the preamp, amp it's being demo' d thru, etc..?

[@LCA1985]

@@larrycjones6765 Level is not drive, level is the master volume while Drive is the amount of distortsion so low level doesnt mean clean tone, it means low volume.

[@carlosrios790]

The MXR is my choice.

[@josephlara2339]

sansamp is my favourite

[@PhillyWatts]

The SansAmp with the drive up too far never really sounds good. Its not a great drive pedal IMO, but the amp and cab sim on it sounds amazing! Please do a video of the Darkglass running into a clean SansAmp as I'm sure it would sound amazing!

[@drbass85]

Philly Watts exactly! I run that Sansamp for a fat, ever so slightly driven tone and then add the Alpha Omega for distortion. The AO sounds twice as good with the SA under it.

[@PhillyWatts]

@@drbass85 my dream tone is the Vintage Microtubes into the SansAmp, but for now I run the MXR M80 into the SansAmp with great results.

[@eddiewayne9995]

Personally liked the microtube and the mxr

[@MrExcane]

🙌 👍👍

[@marciomoraes2835]

Man algum set de captadores jazz bass pra tocar hardcore, punk rock e afins?

[@yhoubass]

something is wrong, most of these pedals or all, the EQ reacts at all times therefore affects the sound when comparing them, if they are put in the same chain of effects

[@BrunoAnana]

Massa o canal brother! Inscrito!

[@simonlees2848]

You should also try getting hold of the Two Notes Le Bass, in my oppinion its the best sounding bass preamp clean and driven. The Tech 21 VT Bass also sounds much better then the sansamp but its a ampeg svt style sound unlike the others

[@matthewcarson6918]

DarkGlass and MXR tied for me...DarkGlass is expensive though

[@alexmurphy5289]

Not when compared to guitar pedals. It would be $500 or more if it was for guitar

[@wolfydazombiekiller]

@@alexmurphy5289 ya that’s almost never true pedals made specifically for bass are almost way more expensive and are fewer in options as well as bass cabs, amps, and even strings. It’s always more expensive on bass

[@soundbyrat]

Great job!

[@TheNegodial]

Samsamp comeu poeira.. I like Darkglass microtubes

[@enfokado]

SansAmp by far!!!

[@Toolmybass]

B7K for the win.

[@sethnicholls7861]

I like the silver one up top most I think...?

[@JeserNoob]

What about the EHX Battalion? it's a pre amp with a gate, compressor, di and distortion all in one

[@danielvergara5953]

Sans amp ❤

[@INeverWanted2010]

I'm looking into an ampless rig. If I don't care about built-in drive/distortion (I have my own dirt pedals) does it matter which one I get? The MXR sounded pretty good to my ears

[@insanerotta5332]

Ok, I need to buy a Vintage Deluxe.

[@guero_mocoso]

Vintage Deluxe!!!

[@PeaceMusic53]

Ampeg SCR-DI should represented here.

[@omkumz]

Mxr 👍

[@billlukes2557]

MXR baby!!!!!!!

[@ztopalusic]

MXR is the best!!

[@rayhewitt6875]

Alpha Omega for sure, but hate the clank sound though.

[@Gangster_Club3]

Una lastima que no usaste el M80 sin distorsión , el sonido limpio es bastante potente!!

[@HaitIsHere]

SansAmp has that SUB that other pedals lack,i thought dark glass would win but sansamp has a better over all bass sound.

[@taojialovetaojialove8372]

Yes ,most of time we don't need that low end too much,,,Ithought the vintage is right..

[@sethnicholls7861]

Ya but is too scooped IMO

[@andrerudgebarbosa9854]

In terms of what you get for the bucks, I'd guess that the MXR is the right choice. If money is not an issue, I 'd grab B7K, Alpha Omega, and MXR for versatility and have more weapons choice depending on the battle. Great review! Thanks for sharing.

[@TomMarello]

I own a MXR M80 for years and I'm very satisfied with it, although I'm tempted to buy some Darkglass stuff, particularly B7K :) ...dunno if I'll get one sooner or later. My current setup is IBANEZ SR305 --> MXR M80 --> GK PLEX (for addtional EQ shaping and compressor). Here's how it sounds (directly into soundcard): kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYmWXp2ijd-Ggrc

[@TonyMacaroni69_]

I was wondering if it's safe to run a pre-recorded line level DI signal through one of those pedals to then send the affected signal back into my interface to record it. I'm a bit scared to try it since I'm assuming that the pedals were made for a bass signal that hasn't been amplified by a pre amp yet.

[@VictorHugoTargino]

That's actually what I did in this video, but I used a reamp box to match the levels. Get one and it's a no brainer. I highly recommend the Radial Engineering boxes, they're great.

[@TonyMacaroni69_]

@@VictorHugoTargino Okay, thank you very much for answering :)

[@katrinakruspe8731]

Honestly, never heard a good Darkglass pedal. Maybe just bad demos. SansAmp is my most fav so far.

[@mostyncole]

SansAmp all the way. Use it for fattening the tone, not trying to add dirt like this video. There are cooler dirt pedals to use in conjunction with the sans amp that would beat all these at a dirt contest. The fizzyness offered by the other four DI's is tacky, They all sound like a boss Metal Zone for bass.

[@codagonzalez1965]

El SansAmp lejos el sonido más sólido

[@eloysuopunki7926]

MXR is the most versatile easily.

[@Bobby_Uterus]

Holy daisy chain! Sending the correct milliamps to each pedal may make a difference in tone.

[@robertomicelli]

Clean no?😕

[@gab.lab.martins]

Agora tô em dúvida entre o Alpha•Omega e o MXR. Quero um drive percussivo, metálico, e os dois tão bem próximos do som que tenho na cabeça, por motivos diferentes. Foda é achar aqui pra testar. E o outro problema é que pretendo usá-los pelo DI, ou no máximo pelo Torpedo, sem amplificador. Você conseguiu por onde?

[@9999plato]

Cleaner playing would help, Mr Buzz Clackety.

[@pillepalle3614]

FlyBaby tell it John Entwistle

[@imandan1966]

@@pillepalle3614 let me call him...oh wait

[@cerru25]

Hey dudes.. You forget to push up treble in SansAmp pedal the whole test.....

[@raphaelcote3577]

I like to blend the Alpha Omicron and the VT Bass in Parallel, The VT has more of a Geddy Lee punchy tone and the AO in the other chain is that Big Raw Distortion, with that I blend with a clean channel for my low end with an ABY box! :)

[@bryantsmith1074]

this must be a Darkglass promotion video because on all the Darkglass peddles the level knobs are turned all the way up but on the MXR and SanAmp the level knobs are not up at all. this is unfair to the MXR and SanAmp peddles so this video proves nothing.

[@cd0u50c9]

+1 for this. The SansAmp and the MXR are easily the best pedals here.

[@bassistdc]

A little distortion goes a long way for me.1 through 5 or 6 is okay, after that bass tone is ruined IMO. So count me as not being a distortion fanatic. No disrespect intended to those who love it.

[@wackobass987]

I still like the VMTD best!

[@orbithesun1]

Four out of five pedals in this demo had good to great usable tone. Can anyone guess which one had the fart bag tone? lol

[@joelspaulding5964]

Nice tones especially the Alpha-Omega and microtubes-. All manage credible sounds in at least some part of the tone spectrum. My only issue with shootout vids that use loops- ITRW, we would be playing the pedal. One of the most fundamental aspects of electric instruments. Cliche, but we play the amp, not the guitar.

[@recklesstoboggan]

Darkglass Vintage is my first choice. The Darkglass AlphaOmega and the MXR (surprising to me) are a close 2nd. The sans amp is a classic but needed more drive and then back off the blend here. Everybody seems to rave about the BK7, but in all of the demos I've heard, I haven't liked it.

[@jorgehodgson6553]

I tried sansamp, MXR and darkglass... MXR has better sound for me

[@Algo1]

The MXR is aggressive af, I'd probably take it if I was aiming for a Motorhead sound. The B7K and Vintage sounded the most balanced out of them all. The SansAmp was surprisingly bland.

[@genesisbazz6787]

SansAmp

[@OmniTron1000]

I don't know what it is, but every demo I hear of the sans amp sounds terrible. The MXR sounds great, but...I'd take the vintage deluxe out of all these.

[@urbaninstinkttzxhc]

You must try SansAmp at you home on your gear and bass.

[@dokkendude]

Agreed very poor showing for the SansAmp but you must try it for yourself, mine doesn't sound that wimpy

[@Pesso86]

True, in this demo it sound pretty bad, but I have it (the programmable version) and I can't do without it! Definitely my favorite pre-amp (close second is the BB Xotic). I know this is might be an unpopular opinion, but I prefer it even to Darkglass!

[@ОлександрРаєв]

clear the ears, mxr is shitty sandy crap. And if you tried sansamp in input of amp - this was mistake.

[@BigMuff75]

The Sans Amp usually sits very well in a mix, although it might sound the least "spectacular" on its own. Darkglass sounds awesome in solo, but can have issues in a full mix because of masking the upper mids of the kick or get in the way of the vocals.