Darkglass B7K Ultra vs. Vintage Ultra vs. Alpha Omega Ultra

[@pCeLobster]

1:30 B7K/B3K with the drive at 0 is a sound that so many people are looking for, but few realize they can get it from Darkglass. Everyone is focused on the heavy distortion sounds of these pedals, but where they really shine is low gain/low drive IMO.

[@codynaler6644]

I literally use my Alpha Omega Ultra for this at church. Drive around 8 o'clock, mod around 9. It sounds so warm and smooth.

[@jayl5941]

I'm so glad I stumbled onto this. You're not kidding - I've had this pedal forever and just tried the low gain stuff and it's killer! I had no idea!

[@BarelloSmith]

I have one for a while now and almost exclusively use it for a cleanish sound or mild overdrive and as you said, it is just perfect!

[@alahad]

thanks, your comment was useful

[@crocholiday]

I've been thinking the same thing. Just shared a bill with a band where the bass player used the Alpha Omega bass head. Outstanding clean tone and only used the distortion for a tiny bit of growl. Sounded so good. So good I was online the next morning looking for the pedal lol.

[@6Un6HoLy6]

Great comparison vid. Would love to see an updated version where the X Ultra is thrown in the mix.

[@BriFlipProductions]

I own an Alpha Omega (standard), but this video has absolutely convinced me to buy a B7K

[@sonofradium4835]

Mmm. B7K for me.

[@alphaenemy]

That pedal absolutely crushes. $360 retail, tho...almost what I spent on my amp itself.

[@aaaaa111aaaaa]

​@@alphaenemy Well, its not a pedal really. Its a preamp. Which means its somewhat of an amp on its own

[@lavadoraautomatica1]

Listening through the headphones the AOU is the absolute winner. Soooo good. If it had an FX loop for sure in my board it would be.

[@alexskibicki2262]

Between all if these preamps from darkglass, I like the vintage ultra the most. also that riff from 2:42 sounds killer. it reminds me of the sludge metal band acid bath.

[@roberthunt4376]

Love the mid growl from the vintage ultra

[@coolbossnessFTW]

100% the Vintage Ultra. It's growl is just really fun, and well, vintage. It gets a lot more grind that reminds me of vintage bass amps pushed to a comical level. Not quite doomy, but it's definitely great for other genres of metal or rock, I'm guessing.

[@howler9171]

It could definitely do doom well if you crank the blend and drive. It sounds very SVT-like which is what a lot of doom and sludge bands use

[@cmenacez8748]

I agree, it maintains the tone much better than the others while still giving the punch and grind.

[@StillWeRide]

Video helped me decide on what to grab. Really wanted the alpha for the 6 band but ended up getting a b7k. Dont regret it at all. Amazing clean tone and distortion.

[@liamjenkins82]

Hey mate. I'm looking into these to. I play metal airing on the side of progressive djent style of stuff. But we only have one guitarist. So I want to distort the the highs and keep the lows tight. Is this something the bk7 ultra can do

[@howler9171]

​@@liamjenkins82 I know this comment's a few months late but there's another darkglass preamp not shown in this video that can do exactly what you want. It's just called the "X", and instead of normal eq knobs it has frequency crossover controls. You can set it so anything above a certain frequency is distorted and anything below it is clean, like how a lot of bands mix their bass tracks in the studio. It sounds like you're using two different amps together

[@liamjenkins82]

@@howler9171 o mate. Where were you when I needed that advice. Ha ha. I'll check it out. Although I've just sold my b7k ultra. It didn't really do it for me.

[@howler9171]

My b7k ultra isn't really cutting it for me either. It's way too scooped. I have to crank both mid knobs all the way up to get it to sound decent. My band's guitarist downtunes, uses a stack of 4x12s, and likes to boost the shit out of his bass, so as soon as he starts playing I become completely inaudible in the mix like I'm not even there. I'm thinking of selling it and getting a vintage ultra instead. If the vintage doesn't work for me either I'll just go back to my trusty old sansamp bass driver

[@arsenije_wav8620]

@@howler9171 That's not your problem to solve. Your guitarist needs to understand he's being an ass and turn down his bass.

[@travisarlow9564]

My personal favourite has to be the vintage. Sounds like a cranked tube head on steroids. Great job guys👍

[@piedpeter1]

Bk7 wins, clearer more definition w/good balance of grind and clarity.

[@OmniTron1000]

I own a vintage ultra, and an Alpha Omega (standard). As much as I love the A/O, and think the AOU looks/sounds incredible. The vintage ultra is such a great all around pedal, I don't know that I'd ever switch it out for something.

[@cacaman17]

The alpha omega seems to hold on to the low end alot better than the other 2

[@BROOKS39]

I’m listening through headphones and I’m steering towards the AOU as the winner

[@rafaelfreitasmusic]

Watching this video + reading the comments section is the proof that Darkglass made a perfect job with these three pedals. They all sound great on their own, but they're quite distinct from each other and you can really see that there's no absolute favourite in here. There's a pedal for each taste! Btw, I'd take: B7K for low to high gain settings and A/O for some crushing crazy distortion. The Vintage is not for me :P Overall winner to my taste: B7KU! (which curiously is the one I own lol)

[@badger4361]

I am running a bk7 ultra through a AO Ultra. I love the EQ on the AO, it's full and super clean, can also add a choice of distortion. I use the BK7 when I want to add some clank and maybe grit.

[@craigparrish7139]

On this video, I'd say that 9 o'clock on the Drive on any of these models (with the Fender American Professional Jazz Bass) is the ideal tone. Great grind but no fuzzy mush.

[@danielskrivan6921]

B7KU seems to have a good tone all around. AOU seems to have sweet spots where it sounds amazing, and then other spots where it sounds off. VU seems like it has more low-end, at the severe cost of clarity. Do they offer a bundle deal?

[@saschavandongen]

This is the perfect description

[@GRANKOR]

the Vintage sounds the best by far

[@jordanbush7605]

I feel like the vintage has a, well, vintage sound, the alpha omega sounds very modern, and the b7k is somewhere in the middle. By vintage, I mean a warm and dirty sound, whereas by modern I mean something a bit more metallic and "clanky."

[@jaeuklee4345]

0:59, 1:14 : b7k sounds clearer at low gain

[@kradmehr]

Thank you for this awesome and extremely helpful video. Great job!

[@honeybadger1810]

Vintage ultra for me. Just picked up a Rick and am trying to nail that tool undertow sound.

[@Ferdrekks]

Is not which one is better. I once read the best definition: -B7kv2 is tight, like slicing the mix with a katana. -AlphaOmega is nasty, like slicing the mix with a chainsaw -And then, there’s the vintage..

[@danielmoraes743]

yeah i like the alpha omega cause of its nastyness but for that i'd rather use a fuzz

[@hendroprasetyo9814]

Can you make a video for comparison between Vintage Microtubes, B3K, & Alpha Omicron?

[@Jocepos]

Wow, baffled now. I don't think I can buy one without the other two! It really depends on the mix : 0

[@Christian.314]

That thumb rest at 1:30.... Where can I get it? I need it! And BTW, Because of this video I bought the vintage...... I am in love!!!

[@andrejilievski]

Zero-mod

[@MorbidEmpireRD]

Vintage FTW!

[@Suped_BIGRIG_350mph]

Vintage is by far my favorite. All cool pres though (:

[@marcelopmb]

1:33 What is the name of the accessory to support the finger?

[@TheBassChannel]

Zero-Mod

[@marcelopmb]

@@TheBassChannel Very expensive!!

[@DrKeremKoseoglu]

Immensely helpful, thanks for your time and efforts!

[@hambonesyndrome8767]

I’d say vintage ultra and aloha omega are the better or the 3.

[@StuntcatTV]

That 5-string on that Vintage Ultra! Goddamn, that is brutality.

[@YouSeeSorrows]

Alpha Omega sounds too compressed to me. Maybe it just needs to be eq’d.

[@bassguitar1919]

I feel like the Vintage ultra is going to cut through better....fuller mid range. The graphic EQ on the AO is appealing though for sure plus the range of distortions you can get between each side. If I could have just one I would say AO ultra....but I think the Vintage would fit the best into my current regular gig.

[@drewjones9162]

yall know these work without the Distortion side ON right?!

[@VioletSepe]

the alpha omega doesn’t seem to be level matched to the others? it’s always quieter

[@ChrisJoyeMusic]

Fantastic demo. Sold some pedals and ready to wrangle one of these, but unsure which. I think the B7K is what I want. Thanks!

[@TheBassChannel]

Good call!

[@kriskallas7988]

The.dry first clip sounded the best.

[@manny75586]

The only one I didn’t really “get” was the vintage ultra. It kinda seems to do something that splits the baby of the other two pedals in a very minor way. I mostly play metal so the Alpha is my favorite. Though I think the B7 is super versatile and could easily be used in a metal mix as well.

[@TheBassChannel]

They all have their place, but yes, the B7K is fantastic in a metal mix and quite versatile.

[@josephramos980]

It defends on how you mixed well the set up of this bass preamp

[@jeanrunkle1059]

Which one of these would you recommend for a justin chancellor of tool tone?

[@jackbruce1000]

Which one do you guys prefer for Geddy.Lee bass tone ?

[@dawndark1232]

I have a B7K Ultra and Vintage Ultra. Next one is the Alpha Omega Ultra. It's brutal

[@dimasprasetyo4036]

Awesome EMG 40DC PU 🔥🔥🔥

[@geekguitars]

My ranking is the VU, A/O, and the B7K

[@the_bassiah]

dang all these pedals are so cool

[@bassistwithadeathwish7277]

All great, B7k or Vintage for me

[@trident1314]

I'm digging the OAU

[@borispopovski9108]

Morley distortion wah volume. Thanks for the great content.

[@danielmoraes743]

damn whats with that low end on the alpha omega

[@howler9171]

I think the vintage ultra sounds the best by far. The b7k sounds nice by itself but it's a bit too mid-scooped. It has boomy bass and clanky treble but not enough mid crunch. Vintage ultra has that nice midrange grind that you need to really punch through the mix hard, it sounds more rich and natural than the b7k. My main issue with the alpha omega is that it doesn't have nearly as much eq adjustability as the other two. Like it doesn't even have a 1kHz range which is the most important one. Also the overdrive tone is more messy and fuzzy. Which might be a good thing for some people, but usually less is more when it comes to distortion. Too much and your tone just turns to mud. Also why doesn't the alpha omega have a master volume control? The level knob only affects the overdrive signal volume not the clean signal

[@webz3589]

The vintage ultra is certainly the best

[@leaderoftheoppositio]

Anyone know where to buy that clear thumb rest on the green p bass?

[@TheBassChannel]

Brian B www.zero-mod.com

[@NodakSavage]

B7K sounds the best to my ears

[@krispatel1]

Great vid as usual! Is it possible to shoot out the vintage ultra vs pork and pickle?

[@TheBassChannel]

Unfortunately, we no longer have the P&P.

[@ireneruthfox]

Alpha-Omega is huge. For me it wins hands down.

[@VladMalik]

Nice riffs! But imo bass doesn't sound great distorted to such a degree. Loved the clean sounds tho

[@Muppio]

No microtubes ultra? Personal favorite.

[@Spartan87667]

The B7K wins for me. It has that bite I love to hear from darkglass. Not a fan of the huge fuzz coming from the vintage ultra and the alpha/omega.

[@icanseetheliar]

Review Mesa boogie bass prodigy four 88 head 👌🏽

[@bumblesnowmonster]

Yessir!!!

[@brainbox9219]

Guess I’m upgrading from B7K v1...

[@kalidesu]

GUMA drive for me. XD

[@eddybass68]

b7k all day

[@hitsfromthebong7629]

B7 has more definition and clarity, the Alpha has too much low end , and the vintage well sounds vintage.

[@As5Hat]

Think the DI didnt make any of them sound very good. The A/O seemed pretty misrepresented

[@howler9171]

I don't like how they were only using the alpha side or the omega side of the AO most of the time instead of blending between the two like it's supposed to be used. Also most of the time they kept the blend knob all the way up for all three pedals too, so we never got to hear the clean tone. Which is definitely not how darkglass pedals are supposed to be used, they're meant for a bi-amped wet/dry rig style tone

[@As5Hat]

@@howler9171 yeah i know what you mean. I run my Microtubes X through an svt 4 pro, with a darkglass 212 neo with a bergantino 410 paired. I use the hyper luminal pedal as well as the compressor pedal. Pricey set up but it sounds really tight. I ended up returning my AO for the microtubes x cause it was a tad too heavy sounding but i enjoyed the range of sound it had

[@carter9449]

the vintage sounds so bad with a flat EQ, doesn't give the pedal justice, gotta scoop all those low mids and crank the high mids

[@Nuppo11]

Stop it! I want it all. But the price...

[@drocka36]

Can they chug tho?

[@Kaljanderi]

In my opinion the differences are so subtle you could just go with the one that looks the coolest to you haha

[@cuervorockero]

Awesomeeeeeee

[@Toolmybass]

If you have taken apart DG pedals?..you will see they use the same internal parts and tweak the sound just a bit....change the box on the outside....that's why DG pedals all sound the same or close. I have 3 different DG pedals and took them apart. It's a scheme to sell more pedals....as DG sound is well known as a "one trick pony"

[@ileutur6863]

Opening up a pedal is one thing, really exploring its sonic capabilities is something completely else. The mid range and gain characteristics of their models are very different and much more than a marketing scheme. The biggest difference can be found in the vintage and alpha omega models

[@Toolmybass]

@@ileutur6863 Im a "knob twister" and owned/bought, and sold hundreds. So my comment was my results AFTER EXPLORING the ****** out of their "sonic capabilities" I still have a couple DG pedals, but don't have the need or desire to buy another one based on my experience.

[@Armazillo]

Man i feel like you made all of these pedals sound bad, i dont know what you guys did but every other video ive watched they all spund great which is why im researching so i can pick the right one but this vid was not helpful bros

[@danielskrivan6921]

They all had flat EQ.

[@XChristianNoirX]

Yeah.. The levels are over the place.. And then.. GOD ENGAGED THE AOU EQ! ALPHA OMEGA HAS NO EQ set in the demo lol. Totally flat. I think with the other pedals, the EQ isn't ever really flat and there are switches, so this isn't a very good comparison. Whoops.

[@hapki9]

B-7K all the way

[@МихаилЛебедев-ч2ф]

B7K top!!!!!!!

[@gamezharks]

vintage>omega>b3k>alpha

[@vikingmetaliscool]

The AOU sucked on all except the last bass. That was massive. B7K then VU for me, thanks.

[@Ultima2876]

B7K at low gain, Vintgage at high gain. Not a fan of the Alpha Omega personally.

[@ooinvsaoo]

this proved NOTHING😂😂😭😭

[@Outie1179]

I don't understand. What was he trying to prove? Seems like it's just a comparison video.

[@SUPER69records]

They should have people that INSPIRE you to rock doing these demos on youtube... not Guitar Center Employ-

[@martinj.bombsquad6695]

The low B-string sounds like s***t on all pedals🤔...toooo....much distortion! Maybe with just alittle dist.🤘😎

[@Rxxbass]

SansAmp :)

[@anonymouswolvenclaw536]

Sansamp is bullshit