# Darkglass alternatives



## Nemonic (May 17, 2013)

Hi guys. I am successfully using my POD HD for bass tones. The thing is, I want to be able to use it for electric guitar when I will hold jam sessions at my house. 
I want a "fat bottom, distorted top" kind of tone, and I do not want to spend money on a Darkglass. 
What I think I need is a pedal which has the possibility to blend the clean and distorted part while being able to filter out that distortion from the low end, let's say a hi-pass filter at around 500 hz (this is where I like it on my POD).
Somewhere around here is a thread about "Band in a rack", where that guy writes about his bass player using a EHX Big Muff Bass PI Deluxe. He also writes about running it into a 810 Ampeg fridge, which is what I want to avoid. I want the whole band direct. 
It is basically armed with what I need. 
Signal chain would be a bass guitar to that pedal, then one XLR to mixer. 
Do you know about any other budget pedals that meet my requirements?


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## Kroaton (May 17, 2013)

You could just buy a splitter pedal with lowpass/hipass filters on it like this one - [sfx]:Split and Mix

Add a compressor before everything else in the signal chain, than the splitter, buy some distortion pedals (Fuzz, soft clipping, valley peak style distortion) put them in the return and mess around with distorting the high end, get laid for having an amazing bass tone.

Depending on what you end up buying it might cost you the same as the Darkglass.


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## davisjom (May 17, 2013)

You might want to check out an MXR M80 pedal. From what I've been hearing it's a good alternative to Darkglass.


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## Nemonic (May 17, 2013)

Kroaton said:


> You could just buy a splitter pedal with lowpass/hipass filters on it like this one - [sfx]:Split and Mix
> 
> Add a compressor before everything else in the signal chain, than the splitter, buy some distortion pedals (Fuzz, soft clipping, valley peak style distortion) put them in the return and mess around with distorting the high end, get laid for having an amazing bass tone.
> 
> Depending on what you end up buying it might cost you the same as the Darkglass.


Or I can buy Axe FX 2 to tone match that Darkglass.


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## Nemonic (May 17, 2013)

davisjom said:


> You might want to check out an MXR M80 pedal. From what I've been hearing it's a good alternative to Darkglass.



Thank you very much. It looks very good, I am going to try it. It might be better suited for my music. What I am worried about is that it does nit have the HPF for distorted side, so the low end possibly would get gritty.


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## iron blast (May 17, 2013)

the Amt Bc1 bass crunch is perfect man I absolutely love mine


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## LordCashew (May 17, 2013)

davisjom said:


> You might want to check out an MXR M80 pedal. From what I've been hearing it's a good alternative to Darkglass.



I have one and it's a good pedal. But although I think the distortion can sound good through a cab, it's terrible going direct IMO. It seems kind of weird to have a pedal with a fairly elaborate drive channel and a di, and then have them not sound great when used at the same time...

But who knows, it might work for you. Direct clips of the Darkglass pedals just sound significantly better IMO.


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## DavidLopezJr (May 17, 2013)

VT Bass is the best option.


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## Sepultorture (May 17, 2013)

can't go wrong with Sansamp man, it's the go to DI in the music industry


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## Nemonic (May 17, 2013)

But what about the high pass filter? I have encountered with the Bass Crunch in the afternoon, looks good, but I really need that filter if the distortion part is not made up for it. 
Imagine a downtuned bass to F with the lowest distorted note. 
I think that Nolly really slays with his tone, it is that Darkglass for top and Ampeg simulation for bottom. I can do that with POD, but want something in a single pedal. The Big Muff looks like the best deal.


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## vansinn (May 18, 2013)

Nemonic said:


> Hi guys. I am successfully using my POD HD for bass tones. The thing is, I want to be able to use it for electric guitar when I will hold jam sessions at my house.
> I want a "fat bottom, distorted top" kind of tone



Get an old ADA MB1 (if you can locate one..); should work well in the HD loop, else use it as a pre.
Has two tube channels, one fully clean, one clean/distort, each having five voicings: linear, falling, rising, scooped, shelved, plus drive and level. Also a fixed plus semi-parametric EQ, compressor, chorus, full out plus split for bi-amping (if anyone use this these days).


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