Another overdrive? Well, it’s true, but this is a fun one…well, let’s face it, they’re all pretty fun! Today’s fun-time stompbox comes to you all the way from Finland via Darkglass Electronics, and they’re tasty pedal is the Microtubes Vintage Overdrive.
Four knobs seems simple enough, and it basically is. Level adds or subtracts more or less overall volume output from the pedal, Drive controls the saturation present in the overdrive signal – your basic go-to controls for an overdrive. However, Darkglass has conjured up a couple of new knobs for our sonic pleasure. The Era control works together with the Drive to create sounds from different musical chunks of time. To the left, we venture into the meaty, thick, midrange tones of some classic music made in the 1970’s, and when pushed to the right, we arrive at the trebly, punchy, hairspray-infused sounds of the 1980’s. Both fun in their own right, both able to produce usable sound in today’s modern guitar world. A Blend control is always nice to have as well, and, while not new per se, it’s not always available on a good chunk of overdrive pedals, so it is always welcome.
As an added bonus, the Microtubes Vintage has a nice, quiet soft bypass switch (please, pedal makers, can we see more of these?) for super-silent on/off switching, which I love, as do a lot of other pedal freaks. Simple graphic layout, retro font and sleek metallic enclosure make this pedal stand out on your board, as well as in your mix. Plus, they love the environment, so there’s no battery compartment – another bonus in my book. Check out Darkglass Electronics if you’ve never heard of ’em, and even if you have, go see what else they have to offer!
Submitted by Mike B, Website
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February 24, 2015
I bought this pedal along with a new bass rig, it is a staple of my tone.
You can access everything from Black Sabbath to Metallica. Best pedal purchase I’ve ever made.