The Darkglass Vintage Ultra is a powerful bass preamp and overdrive that captures the warmth, punch and organic feel of classic valve rigs, then adds modern flexibility for stage, studio and silent practice. From subtle tape-like compression and rounded cleans to snarling, harmonically rich drive, it gives you a complete, mix-ready bass sound straight to front of house, audio interface or headphones. Built around the beloved Vintage Microtubes engine, the Vintage Ultra adds a fully featured four-band EQ with selectable mid frequencies, flexible connectivity and comprehensive cabinet simulation. Whether you are running into an amp, a PA or recording direct, it lets you sculpt your tone precisely, save your engineer time and keep your sound consistent night after night. With separate footswitches for bypass and drive, the Vintage Ultra works equally well as an always-on tone shaper or as your main overdrive. The blend control keeps your low-end definition intact, while the Attack and Grunt switches fine-tune how the highs and lows hit the clipping stage. Add in XLR DI with switchable cab sim, headphone out with IR cab sim and an Aux In for backing tracks, and you have a compact, professional bass rig at your feet. Vintage warmth with modern control The Vintage Ultra is voiced to deliver the feel of old valve amps and reel-to-reel tape machines, with a natural dynamic response and musical compression. The Drive and Level controls let you move seamlessly from clean preamp tones to saturated, harmonically rich overdrive, while the Blend control keeps your clean signal at unity gain so you can dial in just the right amount of grit without losing clarity. Powerful studio-grade EQ A four-band EQ with six selectable mid frequencies gives you detailed control over your sound. Dedicated Bass, Lo Mid, Hi Mid and Treble controls each offer up to 12 dB of cut or boost, with switchable centre frequencies on the mid bands so you can target problem areas or emphasise the exact character you want. From vintage thump to modern hi-fi punch, the Vintage Ultra can be tailored to any bass, genre or mix. Cab sim and direct versatility The balanced XLR output features a switchable cabinet simulator, letting you send a polished, amp-like tone straight to a PA, mixer or audio interface. A dedicated Cab Sim toggle allows you to bypass the digital section entirely when you need a zero-latency, unaffected DI signal. Via USB and Darkglass Suite you can load a wide range of IR cabinet simulations, giving you access to multiple virtual rigs without carrying any extra gear. Silent practice and flexible I/O For late-night sessions and warm-ups on the road, the Vintage Ultra includes a headphone output with IR cab sim and a 3.5 mm Aux In so you can play along with backing tracks from your phone or laptop. Front-panel Master volume makes it easy to set your overall level and also acts as a DI level control. With dedicated input, 1/4 inch output, XLR DI, USB and ground lift, it drops seamlessly into almost any live or studio setup. Key Features Vintage Microtubes tone engine – Delivers warm, tube-like overdrive with the natural compression and dynamics of classic rock bass sounds, from subtle grit to full, saturated drive, while keeping your low end solid and musical. Four-band EQ with selectable mids – Independent Bass, Lo Mid, Hi Mid and Treble controls with six selectable mid frequencies let you precisely shape your tone for any bass, cab or room, helping you sit perfectly in the mix. Comprehensive cab simulation and DI – A balanced XLR output with switchable cab sim, plus USB connectivity for loading IRs, means you can send a polished, amp-like sound straight to FOH or your interface without miking a cabinet. Headphone and Aux In for practice – The dedicated headphone output with IR cab sim and 3.5 mm Aux In lets you rehearse silently with backing tracks, making the Vintage Ultra a complete practice and performance hub in one pedal. Specifications Controls …
Darkglass Vintage Ultra Bass Preamp & Overdrive Pedal with EQ & Cabsim
This is the Darkglass Vintage Ultra Bass Preamp & Overdrive Pedal with EQ & Cabsim from Darkglass Electronics, listed in Preamp & DI Pedals on Just Pedals. Read More below.
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Brand
Darkglass Electronics
Darkglass Electronics is a highly respected manufacturer of bass amplification and effects pedals, based in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 2009 by Douglas Castro, Darkglass Electronics has quickly risen to prominence within the bass community for its innovative designs, exceptional sound quality, and meticulous craftsmanship.
Darkglass pedals are known for their ability to produce powerful and versatile tones that cater specifically to the needs of bassists. One of their most acclaimed products is the Microtubes B7K Bass Overdrive, which offers a wide range of overdriven and distorted tones while retaining clarity and definition in the low end. This pedal has become a staple on the pedalboards of many professional bass players across various genres.
In addition to overdrive and distortion pedals, Darkglass Electronics also offers a variety of other effects pedals, including preamps, compressors, EQs, and modulation effects, all designed to enhance and sculpt the bass guitar’s tone.
Darkglass Electronics has gained a loyal following among bass players worldwide for its commitment to innovation, quality, and sonic excellence. With their dedication to pushing the boundaries of bass tone, Darkglass continues to be at the forefront of bass gear technology, inspiring bassists to explore new sonic possibilities.
Category
Preamp & DI Pedals
A preamp brings an instrument signal to a controlled level and shapes its impedance, gain and frequency balance before amplification or recording. A DI converts the signal for a balanced, low-impedance connection and may include ground lift, pad and transformer isolation. Combined units can add drive, cabinet filtering, effects loops and parallel outputs while keeping the direct path stable.
Tags
Bass
Voiced or equipped to retain low-frequency fundamentals and the higher headroom of a bass signal. Clean blends, crossovers and bass-specific filter ranges can preserve weight and articulation while the effected portion adds harmonics, movement or ambience.
Cab Simulator
Recreates the strong frequency filtering and resonance imposed by a loudspeaker cabinet and its microphone. It removes the harsh, extended high end of an unfiltered preamp signal and may offer cabinet size, speaker, microphone, position and room choices.
EQ
Raises or lowers defined frequency regions. Fixed-band graphic controls provide direct visual shaping, while parametric controls vary centre frequency and bandwidth; the available range and filter width determine whether the change is broad tonal balance or narrow corrective filtering.
Overdrive
Uses moderate clipping and gain-dependent compression to add harmonics while retaining much of the original note contour. Bass filtering, mid emphasis, clipping symmetry and available headroom decide whether it sounds open and amplifier-like, tightly focused or heavily saturated.
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