Read the review: http://bit.ly/DarkglassMicrotubes
It’s no secret that pedal builders are notorious tinkerers, be it perpetually developing new sonic machines or improving on previous designs. The creative minds at Finland’s Darkglass Electronics follow this philosophy, and it’s exemplified in their latest creation, called the Microtubes B7K Ultra. This smart-looking stompbox is an enhancement of the company’s revered Microtubes B7K. In short, the next-generation B7K packs in expanded EQ flexibility, a separate distortion footswitch, and a master volume control.
Darkglass products have consistently clean aesthetics, and the Ultra’s silver-and-black dressing with prominent blue LEDs is no different. The B7K Ultra is also rock solid. All the switches and knobs felt strong and functioned smoothly, and the stout chassis felt like it could easily take on the rigors of the road. Removing the base plate requires a Torx screwdriver, but once inside, I found a clean and well-organized interior.
The B7K Ultra contains all of the tonal essentials of its predecessor, along with a few extra tone-shaping goodies. A 4-band EQ highlights the preamp section with similar voicings for the bass (+/-12 dB @100 Hz) and treble (+/- 12 dB @5 kHz). However, the lo-mid and hi-mid controls are connected to frequency center switches that provide expanded midrange manipulation. Low mids can be boosted or cut at 250 Hz, 500 Hz, or 1 kHz, while the center frequencies for the high mids can be set at 750 Hz, 1.5 kHz, or 3 kHz.
Additional features of the B7K Ultra include the master control for balancing the overall signal, separate footswitches for engaging the pedal and operating the distortion, a balanced direct out, and a ground lift. Owners of the original B7K will note that the parallel output was not carried over to the Ultra model, but the added features more than make up for it.
To continue reading the review, visit: http://bit.ly/DarkglassMicrotubes