Darkglass Vintage Ultra Bass Preamp & Overdrive Pedal with EQ & Cabsim

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.

• 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.

Controls

• Master: Adjusts the overall volume of the unit and acts as DI level control
• Blend: Mixes clean input signal with the overdriven signal (clean remains at unity gain)
• Level: Sets the volume of the overdriven signal
• Drive: Sets the amount of saturation in the overdriven signal
• Bass: ±12 dB @ 100 Hz
• Lo Mids: ±12 dB, switchable centre frequencies at 250 Hz, 500 Hz or 1 kHz
• Hi Mids: ±12 dB, switchable centre frequencies at 750 Hz, 1.5 kHz or 3 kHz
• Treble: ±12 dB @ 5 kHz
• Attack switch: Boost, Flat or Cut settings to control treble content hitting the drive stage
• Grunt switch: Three selectable bass boost levels before the clipping stage

Connectivity

• Input: 1/4 inch mono jack for instrument or pedalboard input
• Output: 1/4 inch jack to amplifier or further effects
• Direct Output: Balanced XLR output for PA, mixer or mic preamp
• Ground Lift: Lifts signal ground on the XLR output to help reduce hum from ground loops
• Cab Sim switch: Toggles cabinet simulation on or off on the Direct Output
• Headphone Output: 3.5 mm stereo jack, minimum load 16 ohms, with IR cab sim
• Aux In: 3.5 mm stereo input for backing tracks (usable with headphone output)
• USB: Micro USB B connector for loading IR cabinet simulations and adjusting settings via Darkglass Suite
• Power: 9 V DC, centre-negative, regulated power supply (current draw 120 mA)

Cabinet Simulations (via Darkglass Suite)

• Analog Cabinet
• Black and White 410
• Cali 212
• Cali 410 NEO
• Cali Combo 212
• Dave 410
• DG112N
• DG212N
• DG410N
• DG412ES
• DG810ES
• Fashionista 412
• Forrester 810
• Fruity 115
• Fruity 212
• Fruity 410
• Fruity 810
• Garden118
• Garden 410
• London 412
• London 412 Vintage
• Modern 212
• Modern 412
• Modern 115 Powerplant
• Modern 210 Powerplant
• Modern 410 Powerplant
• Modern 810 Powerplant
• Mountainino 610
• Nolly 810
• Panzer 412
• Peggy 115
• Peggy 210
• Peggy 410
• Peggy 810
• Peggy 810 Vintage
• Snakeskin
• Stockman 212
• Stockman 410
• Stockman 810
• Swirl 115
• Swirl 410
• Swirl 810
• Topper

Dimensions

• Width: 125 mm / 5 inches
• Length: 96 mm / 3 3/4 inches
• Height: 57 mm / 2 1/4 inches
• Weight: 430 g / 0.95 lb

Power and Usage Notes

• Current draw: 120 mA
• Power: Regulated 9 V DC adapter with centre-negative plug
• Unregulated supplies or higher voltages may cause noise issues or damage
• When the pedal is on bypass, Master volume does not affect headphone volume (adjustable via Darkglass Suite)