Dark Side Guitar Pedal For Sale (2024 Update)

Would give it 4 and a half stars for what I use it for. This is the only distortion pedal on my board now. I also have Od and boost. It is what it says- dark. Sounds great through my Fender amps with tele or les Paul. I can get muff type fuzz or just dark and dirty. Controls are excellent and usable live. Toggle switch gives barely noticeable change in sound. Have read that these pedals can develop problems with the pots.. time will tell. I use it for 60s garage rock Sonics- Kinks- Pretty Things- Them- really fits the bill. Has knocked my fuzz pedal off the board. Not for metal heads, but highly recommended for darkish distorted tones.seanbuckl

I'm a songwriter and only do studio work, and in the early 2000's there was a lot of new modeling amps, multi-effects units, and plug-ins coming on to the scene. I somehow rationalized I didn't need my JCM2000 DSL-50/1960A half-stack anymore – I've been searching for that tone since. I've researched, auditioned, and purchased numerous pedals in my quest to get that sound back, so when I heard a couple of TC's sample sounds (specifically Crunch – "Goin' Crazy") – my quest was over. To be honest, I would have been happy with just that one tone, but this is more than a one trick pony. First, it responds very well to the volume control and picking dynamics – that is extremely important to me. My main pedal board is full of TC pedals, so I was pleased to discover yet another excellent TC product. It has the same active tone controls and layout as my Spark Booster (also highly recommended), and it plays well with other overdrive pedals – like my TC Nova Drive. In the up position the voice switch provides a bit of extra cut, while the down position yields a warmer sound for rhythm playing, or to take a bit of the edge off of a single-coil. By itself, it won't really get you to modern metal tones, but used in conjunction with the right overdrive – it wails! I've used the pedal with passive and active pickups, humbuckers and single-coils – I have yet to find a combination that doesn't yield good results if you work at it. I can't say that it will make a solid state amp sound like a Marshall stack, but in front of a tube amp – it will provide a rich tonal palette to play with.troubadour

I had this pedal — let it go and got it back – thank goodness. For 15 years I have used an Xotic BB Preamp. It's become an industry standard and it's an incredible pedal but since I switched to Quilter Amps I haven't been able to utilize the volume beyond unity gain (which can also act like a Rangemaster) and have been totally dependent on the Gain. I like a Super Lead voice and the BB Pre is more of a JTM45 voice with excellent tone controls but limited gain. My Dark Matter simply has more Super Lead voiced gain on tap. I use open back cabs loaded with a V-30 and a G12H-30 and with my TC Volume set at unity, my Treble at noon, my Bass at 3-4 and my Gain around 1:30, I really get the SL sound I want. I'm using custom Briggs Pandora low output A4 "PAF"s (7.7k & 6.8k) and it's Cream, Zep, Angus etc all day long. BTW – it stacks incredibly well with my BB if I want a little more saturation.William Lyerly

Very high-quality electronics, clear and punchy sound with nice EQ voicing. I've found the distortion tone blends into the mix when I'm playing with a band, yet to get a tone that really cuts through unless I bypass the whole pedal and use the EQ to make the distortion stand out. Awesome pedal though. And the distortion tone is really nice on its own.Costas C.

If you want to sound like Oasis, this could be the thing… Turn the gain up to max and switch to the Boost setting for a lovely Orange-esque sound. Only down side is you can't push one side into the other.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

A guitarist's swiss army knife! Easy to program! No confusing menu navigation. Sounds pretty good running direct to PA, despite not having a preamp. People need to understand that this is not a digital modeling unit, but a true effects unit that's best used with a good amp that has an effects loop. Four-cable connection gives you best results. Make sure you update the firmware to get the most from it, such as double-tapping a preset button to engage the solo boost.Tim

This is my first multi fx unit, and it will be my only for a long time. I was skeptical on the price point at first but I needed something that was MIDI capable. This pedal not only has MIDI, but an effects loop, and direct PA input. Not only does it have a tuner built in as well but the pedals built in effects are limitless and sound freakin great in my opinion. If you're thinking about going for it, just do it.Steve B

I'm 63, I've made a all or part of my living playing for most of that, and I'm sick of wires and patch cords and velcro, and I'm not a programmer. This is what I've always wanted, and very high quality. Well made, well thought out. Reverb is excellent and controllable separately. Cool patching options. Unit is heavy duty and very quiet. Going to watch NUX and see what else they come up with in the future. Very pleased, and AMS is as great as ever.Mark W.

While the distortion effects are unique and this pedal does add a valuable sound when needed, the build quality is less than desired. After a year, no sound is transmitted through the pedal unless it is engaged for effects. Thus it is useless unless you intend to always have it on. No reply from Darkglass, in fact their website says it is too difficult to help from Helsinki if you have a problem? For the money spent on this pedal, my durability expectations were higher than what has been realized.RhinoLard

The pedal really gives the bass a nice fat growl. nice smooth distortion on the highs and mids leaving the low end clean, tight and punchy The only bad things about it are first, it cannot accept battery power so an adapter must be used, but it isn't included and must be purchased separately. The pedal does not have true bypass capability, so if you lose power you have to physically remove it from the chain or else you lose signal. You cannot just click it off and keep playing. This could be a real problem in a live situation. It would be so easy to add a click switch to bypass it, but Darkglass support doesn't seem to be concerned with it. Otherwise, it's a well built, phenomenal sounding pedal…..Dragondave

While the distortion effects are unique and this pedal does add a valuable sound when needed, the build quality is less than desired. After a year, no sound is transmitted through the pedal unless it is engaged for effects. Thus it is useless unless you intend to always have it on. No reply from Darkglass, in fact their website says it is too difficult to help from Helsinki if you have a problem? For the money spent on this pedal, my durability expectations were higher than what has been realized.RhinoLard

The pedal really gives the bass a nice fat growl. nice smooth distortion on the highs and mids leaving the low end clean, tight and punchy The only bad things about it are first, it cannot accept battery power so an adapter must be used, but it isn't included and must be purchased separately. The pedal does not have true bypass capability, so if you lose power you have to physically remove it from the chain or else you lose signal. You cannot just click it off and keep playing. This could be a real problem in a live situation. It would be so easy to add a click switch to bypass it, but Darkglass support doesn't seem to be concerned with it. Otherwise, it's a well built, phenomenal sounding pedal…..Dragondave

Does the job well, when paired with a Tube Screamer (a need for me, otherwise sounded quite hissy)! A good distortion pedal for heavier metal riffs and very good value for money for me. Looks to be built like a tank, and sounds like a beast too.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

First, I have to admit, I'm a pedal junky. Not Sorry. I got this pedal on a whim to use up some backstage points. I planned to put it on a b board which is much smaller than my main board. This pedal takes up quite a bit of space due to its large footprint. If you are looking for a compact distortion pedal, you may want to keep looking. It's about the same size as some way huge pedals I have. I have one other TC box (HOF mini) and I think that is an awesome pedal. At first, I wasn't too stoked on the tone of this pedal. I eventually found some tones that I felt were usable. The thing that surprised me most was the mid scoop switch. I am not a "scoop the mids" metal guy, but to me, this pedal sounds best in the scooped or fat position. I thought I would like the raw position, but after the first day, I don't think I've used it in the raw setting. I think it works best in conjunction with a boost or overdrive pedal. If this is your first effect of this type, you may like it right off the bat, but if you are a little more experienced and really know how you want to shape your tone, you may find it a bit limited in its tone shaping abilities. All in all, for the price, it's a decent distortion. Always nice to have choices. Probably a good pick for those of us on a budget, or players just getting into using effects, but if you are a pro, really picky about your sound, or have a ton of cash, there are better boxes out there. I would reluctantly recommend. It's kinda like licorice, some people will love it, others will not.MCL

Although I haven't played professionally for several years, I still know a good piece of equipment when I check it out. I think that one would be hard pressed to find a better sounding pedal in this price range and there's enough overdrive for pretty much anything. The real surprise is that it has the versatility to clean up very well allowing the tone of your guitar to shine through in a natural manner for blues/rock etc. where you'd just like a little clip going on. I haven't had this pedal long enough to attest to the reliability on down the road, but am very happy with it performance wise at this time.Technodog

The product is very well made and works as it should (I think…read on). But the documentation is minimal and explains nothing beyond the self-evident, the online support very poor and the forum pretty well dead. I have a number of queries as to how to get the best out of the product and feel there is no place to turn to for any help. I must say I expected more of Blackstar, or perhaps I was a victim of their marketing? If you're happy to fly solo with it fine, but if you want to go deeper, I wouldn't recommend it.John G.

I use this tube preamp to beef up my solid state amps. It really does a great job. It just brings a dull amp to life. Cheers.Boom

This was one of my first pedals; it was the first distortion pedal that I added to my rig. Obviously, you know what you're getting when you see a pedal retail such a low price. That said, I've since added a lot of other pedals to my board and I sometimes come back to this one. It has a great bite and does well on the high end. I don't prefer the low end through this pedal, but I'm yet to use it with a compressor. At the end of the day, it's a fun intro to distortion and the price truly outweighs the cons to this pedal. If you're experienced with effects or if you're interested in playing live, this is not a great option. However, if you like jamming in the garage and you don't mind a bit of high-end feedback when you push it to 11, it's a steal.Mitchell

Recently purchased the Rogue analog delay for my acoustic pedal board when it was on sale and so far really like it. Saw that MF was having a sale on effects and saw the whole Rogue line of pedals on sale for a really REALLY LOW price so I thought what the heck? Before buying this pedal I did read a lot of negative reviews on the Blues Distortion pedal but again for the LOW price I was going for it. What did I have to lose?? I wish I would have listened to the negative reviews, I pretty much agree with them all. Not sure why they would call this pedal a Blues distortion???? Not even close. The only thing I can think of is there is something missing on this one ( and all of the other people who reviewed it) cause it totally missed the mark. Really, really thin with no gain. It could be called the stick man treble boost pedal and I think that would be a great description. I do love the color ( of the pedal) and thats as for as it goes for me. Pass on this one at any price!RockMeister

I liked this one enough to buy a 2nd one. It's a variation on a Blues Breaker. The first one I got cut so much bass I cracked it open and modified the caps in the "t-junction" to let more bass through. This second one I got was voiced more normally. This guy has a nice 'open dynamics' kind of feel to it. Not a ton of compression. It responds very well to picking dynamics. Honestly, it's one of the best, and cheapest, blues breaker clones out there. Its tone is basically 'light crunch' with a lot of low-end and high-end freqs removed. Low gain settings make it a really decent 'always on'/'base tone' kind of pedal for blues. If you want a flat response 'base tone', go elsewhere, like the Plumes or Timmy, but they feel more like modified tubescreamers, so it's a trade-off. Another really good BB clone pedal is the Tone City King of Blues. That one is truly low-gain BB territory, and comes with a Klon clone built into it. It's smoother though, less crunch, so it's a bit different.TheUnnamedBluesman

Now I don't hate it, but Its not my first go to pedal. I like the more modern BOSS "Metal Core". It is however like all BOSS PEDALS built like a tank, extremely reliable and a great first pedal. For the money, this is a super value. I found that I like it for "Gain Stacking" in combination with the BOSS MD-2"Mega Distortion" and a few other pedals. Even two DS-1 DISTORTION together improve the performance to me. Overall it's not terrible and I see were for some it could really be a price but I lean towards Heavy… Heavy Metal and for that it's more a corvette when you need a Lamborghini. Do I hate it, NO… I actually own two of them.kt.precisio-7

I had one of these racks for well over 5 years. My original got pretty dingy so I decided to buy a new one because the first one served me well. I bought this Christmas of 2019. After 6 months of use, the rack is beginning to rust. Try to find the product using description and model number on KitchenAid website so I can contact them about it for possible replacement but got "product not found". Other than the metal rack, it's a great product. The rack should be stainless steel. I generally love KitchenAid products but I recommend against this one.randy_san

Highly Underrated! Many people think this is a low-grade Boss effect pedal, but with proper settings and usage, it stands up to the quality and fidelity you have come to expect from Boss "Built like a Tank" pedals. The reason many people give this pedal low marks is because the Tone Knob is crazy! Similar to the Fender Reverb Tanks, this knob goes from just about right to way out of control in a hurry! – lol. Set fully left/counter-clockwise (7 o'clock), it is dark and muddy, around 8 o'clock it will sound good for a Strat lead tone, around 9 o'clock and a little beyond is good for fat Gibson humbuckers to cut through any mix, and anything beyond that is way too thin, harsh and God knows what you would use it for outside of a specialized high freq-type notch filter effect or laying heavy on a low string. This is what people don't like about this pedal…the Tone control is too wide – lol. Find the right spot and you are there tone-wise. This is Distortion, not Overdrive and it is made to provide searing lead tones and carefully voiced rock chords. It holds a strong distortion without going into feedback as easily as other pedals. There is even a video on YouTube that shows one coupled up with a Boss OD-3 Overdrive…I do it too. It's nice to have one set for crunchy rock and the other set for searing leads and sustain…but I am also guilty of engaging both of them at the same time! As with just about any distortion pedal out there, the higher the gain, the more the noise, but all in all, this pedal holds the noise level down while keeping a strong tone that if need be, any noise gate could easily manage…I don't use one. The Level control can act as a lead boost if you cut back on the Drive. You really can't get rid of the distortion effect, but you can minimize it to a point that it will behave like a boost with a little grit behind it and most times this works just fine, especially live. As of July 2012 the average price for the Boss DS-1, used, in good condition is nineteen to thirty dollars. The higher being free shipping and original factory box. The other factor are the older models made in Japan go for a significantly higher price (sixty to one hundred dollars) to people who collect vintage gear or have discriminating tastes. With the abundance and affordability of these pedals I say, "Why not have it in your arsenal?" If you set your unity gain and tone to be "seamless", it is worth twenty bucks to have it there & ready to kick in when you need to hold a high note (or any note) extra long without worry…and if nasty is your thing, this pedal can get really nasty set to anything past 11 o'clock. (Which is only 1/3rd of the way "up".) This pedal also doubles as a great little gift for a budding rock star. It is cheap and it provides good distortion, which is what they are most likely looking for, until they get good enough to deserve a two hundred & fifty dollar pedal. I, myself have many expensive pedals, play professionally (26 years) through a large rig and have this pedal at home in my "Boss Chain." Be conservative and use micro adjustments and you will find a great usable pedal at a terrific price.guitaroperator

I am jazz guitar player , thus clean sounds most of the time , very few space to effects , NO WAY for distortion. However this pedal adds a modern and vintage grit to the sound. Modern, because some overdrive adds some nuances to the jazz clean sound , vintage because of the old blues and the contamination and color that offers to jazz in any form. An overdrive pedal that I define elegant and distinct. A perfect match to my Gibson ES 335.Walter

Excellent pedal. I had never owned an original BD2 before i bought this so I couldn't truly compare but from what I understand the only real difference is the switch above the tone knob. Standard voicing(BD2) or custom voicing. I prefer the custom and leave it set on that always. The difference is relatively subtle but I find the custom sound to be just a little bit brighter. Also seems to me that it gives just a tad more sustain and has just a little bit more crunch at high gain settings. I pretty much never turn this pedal off when I'm playing. I use it for all of my so-called clean tones. I put a compressor in front of it and I keep the gain rolled back and it adds a very subtle but amazing coloration to the tone. And then I also use it for 90 percent of my high-gain tones. Paired with a fuzz in front and an EQ and reverb after I can get a variety of tones that I love from heavy doom sludgey stoner rock to classic fender tube amp tones to Clapton sounding fuzziness to massive walls of shoegazey thickness ala my bloody valentine. It works fantastic with both single coils and humbuckers. I use it with my les paul and telecaster and it reacts perfectly to both of them. I even use it with my bass sometimes it works surprisingly well just doesn't exactly fit with a bass cuts out some of the low end but good for some stuff. In short this an awesome pedal I love it. It interacts wonderfully with every other effect I use therefore is extremely versatile and it's a boss pedal so it's extremely durable.They call me the butcher

This is the go to pedal my blues guitar tutor in the US uses and I wanted to emulate his sound, and I have achieved that. I bought the BD2 rather than the BD1 in order to obtain the improved sound quality over the original pedal and I am very content that I did. It has a much richer sound. But for me the stand out characteristic is the extra sustain which I find fantastic. Once you have tuned your ear, paying more for quality becomes part of the journey. Is it value for the money? For me – yes. If your ear is not yet tuned – probably not.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Look, if you REALLY have to have a Martin D-45 sound, guess what Of course this pedal will never do that. BUT, if you need something that sounds somewhat acoustic-like in a band mix and don't want to carry an extra (not to mention fragile) instrument, then this will work just fine. Not authentic, not great, not amazingly life-like, just FINE. With realistic expectations this pedal is as good as any for what it intends to do. I use this in an A/B/Y rig. Tha A side goes to my regular pedalboard and amps. The B side goes to this pedal and a volume pedal direct to FOH via a direct box. I get the "acoustic" sound fed back to me through my monitor (or ears if that applies occasionally). I can have straight electric, straight "acoustic", or use the Y option to blend the two to my liking. Works for me, YMMV. I play "for-hire" mostly and my clients love the versatility of my setup. Also, DO NOT run this pedal through a tube amp if you want the best results. It will definitely work best either run straight to FOH or through a clean solid-state amp. Hope this helps some of you who may be on the fence.steveheroan2010

Have read many reviews both positive and negative about this pedal. The negatives were not specific but didn't hear their guitar and amp give an acoustic sound with this pedal. The positives were sometimes vague but they liked it. Then some went on to say they liked it not through a tube amp but through an acoustic amp or a PA system. I HOOKED IT up through a very small practice amp set clean and used the emulation out into a mixer then into a low power full range PA type system. Sounded excellent with neck single coil. Didn't try it with the middle single coil nor the bridge humbucker. I am very happy to have this pedal.Kenmorek

I use this on my pedalboard after my JHS Superbolt and Morning Glory. I just love that it's super responsive to my picking, it has lots of sustain, and EQ knobs are dynamic so I can dial any tone I need.Mike the Mechanic

Excellent pedal and definitely the most versatile distortion that I have ever owned. This will cover anything from AC/DC style crunch sounds (in "smooth" mode) to the most saturated modern metal (in "edge mode"). My favorite sound is in "Edge" mode with all EQ controls on full and Gain on 3/4. Great for modern prog. Excellent build quality – as you would expect rom a Wampler built pedal and considering the range of sounds available it is also superb value. Highly recommended!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Nice solid pedal. Nice warm cut through distortion. Really shines on a nice tube amp. My tube screamer stacks with this perfectly.mclewis77

Playing through a 60's fender super reverb, it is thin, sort of a DS-1 sound or texture. This would work best, I think, through a half-stack style setup, which are usually bottom heavy. Through a classic clean amp, this pedal simply does not have a bottom end. This thing needs more sweepable eq to sculpt a tone out of it.sensaschon

I've been playing bass for 37 years. I just discovered Darkglass Microtubes Infinity on a video. I ordered one and immediately fell in love with the amazing tones (I still haven't played with the Darkglass Suite). I love Darkglass so much I went from owning no Darkglass merch to 4 products. A Microtubes 200 amp, Alpha Omega Photon, Microtubes infinity and a Harmonic Booster. I have purchased all of these on a 3 month span. I only wish I had discovered these guys earlier, but I couldn't afford it until now haha.Billy Detterman

This is a great tube distortion but not a stand alone preamp. If you want great direct recording sound I'd look elsewhere (like AMT), but if you want to run this thing in front of the clean channel of your amp this thing is a winner. It really does sound great with true tube responsiveness. Contrary to some other review here, the tube does get really warm as it runs on high voltage. Seems to be built really solidly but is also big and bulky. It also needs to be plugged in via the included cable. I wanted an all in one guitar preamp for direct recording and this unit didn't workout for me. It is a distortion pedal. That doesn't mean that it isn't a great product. The emulated output is decent I guess but nothing that would pass in any REAL recording studio. Great for scratch tracking in a project studio and the responsiveness is inspiring. I sold it to a friend after a week of ownership and he thinks its the greatest thing in the world. He is running in front of an amp 🙂 All in all this is a great tube distortion when running through a clean channel on an amp. I don't have an effects loop so I can't comment on that. I have a 50W Phaez Daisycutter, yum!Mickman

I want to first start out by saying that the tone coming from this pedal is just incredible. I gave it about 5 minutes to warm itself up, and when I strummed my very first chord on the clean channel, I was blown away. The tone was warm, rich, and thick all the way up to maximum gain, and each note was articulate and clear. I was also very impressed with all the features. Both channels have seperate gain and volume controls, with bass, mid, and treble control. One of the cool features on this pedal is the ISF knob. It allows you to change your tone from a woody, British sounding distortion, to a crushing American grit, or anything in between. The only complaints that I have about this pedal, are it's lack of gain, and noisiness. I already have a nice overdrive pedal (VOX Ice 9 OD), and really just wanted the clean and crunch settings on this unit to use as a tube preamp. I was much more concerned with the high-gain distortion side of this pedal. I must say, that while this unit delivers incredible tone, the gain just doesn't do anything for me. In all honesty, it doesn't have any more gain than my overdrive pedal. The second problem, as I mentioned, is the noise coming from this thing. This thing is pretty noisy on it's own, but when you chain it to other distortion effects simultaniously, the noise and feedback is RIDICULOUS. This thing really needs an internal noise gate. Overall, this pedal is amazing. Just not really my style.Rush_Fan_Guy

I bought this pedal for home use, as I have an Engl Powerball for playing live. I wanted a tube pedal so I could work on the consistency of my playing, since solid state pedals cover too much. This Blackstar pedal works great in that respect. It actually has a little less gain than my Engl (especially at low volumes) so it's even less forgiving for my playing. But the tone is nice and you can get a good amount of variation in gain levels and style. (Doesn't sound like a Powerball, but definitely works for metal) What is unfortunate, is that from early on in owning this pedal the switches and knobs have been inconsistent and failed on and off (as has been said in other reviews). Luckily I don't use it for playing live, or I would have smashed it by now. Really, for a fairly high-priced pedal, I would expect higher quality components. This pedal is unreliable, and luckily all I need it for is sitting in my living room playing around. It's too bad, because if it was reliable, I'm sure it would make a fantastic preamp for a one-channel tube amp, or a great overdrive/lead tone for live situations. If I trusted Blackstar I might even consider the new Heavy Metal Tube pedal they introduced, but after this one's issues, I'm just gonna try another brand when I'm ready to replace it.davefoxtattoos

I LOOOOOOOVE THIS PEDAL!!!! I was searching for years for this right distortion that was clear but still heavy and it definitely didn't disappoint!!Nikki Nalepa

A balanced metal distortion with a tight crisp sound. Not overly harsh like a lot of pedals, but maybe not enough bite if you want an extreme sound. The boost modes and tone controls a low for a nice variety of sound options. It takes time to dial everything in but Im surprised by how much character this pedal has. I read a lot of reviews and watched videos looking for something that was metal but balanced and this is spot on. Note that it does not have an internal battery compartment, you will need a power supply.Old metalhead

First things first, this thing is tiny, and it is POWERFUL. I don't think I've ever had the gain past noon, because I've never needed to. My amp is by no means a super high gain monster (EL84 circuit, 1×12 combo), but this pedal makes it one. For the kind of stuff I like to play (80s thrash, early death metal), I think it does a really good job. Between the three switch positions and a really flexible tone knob, you can get a really wide range of usable tones with it. When I showed it to my brother (a much better player than me, with a lot better gear), he was astonished when I told him the price. I almost had to pry him away from the thing. If there are complaints to be had, I have to echo one of the previous reviews in saying that the hi-boost adds almost too much highs to be useful. But I guess if you switch to a neck pickup and roll off the tone, it can be okay. If this one breaks (hopefully not), I'll definitely replace it with more of the same.Eric

Nothing wrong with Positive Grid, only ProAudioStar. Sold as "B-Stock," pedal arrived without any packaging and with velcro on the bottom. Obviously used enough that the silkscreen indicators were worn off. Now on perma-hold for 12 minutes trying to get a "representative." So glad I paid by cc, as it appears there will be a dispute. Horrible experience!sales-52639

Great flexible piece of kit. compliments the Bias software products.App makes patches a breeze. Nice compact multieffect.Anonymous

Nothing wrong with Positive Grid, only ProAudioStar. Sold as "B-Stock," pedal arrived without any packaging and with velcro on the bottom. Obviously used enough that the silkscreen indicators were worn off. Now on perma-hold for 12 minutes trying to get a "representative." So glad I paid by cc, as it appears there will be a dispute. Horrible experience!sales-52639

Great flexible piece of kit. compliments the Bias software products.App makes patches a breeze. Nice compact multieffect.Anonymous