Darkglass Electronics Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 Aux The Squid

The Darkglass Electronics Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 Aux "The Squid" is a limited-edition bass preamp and overdrive pedal, announced in August 2020 as a custom-art version of the Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 Aux¹². Darkglass describes the circuit's range as running from "crisp, punchy clean preamp to obliterating high gain distortion, and everything in between"¹, which makes it usable as a clean DI front end, a grind-heavy overdrive, or a blend of the two.

The Squid runs on the same Microtubes dynamic saturation circuit used in Darkglass's B3K V2 and B7K V2², so its drive character matches those pedals. What sets it apart is the enclosure: artwork by Ignacio Bazan Lazcano, on a run limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide². It is a bass pedal first and foremost, built for players who want one box that shapes tone, adds dirt and feeds a PA or interface.

What it does: clean preamp to high-gain distortion

The B7K line sits at the preamp end of Darkglass's Microtubes range. Where the B3K V2 is cataloged as a preamp, overdrive and booster⁶, the B7K Ultra V2 adds a full EQ section, a master volume and a complete set of recording and practice connections. Premier Guitar characterized the B7K Ultra as an enhancement of the company's earlier Microtubes B7K, packing in "expanded EQ flexibility, a separate distortion footswitch, and a master volume control"³.

The core of the sound is the Microtubes drive circuit, shared across the V2 pedals². A Blend control mixes the clean input signal with the overdriven signal⁷, so the low end can stay intact while the drive layer sits on top, or the whole signal can be saturated. A Grunt switch sets the amount of low-frequency content sent into the clipping stage, choosing between three bass boost levels before the drive¹. Darkglass positions the result as a tool that covers the full span from clean preamp to high-gain distortion¹.

The controls and footswitches

The Squid carries a four-band EQ with six selectable mid-band frequencies⁴, and a three-way toggle offers additional control for each mid-range section². A master volume controls the overall unit level².

There are separate bypass and distortion footswitches². Guitar.com noted that these independent switches allow the pedal's onboard EQ to be engaged separately from the drive⁴, so the EQ and preamp stage can stay active as a tone shaper while the distortion comes and goes. A third, dedicated footswitch engages the overdrive section independently, a feature Bass Musician Magazine highlighted when the B7K Ultra line first appeared in 2016⁸.

Power and connections: XLR, aux in and headphones

The connection set is what turns the Squid from an overdrive into a practice and recording hub²⁴:

• 1/4" instrument input for the bass⁴
• 1/4" output jack to feed an amplifier or another effects pedal¹
• Balanced XLR direct output for a microphone preamp or PA system, with ground lift and switchable IR cabinet simulation¹²
• 3.5mm headphone output with cabinet simulation, driven by an internal stereo headphone amplifier¹⁵
• 3.5mm stereo aux input for backing tracks from a phone or laptop¹⁴
• Micro-USB B port to connect to a PC or Mac and load a different Virtual Cabinet through the Darkglass Suite⁵

Two details are worth knowing as a player. The aux input can only be used together with the headphone output, and its level is set from the audio source rather than from a pedal knob¹. And the cab sim on the XLR output is not fixed: besides the front-panel on/off switch, a different Virtual Cabinet can be loaded over USB via the Darkglass Suite⁵.

History and versions: a limited B7K Ultra V2

The Microtubes story starts in 2010, when Darkglass Electronics began shipping the Microtubes B3K bass distortion pedal, its first product, with Level, Drive and Blend knobs, Attack and Grunt switches, and true bypass⁹¹⁰. The B3K remains in the catalog, and Darkglass notes it is essentially the same pedal designed nearly a decade ago¹¹.

In October 2017, Darkglass updated the B3K and B7K to version 2, adding tone-sculpting controls; the B7K V2 carried a UK price of £319 at launch¹². The B7K V2 keeps all the features of the original B7K and adds switchable center frequencies for the low mids and hi mids¹³. The B7K Ultra then layered on the master volume, mid selector switches and the dedicated overdrive footswitch⁸, plus the headphone and aux connections of the Aux version.

The Squid arrived in August 2020 as the limited-edition capstone: the B7K Ultra V2 Aux circuit in an enclosure with new artwork by Ignacio Bazan Lazcano, 1,000 pieces worldwide, listing at £399 (approximately $520)². Guitar.com reported it as releasing the week of its announcement⁴. For context on pricing across the range, Premier Guitar gave the standard B7K Ultra a US street price of $389 in 2021³, and the B3K V2 lists at £198 on Darkglass's site¹¹.

How it compares with the rest of the range

The practical difference between the B7K Ultra V2 and the B3K V2 is everything around the drive: the B3K V2 gives you the Microtubes saturation and little else, while the Ultra V2 wraps it in a full EQ, a DI with cab simulation and a headphone practice setup. Players comparing drive characters rather than feature sets can also look at Darkglass's Microtubes Vintage, which takes the B3K circuit in a different direction, or the broader overdrive pedals field².

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