Darkglass "The Squid" Microtubes B7K Ultra V2

"The Squid" is a limited-edition version of the Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra V2, a bass preamp and overdrive pedal with a balanced direct output. Darkglass Electronics announced it in August 2020, limited to just 1,000 units, with custom artwork by Ignacio Bazan Lazcano depicting a creature reminiscent of Cthulhu¹. It listed for £399 at launch¹.

Under the artwork it is the same machine as the Microtubes B7K Ultra with Aux In: a bass preamp and overdrive pedal built on Darkglass's Microtubes dynamic saturation circuit, the same circuit used in the B3K V2 and B7K V2, with a switchable IR cabinet simulation on its XLR output²³.

A limited-edition B7K Ultra with Cthulhu-style art

Guitar.com broke the news on 12 August 2020: Darkglass Electronics had launched "The Squid", a custom art edition of its Microtubes B7K Ultra V2 bass distortion pedal, featuring a microtubes dynamic saturation circuit, with custom art from Ignacio Bazan Lazcano, and limited to just 1,000 units¹. Guitar World followed two days later, describing the pedal's enclosure as sporting new art from Ignacio Bazan Lazcano and confirming the pedal carried the same Microtubes dynamic saturation circuit from Darkglass's B3K V2 and B7K V2².

Guitar.com reported the pedal was releasing "this week" from its announcement¹. The Squid is a cosmetic variant: the electronics are those of the B7K Ultra V2, so everything below about its controls, connections and cab sim applies to both pedals.

The controls: four-band EQ and two footswitches

The B7K Ultra line gives the player a four-band EQ with six selectable mid-band frequencies¹. The two mid bands each get a three-way toggle for selecting the center frequency²:

The switchable mid frequencies are the upgrade the V2 brought over the original B7K: Darkglass says the B7K V2 gives you all the features of the original B7K along with the ability to better sculpt your tone, with switchable center frequencies for low mids and hi mids⁶.

There are separate bypass and distortion footswitches, which allow the pedal's onboard EQ to be engaged separately from the drive¹. Premier Guitar's reviewer described this arrangement, on the B7K Ultra, as a separate distortion footswitch alongside a master volume control, both additions over the original B7K⁷.

Inputs and outputs

The Squid has a quarter-inch instrument input, an aux input for backing tracks, a headphone output, and both balanced XLR and quarter-inch output sockets¹. In full:

• Input: 1/4-inch mono jack for instrument or pedalboard output⁴
• Aux In: 3.5mm stereo input for practicing with backing tracks from a smartphone or laptop³⁴
• Headphone output: 3.5mm stereo jack with cabinet simulation, driven by an internal stereo headphone amplifier capable of a minimum load of 16 ohms³⁴
• Direct Output: balanced XLR for connecting to a microphone preamp or PA system, with ground lift and switchable cab sim²⁴

The headphone output is what makes the pedal a self-contained practice rig: plug in, add a backing track through Aux In, and monitor through headphones with the cab sim applied⁴⁵³.

Cabinet simulation and the Darkglass Suite

The direct output carries a switchable IR cabinet simulation². Beyond the built-in simulation, a Micro-USB B port connects the pedal to a PC or Mac so you can load a different Virtual Cabinet through the Darkglass Suite, and control various other settings on the pedal³⁴. The Cab Sim switch on the pedal toggles the simulation on and off on the direct output, and switching it off completely bypasses all digital circuits, allowing a zero-latency signal⁴.

History and versions

The Squid sits at the end of a line that began with the Microtubes B3K, Darkglass's first product, a bass distortion pedal that No Treble reported as shipping in November 2010⁸. In October 2017 MusicRadar reported that the B3K and B7K had both hit version 2⁹, adding the switchable mid frequencies. The B7K Ultra then expanded on the B7K with expanded EQ flexibility, a separate distortion footswitch, and a master volume control, as Premier Guitar's reviewer put it⁷. The Ultra with Aux In added the headphone amplifier, aux input and USB-connected cab sim⁴, and The Squid is that pedal in a 1,000-unit art edition¹³.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions