Darkglass Microtubes 900

SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2009, FINNISH manufacturer Darkglass has earned a level of near universal respect and admiration among players that belies its short time in the marketplace.

- Jonathan Herrera

While the company’s beautifully designed products and high-end aesthetic are initially seductive, their utilitarian success is what lies behind Darkglass’ meteoric rise. Its initial forays into the bass world revolved around a series of distortion and overdrive pedals under the “Microtubes” banner. Along the way, Darkglass also introduced the innovative Duality Fuzz and Super Symmetry compressor. Each pedal has successfully accomplished its design goal, offering top-notch tube emulation, dynamic and expressive fuzz, and transparent compression. Designer Douglas Castro and his team are good at what they do, and this reputation immediately earned a major buzz with the announcement that Darkglass was developing a bass head. If the stompboxes were as successful as they’ve been, the head should be, too, right?

Right. The Microtubes 900 head is the result of Castro’s long R&D process, and it’s quickly ascended to near the top of the lightweight-amp pile. The reason is the head’s exceptional versatility and gorgeous industrial design. The basic concept behind the amp is the combination of a monstrously powerful 900-watt Class D/SMPS module from ICEpower with an intriguing and innovative preamp that marries a clean channel with a versatile overdrive channel descended from Darkglass’ well-established B3K and Vintage Microtubes stompboxes. Coupled with a flexible and thoughtfully designed EQ section and gig-ready I/O and interface-design, the Microtubes 900 is a do-it-all amp ready to cover a huge swath of gigs.

FIT & FINNISH