an expression jack for real time
control of Rate or Feedback.
Each section has a dedicated
footswitch.
they are based on. The twoway selection switch lets you
choose between either the
Flange/Rotary setting or the
Phase/U-Vibe setting, using
In use I found the Dark Side
the Blend knob to get just
quite intuitive and steadfastly
one of these effects at a time,
musical. The fuzz section
or mix them together when
is basically an idealized Big
the blend control is in the
Muff. The Gain and Filter
middle of its range. This is a
controls are smooth and
useable throughout the entire really cool feature, and it was
fun exploring the in-between
range, unlike many vintage
modulation tones available. I
Muffs. The Mids toggle is
also appreciated the ability to
also super helpful, and lets
swap the order of modulation
you easily mimic Muff tones
and fuzz. Mr. Gilmour himself
from different eras. The Dark
Side’s output is plentiful as well reportedly puts modulation
before fuzz, which tends to
and can provide a substantial
result in a warmer overall tone
boost to the amp’s front end,
with less of that swishy treble
should one so desire. I was
really impressed by the overall thing going on.
clarity; this Muff just never
The delay mode of the Dark
gets loose, flabby or muddy,
Side is just about worth the
no matter what pickups you’re price of entry on its own.
using or how hard you hit it.
The Binson Echorec, with
its spinning magnetic drum
The Dark Side’s modulation
and multi-head echoes, is
section is packed with lush
flavors. I imagine most Gilmour a very unique animal even
among vintage tape delays,
nuts will be particularly
stoked on the Rotary settings, and Keeley does a bangup job of squeezing that
which are warm and thick,
tone and functionality into a
becoming pleasantly watery
compact and intuitively laidas the speed is turned up,
out stompbox. The sound is
but the sounds are excellent
clear, yet warm, and it’s easy to
overall and accurate enough
in regards to the vintage units conjure up a fusillade of echoes
or some warped spaceship
landing oscillations.
WHAT WE LIKE
The Keeley Dark Side will
certainly put you into David
Gilmour territory with a
quickness. The most fanatical
splinter factions of the Gilmour
mob will undoubtedly nitpick
and lambaste various aspects
of the pedal, but basically, if
you can’t get a convincing
Gilmour tone out of this thing,
it’s your fault, not the pedal’s.
And all Floyd aside, it’s just
a top-shelf multi-effect box
that would be awesome for
any player that loves classic
Muff tones, thick, phasey,
analog-style modulation
sounds, and skittering, multihead tape echo. For a few
hundred bucks, this box might
just replace the bulk of your
pedalboard.
CONCERNS
It would be cool if one did
not have to choose between
modulation and delay. Being
able to use them concurrently,
along with the fuzz, would
really put the Dark Side over
the top in the versatility
department. Stereo outs…
V2?
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