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Darkglass has branched into the world of electric guitar multi-effects pedals for the very first time with a limited-edition modeler designed in collaboration with two behemoth retailers.
Co-founded by Douglas Castro – who’d later go on to conquer the modeler market with his next venture, Neural DSP – Darkglass is the undisputed leader in the world of digital bass guitar modelers and multi-effects pedals.
Indeed, Darkglass has cemented its position with a run of acclaimed amps, pedals and plugins, and the near-perfect, bass-specific Anagram multi-effects unit.
Now, though, Darkglass has waded into electric guitar waters for the first time, partnering with Andertons and Sweetwater for the Anagram Guitar Essentials pedal.
It’s a big development from Darkglass and an interesting side-step into the world of conventional guitars. Competition in this area is already at an all-time high, thanks to the likes of Line 6, Fender, Boss, Kemper, Neural DSP and more.
But with its background in bass guitar and digital tone expertise, Darkglass could make some serious waves in the industry.
The Anagram Guitar Essentials takes on the same compact form factor as the regular Anagram, with a seven-inch central display screen offering 3D-rendered interfaces, flanked by three footswitches and six control knobs.
The pedal comes preloaded with a bunch of preamp models and effects as part of the Guitar Essentials plugin curated by Andertons and Sweetwater. Some heavy hitters are included in that list, such as Fender-style Deluxe and Twin amps, some Marshall-y models, and others inspired by Hiwatt, Matchless and Magnatone offerings.
As for effects, three pedals are part of the drop, inspired by the Klon Centaur, Marshall Blues Breaker and Ibanez Tube Screamer. In total there are 12 amps and a trio of effects to play with.
What’s even more tempting, though, is the fact the Anagram can host compatible third-party NAM profiles, should you wish.
For the uninitiated, NAM (Neural Amp Modeler) is an open-source, free-to-use modeling tech offering amp profiles that is poised to revolutionize the industry. The recently released A2 architecture, for instance, beat out Neural DSP, Line 6 and IK Multimedia in a comprehensive blind listening test.
The NAM compatibility here is a huge benefit. None of its direct competitors currently offer that function, and only a handful of mainstream practice amps and headphone amps – most notably from Blackstar – accomodate this function.
That already gives it a leg up over the likes of the Quad Cortex, Helix Stadium and TONEX.
And, like the OG Anagram, there’s some expansive routing and connectivity options, including MIDI, USB and Bluetooth.
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“There was no one better than Sweetwater and Andertons to identify the pieces of gear that helped define the sound of the electric guitar,” says Managing Director of Darkglass, Marcos Barilatti.
“These are the amplifiers and pedals that generations of players built their tone around, and that continue to set the standard today.”
To put a downer on the whole thing, Darkglass is stressing its guitar-based Anagram is a one-time-only, limited-edition launch. A genuine shame, because this could take the fight to some key players in the compact modeler game. Here’s hoping for a more regular run at some point in the future.
The Guitar Essentials Anagram will be available exclusively from Sweetwater in the US ($1,299), and Andertons in the UK (£999).
Visit Darkglass for more.
