Darkglass Kaamos: Amos Heller’s Pedal Unlocks Massive Bass Tone with Octave and Drive
Darkglass Electronics has added to their Ultra series of pedals with the Kaamos, a new unit designed in collaboration with Amos Heller. The bassist, best known for his work with Taylor Swift, worked with the company to create a unit that combines distortion with an octaver.
“Bassists who have discovered the seismic power of an octave divider into a drive have a flexible, highly customizable solution in a single pedal. The KAAMOS has deep levels of control over octave character, Darkglass’s iconic passion for bass-focused drive and the option to keep the sub signal clean of distortion for a dynamic, three dimensional sound,” Heller shared on Instagram. “I also wanted to include an effects loop and some inventive switching to let you move the loop to different points in the signal chain. Fade your subs in with a volume pedal for a sidechain effect. Your distorted signal can have a long reverb tail while your sub stays precise. Add a chorus and completely separate drive to your clean signal. And if you don’t want to fuss with all that, you’ve got a crushing octave + drive that will command the room.”
The pedal’s Octave Filter has three octave types: Sublime (monophonic mute-type), Sublemon (monophonic flip-type), and Subcitri (polyphonic). Separate level knobs let you dial in how much clean level to octave level are in your signal. Similarly, a Drive Mod control lets you pick between the Darkglass Alpha and Omega circuits while Drive and Drive Level controls let you dial everything in.
To change the signal routing as Heller explained, all you do is press on the Octave Level knob to pick between series or parallel mode. An LED displays what mode you’re on. The position of the effects loop is selected by pressing the Blend knob. It can be put after the octaver, after the distortion, or in parallel with the entire signal chain.
Other features include 9V DC adapter power, a 1/4-inch Sub output, and an XLR direct output with ground lift.
The Darkglass Kaamos was debuted at the NAMM Show. Price and availability are still TBA.
Darkglass Electronics Kaamos Pedal Features:
| Blend, Tone Knobs |
| Octave Filter with three Modes, Octave Level |
| Drive Section (Alpha and Omega) with Mod, Level Knobs |
| Clean Level |
| Effects Loop with Flexible Routing System |
| Input, Output |
| Sub Output |
| Direct Out with Ground Lift |
| 9V DC Power |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
