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Need help?Do you have a question about the KHDK Dark Blood and is the answer not in the manual?
Details the aggressive, amp-like distortion tone of the Dark Blood pedal.
Explains the circuit's solid state, mosfet technology, and treble booster.
Specifies power needs: single 9V battery or external 9V DC supply.
Provides step-by-step directions for connecting and engaging the pedal.
Adjusts circuit gain for pick-sensitive dynamics or overdriven tone.
Manages pre-distortion EQ for low-end grunt and sustain.
Sets the overall output volume of the pedal.
Passive low-pass filter for adjusting brightness and top-end.
Selects between chunky overdrive (Lo) and saturated solo tone (Hi).
Reduces background noise by blocking weaker hums or hisses.
Engages the pedal between 'on' and True bypass modes.
Lists bypass mode, dimensions, connector types, and power input.
The KHDK Dark Blood is a Kirk Hammett signature distortion pedal, engineered by Antonin Salva of Salvation Audio. This pedal is designed to deliver an angry, merciless, and amp-like distortion, making it KHDK's most evil pedal to date. It offers a tube-like and mid-heavy tone with added high gain, distinguished by its unique amp-like sound. The Dark Blood is richly articulate and deep, capable of serving as the main tone into a clean amplifier, making it ideal for a fly rig or as a backup to an amp or modeling rig. With its high gain and aggressive, uncompromising dynamics, it's presented as the ultimate pedal for gain-freaks, optimized for both palm muting riffs and searing high gain solos.
At its core, the Dark Blood is built upon KHDK's original circuit, which combines solid-state and MOSFET technology. In a nod to classic metal tradition, a treble booster has been integrated into the front end of the circuit to further push and enhance the tone.
To begin using the Dark Blood, ensure it has power, either from a single 9V battery or an external 9V DC (center negative) power supply. The battery connection is accessed by unscrewing the bottom plate of the pedal enclosure. Once powered, locate the input and output jacks. Before plugging in the pedal, your amplifier should be in standby mode or turned off. Start with your amplifier in clean mode. Connect your guitar to the Dark Blood's input jack with an instrument cable, and then run another instrument cable from the Dark Blood's output jack to your amplifier's input jack.
For initial setup, it's recommended to start with all control knobs at the "noon" position, the Hi/Lo switch set to "Lo," and the Gate turned off. To engage the Dark Blood, press or step on the footswitch until both red LEDs are illuminated. Once engaged, you can begin to adjust the volume to match your amplifier's output or achieve your desired distortion level. Fine-tune your individual tone by adjusting the various knobs and switches on the pedal.
The pedal features several controls to shape your sound. The GAIN knob controls the overall gain of the circuit. Lower settings produce a pick-sensitive tone with excellent dynamics, while higher settings unleash a massively overdriven sound. The DOOM knob manages the pre-distortion equalization, dictating the amount of low-end grunt in your tone. This control allows you to transition from a tight bass response to a long sustain, creating a liquid, solo-ready tone. The VOLUME knob simply sets the output volume of the pedal.
The TREBLE control is a passive, natural-sounding low-pass filter that cuts high end and offers a wide frequency range. Turning it clockwise makes the tone raw, aggressive, and more cutting, while turning it counterclockwise cuts highs for a warmer and more mellow tone. This control is crucial for setting the ideal amount of brightness and top end, as the tone can vary between bright or dark depending on the amplifier used.
The HI/LO switch is directly linked to the gain stage. The "Lo" setting provides a massive, chunky overdrive, which is excellent for rhythm playing. The "Hi" setting, on the other hand, adds more saturation, sustain, low end, and compression, making it ideal for soloing.
The GATE control is designed to manage the background noise of your tone. It allows stronger gain signals to pass while blocking weaker humming or hissing. Turning the gate clockwise increases noise reduction, but it's important to avoid pushing the gate too hard with lower gain settings, as this can negatively impact the decay of your tone.
Finally, the FOOTSWITCH serves to engage or disengage your Dark Blood, toggling between its "on" mode and True bypass mode.
For any questions or comments regarding the Dark Blood pedal, support is available by contacting support@khdkelectronics.com.
General| Power Supply | 9V DC |
|---|---|
| Bypass | True Bypass |
| Input Impedance | 1 MΩ |
| Output Impedance | 10 kΩ |
| Current Draw | 20mA |
| Controls | Gain, Tone, Blood |
| Dimensions | 4.7" x 3.7" |
