Guitar Pedals · owner-verdict comparison

CS-3 Compression Sustainer vs Darkglass B3K V2: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Darkglass B3K V2: 55% of 60 owners recommend it, vs 43% of 70 for the CS-3 Compression Sustainer.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

CS-3 Compression Sustainer

43%of 70 owners recommend
43% recommend · 27% neutral · 30% don't
Owners praise
  • Delivers a hard, audible squash and long sustain that owners on both sides of the argument describe the same way, so what a buyer gets is not in dispute
  • Tightens up clean and palm-muted rhythm playing, with several owners saying those parts sit better in a band mix with it on
  • Cheap and durable enough to stay on a board for years, including one owner who has not taken it off in nine
Owners complain about
  • Noise climbs with the sustain control, and owners repeatedly report hiss once the knobs pass the middle of their travel, worse with drive or fuzz in the chain
  • Squeezes the life out of the signal for a good number of owners, who describe flattened picking dynamics rather than subtle control
  • Eats the low end on bass, the most repeated complaint from bass players, several of whom had to add the lows back or replace the pedal outright
Full owner report →

Darkglass B3K V2

55%of 60 owners recommend
55% recommend · 20% neutral · 25% don't
Owners praise
  • Aggressive, articulate grindy overdrive like nothing else
  • Outright favorite drive after trying many
  • Great for mild, always-on grit
Owners complain about
  • Disappears or gets lost in a full-band mix
  • Too mid-scooped and polite sounding
  • Hard to dial in a usable tone
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the CS-3 Compression Sustainer if
  • ✓Players who want compression they can hear working, with long sustain, rather than an invisible peak trimmer
  • ✓Anyone tightening up clean or palm-muted rhythm parts so they sit better in a band
  • ✓Budget boards where a tough, cheap pedal that stays put matters more than refinement
  • ✓Bass players who want more bite up top and do not mind adding the lows back with EQ
Skip it if
  • Bass players who need the low end intact, since eating it is the most repeated complaint from that group
  • Anyone after a transparent always-on compressor that controls peaks without coloring the tone
Get the Darkglass B3K V2 if
  • ✓Metal, prog and djent bassists wanting articulate aggressive drive
  • ✓Pick players after tight, grindy overdrive
  • ✓Players wanting a clean, modern, note-defined distortion
  • ✓Recording bassists who need attack that cuts on a track
Skip it if
  • Players chasing nasty, filthy fuzz on its own
  • Bassists needing to cut through a loud live band mix

What CS-3 Compression Sustainer owners say

“The CS-3 is what I want my compressor pedal to sound like. You can get that real squashy sound it's what you're looking for. Mine did eventually fail though, that bummed me out.”
— MLoxxer on Reddit
“Great pedal - somehow less noisy than pricier compressors but not as squishy, although it does the clanky compression very well. Also great as a boost on lower compression levels.”
— procraffinator on Reddit
“I used a Cs3 on my board for like 6 months and really wanted to like it but to me it's a piece of junk for the same reasons you said. Noise everywhere if you surpass the middle of the knobs.”
— carlitox3 on Reddit

What Darkglass B3K V2 owners say

“Differentiated pedal, very cool!”
— @petronius_r6719 on YouTube
“I have the B7k ultra v2 and the B3kv2. Both have the same drive circuit as yours. The versatility of these pedals is amazing.”
— bloodfist5 on Reddit
“I just can't use them. I've tried a lot of them. They all have a baked in mid scoop that's almost impossible to eq out.”
— @Rexpbass on YouTube

CS-3 Compression Sustainer vs Darkglass B3K V2: frequently asked questions

Is the CS-3 Compression Sustainer or the Darkglass B3K V2 better?

Real owners lean toward the Darkglass B3K V2: 55% of 60 owners recommend it, vs 43% of 70 for the CS-3 Compression Sustainer.

Who should get the CS-3 Compression Sustainer?

Owners point the CS-3 Compression Sustainer at players who want compression they can hear working, with long sustain, rather than an invisible peak trimmer, and anyone tightening up clean or palm-muted rhythm parts so they sit better in a band.

Who should get the Darkglass B3K V2?

Owners point the Darkglass B3K V2 at metal, prog and djent bassists wanting articulate aggressive drive, and pick players after tight, grindy overdrive.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the CS-3 Compression Sustainer is noise climbs with the sustain control, and owners repeatedly report hiss once the knobs pass the middle of their travel, worse with drive or fuzz in the chain. For the Darkglass B3K V2, it's disappears or gets lost in a full-band mix.