DigiTech Bad Monkey

Super easy to use
I love the Bass and Treble Knobs as opposed to a Tone knob like on lots of other similar gear.

Control Lay out is:
Gain Bass Treble Level

I really believe this pedal is destined for greatness. Who knows, in 20 years everyone may be on E-Bay giving $100.00 for them...he he he
Well maybe not, but it is a cool little unit.

I've tried it hooked up several different ways, and on the advice of a friend I put it in the chain after another distortion/boost unit and it really adds great "feel" to my digital environ.

It gives some nice "spank" and really has a great response to picking nuances.

I keep the gain fairly low...somewhere in the 9 to 10 O'clock area and use my Ibanez PT5 (another great unit!) to boost the monkey into more grit.
I use a Digitech GNX3000 for Amp/Cab Modeling and effects. I don't use a conventional amp at all anymore. With the GNX on the job just a power amp and 1-12 Cab.

But this is how I run it
Guitar(Mexi-Made Strat all stock S/S/S)into my Morley Wah, into the Ibanez PT5, into the Bad Monkey, into the Digitech GNX3000, into a Nady Power Amp into my home-mede 1-12 cab loaded with an Eminance* Texas Heat Spkr.

The Ibanez unit is a 5 pedal multi fx get up that I have set for varying stages of volume and distortion to pust the Monkey with.

It just seems to sound better this way. And it no doubt adds the "feel" that was missing in the GNX.

With my settings and particular set-up there is no noise at all.

Very well made.
Should last a lifetime
I boutgh mine new, about a year and half ago and no problems at all.

I see that digitech has wised up and started charging more for this pedal.
They where like 30 bucks at first.( if i recall rightly)
It is still well worth the price and I would have to but another if this one crapped out!

never used

Great pedal. Everyone needs at least one of these on their board.

Very easy to use. Comes with a small booklet from Digitech w/ pics that show a few different settings for various sounds for quick reference. But it's no problem to dial in some different tones. It's a simple device so the manual is pretty simple - there's not much to say. Works well with just about any solid state w/ an effects loop and sounds great through tubes.

I've used it through an Epiphone Valve Jr. half stack and a Carvin SX-200. Played a few Les Pauls and a Taylor T5 through it. It adds a little hiss to the amp, but it's pretty negligible. The effects sound really nice. I've really enjoyed playing it through the clean channel just to get some strong contrast between using it and bypassing it. Using it w/ the T5 is a blast because the guitar already has so many different sounds - this just adds a new dimension. I haven't tried to emulate any particular artist's sound, but it's just a nice overdrive amp sound. You can really make your guitar and amp scream.

Yeah, you can depend on it. I've used it in a few gigs w/out a backup and haven't been dissapointed. You really have to be quick about adjusting your guitar's volume when you kick the thing on, though. Turning the gain up on the pedal is no joke, and using it w/ the Carvin SX-200 is an art, because that amp is already so LOUD!

N/A

i've been playing a little over 15 years. I play Classic-Rock, Folk, and a little grunge-type stuff. The pedal is a nice tool to have around. It's not incredibly essential, but it's a lot of fun. I like the simplicity of it. There' very little involved. Dial in the settings w/ the analog dials, kick it on and you're going. I chose this one because I was already in the market for an overdrive pedal, liked the Tube Screamer but didn't like the price tag. For $50 it's a good buy, and you can find them used for around $30. Add it to your pedal assortment and have fun. I got mine preowned, but never opened for $25.

very easy to use, I just followed the example on the brochure and at their website and I found its' sweetest spot

The most contourable creamy tube overdrive at very affordable price. It has a characteristic of the tubescreamer but not identically comparable. The best point of this pedal is that, even at the max gain, the roundness of tone is not compromised, you can still shape it smoothly.

sturdy!

This thing is pretty easy to use and produces great sounds.

I use a line 6 spider 3 30 and a fender strat. The pedal lets your guitar's tone sound through better than most pedals. The pedal is very quiet. This pedal isnt a distortion pedal.It gives your tone more of an edge. Sometimes hard to get a good higher end tone out of but very easy to get a good warm one. Good reinactment of the tubescreamer and it serves its purpose well.

I can depend on this thing any day of the week. Its built like a beast and the battery lasts a good while too. I would gig it without a back up.

No need to yet and i hope its stays that way.

I play lots of blues music so this pedal is a great addition to my collection. I have been playing about 3 or 4 years. I also own a dunlop crybaby (another great pedal). If it were stolen then id track down the theif then hit him in the face with it.(which may kill him because of its massive build.) I like the fact that it gets a good blues tone and gives a good overdriven tube amp reinactment. The only thing i dont like is the high end tone problem. Not as easy to get one.This pedal all in all is a great addition to anyones pedalboard who wants a good blues tone.

This thing is brain dead to use, really easy to use, a manual isn't even needed

Using this to get more push out of a peavey valveking halfstack with a Gibson LP smartwood. It is *amazing* as a booster, this pushes it to "ridiculous" amounts of gain, I'd say it's a match made in heaven.

It's not noisy at all and is very transparent.

Built like a tank. It's very solid and I would gig without a backup

I play rock/metal and for the newer metal stuff, this pedal is a must now, it's really amazing what it does to a tube amp. I've been playing for 13 years and this is a great standalone or as a booster. If it were stolen I'd have to buy a new one ASAP. Best feature is the low and high EQ's, no tube screamer sucking my lows away.

You can not go wrong with this pedal for the price.

Very simple pedal, but has a lot of flexibility. The tone controls are a really welcome addition, especially the "low" control. The cab simulator output is actually very functional. It was a wise decision to add a separate jack for this function. It works well for silent practicing when plugged directly into the board. Not sure that it would cut it for recording, but definitely adds to the value of the pedal.

I play a strat style guitar with Dimarzio Virtual Vintage p'ups into a Roland Cube 60 (set to the black panel model.) I've tried it with other amps as well and have gotten consistently good results. The Monkey is very quiet until you get to the most extreme settings. The real reason for this pedal is to give a warm boost to the sound, so trying to get extreme distortion settings isn't what this pedal is about. Not worried about copying someone else's sound. Just looking for a full, warm tone that will clean up well. The Bad Monkey certainly does that, and more. It will also serve as a versatile clean boost if you reduce the gain. Very cool.

Seems to be really solid. I gig regularly and don't think twice about reliability. I've had nothing but good experiences with Digitech equipment. In fact, I think of the Monkey as the "back up plan" if anything else fails.

I've owned a lot of Digitech pieces over the years. I am still using a GSP-21, a DSP 256, and an MEQ 215 that are all nearly 20 years old. I've actually had to replace the memory back-up batteries and they still work as new. The techs were very helpful when I called with questions regarding the more complex pieces. Excellent service department.

I play a wide variety of music. I play professionally in a sequenced duo, and also play with a band at my church. At one point, I made my living playing full time. I've been playing for 35 years and have owned a ton of gear. The Bad Monkey is really a versatile piece of equipment. As a pro, I always looked for reliability and flexibility. The Bad Monkey really covers a lot of ground. IT IS NOT meant to be a heavy distortion pedal. It is really at the gentle end of overdrives, but it does it really well.

easy

very-much like an Ibanez Tube Screamer, however, it has more tone controls that allow you to shape bass and treble frequencies. This is a very nice overdrive that I am now happliy taking to gigs...very verstaile. Pushes the amp gently, or aggresively, depending on your taste. I really, really like this pedal through tube amps!!!!

very sturdy!

a great pedal that does what a lot of boutique pedals do at a fraction of the cost. awesome!

very easy to use controls. you just have to know how to mix it with your other gear.

low and high are very responsive.

level finds unity around 9-10 o'clock

battery a bit difficult to access but that's no big issue.

I'm using this with my solid-state practice amp and a Les Paul copy. On a solid-state it isn't as impressive as what it may sound like in a tube amp but it does its job.

The Bad Monkey does shine however when I use it as a booster for my other OD. I have a zendrive that I like pushing with the BM. It sounds great. The two of them have similar voicing (similar not the same) and the extra mid boost from the BM helps me get that push. A little tweaking of the knobs will help me get the perfect boosting sound.

And, the nice thing about the BM is that when you turn the gain knob all the way down, the bad monkey becomes a mid-humped, bass and treble adjustable clean boost. No overdrive whatsoever. It's good for those clean solos.

for rhythm, you can get a pretty good sound. lead is where it can get nice when paired with another OD/Distortion/Fuzz. But when compared to the zenrive, it isn't as crunchy. and i like crunch but the bad monkey isn't supposed to do that. i use it similar to how a TS would be used, as a booster of an already good sound.

built similar to a boss. a bit heavier and wider.

i can expect the same quality.

never dealt with DigiTech.

I do a lot of research on the net before I buy anything. But overall, it's a rule of thumb to try things out before you buy them.

my set-up is basically Les Paul copy -> modded wah-> BAD MONKEY -> modded DS-1 -> zendrive -> Fab Chorus -> DD6 -> various amps

i play blues and rock. it's a good investment especially for beginners who want a good piece of equipment to start with.

This is really easy to use--four knobs--level, low, high and gain. Of course, there's the additional bass knob that most tube overdrives don't have, but that shouldn't be too difficult for people to figure out.

I have to say that--regardless of the cheap price, this should already be a legendary pedal. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. First of all, it's dead quiet--next to no hum or noise. I use this with a Fender 140 tube head and a Garnet Gnome tube amp, and it sounds amazing with both of them. I play an Epiphone '63 Firebird reissue, an Epiphone Les Paul Custom Flametop (Seymour Duncan Phat Cat bridge, Gibson Classic '57 neck) and an Epiphone SG (Seymour Duncan SH-6 neck, Gibson 490T bridge). In my opinion, the Bad Monkey really shines with the parallel switch setting on my personally modified SG in the bridge position. As well, it sounds great on the coil cut.

When comparing it to the full humbucker on the same guitar with the humbuckers set to the series switch, the Bad Monkey didn't sound as good--but then again, none of my pedals sound great with that configuration (usually all of them sound grainy or woody), as the humbuckers add so much volume and bass before you hit the pedal. When you're not using humbuckers, this thing really, really opens up.

Like most tube overdrives, it doesn't sound the greatest after about the halfway mark on the gain knob, getting a little grainy sounding. Although it does have more of a smoother full gain sound than alot of what I use (modified Blues Driver, modified Vox V810, 80's Ibanez TS10 modded to TS808 specs).

Truth be told, this is not a Tubescreamer. And that's a good thing. Tubescreamers, though I like them, have a traditionally gritty midrange hump (to my ears in the 700-900 Hz range), whereas the Bad Monkey has a smoother mid response, not to mention the low knob for bass, which really comes in handy to fill the sound out. Most Tubescreamers and variants lack the bass knob, and their tone knob covers too much of the mid sweep territory--the Bad Monkey has a "high" knob and it must be pointed out that they got that right. It's a "high", not a tone knob, which is what i've been griping about for years from other pedals where they control the mids. And the high knob here seems to have it's fundamental frequency in the 1-3 kHz range--or possibly even a bit higher than that--which is where you get your clarity in guitars in the mix (i'm an engineer/ producer and i've spent lots of time in the mix dialing out 700-900 Hz and emphasizing the 3 kHz range, which is magic for making guitars shimmer and come to life).

Make no mistake, the ratings of 1 from people here are probably people who don't tend to have alot of experience, running it through a solid state amp. This-is-not-made-for-a-solid-state-amp. Say it again. If you are buying this so that you can turn your solid state into a tube amp, this will not give you tubes that you do not have. This is made so that you can turn the volume knob up and turn the gain down, so that you overdrive your preamp and tube section.

I did a couple of mods to it (despite the surface mounts, there are quite a few actual caps) that reduced a bit of the mids, making it more pick responsive. Stock, I would have gave it a 9, after the mods i'm giving it a ten. Plus, there is one capacitor that if you lower the value, it turns the bass knob into a lower mid control (i'd say more along the lines of 500-800 Hz in the tone sweep)--I used that for awhile, but I found that it turned it too much into a grittier Tubescreamer type. Anyone that's interested, I can do this modification for them, contact me at the email address below.

9. Hasn't broke down, and it weighs a ton--you could probably throw this around all day and it wouldn't break. The switch is a PCB mount thing that possibly could yield problems (hence the 9 instead of a 10), but as long as you don't jump on the pedal switch with both feet, it should be fine.

Haven't needed to contact them.

I could rate this a 9, but why? Even in stock with no mods, it's a beautiful sounding pedal that is great as a clean volume boost, or a mild overdrive pedal. I play a wider variety of things--and tend to use fuzz pedals alot for the more aggressive stuff--i've tried to take the Bad Monkey off of my board due to the "pedal snob" theory--"oh this is cheap, people will think i'm an amateur or lesser player". Guess what? They said the same thing about the Gibson Junior in 1955--the "pros" didn't want anything to do with it, but now the Gibson Junior with P90's is commanding insane prices on the collector's market. If you have your own style, the rest is just icing to try to make you an even better player.

I've been playing for 14 years, and with experience comes the fact that you know a great tone and sound when you hear it, regardless of what you've paid. Like I say, I have my own personally modified Blues Driver, Vox V810 Valvetone, Ibanez TS10 modded to TS808 specs....and though the V810 is raunchier (Pete Townshend "Who's Next" type crunch); the Blues Driver cleans up the best, distorts more and is brighter/ chimier; the Ibanez TS10 modded to TS808 specs has a little more low end available for a Tubescreamer circuit without a bass knob--the Bad Monkey is the best overall.

The only thing that I wish it had was maybe a mid knob, then it would make it insanely great. But that's not that necessary. The bass knob, when fully up, gets VERY bass-y, you shouldn't need that much bass (but it's there if you need it for some reason). I can see people playing this for five minutes with all the knobs (including bass) up full crank, and it would get very muddy. Be very careful when dialing in the bass (most overdrive pedals don't have a bass knob, so this could be foreign to alot of players). Plus, I wish that it was true bypass (ie: unplug the power and your signal cuts out). Other than that--which is nitpicking--it's perfect.

Don't go looking for others' sound with this--it makes it sound like YOU. It's like a mirror--if your playing is not so great, you will not sound good through this. If you're an excellent player, this will only make you that much better. And if you're looking for Big Muff type fuzz or highly distorted sounds, look elsewhere--this is not a high gain pedal, it just responds to your playing and what you put into it and gives you nothing but that, regardless of the distortion setting.

This pedal is very easy to use. with it's tone, level and gain controls - it is very flexible. I use it in combination with a Nobels ODR-1 in a chain where I can use either or both. I use the Bad Monkey for the beefier kick and it works well as a lone effect or as a layered effect.

Fairly transparent - the tone controls allow me to add additional color - I like it!

Excellent - no problems.

Never serviced - maybe the best response...?

Excellent performer!