DigiTech Bad Monkey

It took me about 10 minutes tops to get the perfect tone out of this pedal. I don't think there's a BAD tone in this pedal, it depends on the user's point of view. I give it a 9 just because there's no suggested settings in the manual. But it's too easy.

To those of you wondering, I have the Made In China version of this pedal and it is completely faithful to the USA version! Without a doubt....the Tube Screamer has been replaced. This pedal is better than my Analogman modded TS9. All for $35.........you've got to be joking!!! And it's built like a freaking tank! Here's my recommended pedal settings for a Strat going through the Bad Monkey into any Fender style amp for that "SRV style solo boost". Level: 10 o'clock, Low: 3 o'clock, High: 4 o'clock, Gain: 8 o'clock (almost off). This gives a WICKED boost for solo's with just a bit of added hair, and nearly transparent tone...not the mid-hump that's associated with Tube Screamers. I'm ordering another one as we speak so I can have one set for chunky rhythm and one set for high-gain lead. I've been waiting for a production pedal like this my whole life!!! I never thought it would come from Digitech.....and from China.....go figure!!!!!!

I haven't had this long......however......I've gone through a LOT of pedals over the past 15 years, and I can tell you that this is the strongest looking box I've ever picked up. It's HEAVY. I'm a bit skeptical of the pc board mounted switch, but it seems to work well out of the gate. The jacks and knobs look and feel solid. Turning the knobs is a pleasure, they offer stiff resistance...they won't easily get knocked out of place.

Haven't tried yet.

I play blues and classic rock. Johnny Lang, SRV, Clapton, KWS, BB King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Doyle Bramhall, that kind of stuff. I've been playing for 15 years. Played professionally for about 10 years. Not only would I buy another if lost or stolen, I'm buying another to put on my pedal board! This just goes to show you that you can make a quality effect pedal despite dollar value, or boutique status, or vintage status, or some magic op-amp crap, or toggle switches, or bright blue LED's, or MOJO......you just need SMART DESIGN...that's it.

easy to use level ,drive,hi/low, the 2 outputs (1 to amp and 1 to mixer) can throw you off but if you take your time...i use it with headphones it comes with amp sim.

its o.k. with solid state it's so/so, in front of a tube amp it's great
i have bare bones valve jnr and it gives that broken up tube sound with out being to loud. it can get "hissy" on settings but otherwise quiet

solid, an elephant can use it, don't need a back up but you'll have more than 1 distortion with you anyways

don't know

classic rock, roots music, muck around with everything for longer i care to remember
you'll always need some tube screamer type pedal in your bag
they put a lot of effort into this i wish it did'nt weigh twice as much as 1 boss pedal but for the price great deal essential for those on a budget and solid built to last
visual sound got it right by putting a comp pedal in front of their route 66 tube screamer clone because this is what it needs to shine/sing
without it, its o.k.

Gain, level, bass and treble EQ.
All work like they should, bass and treble are very effective, so you have to take care that you do not turn them up too high, but all in all you rapidly find very decent sounds.
The character of the EQ (the way it works) is very usable, i have seen worth on more expensive pedals.

Its hard to it a pedal with 2-way EQ easier to use, so 9 of ten.

Has enough level to be used as almost clean boost (but no insane boost, more a slight boost).

It is an overdrive, no high gain distortion, no death metal pedal.

What it should do (offer tube like overdrive like a Tube Screamer) it does very fine.
Higher gain levels lose a little bit of definition, but lower to middle gain settings sound really good. It is a warm overdrive, not too dynamic, but not too compressed. Like a Tube Screamer with enough bass (thanks to the bass control) and with enough, but not too much trebles.

I like the overdrive character in front of a clean tube amp, and it sounds good if you want to drive an overdriven tube amp a little harder.
I use humbucker guitars with gibson scale, maily made of mahagoni wit hrosewood fret boards.

There are pedals that are more dynamic, that have better overtones, but they usually cost at least 2 or even 4 times more.

All in all a good sounding, TS-like pedal that gets the job done, and this quite good.

Built like a tank. Heavy and very stable metal chassis, reliable foot switch, precise controlls that are not too unstable.
10 of 10 because it hardly can be better.

No idea.

It sounds good, has (thanks to the 2.band-EQ) lots of different sounds on board and is built like a tank.
And it is really cheap. 9 of 10.
If you look for a TS-like overdrive, you hardly can do wrong buying this cheapo pedal.

Very easy. I like the independent bass and treble knobs -- much better than pre-ratioed, single tone knob you find on other distortion boxes.

Only problem in this category is that the battery is a bitch to get to. It's located under the hood of the pedal, like a boss, BUT. . . This pedal does not have the Boss-style screw; It has a pin, at the top of the hood, which one must push in from both sides -- this requires two hands, but you need a third to actually pull the hood off. So grow another arm, or ask a friend to help.

Here's my rig: Mid 90's Fender Bassman RI with a tube in the rectifier slot -- Line 6 DL4 Delay modeler -- Bad monkey -- Lovetone Big Cheese --Ibanez Talman TC 620 (fender jazzmaster style) with p-90s. Also have a Epiphone valve jr. head, but have not played it through this yet.

The monkey sounds great. Although I'm not experienced with too many "overdrive" pedals, I know distortion and fuzz (I've used a DS-1, OD-2, Rat, Lovetone Big Cheese, Big Muff and I know what my Bassman sounds like on 11). I can't make comparisons with a TS-9 or 808 -- other people have done that plenty. But the Monkey ranks high in terms of distortion, much better than DS-1 and Rat (though not quite as gainy).

With that pronounced midrange bump, it does 70's classic rock very well. If, for some sick reason, you wanted to play ZZ Top, the Monkey would nail it. And for all you SRV people, like 3/4 of you, you can do that too.

The Monkey has good range, in terms of gain. If you have a tube amp, you get pushed tubes compounded by the Monkey's own gain, and therefore you get more gain than with a solid state amp. At the lowest setting, I believe its just overdriving my amp (could be wrong about this) and I get a slight, very transparent and sweet grain -- like Stephen Malkmus' tones from the Silver Jews classic "American Water."


With the gain cranked, I get a good Neil Young "Zuma" sound. Think Cortez the Killer, and Barstool Blues. Very sharp, definined, powerful tone, with just enough rasp. Great rhythm sound.

I just got the monkey, so I'm still figuring out how I will use it exactly, but it demands certain uses. It smooths out the nasty, squishy, spitting fuzz of my Big Cheese, so chords sound better. It adds sustain, also, when in combo with the Cheese, and the solos soar in a really nasty way.

This pedal stars in a number of capacities. Boosts, rhythm, lead, blues jams. +++++++++++++++

Good so far. Built like a healthy turtle.

NA

I like Built to Spill style power-guitar pop, Pavement, Neil Young, blues, Velvet Underground, the raging psych blues of Comets on Fire, CCR, Strokes, electric Dylan, Georgie James, Fairport Convention, Sonic Youth, you know. . . guitar music. Been playing for about 10 years. Would buy one if I lost it.

Very easy to get a good sound out of entire range of gain. Has separate Low and High controls instead of just tone which helps tremendously.

If you want the chunky, hearty, firm push that only a tubescreamer circuit can give, then this pedal is for you. With a Strat, it's really easy to get the SRV tone through my 1967 Super Reverb. This pedal, unlike the ts808 Stevie used, keeps the bass intact and firm. Very alive sounding. With my PRS or Gibson ES335 through the same amp, a Warren Haynes or Gary Moore tone are both attainable.

My pedal board is as follows:Crybaby,Bad Monkey 1(gain dimed),Bad Monkey 2(gain zeroed),Nobels ODR-1(modded),Boss PS29(delay),Boss GE-7(Monte Allums Mod),Boss RV5--amp

These stock Bad Monkeys have defeated a string of overdrives to win their place on my heavily gigged board; including: Marshall Black Box Blues Breaker stock, and another one modded, a Jekyll and Hyde with Indyguitarist mods, Boss Super Overdrive with Monte Allums GT mods, Fulltone Fulldrive, Exotic BB preamp, and some other cheap junky ones I am ashamed to have owned! I don't know what to say, it doesn't seem to matter what kind of cool, boutique-modded play-pretty may be on my pedal board on a given night, I always go back to the Bad Monkey before the gig is over. I use one with the gain down low for bluesy, chunky guitar, and another with the gain dimed for hearty, amp-like overdrive that is both creamy and crunchy. I then kick in the modded Nobels ODR-1 as a singing, loud afterboost for Gary Moore sounding leads.
These pedals only cost $39; which kinda makes me sick when I think of all the money I've spend on some other ones that are basically paperweights now. But, you know, I remember buying an Ibanez SD9 in 1985 in a local retail music store here in Birmingham, Alabama. That day I had a choice between that, a TS9 or a TS808. All of them were $25 on sale but brand new. So, my point is, when SRV was using his TS808, it wasn't some high-priced boutique jem; it was a sensibly priced, mass-produced item that anybody could pick up. Not unlike the Bad Monkey.

These pedals are tanks, nothing cheap about them (except the very nice price).

Never Contacted them.

I play in 2 cover bands, one blues based, the other modern pop/rock/country. With my PRS with Duncan '59 in the neck and GFS Vintage '59 in bridge, these pedals can cover it all; I mean we literally go from covering Pink, to Pat Benatar, to Gretchen Wilson, to the Pointer Sisters to Jet, to Rod Stewart in a single set (Did I mention we have 2 female lead singers?). These pedals never sound thin or lost in the mix, they're always grinding smoothly and comfortably in the midst of it all. I've been playing right at 25 years. If lost or stolen, there is no doubt I'd grab two more just like 'em. I love that it is true to the tubescreamer feel and heartiness, but with added active Low and High controls. I hate that it is called a Bad Monkey; I mean, come on, it makes it sound like a kid's toy-which it isn't. It should be called something cool like Tube Cooker or whatever. Name aside, though, this pedal is truly a musical instrument unto itself. I don't even want to gig without it.

Rather easy to use. 4 controlls, the usual gain and level, and an EQ with bass and trebles.
EQ works as should work, all controlls work continously, no jumps or so.
EQ is very effective, so slight turns on the knobs can change the sound a lot.
9 points.

It sounds quite good, especially at lower drive settings.

I play it in front of tube amps, with gibson-like humbucker guitars.

Sound reminds me a little of a Ibanez Tube Screamer, but it has more bass and less over-emphazise of the mids.
All in all it is an ok sounding overdrive, no distortion, so the character is more soft than harsh, more vintage than n?? metal, more low or medium gain than ultra high gain.
It doesn't sound like tube overdrive, but it doesn't sound like a harsh transistor chain saw.

It is not too compressed or muffled, but not really a dynamic idol.

It sounds o.k. to push an overdriven tube amp a little harder, and it is usable in front of aclean amp, but it sounds better to kick a slightly overdriven tube amp.

As said, sound is o.k., but it is not great, so 7 points.

Low level of noise, no high gain distortion available (it is an overdrive, no distortion).

All in all it sounds ok, but not really spectacular.

Built like a tank, very heavy and relaible.
10 of 10!

No idea

It sounds decent, it is rather cheap (about 50 US$ in germany), it is very relaible, has a 2-band-EQ, so 8 of 10.
With a little better sound it could be the 11-points-hammer.

It's a doddle

Top Notch Pro Pedal - lovely juicy crunchy overdrive sounds.

Totally solidly built.

Never met Digitech so no idea.

Short review cos a more comprehensive one I submitted has'nt appeared to make it. A superb budget priced overdrive pedal & I've been playing since I spotted Mr Donegan playing Skiffle on a guitar on black & white valve tv sometime in the late 1950s.

Very straightforward to use... it's like other stomp boxes... with level, low, high and gain control. These controls are very responsive so you can tweak your sound relative to your guitar and amp. Really intelligently voiced pedal and easy to get some great sounds from it.

It's all been said about this pedal... it's a great overdrive pedal with some lovely juicy, scrunchy, creamy and crunchy overdrive sounds!

I think it's important in reviews to say exactly what set up you base your views on sound wise... so my set up for this pedal is: Kustom 10 watt amp [solid state] and a Washburn HB30 [a 335 type guitar]and a Strat [USA '72] With this set up I really love the sounds I can get... it's great for practise and recording.

Just do the usual... adjust your guitar volume and tone controls along with the controls on the Bad Monkey and you'll find some great sounds. The other amp I use is also a practise amp... the Marshall MG10 that gives you equally great sounds with this pedal. I also have the Digitech Screamin' Blues another great pedal. My simple set up is guitar to Bad Monkey to Screamin' Blues to Boss DD3... result = wonderful!

These pedals are very well built... better than any other I've used... sort of similar to a tank and as heavy. Excellent!

They feel solid and dependable

I have never had to deal with this company so no comments.

I've tried lots of overdrive/distortion pedals over the years and this one is by far the best I have ever used. It has the bonus of the output to mixer too... very useful for home recording. It's a class pedal at a budget price and sounds and looks superb. Totally recommended.

I find this pedal easy to use. Just sync the level control with the amp clean, & I tend to keep the settings close to the warm rhythm setting in the manual, + or - the gain setting depending on my mood. But it's also good to tweek for other sounds. Separate low & high controls gives slightly more variety of tones, & that's always good.

This pedal isn't very noisey at all on My MG15, but on my Cube 30x it's a little noisey but not problematically so. The sound of this pedal can depend on the amp. I first heard it in the shop on a Marshall MG50 and it wasn't special to say the least. Then I heard it on a Fender Hotrod Deluxe. And it really sounded like the soundbites on their website. Possibly better. This box shines w/tubes. I used it first on a Marshall MG15, and I liked it as long as the gain wasn't up too far, or as long as the high eq. wasn't too high. And I found that it helps especially to cut down the mids on the amp. It gives a kind of chunky sound to the amp. For anybody reading this it's also better to play solos or power chords with these pedals, and not triads. Now I have a Roland cube 30x & it sounds a bit grainy with this amp but still not bad. It seems to have slightly cleaner harmonics w/ this amp. I need to experiment more. I also have a Digitech Hothead and that sounds pretty decent on the Roland at various settings. For tubes this thing deserves a 10, but for SSs an 8. so 9 I guess.

I'm assuming I'll not have any problems.

This is probably worth mentioning. I live overseas, and I was recently in the States, so I emailed Digitech about ordering a power supply for my boxes in order to save some money. But I couldn't order directly from their e-catalog because I needed a 230 volt transformer. The answer I got was short and standard, as though it was taken out of a list. And I suspected that I wouldn't have gotten the 230 volt transformer if I ordered it the standard way. Anyway I didn't get the answer I needed. I could have called them and sorted it out probably, but I just gave up and bought some standard power supplies here for half the price & they work fine.

I'm an old timer, I play vintage rock, and blues. I jammed a bit when I was younger, & recently started playing again. Along w/the stuff already mentioned, I also have a compressor, & my axe is a Gibson LP studio, the jewel in my crown. The only thing I hate about this pedal is its name. I love the way it sounds w/a Fender Hotrod Deluxe. I also like the separate low & high controls. I did extensive research on the net. I found this Harmony Central site very usefull. That's one of the reasons I'm writing this review. I listened to alot of soundbites, Marshall, Boss, etc. And I also checked this alongside various other pedals at the shop. Boss, Ibanez, other Digitechs etc. I just found this pedal with a good sound & a good price. I thought it sounded fairly close to the tubescreemer for less than half the price. If it were lost, I wouldn't buy this again as long as I use Cube 30x, but if I had a tube amp, I would. The cube just dosen't need overdrives or distortions. I would also like to put a plug in here for the Digitech Hothead. The ratings given by others IMO, are too low. I would give it similar ratings as the Bad Monkey. Both these pedals BTW are analog.

good sound with all knobs centered. i usually turn up high a little extra

used anywhere you would use a tube screamer, plus it sounds and feels right used direct to console (live - never tried to record it direct). it is smooth, trails off perfectly (VERY few pedals do this) and has better tone controls that a tube screamer

i've gigged mine for a few years now and shows no sign of slowing down. but i think the main factor for pedals' longevity is how feasible it is to service. bad monkey uses a cheap onboard switch and the boards are SMD, so i'm thinking this pedal is the kind you buy two of for when the first one eventually has problems.

only ever had one experience with digitech support and the woman was a total B.

playing 25 years - pro player, arranger, teacher. it is a great pedal - sure to be an all-time classic. buy a crate of them so you can ebay them for big money in 30 years. like: smooth clipping, beautiful trail-off, good feel, tracks well, amp sim output is good for live, battery access is good. dislike: doesn't have sweet spot like a tubescreamer where you can have very little clipping but still fat. people keep saying the pedal is cheap for what it is, but IMO the price is about right. they could make money selling these for less. most assembly of electronics like this pedal is automated - e.g. a robot drops components on the PCB, components are all wave soldered at once, etc. The circuit itself costs next to nothing to make if you make enough of them. Dunlop pedals are made this way, too and are WAAAAAY overpriced. Many think that a pedal that sells for under a hundred dollars can't be top quality, but that thinking is behind the times.