DigiTech Black 13 Scott Ian Artist Series

I was bored today and decided to go to the local Guitar center a few miles from me here in Fort Worth, Texas and was just looking at some used gear and to pay on a layaway when I saw this pedal for $35 brand new marked down and could not resist getting it.I hooked this BLACK-13 up to my small piece of crap combo amp and it sounds like a hot rodded half stack now!! I just looked at instructions for about 30 seconds and I was blown away!!anybody should be able to get the sound they are looking for if they know who Scott Ian is and who Anthrax is !!30 seconds of manual or less is all it takes!

I will be hooking this pedal to a Vox ad-50 which rocks anyway with my rodded Ibanez.When i plugged it up it is very noisy but am getting a boss ns-2 to take care of that.I like all the sounds out of this beast!!2,3,4,5 are my favorites but they all work for me. it gets an 8 for the noise but that will change to a ten in a few days!!

Heavy duty!!!i have only had it half a day but I am sure it can take any abuse!! would not leave home without it, no backup would be needed

I have had prior tech questions and request to Digitech and always got the best service

I play amix of music but I like hard rock and thrash/metal and it will definetely fit in.I have been playing off and on since 1985 and have had alot of different gear but this is a keeper.it is so easy to use and get great sounds out of it but the noise, which is getting taken care of.no other comparisons, I mainly just plug and play but I building a rack of goodies.

Pretty easy to use--there are seven of Scott Ian's sounds as presets and then you can modify each using the other two knobs. Nice manual too.

I tried this with my SG, and an Ibanez that had humbuckers and single coils. This is definitely a metal pedal folks. It does get pretty authentic Anthrax sounds---although after awhile about four out of the seven begin to sound very similar. If you dig Pantera and old Sabbath those tones can be easily obtained. My only problem is that at times you get a bit of background digital hash like the pedal has a noise gate as the sound decays. I found that to be a bigger issue with single coils as I also got a hum that the gain tended to pick up and amplify.
For me, I still like my Boss Metal Zone MT-2 where you can get a variety of high gain sounds without the background noise.

Very heavy, seems like its built like a tank.

Not bad, just a bit of a one trick pony. There's lots of competition out there.

It is about as hard as a lightswitch to operate.

Well, here is the thing. I was bored with my MT-2 and wanted something new. I like Anthrax and thought I'd give it a try. Well it is a mixed bag for me. This pedal is great for recording or just jamming on my computer since it has the 7 settings. Number 4 is my favorite by far, though number 7 is absolutley 100% dead on to the record. The sounds are great on my PC, however hooked to my amp this pedal really falls flat. It just sounds too artificial with my rig. I use a Marshall VR100 with a Marshall 1960 Lead 4 x 12. I get a nice biting sound and when I hooked this up in place of my MT-2 all I got was feedback. Tried messing with the amps gain and the pedal level but it still sounded shitty no matter what, really noisy.
I found I really can only use this on the clean channel, and I don't like that sound, it is just fake and really lame at high volume. So I think if you leave your amp on clean and low volume it will sound okay for practice. That is pretty much all I use this for now and it does it's job well. I recommend this for intermediate players as a good way to just plug and play on a cheap little practice amp or a PC, I think a PC is the best option and in my opinion it sounds best on one. 2 for Amp use. 9 for PC, little shitty practice amps.

Built solid

never dealt with them

Good for practice on small amps on clean channel. If you are looking to beef up your hard sound on your 100w amps overdrive channel, forget it probably the worst thing you can buy. Good for PC use for recording or jamming, actually really good cause you have different settings you can use without actually having to twiddle.

This is a very easy pedal to get used to, the Anthrax sounds are dialled in by selecting 1 through 7. No real need for a manual, but it is very good and detailed.

Level - controls the volume output.
Control 1 - is for the low frequency boost/cut in models 1 to 6 and controls the pitch shifting in model 7.
Control 2 - is for the high frequency bost/cut in models 1 to 6 and controls the delay length in model 7.
Last but not least, the model selector - my fave

I am using the Black 13 through a modified Epiphone Valve Junior Head powering a Marshall 1912 speaker cab with the noise being supplied by my Epiphone Ace Frehley Les Paul, with three Super Distortion Dimarzio's. The sounds are nice, gives a great range of distortion settings in one box at the twist of a knob.

It has a clean bypass and does not appear to suck any tone from my set-up.

This gives me classic Anthrax sounds

It would seem very solid, no problems as yet.

I do not gig, so would not need a backup

I talked to them about the first pedal to be released in the artist series (Dan's The Weapon) and I must say they were very responsive, provided a lot of advice and help.

I like Metal, and have found that I can get some really good sounds from this.

I think I would get another, however it would have been nice to be able to change the models by foot.

Pretty simple. I like the fact it only has a model, level, and two equalizer controls and nothing more. This makes it easy to find a preset distortion, adjust the bass and treble to your amp and you're ready to go. Most of the high gain scooped tones will work with one setting on the eq, but the more mid-based models need tweaking. The manual explains what stuff does, simple and to the point.

Well, it's obviously got the tones of Scott Ian. I can get some other tones from this pedal with tweaking, and can even get other artists tones, like some Immortal, Metallica, Megadeth, and modern metal tones. The distortion effects are great, but the seventh model is kinda eh. I use this pedal with a super overdrive and Ibanez SZ320/Hamer Vector infront of it, and a Peavey Rockmaster and Laney 2x12 behind it. I'm sure with the level and eq settings high, it will feedback. Also, rolling your pickups volume back from 10 to say 8 or 9 will yield great results. I give it an 8 because some models are fussy (the lower gain, more mid, less compressed models) or unusable (model 7). I might experiment with having some amp overdrive in addition to the non-compressed mid-based models.

Yes I could depend on it, digitech is pretty reliable. I would use it sans a backup since I run this on it's adapter, and wouldn't foresee any mess ups.

I play thrash, black and death metal and this gets me a nice tone for all three. I have been playing 5 years, and if it were lost or stolen, I'd probably buy it again, even despite having nicer sounding distortions (this pedal's ease of use and great preset tones are it's selling point). I love that it has such a lack of controls, lending towards a "set and forget" mindset with the pedal. However, I also somewhat hate this, as being able to adjust the amount of mids or distortion would've been nice, but I can get my other pedals to do that if I wish.

Just plain easy.. This pedal is more like a Ghostbusters trap, it captured Scott Ian in a box. Plug in, dial up, & play. Can't adjust the gain, but it needs nothing anyway. There is not a lot of futzing around & dialing on this pedal, pretty straight forward.. Which is nice.. because dialing sounds gets old pretty fast, for me at least, & especially with metal.

Rhett said it best (Do read his comment below, he is spot on). I use it direct to my Mixer-Soundcard-PC, & out to some Fostex powered monitors. Plug in & play. Sounds like a mic'd cab! I play a Godin with tetrad humbuckers (pretty safe to say.. stay away from this pedal with single coils). This pedal is the answer to my prayers for direct PC recording. #5 is my favorite.. captures that 1980's jcm800 sound nicely. I have a Orange Rocker 30 amp but being a valve amp.. this pedal is not a good match for it, but I knew this all along & no big deal. I am a home musician & have no need to play through this pedal any other way besides DI-mixer-etc. I am sure it would do most amps justice. My 30 is more for single coil honk anyway. What can I say? I like honk & metal..

I'd say so.. but then again it is on my desk at all times. Weighs about as much as Scott Ian. Built solid! The chrome is a bit goofy though.. but could be worse.

N/A

I'd buy another one, & another one if they were solen & stolen again. Great pedal! I hope DigiTech does more of these deals.

Easy do dial a sound, just plug your guitar (humbucker equipped, please!), choose one of the 7 presets available and play.
The manual is quite simple but effective.

I have to say here that the sound produced by this pedal is ....BRUTAL!!! Some presets could sound better than others, but it's a matter of personal taste and application. But this pedal isn't for overall use, it was made for brutal crunch types of rhythm guitar. One part of the Ian's chain contains a noise gate to minimize the noise coming from extreme distortion settings on the amps modeled and when you back off your guitar volume to reduce your sustain (you don??t have access to sustain level in this pedal), you could reach the internal noise gate threshold and then ....bye bye, your sound starts to cracking and disappear. It means that you don't have dynamics in Black 13, just that (wonderful) type of brutal distortion. Period.
If you're looking for this type of sound, the rating is 10, but if you intend to do some leads with feel and dynamics, forget this pedal and buy something like TONEBONE PLEXI or SANSAMP GT2.
Due this noise gate limitations, I personally have to give an overall 7.

No, I can't depend on it. It's just an option in my palette of sounds.
It was built like a tank (and weighs like a tank!!!) and certainly resistent to road abuse, but I didn't like the presets switch quality. And I have I suggestion to DIGITECH TEAM: to put 2 center detent parameter pots to achieve Ian's sets more easily.

I am a session musician, composer and producer. I've been playing for the last 35 years and I have an arsenal of top acoustic and electric guitars and basses(Gibsons, Fenders, Rickenbackers, PRS, Martins, Godins etc), amps(Marshalls, Fenders, Vox, Demeter, Rivera etc) and effects (almost impossible to remember all brands...).

This thing is really easy to use. Just plug into a clean channel on an amp and it works great.

I really like how this thing sounds. I am running it on the clean channel of my Peavey Classic 50 (4-10s) and a 4-12 cab loaded with Celestions. I am using an ESP with EMG 60/81. I use mainly setting 1-3 at low volumes in the bedroom. Live, it didn't cut through as well with my set up. Setting 4 works the best with me live. It cuts through better and sounds mean. I am playing metal.
This thing sounds great for recording. I just run right into ProTools. It has a mixer out on it. For metal, it kicks ass over my POD. I'd rather use this than mic up a cab and annoy the whole neighborhood.

Hasn't broken on me yet and it's built like a tank

Never had to deal with them

I have been playing for over 20 years. I have played through a lot of amps and used a lot of gear. For the money, this is a great deal.

Very Simple

I love this pedal but it gets a 9 because i dont think some of the effects are dead on, the "i am the law" and "madhouse" settings sound more like the songs off of the greater of two evils type distortion, real scorching, but i was hoping it would sound like the original recordings, now, for the original recording i would go with the "march of the s.o.d" setting, its got more of an original scott ian sound, all the other settings sound dead on though, i would recommend the "room for one more" setting tho for people who play rock and the tape delay is fun!

I think this pedal will outlast me

Havent had to deal with them but i heard theyre very easy to work with!

Very, Very Great pedal!! i recommend it to anyone who plays metal and rock, most of the sounds are dead on and its well worth the price!!

Its pretty simple ,I personally keep the level at about 10 or 11 o'clock positions and control 1 and 2 at the 12 o'clock .
manual was fine .

The dude below me did an excellent job of describing the sound choices .I personally like models 4 ,5 ,6 the best , While the others are decent too ,I just for my own tastes like those a tad better.
But all of the models are usuable ,model 7 is kinda cool but its one of those you really will use once at best , whereas the other models you could keep on all gig.
You could only use this pedal on a clean channel , it will sound like mush if you use it on a gain channel. Im currently using it with a marshal DSL 100 ,
Im happy with the tone im getting from it . The way I use this pedal and actually the way Ive used other distortion pedals such as the DF-7 is to use them on the clean channel only.Most of the time I use the amps ultra gain channel which IMHO is brewtal enough for my tastes and if I really want to spice it up Ill use a Zakk overdrive to boost it.Now if I want a different type of gain or if Im doing a chordal thing on the clean channel and i want to go into a heavy riff think "children of the sea (sabbath) " , rather than switch channels , I have the option to step on the Black 13 and now im heavy as fuck .
And you have choices on the Black 13 of several types of different what I like to call gain voicings, like I said aptly described by the reviewer below me ( props dude).
Very clear sounding, not a noisy pedal . Good quality pedal.

Just got it

Im pretty happy with the Black 13 ,Im as fussey as hell when it comes to gear .
I have a boatload of gear , gibson Les Pauls ,ESPs ,Deans, Marshall DSL 100 ,TC electronics G major. To go along with
a house full of stompboxs . I guess you can say I have OCD when it comes to guitar and guitar gear lol .
But im like I said picky as a mutha , this pedal does its job well ,
I play a hard heavy old school type mercyful fate , saxon , priest , sabbath to name a few .
you will not play your local wine and cheese place with this pedal ,its strictly for in your face asskicking hard and heavy music.
All in all a good pedal so far im satisfied.

Very easy to use. There is a level knob, high and low eq knobs, and a knob to select which model you want.

I use Carvin guitars and a Carvin X100B 100w tube head w/ a Marshall 1960A cab. The rest of my pedal board consists of a Boss NS-2, Boss CH-1, Marshall Guv'nor 2, Snarling Dogs Blue Bawls wah.

The Black-13 has a great sound. As the manual suggests, leaving the two eq knobs in the 12 o'clock position recreates the tones Scott uses on the songs that the models are based on. There is no distortion adjustability, which may not be to the liking of some users, but I find it easy 'cuz I'm not always trying to tweak. I use the high/low cuts to compensate for my amp settings, and the knobs are very responsive.

This is definitely a 'metal' pedal. Not an overdrive. I attempted to use it to overdrive the dirty channel of my amp but the gain was just too much. The pedal itself sounds great if you want a heavy metal sound. It's not as extreme as some of the 'death metal' pedals around, but for a good thrash/metal/grunge sound it's perfect. I sold my MT-2 once I got this baby because it has all the sounds I need.

The booklet explains which models are from which songs. Here's what I found.

Model 1/2 - very good overall, mostly scooped, thrash/heavy sound. I use #2 with a little more lows for my own stuff.
Model 3 - think "Cowboys from Hell" era Pantera. Very scooped with a litte more highs.
Model 4 - think "Albatross" from Corrosion of Conformity.
Model 5 - a hot-rodded JCM 800 sound. Very good for 80's metal with excellent tone and distortion. Also good (with a little eq tweaking) for Alice in Chains/Soundgarden grunge-ier sounds.
Model 6 - More of a Mesa/Boogie type distortion. Somewhat like the "Black" album from Metallica. Good for newer metal and rock.
Model 7 - Kind of cool, as it has delay and a pitch shifter in it, but not really usable for me. In this model, the eq knobs serve to control the amount of delay and pitch shifting. The guy earlier who said he couldn't turn off the delay/pitch shifting needs to spend about 2 seconds to read the manual. It states it in there several times.

Haven't had any Digitech pedals before, so I can't really speak to this. For $149 I would hope it lasts. Also, it states very clearly NOT to use any power supply but the one included or it will damage the unit. Someone earlier said he burned his out.

PEOPLE!!! READ THE STUFF THAT COMES WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT!!

Don't know.

I play blues, rock, and heavy metal from the 80's and 90's. I've been playing about 15 years. This is an excellent all-around heavy metal pedal - much better than the Metal Masters pedal that Digitech makes. (At least that's my opinion from playing them both in the store.)Scott Ian's sound has changed and developed over the years and it is well reflected in this pedal. As I stated, I ditched my modified MT-2 when I got this pedal. Play them together and you'll see how 'depthless' the MT-2 distortion is compared to this.

This pedal is great at low volumes or stage volumes. Haven't tried the DI to the mixer yet, so I can't speak to that. If it were stolen, I'd definitely buy another one.

There are two drawbacks. One, you MUST use the power supply that comes with it. I have a daisy chain power supply on my pedal board and it's a little annoying that I can't use it. Don't even think about trying to use batteries in this unless you can get them free. I applaud Digitech for including the power supply, at least. The other drawback (for some, not for me) is that the gain is not adjustable.

Overall, this is a very good pedal if you play metal/hard rock/thrash/punk. Digitech did a good job capturing Scott Ian's tone(s) and has modeled them very well. I like the sounds for playing covers and it has really given me the tone I've been seeking for my original material.

It is extremely easy to get a good sound out of it. Plug in, select one of the seven different distortions and go.
No editing involved aside from level, high end, low end and on the last channel delay and delay speed

I use it with 2 different setups. First is using the mixer output on the pedal into a Vestax 4-track recorder with headphones. This is the first distortion pedal I have EVER played (over 20 years kids) that does not sound one single bit digital. It sounds like a mic'd cabinet, and it is just brutal. Second I go through the Black-13 into a Peavey XXL head into a 4X12 cabinet with Celestion Vintage 30's. And it is the heaviest thing I have ever heard. Just let me say that this is not a distortion pedal per se. It is a pedal that captures Scott Ian's guitar TONES from the songs selected. It is almost 100% accurate on all accounts. Each sounds drastically different than the others and allows for all kinds of metal styles. From Anthrax to Metallica (good Puppets sound on the SOD selection) Obituary to Lamb of God (with a little more gain). The sounds are thick and chunky and they are tight when you want them to be and loose when you want them to be. The pedal actually allows you to change the sound of it. The harder you pick, the more brutal it becomes. Dynamics folks, you gotta love it. The only thing that I don't like is on the #7 patch (if you want to call it that) from the "Finale" on State of Euphoria, it has a wicked pitch shift and delay, but am having trouble turning off the shift and delay. The instructions say it is possible, but haven't been able to yet. But that is a minor thing.

I have never had a Digitech pedal crap out me and I have had literally dozens. Plus it comes with the power adapter which I think all pedals should. It is build extremely well, this is a quality piece. Kudos Digitech and Scott Ian.

Well since Digitech is here in Salt Lake City, UT I can just drive down to the factory with any problems I might have. Plus I have emailed with Dean in the tech department and they have alway had top-notch support for their customers.

I play mostly thrash metal (Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Lamb of God, Dimmu Borgir, Nevermore) and it is a perfect match for whatever mood I am in. You want thick =#1, you want punchy with mids =#2, you want scooped mids all out death metal =#3, you want gobs of gain with mids =4, a more creamy smooth distortion =#5, a lower gain slab of distortion with lots of a definition =#6, messing around with a thick gain with some delay and pitch shift =#7. I actually like the fact that I cannot change the amount of gain on each patch. Then I know what it will sound like each and every day and don't waste time tweaking.
I have been playing for over 20 years. I have a Custom Shop USA ESP V with an EMG-81, and Ibanez RG320DXFM, a Peavey XXL, a 4X12 Cabinet with Celestion Vintage 30's and this god-send, uh....Satan-send of a pedal. There is no digital here folks, sounds pure analog and I love it. If it were stolen, I would get it back no sweat and I wouldn't stop until I found it.
I love everything about it except turning the delay and pitch shift on #7.
I have had numerous gain pedals. American Metal, Metal Zone, Death Metal, Grunge, GNX-3, Line 6 POD, Line 6 POD XT-Live, Line 6 Uber Metal, MXR Dime Distortion, MXR Zakk Wylde Overdrive (with my old tube amp) and nothing even comes close to the sheer brutality with definition the Black-13 has. Listen to Scott Ian's playing. He has lots of gain and dynamics in his sound, but he plays totally clean and defined. This pedal allows that to shine through. If you suck as a player this pedal will point out your flaws not cover them up. But if you are an accomplished musician this will also point THAT out, and allow your skill to shine through.
Anything I wish it had? A way to turn off the stuff on #7 like I said earlier.
If you want the best pedal in the world get this one. If you can handle it. It has been blessed by Satan himself....

This thing is easy as poo to get a great tone. It has 7 presets that can easily be altered with two "controls." On most of the presets, control one is bass, and control 2 is treble. Preset 7 has a really freakin' weird delay/pitch shifter. On this setting, control 1 determines the amount of pitch shift and control 2 determines the length of delay. Only downsides are no mid control and no gain knob, but all these presets already sound awesome so I personally don't need one.

I'm using an Ibanez S470 through a B-52 AT-100. Don't make fun of me, this amp has balls and is extremely versitale(a trait I need since I play at church and in a metal band.) This pedal makes my amp sound baaad if you know what I mean. Ridiculous amounts of controlled gain and amazing tone. DO NOT USE THIS PEDAL WITH SINGLE COIL PICKUPS!!! It's got way too much gain for them to handle and from my experience I get A LOT of feedback.

I am very, very pleased with my tone now. Don't get me wrong, I don't just go for as much gain as possible. I go for clarity first, then tone, then gain. This pedal gives me all of them. Perfect distortion pedal for those of us who can't afford $3,000 amps.

I've only had this for a few hours so I don't know for sure but this thing looks like it's built to last. Only thing is the extremely metallic finish will probably get ruined quick, but the actual pedal should last awhile

Never dealt with 'em.

Perfect for metal. Not for the faint of heart. Very little noise too! I am very impressed overall with this pedal. If this thing was stolen, I'd look for a used one on ebay, then if they didn't have it get another new one, unless I found $3000. Then I'd get a Hughes and Kettner. But I really think this is the next best thing. I love this pedal.

easy to use, four knobs(level-low-high-presets) it has presets for seven anthrax songs, the manual is fine as there isn't a whole lot of tweaking with this baby.

i tested it through my line6 flextone 2hd, a marshall jcm 900, using a crate 4x12 loaded with celestions, and my computer as it has a direct out.
not really noisy it seems to have some kind of gate on it.
it sounds pretty much like scotts anthrax tones, especially the preset for the last anthrax album. nice thick sounding dist.
it sounded best through my computer, but i probably just need to tweak the amp a bit more.

it is a chrome plated tank, these new digitech pedals seem to be bulletproof.
eats batteries pretty fast about an hour on the one that came in it.but you get an adapter with it so use that.

never dealt with digitech.

i play mostly metal, and scott is one of my influences. if you like anthrax you'll like this pedal.
i would definitely buy it again.