DigiTech DF-7 Distortion Factory

very easy to use.

this pedal works off the platform of the metal master with some pluses and minuses.first this pedal has a mid control ans mid frequnce control making the distortion factory very good for finr tuning the sound.as far as the distortion model knob and funtion they had chosen some strange models to imitate the boss metal zone and metal master is the best and only ones i use at all.the dod/overdrive is ok and the tube screamer is ok too but the big muff and the rat are a rare taste they could have done better.but over all this df-7 is pretty heavy and versitile but still digital/processed a bit but realy good and a second to the metal zone with a eq pedal.

totally unless you use a battery it will kill it fast

versitile,heavy,better eq control(mids)limited usefull distortion modeling but very still good tone.i feel few pedals deserve a 10 but i still will give this one a strong 9 very good with better distortion modeling and less processed tone this could be king?!!

Stacked knobs that change depending on what pedal model you've chosen. Definitely have to read the manual for a while to figure this thing out. The manual itself is pretty easy to understand, though. There are a lot of pedals out there that are much easier to use. I thought this one had a high learning curve for what you get out of the sound.

Setup: '72 Fender Tele Thinline reissue > Digitech Bad Monkey > DF-7 > Hardwire DL-8 > Ernie Ball VP Junior > Fender Princeton Chorus.

From the first moment, I was not very pleased with the sound. Almost all the settings sounded harsh and brittle to me. Way too much "scratch and scream." I had no use for the metal settings, as I don't play metal. The RAT model was the worst, very screechy. The TS-9 and big muff models were OK, but still sounded thin. The tone was just not very full or rich on any of these settings, and simply made my ears beg for me to turn it off. Super harsh tone. I thought the best setting was the Boss DS-1 model, but why pay 3 times as much as the real DS-1 for this pedal?

The pedal got noisy on all settings as you turn up the gain, but what pedal doesn't do that?

Built very durable, seemed pretty tough, but I only owned it about a week so I can't say too much about long-haul durability.

I've been playing for about 10 years now. I play rock, blues, and praise and worship stuff for my church. This pedal just didn't do it for what I play. It might work for someone that is more into metal or punk...but even then, there are probably better pedals out there. The models just can't nail the original tone of these pedals, in my opinion.

I took this thing back and bought a Tube Screamer (TS-9) and I'm so glad I did. In my opinion, don't buy this pedal, unless it's just for kicks and giggles in your basement. Don't gig with it unless you want people leaving the show covering their ears.

Easy to use. Just pick you're favorite distorition model and go from there.

This is an extremely versatile distortion pedal. In fact, I think it actually is literally the most versatile single distortion pedal ever made. The model duplications are near perfect. It can get noisy on some models but it shouldn't be a big deal if you have a small amp or a noise suppressor. The sound is not good for a live sound, but it's pretty good if you're trying to duplicate the sound directly off a particular album.

Very durable. Its as hard as a rock. You could literally throw it has hard as you can to a wall and it won't break. I've had this product for about 2 years now and its still in supreme condition. Also very reliable. I've never had any problems with it.

dont know

This is a good investment if you have a simple amp with not so many effects, but it would just be so much better to get an amp with good distortion already programmed into the amp. I only recommend this product to be used for practicing. I don't suggest using it for live performances.

Simple, easy. No issues with this. Dial in the tone, the level and drive, and select the distortion type. Manual is good - clear and easy to use.

Using with a PRS and Marshall JCM600. Sounds just like I want it to. The reason I bought it is because it has a "Big Muff" emulation and I wanted something that gets close to David Gilmour. Good enough for me ( a basement hacker). I also tried the "DS-1 emulation" against my actual Seeing Eye DS-1 and the DF-7 doesn't sound too shabby. My new favorite distortion pedal...

Seems solidly built. Only new, so dont know how well it will last.

Don't expect this will be an issue if it's ever needed...

Boffo, a good one! I like it ;-)

This pedal is rather easy to use. You can get a very wide range of tones from it. You can use it as a means of distortion alone or a boost for those lovely tubes. The mid is the hardest thing to dial in though. Gonna take some time to get used to it. I've had it for almost a year and a half and I'm still getting used to using some settings. Take some time with it.

The sound you can get is pretty spectacular to me. When I first got it I was using through a little cheap practice amp and I thought it was good. I used it for the Metal Zone and Metal Master settings almost exclusively. It gave me what I needed. Although both of those setting did have their down sides. Metal Zone was noisy at times and the Master didn't give the exact tone I wanted.

I now have a proper tube amp (Peavey XXX 60 Watt with reverb) and use it as a boost and low gain tone. For this I use the Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer setting and WOW!!! I'm loving it even more. It gives me the perfect kind of boost I'm looking for and low gain sound I want. I also use the DOD Overdrive and Boss DS-1 settings for this but in my opinion the TS-9 is the best setting.

Gave it a nine cause of the Metal Zone and Master. Could be better, but still really good.

It is really reliable. Build like a tank. Although this is my second one. Thr first one fried cause I left it on accidently after jamming. Returned it to where I purchased it and haven't had any problems with the one I have now. I think it was because the pedal had only been out for like 2 months and still carried some glitches. Mine now is holding up very strong.

Haven't had to deal with them. so can't comment

This is by far one of the best pieces of gear I have purchased. It has been there practically since I started playing guitar. For a good metal tone, it can deliver. For a low gain scratchy type tone, it can deliver. To bust those tubes, it can deliver.

I've had it for nearly 2 years now, and it has excelled through it all. It has served me very well. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy it again. I say that cause now in my 3rd year of playing I have a decent amp that gives me the high gain tone I want and I may look elsewhere for my boost. Regardless of that I would probably buy it again.

The only thing I can't comment about is how close each setting is to the originals. In my eyes it doesn't matter cause I get a good enough tone whether it is like the originals or not.

Once the initial learning curve is over, it is very easy to use. After a couple of years, I have learnt that using the controls as on the original versions of the modelled pedals (as detailed in the supplied manual) gives very good results. Changing mid on Pro Co Rat (for example) on the amp compared to changing it on the pedal gives a big difference in tone. My suggestion is to use each model as if you had an original at your feet. In the majority of models, all that is required is level, gain and high (two are different, Metal Zone uses all, DOD 250 uses only level and gain). In this way, accurate reproductions can be gained. I use the other controls if I just cannot get the sound I want. Just remember, small adjustment = big cahnge.

Well, to my ears, pretty damned good. Taking into consideration that 7 original pedals would require the loss of an arm and leg to pay for. The Metal Zone model seems to give a bit of weired overtones once the sustain starts running out. Don't know if the original does this, but it sounds like the pedal is trying to sample the signal and make something of it. It doesn't happen with Lace Sensor pickups, so I'm assumming that the pedal is trying to process the signal, even if it is noise (lace sensors are very quite). This problem does not happen on any other models. It i s overall a quite unit, execpt for MAJOR distortion, which is to be expected from any distortion pedal. Obviously, the more the gain setting, the more the pedal tries to wring out of every note. The pedal has some amazing tones if the gain knob is backed up a bit. Full on, "clean" sounding notes that ooze sustain, and no fluff (of coursr, this depends on the choice model).

Well, it ain't become busted in the couple o' years I've owned it :-)

Not good. I live in Australia. I had a basic problem with a Jimi Hendrix Experience Pedal (bought in Australia). Digitech Australia were USELESS. I got the run around. E-mail the mother company, E-mail the Australian distributor, you know, Blah Blah Blah. Well, Digitech can get F*@%!)$. As much as I like there Digital sounds, there's no way I'll buy another one of there product's. Even the bloke I bought my experience pedal from said they suck. I also had similar problems with a GNX4 I bought from the States. USELESS, the same bullshit runaround. No such thing as international warranty.

Love the tones, love the modelled distortions. HATE the product support.
I cannot catogrise my type of music, as I do all my own stuff. This is an excellant tool with regards to expanding tonal pallet. A bit of care is needed as the controls are so sensitive.
I hope I don't have to buy another one, as I would be happy if this lasted a life time. It is very suitable to me and has some pretty darned good tones. Some of the models are really bad with solid state amps. Don't think you have a bad pedal if it sounds crap on a solid state amp. Overall, the majority of the models sound better on a valve amp just before or as it reaches valve saturation. Suddenly, tonal heaven opens up. The TS9 and DS-1 models sound particularly bad with solid state, but really open up with tubes (the TS9 sounds more like TS808 to me, fatter and not as defined/sharp, but thats up to opinion). Bugger the product support, though.

The only negative thing is you dont know which model you are choosing unless you have the manual handy (or memorize the models but thats no fun)

Here is where I am going to say things that some of you may disagree with... I am using this pedal mainly to run infront of hi-gain amps. I have used it in front of my Carvin V3 for studio work (and it sounds excellent)there I use it to really smooth out the gain of the amp, by the way the Carvin V3 is a beast you WILL NOT find a better amp for a grand. I used this pedal most recently live infront of my Line 6 Vetta, with the Vetta it helps give me that fizz, sizzle and the bite I am used to w/my hi-gain tube amps (my Carvin Peavey 5150and Triple XXX as well as Mesa Rec...etc) I use mostly the tube screamer and the DoD 250 mods. on my L6 it does make the cleans dirty but not on the Carvin, it also sounds natural and doesnt add a whole lot of noise

so far so good, it eats batteries but if a pedal can survive one of my bands shows, then its quality

its DigiTech they been taking care of me for 15 years now

I think if you expect it to sound just like the originals you'll be disappointed to am extent, or if you intend to use it alone, the heavier dist mods sound trashy, lifeless, but if you use it like i am i think you'll dig it, when you set it right.

Very simple to use, it is just a distortion pedals with multiple modes.

I found this pedal to be very sterile sounding. There is next to no compression or organic tone to it. You can get some good sounds from it, but I found it just to flat sounding. It sounds like what it is.... a modeling pedal. It went into the "pedals I don't use anymore" box after about 3 weeks.

Don't see why you couldn't depend on it to work for a long time.

I've been playing a long time and have more gear than sense I guess. I am a distortion pedal junky and have about 6 right now. The one I always go back to is the Line 6 MM4. It is also a modeling pedal, but is very fluid and organic sounding. Plus, it has a built in noise gate which rules for live playing and recording. This pedal though, will go into the blackhole of spare gear in my garage until I sell it or maybe use it in my practice rig.

Well, since this thing has so many emulated pedals contained in it, it can be tricky to EQ everything perfectly. There are 7 knobs, and each pedal model has it's own unique characteristics, so the learning curve is kinda high. The manual is helpful, so just spend some time with it (and also- pick a few sounds that you like and master them, 'cause you're not really going to use all 7 pedal sounds anyway.)

This pedal has versatility in spades. Almost any distorted/overdriven signal is possible, if using it with a quality amp. I use a Mexican Strat (single-coils) and Korean PRS SE (covered humbuckers), through a 70's Fender Bassman 10 ABY'd with a Crate Powerblock w/4x12 to beef up the sound.

-The TS-9 Tubescreamer sounds great if you EQ it correctly- just a good, warm overdrive that's really nice through a Fender tube amp. I've not A/B'd it with the real deal, but it sounds pretty good to me.

-The DOD Overdrive 250 setting is quite nice. I was unfamiliar with this pedal before now, but it's got a great, full-bodied sound, with a nice fuzzy bite at full distortion. Handy.

-The Boss DS-1 model is frighteningly close to the original. I use the real DS-1 (my favorite distortion), and if I mix this one correctly, the sound is identical. Pretty impressive.

-ProCo Rat- Another pedal I've directly compared with this one, and it's really convincing. The sweep of the "filter" knob isn't quite as dramatic on the DF-7, but the quality of the distortion is spot-on. A good, dirty sound (if EQ'd correctly.)

-The Boss Metal Zone model is a fun novelty for me, since I don't play metal. I have in the past though, and this thing has some hellish "chug" and lead capabilities. With humbuckers, it gets a good "low-mid" metal tone, reminding me of Dime, easily.

-The Digitech Metal Master setting is a mystery to me. As most of the other reviewers have said, this thing is shrill and way too mid-heavy. I've never played the original, but the sound that comes outta this model is a "turd in the punchbowl" compared to the rest of the models.

-The EH Big Muff copy is great. It's not quite as "extreme" in the fuzz dept. as the original, but man, it's close. With both "mid" knobs cranked to maximum, "low" and "high" a little over half, this thing is amazing with a neck single-coil. A really nice, gutsy lead tone.

All of that being said, this pedal doesn't sound "digital" to me, played through a good, warm tube amp. Heck, it sounds pretty clear and bitey through a Crate Powerblock by itself.

Built like a brick. Feels at least as durable as a Boss pedal, with a good sturdy switch and all-metal construction. Gig-worthy and tough. I've had it for about 7 months now, and it shows no signs of going out soon.

Never dealt with 'em, so I dunno.

Overall, I'm very happy with the DF-7. Obviously, I have my favorite settings, (DOD 250, DS-1, Big Muff,) but those just suit my style. My band is sorta "post-punk" or "art-rock" or whatever, so the weirder, fuzzier stuff is more to my liking. That being said, almost anyone, from blues to black metal, could find something nice with this pedal. If I were to lose it, I'd pick up another in a heartbeat, just because of the options. I've tried Line 6 modelers out in the past, as well as some Digitech "multi" units, but the intensity and clarity of the distortions here are of a higher grade. A smart investment, worth the money.

This is by far the best Distortion pedal I have ever tried. Loads of options. Of course it take some time to find the right sound. But hey, as long as it's there, that's okay. I find the mid-range to be the hardest part to find it's sweet spot

As a full blooded metalhead, I find the distortion model number 5 to be the best. That's based on the Boss Metal Zone pedal. I haven't tried the orginal, but since the Distortion Factory comes with a very well sounding speaker simulator, I doubt that the orginal is the best.
It sound very "un-muddy" even when I crank the gain to the max. And the flexible output mode is a touch of genious.
I have recorded with it, and believe me, It sounds a lot better than the guitar sound on a lot of CDs i own. And that's the pedal straight in the mix!
And with some chorus and delay/reverb it's sound perfect for leads.

I doubt that this panzer constructing will fail me...
Though I haven't had this pedal long enough to answer that question properly.

Haven't been in contact with Digitech.

As I said, this is by far the best distortion pedal I have ever plugged into.

Would I by a new one if it got stolen? Yes. Most likely I'll by myself another one even if it doesn't get stolen...

So if you play Heavy Metal, and you what a really big sound for a small amount of money: don't look any futher. A

Very self explainitary nobs i.e low, high, mid range, drive etc. however all are very sensitive on any of the settings(exept the bass.....read on), which can be good as there are then loads of sounds to be found and expermented with, but can also be annoying as when you find a sound you like if you change it you will struggle to find that sound again. the pedal model nob is a simple click nob, none of that morph rubbish. so its easy to use, but to get a good sound it is rather fiddley.

first of all this is a DIGItech pedal meaning the effects are digital, and so they do sound digital, if you are looking for a really crunchy distortion why are you even looking at pedals, save up and get a tube amp. however if like me you just want to improve your practice set up it is pretty cool. it literaly has a huge rage of distortion can go from blues- rock- metal and everthing inbetween seriously. however none are as good as a tube amp.the tube screamer is good on its own for a sort of bluesy sound, but dont use it like a real tube screamer and put your amp distortion on too, that just muffles the sond. the dod is a very good rock sound. the ds-1 is alrightish a bit heavier than the dod but not nearly enough bass although it does emulate a good crunch. the proco rat is a good punk sound the mt-2 can be very good with a lot of tweaking and can be very metal but it does not have enough bass by far, this is the setting i use and it is very good. the metal master setting is awefull for rhythm but supposedley good for solos which makes sense as it has soooo much mid but it is still awefull. use the mt-2 setting for solos. and the ehx setting is very nice but a little too muffled even though it is a fuzz box the origional is clearly better.

very heavy box and also very solid. i do gig this with out a back up, however i have a metal zone in case of emergencies. and by thge way this is better thatn the mt-2 on that setting because it doesnt sound like a chian saw and it doesnt become flat at high volumes like the mt-2

i play metal and punk mostly but alo some rock and some blues. this is a virtualy perfect pedal for me as it has every style in one box. i mean if you love metal and get a metal stomp box what do you do when you fancy a bit of bleus or light rock. ive been playing for about 5 years now, although my musical knowledge far exeeds that as i am obsessed with music and anything to do with guitars. my current rig is my bc rich w/ dimarzio x2n humbuckers (or my shitty stagg strat copy which i got for ??40. lol)->boss oc3-> df-7-> 65w fender princeton. if it were lost id be pisseed cos i cant affort another at the mo but wen i could i would get something else. i love exploring musical shit: effects etc. love the versatility and love the general sound but hate the lack of bass but im getting an eq this week to sort that problem out. it needs more bass on the 3rd 4th 5th and 6th settings. for the price it is one of the best and with lots of versatility

Pretty simple for anyone who's used to using pedals and the general "art" of EQ tweaking. The only thing to remember is the tone knob is a sustain knob for the Muff setting and a filter sweep for the Rat setting. Meant to emulate the sounds of an Ibanez Tubescreamer, Pro-co Rat, Boss DS-1, DOD 205, Boss MetalZone, Digitech MetalMaster and the EH Big Muff Pi.

I've been a pedal collector for about 10 years, buying and selling based on what I think I need at the time, I gave this pedal a good two full day demoing at the music store I work at. Thought it might be able to clean up my pedalboard a bit since I'm running a Tubescreamer, MXR Wylde overdrive, Pro-co Rat and two Big Muff's (vintage american and newer russian)on my pedal board. For settings based on pedals I already own and use everyday, this thing sounds a little bit like them, in a really proccessed way. You can hear that they got a few elements of the tones right, but the settings don't react like the originals, if you understand what I mean by that. It won't sag like a Muff will, it dosen't warm up with heavier picking like a Rat will, and the Tubescreamer sounds like you put your amp in a big cardboard box. DS-1 setting is completeley void of low end punch. I have zero use in the world for the metal zone or metal master, so I have no real opinion on these. Rolling back high end and pumping in a little low end was a neccesity, this thing is a harsh sounding unit.

We sell alot of digitech stuff, and it's not to often anything comes back broken or faulty, they do make a good solid product. You could not gig with this pedal using batteries, a good one might last a few hours tops.

Digitech is a easy company to deal with, never had a problem

I play classic/modern rock, blues, country, jazz and reggae. I've been gigging regularly and teaching for 15 years. I tested this unit with a Les Paul standard and a Standard Tele into a late sixties YSR-1 set clean as possible. If you're looking for a proccessor that models different distortions, this is a pretty versatile unit. If you're of the impression that this unit can perfectly dail in all your favorite pedals, you would be mistaken. It's not junk, but it certainly does not behave like the pedals it emulates.

Grab a coffee or beer and read the manual 2 or 3 times in detail.

The quality of the sound is good but your amp will make a difference especially if its a tube amp.

These pedals are tanks.

Havent used them.

Digitech makes good pedals but has a few that are not so hot. This is one of their best.

very easy to use
select the distortion type you require and then fiddle with all the other knobs to tweak it endlessly.
this is easily done and the functions are simple>bass, mids etc
manual reasonably helpful, lets you know what stompboxes each setting emulates

i use certain settings a lot, others rarely
however it is a pleasure to have so many sounds available without having 6/7 pedals all over the place.
tubescreamer setting is good
next one is ok
the third one is awful but so is the pedal its copying!
rat is amazing
the next 2 metal ones are ok, dont use them that much
the fuzz is ok, doesnt have the bass power of the original but is still pretty decent.

reliable
i use a power source not batteries

i have been playing the guitar for years
i enjoy it and i enjoy this pedal
its probably my favourite pedal purely because distortion is a major part of my playing you get a lot of pedals in one!

Lot's of tweakability - usually more than the real pedals. So that could be viewed as more difficult. But it ain't rocket science either.

First I have to say, the best thing about this pedal is that you can actually turn the knob that changes models and keep an even volume. That means you can play a mild overdrive with the Tubescreamer in one song, twist the knob for the Metal Zone and get a heavier sound without a blast of volume. This is critical to be used for live playing.

I have the high EQ knob rolled down a bit and that seems to keep everything warm. When fiddling with tone, make sure you sit in front of your amp at "performance volume" to simulate what the audience is hearing. Most people find they need to turn down the treble a bit because you don't hear the piercing frequencies when you are standing near the amp and above the speakers. Other people notice this? Think of the audience.

Playing in a cover band, this pedal allows a guitarist to sound very different. I use 3 models. Tubescreamer for mild overdrive, DS-1 for crunchy rhytm and the occasional Metal Zone for the few heavy songs we do. Are they perfect models? I don't know, but I like the sound and the versatility.

Seems really well-built.

Can we all agree to not use battery usage as a measure of "Reliability." This isn't a little clipping overdrive circut that uses virtually no power. You're running a computer here. The pedal isn't unreliable when it dies in a couple hours. Your power source is. Plug it in!

In 3 months, it has performed perfectly.

Covers all my bases and takes up little space on the pedal board. For what it does, it is reasonably priced.

I found this extremely easy to use. You just turn the equilizer knobs and you're set. No pedal model sounds bad when tweaked, which is awesome. They all have variations to suit yourself, and they all sound really good, and all you need to do is turn a couple of knobs.

The manual explains things quite clearly, although it just tells you to set each model's knobs to 12 o'clock to reproduce the pedal. I don't mind it, though, because only a loser beginner would want to exactly model the pedal you're set to. Just find out what you like.

But the manual doesn't really matter, because it's all about the operation of the pedal, which is so simple even a goldfish could remember how to set it right. I give the DF-7 a 10/10 for ease of use. It's so simple that it's great.

The sound quality is excellent. I use a Stagg Les Paul model through a Roland Micro-Cube, and even with the tiny little amp, the pedal still sounds awesome. You get basically no hum out of it, except if you turn it up so loud you could bust up your amp.

For each pedal model, the sound seems to have been reproduced falwlessly, and you can make it stronger or weaker depending on your taste. Given the easy knobs, you can simply turn them to match yoru style of playing, or whatever sound you love.

So, this is a 10/10 too. Absolutely flawless.

This feels mighty, mighty solid. It's built like a tank. I reckon if you placed it in the middle of the road, a car would hit it and go flipping into some guy's house. Very well built pedal.

I haven't had to deal with the company so far because I only recently bought it, and plus it's built like a tank, as above.

I play mainly rock, not much classic rock, but more heavy rock that's been introduced recently. This pedal suits it perfectly, especially since I love the sound of the Mesa Boogie Rectifiers. Although the Boogies aren't included in this pedal, it sure can get close to the sound.

I've only been playing it for a couple of days, but already I love it. Since it contains 7 awesome pedal models, especially the MT-2 (which I was going to buy before I discovered this beauty), I will never need another distortion pedal again, unless of course it breaks or is stolen. And if it was, I would break into the highest secuirity place in the world just to get another one.

As mentioned above, I was originally going to buy an MT-2. After comparing these two pedals, I found that this one was a lot more versatile, and since it contained the MT-2 anyway, I didn't need the little BOSS.

Overall, it's a wonderful pedal, buy it, buy it, buy it, or you'll regret it 'cause I'll come and kill you myself. For all those people who don't like it, I think you should get a plunger or something and get that shit out of your ears, cause this is an awesome pedal. The only thing I'm not sure about it everyone's complaint of the battery draining, since mine is just new. So I'll have to see.

A lot of the negative reviews for this product stem from the fact that is is actually very difficult to get the sound you want. The EQ is REALLY flexible so it's easy to come up with something that sounds poop if you're not careful. Takes time to set up.

I bought the pedal because I produce a lot of bands with lots of different styles so I needed something with all the sounds for direct recording/Tracking.

On balance nothing from the DF7 has stayed on any record but it sounds pretty good as a guide guitar and I've been impressed by the quality of the speaker simulator.

I've been lucky enough to do blind A/B comparisons with some of the sounds:

(we were going through a marshall stack on a clean channel with an SG)

Proco Rat vs. DF7
The Rat wins hands down. Everybody prefered the rat. It sounded beefier and sharper somehow.

Big muff pi original green edition vs. DF7
The DF7 was considerably sharper and a little harsher. Half the people thought the DF7 sounded better! Pretty good.

DS 1 vs. DF7
Again, the DF7 performed fabulously with a couple of EQ tweaks it sounded better than the DS1 and fooled everyone In my opinion this is the best setting.

Tubescreamer vs. DF7
We gave up here because we had a couple of different tubescreamers that sounded completely different from each other anyway! so it was difficult to compare. In anycase the DF7 sounded great.

The metalzone sounds awesome but it does remind me a little of the ZOOM emulation. A bit digital.

The metal master setting is pretty unusable. I don't understand it! It is almost ringmodulating. It could be used for some kind of solo as a special effect. I suppose. To me it sounds like bagpipes being played underwater!

No problems, but it sucks up batteries. The battery is just for back up.

N/A

The DF7 is a great sounding pedal. A bit like a swiss army knife. If you are a guitarist that doesn't like digital sounds or if you are looking for a rich analog experience, don't buy it! Buy the original pedal that you need.
For producers and for recording, it's an excellent time saver. I prefer it to the Line 6 pod which costs three times the price.

This pedal is like any other boss or digitech single effect pedal out there. Its very simple to figure out and doesnt take long at all to get a great sound out of this pedal.

I use this pedal with a Peavey HP EXP Signature guitar and a Budda Superdrive 80 Series II amp. The amp and guitar that youre using this for and the style of music really determines the type of sound you'll get out of this. The pedal has a feature where you can scoop the mid frequency and I find that quite handy. My favorite setting on this pedal is their rendition of the Boss Metal Zone. This is the best model on the pedal although it doesnt sound as full as the true Metal Zone pedal. The low end is not as full as the real deal

This thing is built solid! I have had no problems with the casing or anything breakin on it. I've dropped it down a flight of stairs and it still worked.

Ive never had to deal with the company

I'd say that if youre a metal/ hard rock player..that the metal zone setting would be the way to go for you on this pedal. If I lost this pedal or it was stolen I wouldnt buy it again because I only leave it on one setting. If it came down to it I would go and buy a Boss Metal Zone for this style. I wish it had a noise gate because when other electrical appliances or on it can be noisy

I'm a techie so this one is a no-brainer.

No single setting can fit in everything. You have to consider what guitar, amp and song you are playing. And that is why I love this pedal. I have a Yamaha RGX 421D, Ibanez RG 321MH and an Epiphone Del Rey. They all have different pickups and wood so they sound different. With the Yamaha, I usually adjust the tone higher than the Ibanez. The Del Rey sounds great with any setting :-)

If I use a 40Watt amp or bigger, model #3 (DS-1) is more than enough for the tone I'm looking for. For smaller practice amps, I would have to use model #5 (Metalzone) to beef up the sound. I also play a lot of blues and model #1 (TS9) is awesome.

If you can't find the sound you're looking for in this pedal then consider getting a professional sound engineer because that means you are a moron.

I think this is bullet proof :)

Never ever had to get in touch with them.

This is the Distortion pedal I have been looking for. An added bonus is the mixer out which allows me to plug it directly into my computer sound card line-in for recording. If it were stolen I'd cry :( ... and get another one.

And now to hunt for the best Chorus pedal.

read the manual. if you can do that, you can get a nice sound of it. the manual is pretty straight-forward: slight variations in knob functions with different pedals, but nothing drastic. again, if you read the manual, very easy to use.

i use an epi lefty les paul custom with seymour duncan jazz and custom-5 pickups wired with push-pull pots for phase-reverse and coil-splitting through a behringer blue devil gx 112, sunlop cry baby, and korg tuner pedal with a dunlop brick as power supply.

sounds great (the cabinet modeling comes in handy). all the models have potention (imo), but my standard right now is the 1st model (ts9). use that with a scooped-mid setting, and you can find a tonal happy place. goes well with reverb and wah (haven't tried much else with it). not too noisy at all, however if you max out the gain and highs on any pedal, then how many noise suppressors do you think you'll need to keep it quiet? then again, if that kinda setting is your preferred choice, why are you worried about excess noise?

the model selection seems to cover the style bases pretty well:
ts9
dod overdrive 250
boss ds-1
proco rat
metalzone
metal master
big muff

cabinet modeling includes some fender, marshall, and others I can't think of right now.

nice little brick. stands up to my size 16 feet nicely.

haevn't had to deal with them. they're website seems to usually be up and running well, and warranty registration was easy, so some points there.

i usually play praise, jazz, rock, stuff i make. Some favorite artist: beatles, zeppelin., third day, audio adrenaline, beatles, django reinhardt, chet atkins, beatles, fleetwood mac, jan akkerman, jeff beck, casting crowns, beatles, etc. been playing for about five years.
i would get another one if something happened to this pedal. have had a few pedals. this one works. period (hence the period at the end of the last short sentence). if you can't find ur kind of sound in this pedal, then you should just learn how to make pedals and build your own. i like that it gives a selection of equipment and not just rip offs of certain artists' sounds. nice job digitech.

Considering there are so many options with this pedal, it took a while to get it "dialed in" to my liking. The manual gives settings for each of the seven models to make them as close to the original as possible. However, if you're looking for an original sound, it can take a little more tweaking to get there.

The unit has knobs that are clearly labeled, but are different than labeled for some of the models. For instance, the "mid frequency" knob does not adjust the center affected frequency for every setting, etc. It takes a while to learn exactly what you're changing without consulting the manual, but if the time is spent on it, it is IMO, well worth it.

My rig consists of a Gibson SG through a Dunlop 535Q Wah-->Voodoo Lab Overdrive-->Digitech Distortion Factory-->Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail-->Sovtek Mig 60-->Tube Works 2x12 Cab. I don't use a lot of pedals, considering my rig is medium-to-high gain with no pedals at all, and has great tone, so I don't like putting too much between guitar and amp. However, given that my amp is more high-gain in a classic rock sense (think AC/DC, Stones, Led Zeppelin), I had a void for modern hard rock distortion that I simply couldn't fill (think Staind, Black Label Society, etc) with amp and guitar + overdrive alone. The DF7 gives me a whole gamut of distortion sounds to play with, from slightly overdriven (Tubescreamer) to all-out mayhem (Big Muff Pi / Metal Zone) to classic in-between (ProCo Rat).

For the more "metal" settings, the tone of the instrument is all but non-existent (but that's what metal is about anyway, right?). For the overdrive settings and milder distortion settings, enough tone stays in the signal to get a good idea of the instrument's true timbre. The pedal reacts nicely to pick attack, especially with the OD settings, and pinch harmonics are crazy on the harder metal models, especially the Metal Zone model.

While I'm not trying to duplicate any band's or guitarist's exact sound, I am, like many of you, in constant search of my own unique sounds. The DF7 gives me the tools I need to achieve harder modern sounds when I need them. I don't use it for OD all that much, but when I need some modern hard rock punch, this pedal has plenty to offer.

If you are looking for modern metal or hard rock crunch, this pedal should give it to you. It is not true bypass, so it gets a 9.

I haven't dealt with Digitech. This pedal seems to be built well, and I don't see needing them anytime soon. The electronics will fail long before the housing will. I don't gig regularly, but I wouldn't see a problem using it without a backup.

I don't think I'll have to deal with them anytime soon. The pedal seems well built and sturdy.

I normally play blues and older rock/hard rock. I don't get into true metal too often, but I like to have modern distortion sounds at my disposal, and quite frankly, this pedal gives me the quality and quantity of selections that makes it more than worth the retail price.

I've been playing on and off for about 10 years now. I normally play/record alone, but once every couple of months, myself and some "jam buddies" get together for an 8 - 12 hour improvised Jam session where we play everything from funk to hard rock.

I love the flexibility of this pedal. Not only does it offer 7 models (that it does a fair job at duplicating), but it offers multiple tweaks within each of the 7 models, making it much more usable than even the originals. Like I said, it's not true bypass, so that takes points away. Nowdays, it's hard to find a true bypass off-the-shelf pedal, though. There is a slight learning curve involved in using this pedal on several different settings in one session. If you only use it for one sound, then that's a completely different story (but that somewhat defeats the purpose of having a pedal that offers 7 different models, too). The metal settings don't leave much original tone in the signal, but again...it's metal. What they do give you is efforless pinch harmonics and tons of sustain.

I listened to a dozen or more pedals before buying this one. This one, given the tweakability, actually sounded better to me on a lot of the models than the originals themselves.

If you get excited when you lay down a heavy rhythm riff that sounds like somebody's about to get their ass kicked, then this pedal will definitely help you make music. It flat out inspires me when I'm in the mood for some hard rock.

Overall, a great off-the-shelf pedal. I don't think distortion pedals get any better for this amount of money. They definitely don't get any more versatile.

Easy to use. Instruction manual clearly describes the sound each setting is aimed at.

I am playing a Fender mexican fat-strat with standard pickups through a Fender automatic SE amp. My amp has four different preset tones designed to match classic fender sounds, none of which are very distorted. Although I am happy with my amps clean sounds, but as a fan of metal and punk I needed something more. This pedal has sucessfully filled the void. I can get just about any kind of sound I want out of it. I can get a total Nirvana type sound from DS-1 and also play along with Metalica using the boss metal zone.

I have serious reservations about the reliabilty of this product. It sucks down batteries about as fast as you can put them in. Yes, I unplug the chords from it when I am not using it. Digitech knows the DF-7 can't practically run on batteries; the thing comes with a statement telling you to use batteries for backup and demo purposes only. I was forced to buy the PS200R, Digitech's X series power adaptor for 20 bucks online. In our age of cell phones, better battery technology exists. The power adaptor runs the pedal at 9.6 volts, which is probably why it sucks down batteries so fast. What's really odd is the pedal sounds much better to me with the adaptor. Simply put this pedal will not run on batteries. It sucks a cheap battery up in about 20 minutes, a good one a few hours. Plan on buying an adaptor for this product.
I have had no other problems with this product.

Digitech had a special December offer giving customers a special gift consisting of a carrying case, guitar chord, and picks. I e-mailed them about getting my special gift, and they e-mailed me back almost immediately. I e-mailed them my address and had these items in less than a week.

Great pedal, but I think it sucks you have to spend an extra 20 bucks to get the non-optional adaptor. This is the only reservation I have about this product.

The only reason this gets a 9 and not a 10 is because *shock horror* you actually need to read the manual before you use it. It doesn't take long, and it's definitely worth it.
Although some of the other reviewers on here might disagree with you, they say things like "I thought the manual was ehhhhhh", so they're clearly idiots.
The setup is fairly intuitive, with the low, mid and high controls at the bottom and the volume, mid frequency and gain neatly packed onto three smaller dials on top of those. There's one dial with seven settings for the different models. The only bit that gets complicated is the fact that some of the dials do different things depending on the pedal being modelled. For instance, the high control becomes the ProCo Rat's "Filter" control, or the Big Muff Pi's Sustain dial, and that's why it's a good idea to read the manual.

I use this with a PRS Santana SE through a Marshall MG50DFX amp, and it wasn't until I accidentally left it plugged into the cables and used up the battery that I realised just how much better this pedal sounds than my amp.
I've only played two of the original pedals, the Boss DS-1 and the ProCo Rat, so I can't vouch for the rest, but these two models were absolutely perfect. Here's a basic overview of each model:

1) Ibanez TS-9 (Tube Screamer)
Designed to simulate an overdriven valve amp. It can give an amazing bluesy, SRV style tone, but it might not be for everyone. Spend some time tweaking to get the best sound.
2) DOD 250
A powerful 70s rock sound, great for Hendrix amongst other things. I haven't heard much about DOD except that their pedals "are crap and fall apart", but this gives a great rock tone with no effort at all.
3) Boss DS-1
Perfectly modelled. This gives a very good straightforward distortion. Probably the first thing most people will think on playing this (I know I did) is "Smells Like Teen Spirit!", as the original was used by Kurt Cobain. However, it's very versatile and needs little to no fiddling to get a good tone out of it.
4) ProCo Rat
Again, spot on. A really good range of rock tones can be had from this and it sounds good whatever you do with it. One of my favourite models.
5) Boss Metal Zone
The manual describes the sound from this as "over the top gain". This is an understatement. This pedal gives a really powerful metal sound, but is unfortunately overshadowed, in my opinion, by the next model...
6) Digitech Metal Master
I hadn't heard anything about this pedal before I bought my DF-7, but as soon as I played this model the sound blew me away. In my opinion, this is the best model available, and it has some tough competition. Amazing sustain and clarity with a really powerful tone. My guitar has never sounded better.
7) Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi
A great fuzz tone with brilliant sustain, really amazing and not hard to get a good sound out of. The sustain has been described by almost every reviewer I've read, and by the manual (which might have had something to do with it), as "violin-like", and there's a reason.

About a third of the reviews on here say "Built like a tank", and I'm not going to disagree. Watch the battery though, take a spare to gigs or maybe buy the power supply. However, the battery is a problem with any pedal, so 10.

I haven't had to talk to them, because it's built like a tank. Therefore, they get 10.

In case you haven't got the point, I love my pedal. It has such a wide range of tones that whatever you play, it will have your sound. This might not be the best pedal for using live if you plan on trying to change between tones mid-set as it can be fiddly, but for home use or recording (or live provided you don't want to muck around with it), it's hard to beat. BUY THIS PEDAL NOW.

Not a "step and go" type of pedal for sure. You have to RTFM if you want to be pointed in the right direction and take it from there. It is a "factory" so you have to "work" :-)

Gear: EB Silhouette special, Yamaha SBG1000, Peavey Prowler, JCM800.
I was looking for something to help me get a better tone out of my Peavey tube combo. the dirty channel isn't that great, But the clean channel is more than respectable but OD's didn't make it happen like with the JCM. I was about to try a Keeley Rat but if it wouldn't have worked out i would have spent(again)money for nothing and not being a "distortion guy" I wasn't going to buy one of each. So i thought i would give the DF-7 a try. So far, I like the RAT and MT-2 best( to my surprise). The TS-9, and DOD settings are ok but i wasn't looking for an OD. The DS-1 seems fair. The big Muff is... well, a big muff. I didn't like the metal master so far but hey! One thing i noticed though, is that there seems to be a faint reverb, fast delay type digital overtone happening if you "chug and mute" i will need to keep investigating. But, that is why i gave it an 8

By the way, this is not a "shift on the fly" type of unit. Once you find a good setting for one type of distortion, you can't expect to change the "mode" dial and have a good sound right away....wich is normal IMO. i am sure it can be very usefull in a home studio. For live, if you are looking for a cocktail of classic distortions and don't want to buy one of each but have 80% of all of them, this is a good tool to have.
I find it's easy to dislike an individual tone. You have to take your time and concentrate on one or else your ears are going to get confused and you will find that none of the effects sound good. If so, take a break, come back in 10 minutes and start over

I love this pedal, but you really have to understand EQ to use it since it has 4 EQ controls that have a massive impact on the sound. It took most of us a few years to understand how to get good guitar tone. When my tone is bad I know if it lacks midrange, or needs some high end "sizzle", or has too much gain. As a result this pedal is heaven for me. Most of the original pedals sound cool, but often times they lack the EQ control to get exactly what you want. No problem with the DF-7. Want a fuzz that actually has a little bite? Just dial in some mid and highs. Want a super tight articulate crunch? Just put it on the DOD 250 model and dial it in. You need to realize that each model needs to be EQ'ed differently to sound good, so for live situations this is a "one sound" pedal (although I actually use 2 of the models live, in different songs, since they use the same EQ settings). The pedal is GREAT for recording, I like the recorded tones better than my V-amp and Digitech processors, it sounds so tight.

As I said above, if you really really understand EQ then you can get good sounds. One thing I like is that the gain range is useful on most of the models. It goes from "not enough" up to "too much" (as opposed to going from "too much" up to "way way too much" like many processors). I find having the gaing control in the middle is about right on most models. People who love gain will still be satisfied, however.

built like a tank

I love it. The demo sounds on the digitech and musicians friend websiteds are accurate representations.