DigiTech Bad Monkey

The Digitech Bad Monkey Overdrive is an overdrive with a couple little special touches. It has the basic features of most overdrive pedals, Volume, Tone and Gain. This pedal is basically a child of the Ibanez Tubescreamer but with both high and low EQ knobs it is a little more flexible than its ancestor, and half the price. Along with the regular output on the pedal, Digitech also throws in a Mixer Output with cab emulation.

UTILIZATION

This pedal has a solid metal casing and sturdy knobs, so it appears to be pretty sturdy. Digitech uses a little better switching mechanism than the Ibanez offerings in the same price range, however the Ibanez TS-9 is the strongest in this department. No issues on reliability after a few years of use. If the buyer is on a budget this is a much better version of a TS-9 than the TS-7. The pedal works great out front of an amp, and definitely do use an amp. After trying the cab emulated mixer output, I would never use it. This is barely better than plugging straight into the board, and probably just a marketing strategy to make the pedal look more appealing. No problem, just disregard this output and use the pedal how it was meant to be used, into an amplifier.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality of the Bad Monkey is actually better than the name would lead you to think. It works great as a boost into an already overdriven amp. It can achieve a light gain all the way up to a bluesy/rock drive on it’s own. The pedal is less responsive to dynamics than some pedals I’ve used, but it’s not what I’d call stale or inorganic sounding. The two band EQ really allows you to tailor the sound, and I don’t understand why more overdrive pedals don’t offer multi band equalization. It allows you to tame that mid hump that the pedal naturally has.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall I wouldn’t call this a great overdrive, but I would call it a great overdrive for the price and just an OK overdrive at any price. It lacks some dynamics of a more expensive overdrive pedal, but the bonus of the two band EQ would make it my choice over similar Tubescreamer type pedals. It works great as a solo boost or a near-clean boost, and decent as a standalone overdriven sound. The mid hump is present in the natural EQ of the pedal but can be worked around and dialed out using the high and low controls. If I were looking for an overdrive around this price market, I’d go for the Danelectro Transparent Overdrive which has similar features but an overall less processed sound, with the Bad Monkey coming in as second place. I’d place it well above the Boss varieties and it does the “Tubescreamer thing” better than Ibanez’s TS-9 and TS-7.

This is an analog distortion pedal. It's in the same vein as a Klon Centaur or a Tube Screamer, something midrangey without too much crunch. It's not rackable or able to be edited with MIDI. It's basically got your regular 1/4" in, and 2 outs (one for mixer, one for amplifiers.)

UTILIZATION

This effects pedal is pretty easy to use. It's got 4 knobs, one each for Volume, Lows, His, and Gain. With such a simple setup, it's easy to control and get the sounds you want without too much fiddling around. I think that the manual explains this all very clearly, though it's not necessary to figuring out the pedal.

SOUND QUALITY

I was under the impression that using this pedal would make the Klon Centaur seem like a waste of money. I was a little disappointed, to be honest. I think that the Klon is great because it's so transparent, and this pedal certainly is not so much. There's a slightly noisier element going on here, and it's not always good. I think that if you need a middle ground between a good overdrive and a light distortion, this might be right up your alley. In its own right, this pedal is pretty great. A great mid-emphasizing pedal, possibly just as good as a Tube screamer. I really like using this with a Strat or Tele more than a Les Paul, as that sound beefs it up too much (but not enough to really rock out, which is unfortunate). I like getting a great lead sound by cranking up the gain, or by rolling down the guitar volume to 8 and getting a tight, grooving rhythm sound. Great for sounding like Robbie Robertson or John Fogerty.

OVERALL OPINION

I definitely was a little disappointed in how little transparency there was on this pedal, but after awhile I came around and recognized that it's pretty good in its own right. It certainly is a bit more rockin' than the Klon, but not quite as dirty as a Tube Screamer can sometimes get. The sound is pretty great. I think that it's probably, at the end of the day, not gonna last long in my setup, but I'll enjoy it for now. I would certainly champion this pedal if I was asked about it.

Ok this is supposedly a TS9 with more grace fréquencielle beach in a tone knob and more.
I like Digitech boxes, they present a credible alternative between Boss boxes and boxes like "boutique" type (MXR or EH). A solid chassis and a real scenic comfort.
9VDC consumption with near normal for nothing as basic analog pedal amperage.

UTILIZATION

So dumber you die. But that's the charm of a stomp box.
Frankly no need for manual or so to understand the "secret trick inside", that the creature offers an exit opportunity simulating a cab. But hey I do not live in the USSR in 1970 and without wishing I better show off at home. Incorrigible engineers at Digitech are definitely unable to stay even with the simple starter model of their game.
The Bad Monkey is a booster, she brings warmth and humanity to sound a bit cold, so this is a pedal complement directed to a tube amp or a chaining pedals that would become a bit inconsistent.
For it is good to clarify that Tube Screamer, if translated means scream his lamps, so if you have nothing to scream ie no tube amp, even at this price point you will not be happy your purchase, just the impression of a clean boost not really clean.

SOUND QUALITY

This is the cult effect Phill X by this brand endorser by BTW. But the Bad Monkey is far from the only pedal warfare arsenal of this brave Phill. Again the pedal in question is only one pedal accompaniment to give "soul" to a sound that would surprise.
It's pretty cool to work the equalizer a little more finely than usual, but good.

OVERALL OPINION

This pedal is not radical she adds, amplifies, enhances an already reflected in its upstream.
namely girlfriends around and especially a tube amp a little sleepy.
Owner of a 1983 TS9 mij I see almost no connection between the two, both Ibanez goes so much further into saturation. The bad monkey is closer to the pedals as the MXR micro amp or Bottom Booster Ibanez, the pepper of your sound, not the salt. The pedal costs only slab and the experience is worth the cost, but that's no reason to neglect the issue before any purchase of pedal that would be: What's missing in my sound?
Because this pedal alone will rule any questions.

Tube overdrive type very loyal pedal format, with an instrument input and two outputs: "amp" and "mix". This can be very handy in certain situations: live in tiny rooms or direct recording to table.

UTILIZATION

Easy! the bulk is in the settings: master, bass, treble, gain. The output "mix" helps to connect smoothly on a table. This can be useful, not just for guitar players: bassist, harmonica, singer why not!

SOUND QUALITY

The gain is very close to the legendary Ibanez Tube Screamer: it is precise, light crunch to overdrive. In "Flat" mode, the guitar sound is not distorted. We can even pair it with a tube amp overdrive to "hang" a little more.

OVERALL OPINION

It stung me my Tube Screamer along with an amp, a guitar and a microphone singing it two years ago. Needless to say, I was mortified. Until I found this pedal I was using for my overdrive directly my amp (Fender Blues Deluxe) a pod Line 6 which I was not fully satisfied, at least on overdrive. I've tried lots and then I found the Bad Monkey at a friend's harmonica and I was hooked. I found great before you even know it was almost three times less expensive than TS. All the more reason!