DigiTech Bad Monkey used prices nearly double after JHS demo video

March 1, 2023 · 3 sources

Used asking prices for the discontinued DigiTech Bad Monkey overdrive rose sharply in March 2023 after JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott published a video comparing it with the Klon Centaur and other drive pedals. According to Reverb's price tracker cited by Guitar World, Bad Monkey listing prices almost doubled from February to March, from $76 to $130¹.

The pedal was released in 2004 and debuted with a listing price of $59, Guitar World reported; it is now discontinued¹. DigiTech describes it as an overdrive with separate low and high EQ controls, often compared to the Ibanez Tube Screamer, and a dual-output design with Amp Out and Mixer Out, the latter including cabinet emulation². The maker says it was discontinued in 2016².

Guitar World reported that seven Bad Monkeys were listed on Reverb at the time of its March 15 article, the cheapest at $149, with others at $350, $450 and $650¹. It said the average price of a Bad Monkey sold in January 2023 was $75, and that the pedal sold for $57 in December 2022¹.

Scott addressed the reaction in a statement quoted by Gearnews: "To the people complaining that I raised the price on this pedal and 'now you can't buy one,' I would like to remind you you had 19 years, but you never cared"³. DigiTech's Tom Cram responded to talk of a reissue, saying: "We will likely do an update of the Bad Monkey at some point, but not anytime soon"³.

Gearnews's reviewer wrote that the pedal "is a decent overdrive pedal," adding, "Though, I really do not believe it sounds or reacts anything like a Klon Centaur"³. Guitar World's writer said he watched Scott switch between the two pedals "with no significant tonal differences whatsoever"¹.