The DigiTech Bad Monkey Tube Overdrive is an overdrive pedal released by DigiTech in 20041. Introduced as an affordable alternative in the Tube Screamer tradition, it spent most of its life as a budget box with, as Guitar World put it, "extremely mixed opinions" from effects fans1. That changed in March 2023, when JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott posted a YouTube demo comparing it to the Klon Centaur and used prices exploded overnight.
The Bad Monkey's reputation among players has been divided: it has been the recipient of "extremely mixed opinions" from effects fans1. On the used market it has stayed inexpensive, with Reverb reporting an average sold price of $57 in December 20221.
What it is and how it works
The Bad Monkey is a compact overdrive in the Tube Screamer lineage. Guitar.com's reviewer called it "essentially a Tube Screamer-derived thing with the addition of a two-band active EQ"4. Where the Ibanez Tube Screamer offers a single tone control, the Bad Monkey stands out with separate low and high EQ controls, a distinction DigiTech itself highlights2.
There were different versions of the Bad Monkey across its production run, with drastically different weights between iterations, but Guitar World reported the circuits were identical1.
The 2023 price bubble
For most of its life the Bad Monkey was cheap. It debuted with a listing price of $591, and at the time of Josh Scott's video it was selling used for around $502. Reverb's average sold price was $57 in December 2022 and $75 in January 20231.
On 14 March 2023, JHS Pedals published Scott's demo video pitting the Bad Monkey against the Klon Centaur and other popular overdrives1. Guitar World reported that viewers watched Scott "switch between it and the infinitely cheaper DigiTech Bad Monkey with no significant tonal differences"1. Prices on Reverb and eBay skyrocketed overnight.
| Date | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Launch (2004) | $59 | Listing price1 |
| December 2022 | $57 | Reverb average sold price1 |
| January 2023 | $75 | Reverb average sold price1 |
| February to March 2023 | $76 to $130 | Reverb listing prices1 |
| March 2023 | $149 to $650 | Cheapest and highest of seven Reverb listings1 |
| March 2023 | More than $600 | Used-site asking prices5 |
Guitar World later summarized the swing as prices soaring "from $59 to $650"6. In the UK, MusicRadar reported you could get a Bad Monkey in decent condition for £1007. At the bubble's peak, a Bad Monkey once owned by Gary Moore, sold by UK dealer Pedal Pawn, appeared on Reverb with an asking price of $12,6335.
"kicked up all kinds of fuss when it broke the internet (and inflated its price 10-fold) with a surprise impersonation of"
Guitar World's Alex Lynham later wrote that "in a JHS Effects shootout with a Klon on YouTube, the little green box punched above expectations against the Klon Goliath"9. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen noted that renewed interest grew after Josh Scott suggested the pedal could ape the sounds of both the Ibanez TS-10 Tube Screamer and the Klon Centaur3.
Discontinuation and what came after
DigiTech's own product page says the Bad Monkey was discontinued in 2016 and has since developed a big cult following2. MusicRadar's review gives 2015 as the discontinuation year instead3.
A reissue was rumored during the 2023 bubble, though nothing came of it at the time.
What came after the discontinuation can be tracked through the used market. Reverb reported that the pedal was even cheaper by late in its run, selling at just $57 in December 20221. Through it all, the pedal has been the recipient of "extremely mixed opinions" from effects fans1.
Modded versions
Two modded Bad Monkeys are documented.
- Reputation among modders and fans: the Bad Monkey has been the recipient of "extremely mixed opinions" from effects fans1, a divide that has followed the pedal throughout its history.
- Used pricing: modified or stock, the pedal has remained a budget option, with Reverb reporting an average sold price of $57 in December 20221.
Videos
Bax-shop | Bax Music Goes
intheblues
JJ Tanis
Questions
Is the DigiTech Bad Monkey still made?
No. DigiTech discontinued the Bad Monkey, with DigiTech's own product page giving 2016 as the year and a MusicRadar review by Trevor Curwen giving 2015. It has not returned in its original form, but DOD, now under the same Cor-Tek ownership as DigiTech, reissued the circuit in 2026 as the Badder Monkey with added modes and a blend control.
When was the DigiTech Bad Monkey discontinued?
DigiTech's own product page says the Bad Monkey was discontinued in 2016. A MusicRadar review by Trevor Curwen gives 2015 instead. Either way, the pedal was out of production well before its 2023 price spike.
Why did Bad Monkey used prices rise?
In March 2023, JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott posted a YouTube demo comparing the Bad Monkey to the Klon Centaur, and prices on Reverb and eBay skyrocketed overnight. Reverb's average sold price went from $57 in December 2022 to $75 in January 2023, and listings climbed from $76 to $130 between February and March, with some asking more than $600.
Is the Bad Monkey based on the Tube Screamer?
Yes, broadly. Guitar.com's reviewer called it essentially a Tube Screamer-derived circuit with the addition of a two-band active EQ, and DigiTech itself notes it is often compared to the Ibanez Tube Screamer. The difference is that the Bad Monkey has separate low and high EQ controls, which the Tube Screamer does not.
Did Josh Scott compare the Bad Monkey to a Klon Centaur?
Yes. On 14 March 2023, JHS Pedals published Scott's demo video pitting the Bad Monkey against the Klon Centaur and other overdrives. Guitar World reported that Scott switched between the two with no significant tonal differences, and the video sent used prices soaring.
Are there modded versions of the Bad Monkey?
Yes. JHS Pedals offers a Bad Monkey modification service, describing the result as a crazy affordable overdrive that rivals some of the big boys. Humphrey Audio also modded the pedal, and Pedal of the Day reviewed that version in 2014.
Sources (9)
- DigiTech Bad Monkey prices soar after Josh Scott Klon video, Guitar World, 2023-03-15
- Vintage Product Spotlight: DigiTech Bad Monkey, DigiTech, 2025-08-20
- JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage review, MusicRadar, 2026-05-03
- DOD Badder Monkey review: a bananas reissue, Guitar.com, 2026-03-02
- Gary Moore's Bad Monkey is now on sale for $12,000 and JHS has debuted BM T-shirts. When will the Bad Monkey bubble burst?, Guitar World, 2023-03-17
- The DigiTech Bad Monkey is back and badder than ever, Guitar World, 2025-12-09
- Josh Scott of JHS Pedals recommends four cheap overdrive pedals so you don't have to freak out about the Bad Monkey anymore, MusicRadar, 2023-04-25
- Does JHS Pedals' $99 DIY Notaklön live up to the hype?, Guitar World, 2023-12-30
- DOD Badder Monkey review, Guitar World, 2025-12-14
