Anybody ever use a Digitech Screamin Blues pedal?

[birv2]

It's gotten pretty good reviews on HC, so I just picked one up. I realize it doesn't get the love that the Bad Monkey gets, but people say it's pretty bright, which I think would work well with my setup (which tends to be kind of middy).

Any thoughts, suggestions?

[Tibernius]

I've got one, don't use it much anymore but it goes well with the GA5/VJ. I usually had the Gain at about 2/3s-3/4s, Low at midway and High at just above half.

My other main setup was with the Gain at maximum, Low at just below half and High at just over half. Sort of a distortion-fuzz hybrid.

[Kazz]

the Screamin Blues was on the GAS list most of the time that I was looking for a Bad Monkey....vacillated back and forth over the 2 until I landed on a Monkey....both are excellent pedals.

[rylanmartin]

I bought mine used for $35 just as a "make-do" Overdrive until I could find something better. I actually love the thing now. I use it alongside a ZVEX box of rock and can EQ some similar distortion tones out of it. I generally use it before the Zvex and use it as either a "crunch" channel tone or to push my Zvex to 11 before boosting it. It was very unexpected that I'd like it as much as I do!

[duhvoodooman]

Hi, Rylan! Good to see you here. :AOK: Please stop over at The Fret Players forum (http://www.thefret.net/forumdisplay.php?f=13) and introduce yourself to the gang!

[R.B. Huckleberry]

I have a Screamin' Blues, and it's kind of like a "sharper" Blues Driver. The seperate Tone & Bass knobs help dial that out for the most part. It's a good pedal for sure, and worth the $$. I used it with a Deluxe Reverb Reissue quite a bit. I've even used it with my MAZ 18, and that was fun!


I mostly use a Fulltone OCD now, but my love of Bluesdriver type pedals...and the Screamin' Blues is definitely Digitech's take on the Bluesdriver...is well known.

[birv2]

..and the Screamin' Blues is definitely Digitech's take on the Bluesdriver...is well known.

Uh oh. It's that very sharpness that I didn't like about the Blues Driver. I even had Keeley do the Phat Mod on it, and I still didn't like it!

But you never know till you try stuff through your own rig. And those 2 tone knobs should help. If it doesn't work out, I'm sure someone will buy it.

Bob

[birv2]

Hmm.

Well, I got the pedal today and tried it out. I actually like the brightness, since my set up is very mid-heavy (even with the tone on the amp all the way up and my tone knobs on the strat all the way up, it's still pretty middy). So that's good.

However, there may be something wrong with the gain. If I crank it past half way, I got some serious static every time I hit the strings, sometimes drowning out the notes. If I dial it back below half, it doesn't seem to happen. I've experimented with different combos of level and gain, it either seems to give me the static at higher gain/levels OR I don't hear any gain at all.

Could it be a bad gain pot? Or something else? I want to try to narrow down the problem before I contact the seller.

I like the EQ so I'd like to keep the pedal but....

EDIT -- OK, I sprayed a bit of contact cleaner on the pot and that seems to have cleared up the scratchiness. However, there isn't any overdrive or distortion, even with the knob cranked. The volume seems to go up when I turn the knob up. I AB'd it with my TS9, and there just was no gain on the SB.