Blues Driver or Bad Monkey

**250Keith** · June 17th, 2007, 06:30 PM

Besides the price diference, which one of these pedals do you all like?
I'm looking for something that will give me that classic blues tone to help with the tube amp I'm getting.
The write ups on these too pedals are good, so lets hear it.

Keith

**Big K** · June 17th, 2007, 06:48 PM

ended up with both for Fathers day.... played about 3 minutes with each... get 'em both....

**250Keith** · June 17th, 2007, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by Big K

ended up with both for Fathers day.... played about 3 minutes with each... get 'em both....

Figures, how did I know somebody would say that

sound wise how do thay compair?
Keith.

Robert**** · June 17th, 2007, 08:21 PM

Keith, I have both. They are quite different - the BD-2 is very transparent, the Monkey is not. See http://www.dolphinstreet.com/video_clips/video-11.php for a video demo.

**250Keith** · June 17th, 2007, 08:31 PM

Hi Robert I was just on your site I could not find the demo for the BD-2, I dont get what transparent is all about is it good or is it bad?
I liked the demo of the Bad Monkey it sounds good, would these pedals work good on the tube amp I'm picking up? ( Valve Standard), And by the way I found the search button

Thanks Keith

**Justaguyin_nc** · June 17th, 2007, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by 250Keith

I dont get what transparent is all about is it good or is it bad?
Thanks Keith

Im glad you asked that keith.. I always wonder about that too..I mean..if it's transparent..why would I buy it?? with that said..

I have both also.. At one point I was selling my BD-2.. fickled as I am, as it was really not needed for what I was trying..I thought... Transparent.. is what a BD-2 is and thats A GOOD THING.. if you want something to BOOST your sound without adding to much color to it.. say if you want to use a MUFF pedal and smooth out the edges.. the BD-2 will do it.. it also helps for strumming etc..just more life to the guitar.. imho.. its a clean clear sounding pedal.. till you get the gain above 10-11 o'clock.. then it has it's own distortion.. you may or may not like it.. I now like mine alot as a boost and for chords.. but not for the distortion.. because I have other things for that....well.. it is a good pedal and well.. it's transparent..

The Bad Monkey... well, its off the board for now.. many sounds can be had.. clean to dirty.. I just perfer the BD-2 now.. I have other things that do the other things better..

**Leonidas** · June 17th, 2007, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by 250Keith

Hi Robert I was just on your site I could not find the demo for the BD-2, I dont get what transparent is all about is it good or is it bad?
I liked the demo of the Bad Monkey it sounds good, would these pedals work good on the tube amp I'm picking up? ( Valve Standard), And by the way I found the search button

Thanks Keith

More transparent means that it allows more of the true signal of the guitar to come through. It means that it colors the sound less. (From what I understand.)

I'm sure that both pedals would sound GREAT with the new tube amp. I thought my Bad Monkey sounded great through my Vox, and since I got the epi Valve Jr.. WOW Its like the pedal comes alive. From what I have heard others say, this is normal: Pedals sound better with a tube amp.

Now I have no experience with the Blues Driver, but I LOVE my bad monkey. Gives a good boost when u want to get that little extra overdrive sound. It also boosts the mids, which I like.

**250Keith** · June 17th, 2007, 09:10 PM

Thanks for the replys you guys, I heard both from Roberts site, a good site to Robert! since I got alot of money coming out of my pocket this week I will pick up the Bad Monkey now and BD-2 later, I live about two blocks from a large music store, I called them and there putting the Bad monkey away for me

Keith

marnold*** · June 18th, 2007, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by 250Keith

I dont get what transparent is all about is it good or is it bad?

It depends on who you talk to. If someone really likes their guitar's natural tone, transparency is a must. On the other hand, if you are looking to add something to your tone or tweak it (maybe full-time, maybe just for a song or two), you don't really want the effect to be transparent. An example: SRV. Tube Screamers and how they color the tone of a Strat (basically a midrange boost) are a key part to his tone. You'd get that effect from a Bad Monkey too which is basically a Tube Screamer clone. He would sometimes also leave a wah pedal or two set at a particular angle to give him a tone he was looking for.

The cynical side of me says that if a pedal is well-known and beloved for it's lack of transparency, that's A Good Thing. If a pedal is not well-known and beloved, that's A Bad Thing.

**LagrangeCalvert** · June 18th, 2007, 10:27 PM

I like the BD....I use to have it but sold it like a MORON!...dumb me. I used it like a tube screamer by getting the clean channel on the edge of clipping...where it would just clip with hard pick attack then use the BD as a way to get it there and as marnold stated - without TS style midrange hump - with little coloring of the tone....the same can be done with the bad monkey.

**250Keith** · June 21st, 2007, 09:40 PM

Well I got the BM and the music store did stash it for me I have not had time to play alot with it but it is a very nice pedal, it cleaned up my little amp realy well and it sounds very good.
Thanks for the feed back.
Keith.

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