I'm gettin' me another pedal this week. Just have not decided which one.
I like the fact that the Rat is true bypass and the price is'nt bad on the bay -$69. w/free shipping http://cgi.ebay.com/ProCo-RT2-Rat-2-Distortion-Effect-Guitar-Pedal-RT-2_W0QQitemZ1...
But ---- I've heard some good things about the Bad Monkey. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Digitech-Bad-Monkey-Pedal-Free-Shipping_W0QQitemZ110295876...
Which one would you get?
I don't really care about true bypass. I mean, it's fine as a perk, but definitely not a buying point for me.
And I've never been too impressed with the rat. They always seem so rough, not pleasant overdrive at all to me. The Bad Monkey has a much more pleasant sound to it and I prefer it. Cranked up it's got plenty of gain, and turned down a bit it gives you an awesome little bit of dirt that really helps emphasize double stops.
My vote goes for the Monkey.
I can't say that i've ever tried the Rat, but I've got nothing but praise for the Bad Monkey. shared it around here and there with friends who also play Gretsch (falcon with dynas, RHH model), and they were also very impressed. And it was 50 bucks CAD, so no complaints.
I've had both briefly and greatly preferred the BM to the Rat. I know the Rat has some strong proponents around here - particularly that wascally Wenzel fellow - but I found it way too much, too soon. The range of dirty tones that was useful for me was literally on the first 1/8 of the knob, and everything after that was a cartoon.
The Bad Monkey, however, is a really nice pedal with a much more usable range of dirt. The dual tone controls are what really make these pedals, though, since you can adjust the bass and highs independently.
My advice? Unless you're looking for metal, get both a Bad Monkey and a Digitech Screamin' Blues off eBay. You should be able to score both of them used for less than the Rat would cost you, you can A/B them to see which one you like better and then flip the loser back onto eBay.
This is exactly what I've been doing, and for my purposes I liked the Screamin' Blues much better than the Monkey. The Monkey was much warmer - too dark with my Filter-equipped Annie - and seems to add overdrive "around" your guitar tone, whereas the SB's grit seemed much more integrated into the actual guitar tone.
The BM seemed to have more sustain, if that's your thing, but I liked that the SB's grit decayed at the same time as a clean note would - none of that fuzzy-hanging-on stuff that sticks around long after the note itself has died off.
Also, Proteus posted a dirt box shootout a couple weeks ago that includes both these pedals. That should be your first stop.
Try a RAT if your able. Less knobs to tweak and built like a tank. I bet it would outlast the BM by a long shot.
I leave mine with the Distortion set about 12 o'clock to 1, Filter off or 10 o'clock, and the volume at about 11 o' clock to 12 depending on the guitar and amp being used(FWIW mine is a vintage small box version).
I own the bad monkey and like it a lot. i have played a rat and like that also. I think the bad monkey has a smoother tube overdrive sound.
With the rat I think you loose a little bit of the smoothness, however the rat can give a much heavier distortion.
I have not put a lot of time in on the rat, so it is possible it may get little smoother. I use the monkey just to get that "breaking point" overdrive.
I guess it depend on what you are looking to do with it. Both are great values.
Depends where you want to go with your sound eh?
I use the Rat, because I played punk for years, and it was great for that.
With the distortion down practically to nothing, and the vol up, it acts as a boost with that sweet bit of overdrive in it, but there's tweaking involved to get there.
I have no experience with the Monkey, only because I've been happy with the Rat and the Mesa Boogie V-Twin stomp box.
The Bad monkey was the first pedal I owned, and I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of the day, it was the last pedal I owned. They're a great dirtbox, with exactly the right number of knobs.
I have both RAT and Bad monkey, but I actually use Marshall Bluesbreaker II.
Are you a lover or a fighter? if your a lover get the bad monkey, if your a fighter get the rat. Ok i was just kidding about that but the price is good on that rat and you can always get bad monkeys for that price of less so you should buy the rat and sell it to me if you don't like it.
To me the Rat is a DISTORTION pedal. I like a lot of the things it does, but it doesn't sound organically ampy to me. Always sounds pedally. (I've never owned one, and my opinion comes from a pretty thorough but necessarily limited test in the local guitar emporium.
The Bad Monkey sounds ampier, more like a cranked amp. It gets dirty enough for me.
BUT. At that price range, I might prefer the Screamin' Blues (a bit brighter, not as gainy, more adjustable across the clean-dirty threshold) or the Dano CoolCat Transparent OD - which kinda splits the difference between the two.
Actually TwangO's characterization of lover & fighter isn't bad: smooth vs raucous.
I'm a big fan of the Bad Monkey. Has a very convincing tube sound and tube dynamics. But what really sets it apart is the dual tone controls. If you don't mind spending a few more $$$ you might want to look into Digitech's new premium Hard Wire Series of pedals. The Hard Wire Tube Overdrive pedal is made in the USA w/ top shelf components and features the same sound and tube dynamics as the Bad Monkey but with the option of switching to a higher gain setting. It's basically like two pedals in one. My friend has one and says it's the best sounding OD pedal he's ever owned and he has a TS-808 Reissue and a Tube Screamer Reissue moddded by Keeley and says the Hard Wire blows them both away.
The other nice thing is it sells for 99.99
would like to ask a question; .. I do not find answer
Pedales boss DM2 has a black label and a green?
There is a difference between the black and green dm2?
What is the best? And most expensively?
tank you
elvis
Elvis,
If you're going for a SHORT slapback, any pedals will do, even the digital ones. Once you play live, you'll hardly hear the difference and the audience too.
Going back to the topic, I favor the RAT pedal more. Here's why:
SHOOT! I thought this thread was about recipes for supper. I was going to add mine for possom stew... sorry y'all.
You wunt sum go-pher?
I love my Rat! I wouldn't trade it for any other O/D or Distortion or even fuzz pedal.
Here is a clip of my Falcon mating with a Bad monkey. If you listen closely you can here their baby babbling in the back ground.
A Rat (small box) has been at my feet for a good 10 years or more. It's highly underrated as to its versatility. Great tone. Dependability. Built like a tank. Batteries last forever. And they're cheap. Get an older one, if possible. Try a few out as there is definitely some differences between them. Great for lead, fuzzy distortion, clean(ish) boost, raging feedback, mild overdrive ... you name it. You just have to learn to play with it the right way.
THe Bad Monkey is a steal! And if you want distortion with a creamy sustain or just dirty, try the MXR distortion III.
But between the RAT and the MONKEY...Monkeys are Cuter.
DManlow - Nice guitar and great job playing!
Proteus said: You wunt sum go-pher?
No, thank you Delmar - a third of a gopher would only rouse my appetite without beddin' her back down.
Come on, Arm, which are you leaning toward now?
i've gone though mostly every distortion pedal at one point or another every thing from dod's to EH'S HOT TUBES & TSs8-10,yes i've owned rats1&2 to the rack version.my in famous rat story. i sold my rat pedal to gary from tad one gig he had his stolen the night before in new york for next to nothing,he was siked!,i had beer money.we already drank ouralotted beer vouchers,ha! i wasn't using it any way.i've already crossed over to THE METAL ZONE.where i'm still a proud cadet i've yet to find a reason or pedal to change.i've herd a lot of buzz about the monkey(i just don't trust the sources) a few years ago the hype was about that korg box(witch name escapes me now)if you can't find the sound you want out of a zone box....well? ....... 
Pappy --- I reckon I'm leanin' towards the Rat. I am currently using two pedals a Ibanez TS9 and a Boss SD1. I have em set up for different "types" of crunch. Think I'm gonna replace the SD1 with a Rat and go for a little more distortion.
Jetbunnys post kinda pushed me over to that direction even though dmanlows post was cool also.
Hell I just got confused again. Maybe I'll get both and then decide. I have a nephew stationed at Fort Drum who will get the one I like the least. I'm settin' up a pedal board for him now with some of my used equipment ie: Korg GT3 Tuner, Carl Martin Red Repeat and a Boss Chorus for now. Soon I'll be adding a distortion pedal.
Thanks for all the help and ideas ya'll have offered to me. This is such a freakin groovey site.
Im not sure but i don't think the bad monkey will do anything you can't get from either the ts9 or sd1. The rat will go on the hairier side of those pedal though. I haven't owned any of the pedal you mentioned though so take what i say with a grain of salt.
