Digitech X-Series Pedals

[BigDaddyD]

I just wanted to say that I bought two of these and tried all of them on Saturday. These are some of the best sounding, production made pedals out there. They are inexpensive as well. There is even a buy 2 get 1 free deal going on right now. I bought the Heavy Metal Distortion and the Digital Delay, and will get the Multi Voice Chorus as my free choice. Now let me explain why I looked at them initially. I am about to start auditioning for some bands in NYC and it is not pracitcal to haul my Rivera and pedalboard with me. I will be at the mercy of whatever amp is available, whether it be a vintage Fender or a solid state bass amp. I needed something that could give me a "decent" sound with some gain...in comes the HM Dist. Now I already have the BOSS Metal Zone and never use it. I think it is very buzzy sounding. The Digitech sounds WAY better then the BOSS and has some other cool tones, plus a cabinet sim out which works (sounded great through headphones.) Same price as the Metal Zone. The delay I bought on the spur of the moment, because it really just sounds awesome. It has like 7 different modes, reverse delay, loops, and 4 seconds of delay, plus cab sim out. It cost about $95 (compared to a lot more for a comparable BOSS.)Plus you get a 3rd FREE pedal of your choice. They all sound GREAT. I am 30yrs old and have been playing guitar since I am 6. I have a tone of top quality gear and know tone. I am so impressed with this series that I felt compelled to post here to try and help out any younger players (and anyone else that appreciates it) that are on a budget and need to make some knew sounds. Go check 'em out and do it soon before the 2for1 deal expires. Check the digitech website for details. Anyone want a BOSS Metal Zone?

[taxistationary]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

I'll take it if it's free! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[BigDaddyD]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

Nothing is free in this world. [img]graemlins/nono.gif[/img]

[toejam]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

Cool. Did Digitech phase out their DOD line? All I seem to see now are the new Digitech pedals.

[BigDaddyD]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

I don't know about DOD, although I suppose Digitech's website would say. Funny thing is that I was not a DOD/Digitech fan. That is how good these pedals are. I am a boutique/high end guy. When I bought regular pedals, I used to go with BOSS, because I hated DOD tones, and the case and switch sucked ass. Now the tones are awesome and the case is like the BOSS, and the X-Series is cheaper. There are some decent demos on the website, that I think were recorded direct with the cab sims on the pedals. You can check them out here:

http://www.digitech.com/xseries%20demos/start.htm

Also, they come with a one year warranty, which can be extended to 6 yrs if you register online!

[toejam]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

Wow, neat! I'll have to check that site out. I've always liked DOD... my first two pedals I bought in the late '80s were a DOD Overdrive Plus and the 7-band EQ pedal. Then in the early '90s, a friend gave me a used stereo chorus pedal. All three pedals are still alive and well today, though they don't see much use any more. In the past couple years, I also got two of the DOD Juice Box Overdrive pedals and really swear by them for going into an already heavily distorted amp. The only Boss pedals I own are the NS-2 Noise Suppressor I got in the mid '90s, and the TU-2 tuner I got last year. I guess I'm lucky and have never had any problems with any pedals.

[jeff300]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

Digitech has done a lot of R&D in the past few years and it shows. The quality of their products has improved tremendously.

I recently bought a Digitech RP300 modeler. I had tried one of their earlier models from a few years back, and even with my then beginner's ear I could say that it sucked rocks. The new one simply rocks! I can't beleive this is from the same company.

[DCZX]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

Hi,

I'm glad you guys like your pedals and I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything. However, I was recently shopping for a good metal pedal. I owned a Metal Zone a long time ago, but had sold it because I wasn't playing metal. Now, I'm in a metal band again. Anyway, I liked the heavy sound of the metal zone, but I didn't like the tiny knobs and the size of the pedal itself. I like metal pedals with big knobs that are easy to adjust.

Anyway, I went to Digitech's website and read the forums about the X series pedals. A lot of people had posted that they were noisy (the metal one specifically) with the recommended power supply. I tried the pedal at Guitar Center, which was plugged in, and it did sound noisy. So, I didn't get one. I finally settled on a Rocktron Metal Planet (brand new pedal, only been out about a month) and I'm very happy with it. It's a rugged, metal cased pedal with easy to adjust knobs and a big stomp switch.

So, I'm just saying, before you buy a digitech metal master, check it out with a power supply just to be sure. Also, the metal planet is great, it's got a mid-range sweep knob that can get all kinds of sounds. It doesn't have the cabinet modelling like the digitech, the only feature I wish it had.

here's the metal planet:
http://www.rocktron.com/products/planet.html

[BigDaddyD]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

No offense, but most of the posts on that site were made by little kids. You could tell by the questions that they asked. A power supply will always give you better performance. A Distortion will always be a little noisy. None of them mentioned what type of guitars they used, amps, or settings.... Look, this is an $80 pedal, not a $400 pedal, but tone and build are great. If it ain't for you so be it. It has a 6yr warranty. That speaks for the quality. By the way, mine is noisy too at full gain and using SINGLE COIL pups. If I switch to humbuckers or the reverse wind setting on my Strat, it is dead quiet. Maybe they had a bad one. It was noisy for me in the store as well, but I used a P90 equipped guitar.

All I know is that I have learned to take reviews with a grain of salt. Some of the "issues" mentioned were ones that experienced players would recognize as inexperienced questions that don't represent the pedal. Some will be faulty (but that goes for everything.) Never tried the Rocktron though. Enjoy. The Digitech is a fun thing for me. It isn't my RIVERA and isn't supposed to be.

[ June 30, 2003, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: BigDaddyD ]

[DCZX]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

First off, I would like to say that just because a pedal is $80 or $60, doesn't mean one shouldn't expect top performance from it. Rusty Cooley uses a Rocktron Rampage if you look at his gear page. That's a $60 pedal, but he sounds good. I see ads in magazine's showing players who use the Digitech, such as Dan Donegan from Disturbed, Scott Ian from Anthrax, etc. Why I should, "Look, this is an $80 pedal, not a $400 pedal" doesn't make much difference to me.

That having been said, I don't like noisy pedals. The Rocktron is very quiet, as are most of the pedals they make. I'm playing humbuckers on my Gibson SG-X and KE3 and it's still a very quiet pedal. I'm not saying the MM is bad, I'm just saying that if someone wants to buy one, they might consider checking out the PS issue.

You made a good point about the setups though. Perhaps if I tried a Metal Master on a different setup from the guitar store it would sound better, but I was leary about the power supplies. I think I read about the problem on harmonycentral too. Yah, you take them with a grain of salt, but if a lot of people are saying the same thing, perhaps it's something worth checking out.

[ June 30, 2003, 11:46 PM: Message edited by: DCZX ]

[StuTDavis]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

DCZX,

A little off topic here, but I'm wondering if you know whether Rusty Cooley has an older or newer Rocktron Rampage?

Reason I'm asking...

I had an older discontinued-version Rampage about 4-5 years ago that I really thought was a cool pedal--with my amp setup at the time, it actually got a good bit similar sound as the expensive TC Electronic BLD I had at the same time...but I ended up having to sell them. I'd got it at Guitar Centeron a big sale, I think it had $150.00 on the tag, had been marked down to $70, and I got it for about $25. Anyway... I saw they were making them again several months ago, and they were cheap (about $60 like you said) so I decided to order one and see if it was as good as the one I'd had before. Well, it wasn't. It was horrrrrrible with my setup. Nothing but extremely nasty, harsh noise coming from it--sent it back for a refund. I'm just curious if you know about if this Rusty Cooley has an older one or newer one, thinking if you're saying the new Metal Planet pedal is good, maybe I just got a bad Rampage at the time, yaknow?

Thanks,

Stu

[BigDaddyD]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

DCZX,

I checked out the Rocktron link. The pedal looks cool, but the demo track sounded horrible to me. I did get the vibe that it could do other sounds (which I would probably like) but I couldn't figure out why Rocktron only had that one sound going. Also, you misunderstood me. I think that you should expect top performance when you buy something, but you must also be realistic in your expectations. I do agree that a pedal like the MM should perform at the highest standards and the ones that I have seen do. I am not disagreeing with you. Mine was noisy in the store too, but not at home. It noise in this case came from the guitar. What I was saying is that sometimes less experienced people will jam a pedal like that into the front end of a line 6 Spyder (like on the forum you mentioned) or some other amp (sometimes set for high gain as well) and complain about some noise...well NO ****. Of course there would be noise. Also, I initially posted this for beginners on a budget to help them get the tones that they want at a fair price. My recommendation is to buy it from a reputable dealer with a 30 day return policy or something and try it out for yourself...you can always return it. Use it correctly though, i.e. a proper power supply...and see how you like it. Like I said it is warranteed for 6 yrs if you register online (which I did) and you can get a pedal free if you buy two. That seems like a good way for a beginner to build a pretty cool rig. I know I didn't have anything like that when I started. One thing that I think is cool about these pedals is that they let you create a dual rig, so that when playing live you could have your regular signal chain, AND send a direct feed to the board at the same time. I haven't heard that yet, but judging from the demos (with a grain of salt) I bet it would creat a nice mix.

[DCZX]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

Hey StuTDavis,

I went back to Rusty's website and it appears that he has updated his gear. He's now using the Rocktron Austin Gold Overdrive (another new Rocktron). When the picture was up of the Rampage, it looked like it was an older one, not the silver one like today's. I've read in reviews that the newer Rampage isn't as good, but I've never tried either.

Anyway, if you want to see his pedals now, goto:

Rusty Cooley

and click on equipment. He uses some other Rocktron stuff, and Digitech stuff. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[DCZX]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

BigDaddyD-

The example MP3 they have up wasn't very impressive. Anyway, I guess it depends on your amp/setup again. I like how it sounds on my amp/guitars. I think it's a good idea to take your setup to the guitar store and plug it in when you can is the lesson to be learned from all of this. Let thine ears be the judge, or something. BTW, I should correct myself. I think Rusty Cooley's Rampage (before he updated his gear) was the older one, which may have cost more, as StuTDavis pointed out. I still think that pedals should perform well though whatever price. That's cool about the Digi's, I really liked the Synth Wah one and if I had bought them, I would have gotten that one with the others.

[ July 02, 2003, 12:29 AM: Message edited by: DCZX ]

[toejam]

Re: Digitech X-Series Pedals

Stu, the old Rocktron stuff was great, and USA made. Now they're crap, cheaply made in Korea, I believe. I've got an old Rocktron Surf Tremolo pedal that kicks ass. I'd personally avoid all of the new stuff Rocktron is putting out.