Home > DigiTech Artist Series Pedal Index

One thing I've always appreciated about DigiTech is that they were willing to take chances.

Sometimes those chances worked. Sometimes they didn't. But every now and then they would come up with an idea that was genuinely different from what everyone else was doing at the time.

To me, the Artist Series falls squarely into that category.

Most signature gear gives you a name on the box and maybe a few tweaks under the hood. DigiTech went much further. They built entire pedals around the sounds, songs, and musical identities of five very different guitar players: Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Brian May, Scott Ian, and Dan Donegan.

That alone makes this series fascinating.

Think about the challenge they gave themselves. Clapton, Hendrix, and Brian May all have guitar tones that players have been chasing for decades. Scott Ian's rhythm sound helped define an entire style of metal. Dan Donegan brought a much more modern approach that was all over rock radio during the 2000s. Trying to squeeze pieces of those worlds into a pedal was an ambitious project from the start.

And honestly, that ambition is one of the many reasons that make these pedals so fun to collect today.

(Click to enlarge)

The Crossroads, Black-13, and The Weapon were more traditional looking, while the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Brian May Red Special expanded the concept into larger expression-pedal units. Put them side by side and you can immediately see that DigiTech was experimenting, trying different approaches, and figuring out just how far they could push the idea.

Some of these pedals became surprisingly collectible. Some developed loyal followings. A few still spark debates every time they're mentioned online. That's usually a good sign. Nobody argues about gear that people have forgotten.

What I enjoy most is that each pedal feels connected to a specific moment in guitar history.

Whether they nailed every detail is almost beside the point.

What matters is that they tried.

The Artist Series captured a moment when digital modeling was becoming more sophisticated, signature gear was becoming more popular, and companies were looking for new ways to connect players with the sounds that inspired them. Some ideas aged better than others, but all five pedals remain interesting snapshots of that era.

That's why they have a home here.

They're creative, ambitious, sometimes quirky, occasionally misunderstood, and unmistakably DigiTech. Those are exactly the kinds of pedals I enjoy learning about, collecting, and sharing with other pedal enthusiasts.

-Ron Henley

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Here are the 5 DigiTech Artist Series pedals in order of their release:

Dan Donegan The Weapon (Winter NAMM January 2004)

Jimi Hendrix Experience (Winter NAMM January 2005)

Eric Clapton Crossroads (March 2005)

Scott Ian Black 13 (Summer NAMM July 2005)

Brian May Red Special (Summer NAMM July 2006)


The DigiTech Lyra Eternal Descent

The DigiTech Lyra isn't just rare. It's one of the least-documented pedals DigiTech ever released. Only 1,000 were produced, and despite being tied to the ambitious Eternal Descent project, it quietly disappeared before most guitar players even knew it existed. That's exactly the kind of pedal I love digging into.

While the Lyra was never officially marketed as part of DigiTech's Artist Series, I would describe it as the spiritual successor to the Artist Series rather than a sixth member of the family.

This page will be an ongoing research project and I will be adding/updating info as I verify information.

Lyra Eternal Descent (Winter NAMM January 2011)

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