DigiTech D-Series Pedal Index
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One thing I've learned over the years is that some of the most remembered pedals in guitar history were never the expensive boutique units or the high-end "professional" gear everybody argued about in magazines.
Sometimes the pedals people remember most are the ones they actually owned.
And honestly, these five DigiTech pedals fall right into that category.
The Screamin' Blues, Bad Monkey, Death Metal, Hot Head, and Grunge were never officially part of the X-Series, but they absolutely became part of DigiTech's identity during the late 1990s and early 2000s. You saw these things everywhere. Guitar Center. Sam Ash. Pawn shops. Local mom-and-pop music stores. Bedroom rigs. Garage bands. Church stages. They were affordable, loud, fun, and for a whole lot of players, these were their first real stompboxes.
That matters.
A lot of people today look back at these pedals through the lens of internet hype, YouTube demos, or collector value, but I remember when they were just sitting on shelves for cheap and nobody thought twice about them. Back then, players bought these because they wanted more gain, more sustain, more attitude, or simply because they could finally afford a real effects pedal.
And what's funny is that over time, every one of these pedals kind of developed its own personality and reputation.
The Bad Monkey is probably the best example. For years, people overlooked them because they were inexpensive and easy to find. Then, in 2023, Josh Scott made a video called "The Bad Monkey vs Everything" and the pedal world suddenly re-discovered it and prices went crazy overnight. Meanwhile, there were players who had quietly been using Bad Monkeys for years wondering what all the commotion was about. The funny thing is, the pedal really was good all along. The separate low and high EQ controls made it way more flexible than people gave it credit for, especially compared to a lot of Tube Screamer-style pedals.
The Screamin' Blues is another one that always deserved more attention than it got. I've said for years that a lot of players judged that pedal by the name instead of actually plugging into one. It wasn't just a blues pedal at all. There was a warmth and touch sensitivity to those that surprised people once they actually spent time with one. To me, it's one of the hidden gems in the entire DigiTech lineup.
Now the Grunge pedal... that's a completely different animal.
You couldn't ignore that thing if you tried. Cracked purple graphics, giant GRUNGE lettering, and a sound that basically came charging out of the amp like a chainsaw. Some people absolutely hated them. Some loved them. Most players probably fell somewhere in the middle. But everybody remembers them. And honestly, that's part of what made DigiTech fun during that era. They weren't afraid to lean into a moment culturally, and the Grunge pedal captured the whole 1990s alternative explosion perfectly.
The Hot Head was kind of the dependable blue-collar workhorse of the group. It never became a meme like the Death Metal or a cult collector piece like the Bad Monkey, but a whole lot of players owned one because it simply worked. Plenty of gain, useful EQ, affordable price, and durable enough to survive getting tossed around in gig bags for years. Looking back, I think a lot of people underestimated how solid those really were.
And then there's the Death Metal.
Honestly, I still laugh when I see one because DigiTech completely committed to the insanity of that pedal. The name, the graphics, the ridiculous amount of gain. It was all intentionally over-the-top. Back then, a lot of players treated them almost like novelty pedals because they were so extreme. But here's what's funny, modern metal players eventually circled back around and started realizing those things actually worked for certain styles. Doom, sludge, industrial, noise, extreme metal, suddenly that ridiculous wall of saturation made perfect sense.
That's one reason I think these pedals deserve their own section on the site.
They represent a side of DigiTech history that was raw, fun, experimental, and completely unpretentious. These weren't boutique collector pedals when they were released. They were pedals regular players could actually afford and use. And because of that, they became part of a whole lot of musicians' personal stories.
Honestly, I think that's why people still love talking about them today.
-Ron
(Click to enlarge)
D-Series from my personal collection. Top row: Music store retail POP display featuring the ultra rare Screamin' Blues with all white graphics. Middle row: Brand new, still sealed in the factory plastic. Bottom row: The pedals I play with.
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