GEAR SPOTLIGHT
MR. BLACK
DRUNKEN
MONKEY
REVIEW BY NICK RAMBO
STREET PRICE $179.95
What do you get when
you mix an ounce of
banana schnapps with
an equal amount of Irish
cream and coffee liqueur?
The newest pedal from
Portland’s very own Mr.
Black, of course.
ENTER THE
MONKEY
Legend has it that many
moons ago, a certain
simian with a love of the
sauce began a lifelong
search for the perfect
pitch vibrato. Vices being
what they are, one thing
led to another and, well,
the Drunken Monkey
came to be.
50
GEAR SPOTLIGHT //
Simply put: the Drunken
Monkey is likely the
weirdest little pedal I’ve
ever played and one
that absolutely lives up
to its name. So if you’ve
been looking for a pedal
to spice up your cover
band’s rendition of
“Jungle Fever,” well—
have I found just the
thing for you.
TOUCH THE
MONKEY
The top two controls
on the Drunken Monkey
are the standard fare of
vibrato machines.
The Depth knob goes
from a slightly buzzed
weeble-wobble around
Mr. Black Drunken Monkey
9:00, to a tipsy stagger
just past noon and all
the way to a frightful,
seconds-before-the-
blackout stagger when
fully cranked.
The Speed knob makes
the room spin. Faster or
slower—drinker’s choice.
It’s the middle knob
though—marked Alc/
Vol—that decides
whether or not the
cops are called or an
intervention is scheduled.
This control adjusts
the sensitivity of the
envelope and goes from
stone cold sober to full-
on bender real quick.