My initial testing with this pedal was done in the pre-drive position in which I ’ d normally put a vibrato . But after a couple of , ahem , adult beverages , I decided to try it after a drive instead . There , following a decently wound-up distortion , I discovered a new effect : sonic jackhammer . It was strange and bizarre and kind of fun .
Before a drive though , laying into the strings with a heavy downstroke sends your sound into an absolute tizzy . With the Alc / Vol knob set just below noon , any aggressive action on the strings accelerates the speed and intensity of the vibrato to a dizzying level , before slowly settling back down to where you have it set . Imagine that you ’ ve shaken a snow globe full of , well , drunken primates and it should make sense .
You can use this feature in more nuanced ways by varying your pick attack — or by setting all the knobs to a more modest 9:00 — but the envelope ramping effects clearly won ’ t be for everyone . Take heart though , because twisting the Alc / Vol knob fully counterclockwise negates the inebriation and instead offers a perfectly conventional pitch vibrato , sans any monkey business .
The Drunken Monkey blurs the line between traditional pitch vibrato and all out wackiness . For that reason , we dig it .
I ’ ve played a couple other pedals in the same price range that offer a similar trick , but with more overall range . It would ’ ve been nice to have more depth in the control section — or perhaps even some kind of press-and-hold ramping functionality on the footswitch .
SPANK THE MONKEY
My initial testing with this pedal was done in the pre-drive position in which I ’ d normally put a vibrato . But after a couple of , ahem , adult beverages , I decided to try it after a drive instead . There , following a decently wound-up distortion , I discovered a new effect : sonic jackhammer . It was strange and bizarre and kind of fun .
Before a drive though , laying into the strings with a heavy downstroke sends your sound into an absolute tizzy . With the Alc / Vol knob set just below noon , any aggressive action on the strings accelerates the speed and intensity of the vibrato to a dizzying level , before slowly settling back down to where you have it set . Imagine that you ’ ve shaken a snow globe full of , well , drunken primates and it should make sense .
You can use this feature in more nuanced ways by varying your pick attack — or by setting all the knobs to a more modest 9:00 — but the envelope ramping effects clearly won ’ t be for everyone . Take heart though , because twisting the Alc / Vol knob fully counterclockwise negates the inebriation and instead offers a perfectly conventional pitch vibrato , sans any monkey business .
WHAT WE LIKE
The Drunken Monkey blurs the line between traditional pitch vibrato and all out wackiness . For that reason , we dig it .
CONCERNS
I ’ ve played a couple other pedals in the same price range that offer a similar trick , but with more overall range . It would ’ ve been nice to have more depth in the control section — or perhaps even some kind of press-and-hold ramping functionality on the footswitch .