DF7 Distortion Factory Review

The DigiTech DF7 Distortion Factory delivers seven world-famous tones in one box! To get a whole spectrum of distortion tones you could spend a fortune on individual stompboxes (and have a pedal board the size of Delaware) or you can put the new DF7 to work.

Ease of Use:	9.1
Sound:	8.9
Reliability:	8.8
Impression:	9.1
Overall rating:	9
Users rating:	8.6
Comments:	40

Featured review by: unregistered, on april 16, 2005

Price paid: $ 75

Purchased from: Phil's Music

Ease of Use: I got this pedal just a few days ago and I am already in love with it! There is so much variety in this pedal that I can get pretty much any sound I want out of it. There are seven different settings whose sounds are modeled after several different models, like the Ibanez TS-9, Boss DS-1, and the DigiTech Heavy Metal among others. It's very easy to get great sounds, just turn the knob and voila, you have pretty much a brand new pedal with every turn. It comes with a manual, but it doesn't really tell you how to get certain sounds like other manuals do, but that's OK because I've pretty much figured it out. The cool thing about this pedal is that you can customize the different models by using the different knobs it has. It has a high, low, mid, med freq., gain, and level settings. // 10

Sound: I use a Fender 1969 Telecaster Thinline re-issue with noiseless pickups with a vintage crate amp and the sound is absolutely delicious. Even with the heavy metal settings it isn't noisy at all, and I use a Telecaster, a guitar not known for its distortion tolerance. The effects themselves are great, the only one thats kinda weak is the Ibanez setting, but that' because it's a weak pedal anyway. I know that I can get the sound of my favorite bands but I would challenge anybody to see if there is a sound that they can't get with this pedal, it is that good! // 10

Reliability & Durability: I can certainly depend on this pedal, it's made out of steel. The only thing is that it doesn't come with an AC adapter, so you have to just use batteries, which I don't really trust, because those run out quickly. I would probably gig it with a backup just because I'm paranoid like that. // 10

Impression: I play all kinds of music and I can mimic pretty much any sound out there. Even though I don't really play metal, the metal settings on here are fabluous. If my pedal were stolen, not only would I get a new one, but I would hunt down the dirty punk who stole my precious pedal too! I love everything about it, especially the fact that there are seven pedals molded into one. The thing is, these settings for the different pedals are very accurate, they sound just like the real pedals. I've compared a few of them and I can't tell a difference. The only thing I wish it had would be an adapter. But overall, this pedal is friggin awesome. If you want distortion, look no further than this pedal. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 24, 2005

Price paid: $ 100

Purchased from: Musician's Friend

Ease of Use: The DF-7 Distortion Factory is just like most other DigiTech pedals, right out of the box, you can plug it to your amp, plug it to your guitar, and enjoy top-notch distortion. Just turn the knobs to your liking, stomp the pedal, and you're good to go. The difference with this pedal is that you can practically change your style on the fly, the seven different distortions are very different from one another. The manual does a great job explaining each distortion, each distortion emulating practically perfectly an already famous distortion, such as the Pro Co Rat and DigiTech's own Metal Master. // 10

Sound: I've used this pedal with my Peavy Predator and with my cheap Strat rip-off (one of those guitars you get in a combo with a practice amp, you know what I'm talking about. I can't remember the manufacturer's name, but it's one I'm sure no one's heard of). I use a Peavy 400w tube amp, and a smaller Fender 100w amp. I must say, the DF-7 sounds great through my tube amp, especially cranked up. There are plenty of EQ settings (Low, mid, high, and the mid position) along with the gain and level knobs, so if you're not sure you like a sound, just take a minute to tweak with these settings. I also have DigiTech's Death Metal distortion pedal, which I had thought made me sound like a god with every power chord. However, the DF-7 makes me feel like a Master of the Universe. It literally makes me feel like every note I hit will rip the clothes off of my body. The roaring bomb that is it's DS-1 sound and the shred-tastic Boss Metal Zone sound will satisfy every hard-rocker and metalist out there, even the ones who like to play Black Sabbeth-style stuff, as the Pro Co Rat brings out the best of Iron Man and Paranoid. But even non-rockers will like this pedal, the DOD Overdrive is great for those bending blues solos, and the EH Big Muff Pi emulates those great Hendrix moments. The only problem I ever found was that I got terrible, screeching feedback while using that Strat rip-off and the Metal Zone or the DS-1 with a higher gain setting. However, I'm pretty sure it was my guitar, as it's given me feedback through other pedals, and I've never experienced uncontrollable feedback with my Peavy, even with the gain all the way up on the Metal Zone setting, the feedback wasn't uncontrollable. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Just like every DigiTech pedal, the DF-7 is made of smooth, extremely-durable metal. You could, in theory, toss this pedal against a wall and fear not about the guts of this pedal. The footswitch itself has a rubber top, so grip is never a problem. The main problem I ran into was when I first started to use it was the battery issue, at first, the single 9v battery would last me almost a week, while using it about 2 to 4 hours a day. However, after just a few weeks of this, I could put in a fresh-from-the-wrapper 9-volt, and this pedal would drain it within, and I'm being very serious, three minutes. As in, I couldn't finish a song before it died on me. I was rather disappointed, until I went to Wal-Mart and bought a 9v power supply. It now works like a charm! // 6

Impression: My taste of music is pretty wide, from AC/DC and Black Sabbath to Slipknot and Mudvayne to Alice In Chains and Nirvana. This pedal offers everything to saturate any distortion need. It's not an all-in-one pedal, nor a guitar workstation, but for the money, it offers all the distortion you'll ever need. I took the chance of ordering a product I'd never even demo'd and it's a risk I'm very glad I took. Don't go buy the Metal Master from DigiTech that is usually found at the same price as the DF-7, just get the Distortion Factory, and you've got 7 different stompboxes in one. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on january 30, 2006

Price paid: $ 99.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: The DF-7 is very easy to use, it has six knobs, three wrapped around the other three, which are equilizers and other features such as gain and mid frequency. It is very easy to get good sound out of. The manual given with it is very clear and easy to understand. // 10

Sound: I use the DF-7 through a general Marshall and a Gibson Les Paul Standard. The DF-7 has 7 different distortion models based off of many popular pedals such as the Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, DigiTech Metal Master, and more. Each setting has its own unique quality and can be adjusted to your liking. One setting in particular, the DigiTech Metal Master, is specifically a solo tone and can be slightly annoying when used on rhythym. This is not an artist pedal, but you can manually adjust the settings well enough to achieve many artist's tones. // 9

Reliability & Durability: The DF-7 can be very dependable when used properly. It uses one 9 volt battery as a portable power source, but if the consule is left plugged in to the amp and guitar when not being used the power drains. A simple solution to this issue is the DigiTech Power Supply (24.99) which plugs into a standard outlet. Therefore the DF-7 is very easy to use live. // 8

Impression: I play a wide variety of music styles, from metal to blues. Each mode has great tone which can be used in several different styles. I have been playing on my Marshall for a long while and I haven't achieved tone like this before. This product is a wonderful value because it is seven pedals in one, for the price of one. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 06, 2008

Price paid: $ 99.95

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: First of all, this is easily my favorite pedal because of how easy it is to use and because of the great sounds you get out of it. Each of the 7 models has it's own distinct tone, and you can eaaily find the right amount of distortion to play anything. Although, it has 6 knobs for editing, and one little movement can make a big tone difference. that's also a positive though. // 8

Sound: Currently, I am using this pedal with a Schecter Tempest Custom and a Fender frontman 15W amp. This pedal makes everything sound good. No joke. You can literally play something out of a mel bay book and this will help the chord, arpeggio, scale, or whatever your doing sound that much more intense. With this pedal, I am able to play "Hey Jude" to "Enlightened By The Cold" and "Stairway to Heaven" to "Scream Aim Fire". The only extreme noisy buzz comes from the EH Big Muff Pi, when the gain knob is very high, but is easily fixable with a tweak. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I dropped this from 2 stories on solid concrete because my friend doesn't know how to catch. Anyways, no sratch, no dink or dent, and I plugged it back in and it played like new. The only problem with using this in a gig would be that it would be diffecult to change the tone or model of distortion in between the song because of changing the knobs (if your doing it by yourself). But if you have a favorite tone or model that you would use throughout the gig or the song to change the presets. // 10

Impression: I play every style of music, and I mean, every kind of genre. This pedal suits literally every style of music. My main genre to play is metal, rock, and emo, so having 2 different metal-designed distortion models inside this stompbox gives me incredible versatility to shred. Originally, I was going to get The Weapon, because I'm a huge dan donegan fan, but I am GLAD that I had gotten this instead becasue of the INCREDIBLE versatility. Had this been stolen or lost, I would immediately buy a new one, no exceptions what'soever. My favorite feature is that it has all sorts of editing features for every pedal, that it gives it even more versatility than the original stompboxes! The only thing I reccomend is to buy a PS-200R power supply, because this Burns through battery. Overall, i love my DF-7! // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: tazzie_BC_Rich, on april 07, 2006

Purchased from: music man

Ease of Use: It's really easy to get good sound out of it, it's hard to get a bad sound out of it because it's based on the best pedals ever made. The manual is easy to follow and very straightforward, it's the most advanced distortion pedal ever. // 8

Sound: I am using it with a BC Rich Warlock Bronze series through a Randall amp. It's not noisy but it's noisiest is program 6, the effects are great and always come through strong, my fav sounds that I can get is Metallica and AC/DC, all the distortion on it is fantastic. It has six controls (low, mid, high, level, mid freq, gain) so you can customise the main pedal bases of which there are six to choose from. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Hell yes I can depend on it, you could throw it at a wall and the wall would come off second best because it's made out of alloy steel. // 10

Impression: I play mostly metal and rock and it suits because it is made for it, it is the perfect pedal, if it was stolen I would certainly buy it again. I love the fact that you can customise seven of the best pedals ever invented, I don't hate anything, my favourite feature is that you can add more distortion to it if you want more. // 10

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: SuperAnalytical, on november 04, 2005

Purchased from: Music Nook

Ease of Use: The DigiTech line of distortion and effects pedals has one of the easiest to comprehend and easiest to use manuals/pedals in all of effects pedals. Along with the instructions on how to use the pedal, it comes with DigiTech's full guide to all of their pedals and settings. To get a good sound out of it is up to the user. But it is easy to get any sound out of it, whether good or bad. Editing patches were not mentioned at all in the manual so I am sure there are none to be mentioned by the maker. The manual for this is superb with decriptions of what each knob does, how it can be connected, and descriptions of the structure of the pedal. My pedal is currently stock configuration, and I don't plan to have it modded. // 10

Sound: My current set up is a Schecter Gryphon, to the DF7 pedal, to a Line 6 Spider II 15 amplifier. This is an awesome set up because, unlike what most believe, the pedal really does enhance the distortion on the amplifier. I haven't found it noisy yet, considering I've only used it for practice at low volumes. The effects occassionally get repetitive if you use the same settings for each one. I've found a few of the distortion models sound similar. The distortion models are: the Ibanez TS-9, DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250, Boss DS-1 Distortion, Pro Cat Rat, Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, DigiTech Metal Master, and Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi. I haven't experimented much with the settings as of yet so I haven't been able to find ALL of my favorite artist's sounds. I'm currently working on finding a good distortion level for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' Luckily, Jimi Hendrix who is one of my favorite artists, used the Big Muff Pi, so I will hopefully be able to emulate his sound through this. All of the different distortion models sing loud and proud when necessary and sound very close to their originals. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I believe I will be able to depend on it because it has so far endured my knee being on it for an extended period of time. I would probably use this in a gig without a back up if I had the battery pack. But apart from that, theres nothing really that would seem to break down. // 9

Impression: I play mostly alternative rock and folk rock like Nirvana and Green Day (mostly off of 'Shenanigans' and 'Warning'). This pedal matches the jump that I need from clean tones to distorted tones very well. I enjoy being able to change from one to the other without having to bend over and switch my amp settings. I have been playing a little over a year now and I'm at the almost good stage in playing. I'm able to learn songs but I still need and want to be able to play anything that I see or hear without much struggle. I wish I had asked for this pedal in the first place, I originally had on my wish list the DigiTech Grunge pedal, Boss DS-1 pedal, and Big Muff Pi pedal. This single pedal has two of these pedals in one already. If it were ever stolen or lost, I would probably reconsider my choices because I wasn't quite ready for this pedal. My indecisiveness in my self-teaching doesn't help having only one resource to go to. I wish I had a second one of these pedals so I could use two of the distortion models at once or in different areas. // 8

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: JU5TIN, on january 18, 2006

Price paid: $ 114.55

Ease of Use: To quote a terrible infomercial, "Set It And Forget It." Honestly, it shouldn't take long for you to find the right mix of low, mid, and highs once you get the hang of it. This pedal actually offers a whole lot of settings, you get your 7 difference modes, all based on excellent pedals (Ibanes TS-9, DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250, Boss DS-1, Pro Co Rat, Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, DigiTech Metal Master, and finally Electro-Harmonix Big Muff) plus you can set the low, mid, high, level, mid frequency and the gain for each of the 7 modes. I find once you set those they work very well for each of the 7 modes, really no need to change them everytime. If you care my personal faves are the DS-1, MT-2 and the Metal Master settings, but thats just me. The manual came with good baseline settings for each mode but those can be improved upon. // 9

Sound: I have a Les Paul Junior with a SD Invader pickup and a Traynor YCV40 amp. This pedal gave my amp the edge it so dearly needed. I only find mild feedback when the pedal is used when the amp is on it's Dirty channel, but I never use it on the dirty channel so it makes no difference. The effects are great, I know personally the DS-1 setting is just like having the real Boss pedal, I can't speak for the other settings but I'm sure there bang on too. With 7 different modes based on very popular pedals, I don't think you can't recreate your favourite artists distortion, this pedal will make your small amp sounds like your playing through a huge Mesa stack for example. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Built solid, no doubt, solid steel with a rubber base and pedal surface this thing is going nowhere. It has a really cool carbon fibre looking paint job and with the AC adapter this thing isn't going to fail you. // 10

Impression: Again, you wont find a more versitile pedal out there, it has such a great varity of sounds it's perfect for distortion freaks like me. This pedal is the one and only reason I havn't sold my amp for something bigger, I wont' have to anymore, the sound I want is there. If it's stolen I'd replace it within minutes, I can't play without it. I think the best thing about this pedal is the way it's built to take a beating and is so user friendly, probably the thing I hated the most was the rather high price tag, but theres more expensive pedals out there so I shouldn't complain. // 10

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: krut917, on november 25, 2009

Price paid: $ 100

Purchased from: Island Music

Ease of Use: as far as ease of use goes. I give this pedal a 10. Everything is straight-forward with it. It has 7 different distortions that model several pedals such as the Fender bassman, the pro-co ratt, sd-1, metal-zone, metal master, another metal one I can't remember, and the Big Muff Pi. // 10

Sound: I used this pedal through my 2 guitars (Aria 1976 les paul copy, and Agile interceptor 7 string) to 2 amps that I had at the time, a Marshall lead 100 mosfet, and a Hartke gt60. When I first got this pedal, I loved it. It seemed to be much more tweakable with the low, mid, mid frequency, hi, and gain. I dialed in a pretty beastly metal distortion. Over time, I felt like I started to become dissatisfied with the pedal. I noticed puting my 60 watt amp next to my roomate's Behringer 30 watt P.O.S. That his amp cut right through mine to the point where my sound sounded like a hiss. I used the bassman and sd-1 sounds for church, and how they set me up was running my pedal board straight into the p.a. (I know I wasn't thrilled about it either), but the sound wasn't terrible. But really only the lower gain sounded good like this. // 7

Reliability & Durability: like I said, I used this pedal for home and church. I used it weekly for church, and never once had a problem for the year I played in the band. Looking back, I wouldn't use it as a primary distortion, but it could make a promising boost. I would say that this pedal is very reliable, and with me kicking it around all over the place, it's durabilty withstood me, the one Who normally breaks the so-called unbreakeable items (and yet I still can't open some child proofed things). // 10

Impression: I play rock/experimental/metal, and this pedal should get you a good start. Iv'e been playing for 5 years now. I will say though, this thing does a wonderful job modeling the distortions it tries to. The owner of the shop I bought it at, had all of the pedals that it modeled set up, next to it and demoed it and compared them right in front of me. Some were spot on, others were very close. It convinced me enough to buy it. I'm moving to less and less pedals now and trying to move to a more simpler setup with the amps natural distortion. For that, I picked up a Flextone for like $220, and it's holding me for now, but I'll probably break into the tube world soon. I reccomend trying this pedal in the store for like an hour or so, and if you still like it, then this is probably the pedal for you. Or maybe you know how to use this pedal more effectively than I do, if so, please let me know, because I'd rather not toss something because I wasn't using it properly. // 7

overall: 6.5

Reviewed by: Blade686, on july 16, 2008

Ease of Use: The Distortion Factory is pretty easy to get a good sound of, but it really depends on what sound you are looking for, since there are 7 different models Who pretty much offer 7 different worlds. It took me about 2 days to get the sound that was near what I was looking for, but after you get it right it's very easy to control and you'll know what knobs make the differences. The manual is also pretty helpful, it offers a small number of set-ups you could use to get the exact sound of the effect that the pedal's certain model tries to imitate. // 8

Sound: When talking about sound, the DF7 is pretty versatile, and you can find a lot of different set-ups that can satisfy your wills, so I'll just go on each one. Model No.1: A very soft Overdrive with minimal gain, it's not bad, but I didn't find myself using it a lot. Model No.2: A heavier Overdrive, it's pretty cool and I used it a lot for Bluesy stuff. Model No.3: A pretty good distortion, great for cool riffs and is one of my favorites. I used it for playing songs like Symphony of Destruction (Megadeth) and Killing In the Name (Rage Against The Machine). Model No.4: Pretty useless. It's like you took an amplifier and put it behind a wall. I never use it. Model No.5: The heaviest of all, a very good distortion and personally my favorite model out of the 7, I use it for all the heaviest songs I like. Even though it's the heaviest, it still didn't satisfy me, and I wish it could get heavier, but overall it's pretty nice. Model No.6: A "different" kind of distortion, I use it for songs like Knights of Cydonia (Muse) and Fuel (Metallica), but overall it's just a secondary distortion for me. Model No.7: A softer version of 'Model No. 5', didn't really get the point of it, that's why I don't use it a lot, but it can be useful in a very few situations. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I have this pedal for about 2 monthes now, and I already have a problem with the pedal: it sometimes doesn't want to turn on when I press the pedal, and it takes me about 20 tries till it decides to turn on. Since that problem occured, I know I woulnd't depend on it, and I'd definitely bring a backup with me. // 4

Impression: The DF7 is overall an average pedal I give a B grade, and is made for people Who look for a quantity more than quality. You can get a lot of great sounds with it and make a lot of differences by playing with the right knobs as I said above, but I am currently looking for something that will satisfy my needs, because it didn't get as heavy as I expected it to be. // 7

overall: 7.5

Reviewed by: Squirrel1993, on july 25, 2008

Ease of Use: When I first got the pedal, I really didn't know a lot about 'good tone'. I just wanted to crank up the distortion up to '11' and play loud as possible. About a few months later, I grew tired of my curent tones. I tried/still trying, to find that 'perfect tone' now that I desire. It may have 7 Different models and there are only about 2 that I use. The manual that came with isn't that great. From reading all the 'suggested settings', they are about the same for each one. Bass, Middle, mid freq, treble, and gain are all 4. My unit has never been upgraded. // 7

Sound: I use a Peavey Pacer from the 1970's with a Squier Affanity Fat Strat. I first got this distortion pedal so I could get more of a modern tone v.s. a creamy, warm Overdrive. As I'm finding, I kinda want the Overdrive more. The good news is that this Pedal isn't noisy @ all, no feedback or anything. I can get a 'decent' at most sound, enough distortion for awesome solos and sustain with pitch harmonics. Pitch harmonics were another reason why I decided to get this. But mainly, I was looking for a pedal, but not having the best luck find the sound I wanted, so an employee suggested I get this pedal. The models on this pedal are: model 1 based on Ibanez TS-9 with Fender 1965 Deluxe Reverb 1x12, model 2 based on DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250 with Marshall half stack, model 3 based on Boss DS-1 with Johnson half stack, model 4 based on Pro Co Rat with Fender Bassman 2x12, Model 5 based on Boss Metal Zone with Johnson half stack, Model 6 based on DigiTech Metal Master with VHT half stack, Model 7 based on EH Big Muff with Marshall half stack loaded with 25W Celestion speakers. The best models are the Boss ones. I use the Pro Co Rat for a Sex Pistols tone. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I could totally depend on this pedal I think. I can get a decent tone of this pedal. But the one thing is that the battery life is about 6 hours. 9Volt. Batteries are pricy! I play about 3-4 hours a day and that's 6 hours of battery life per battery. The batteries don't last long, so I might want to bring a lot of extra batteries if I was at a gig. Plus side is, is that the pedal is very easy to change the batteries. // 8

Impression: I play a lot of 'rock' (pop rock, punk rock, pop punk rock, hard rock, alternative rock, metal, classic rock). I also play jazz and Blues. This pedal is alright for the rock party. Most for metal though I think. I cannot get a blues tone out of any of the suggested models though. My Overdrive in my amp is far better for those tones. I've been playing for about 2.5 years. I own a Squier Affanity Strat and a 1970's Peavey Pacer Amp. I prolly would have asked how much they employee liked the pedal and have him give me a demo. The employee said that he really liked it but I think he was just trying to sell a product and get it off the shelf. If this was stolen I might consider getting something different. There's always room for an upgrade! Love is a pretty strong word, I like the Boss Tones. Those are all right and sound a lot like the real thing. I hate the fact that out of all 7 models I can't get one really good tone that I like. Model 1 is mostly for a little distortion in the background. For like 50's, 60's Music. it's mostly clean. Model 2 is like a trebley Overdrive. It's decent but I hardly use it. Model 3 is a standard Boss dist. pedal. I use this one the most. Model 4 is the 'warmest' sounding model. I can use this for a Sex Pistols and Deep Purple[kinda] tone. Model 6 is a Boss Metal Zone model, I use this for only extremely heavy music. This one is alright as well. Model 6 is an interesting one. It sounds horrible, it's extremely 'light' sounding and with lots of treble even if the treble on the pedal is all the way off. But the one thing that it has that I wish the Boss pedals had was a sustain unit in it. The more gain on, the more sustain, you could hold a note forever on this model. Model 7 is realy bassy and big. The distortion is ok, I'd use it more if I could have more sustain on it. It kinda sounds like the Smoke On The Water solo tone, I'm not sure why but that model reminds me of that solo. // 8

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: damirault, on may 19, 2008

Price paid: $ 118.5

Purchased from: Town's End Strings and Things

Ease of Use: The pedal is easy to use. It's got 7 different distortion models, and they all share the same controls. It's got level, low, mid, high, gain, mid freq. and the model selector. Most of them are found on other common pedals with the exception of the model selector and the mid freq. knobs, so it should be straightforward to most users. // 8

Sound: I'm using the pedal with an Ibanez SA120 going into a Crate GLX65. The mid freq. knob works almost like the "Morph" setting on a DigiTech X-Series pedal, completely changing the sound of the pedal just by turning the knob. I've had the pedal for a year and I'm still finding cool sounds with it. The 7 distortion models are: Ibanez TS-9, DOD Overdrive, Boss DS-1, Pro Co Rat, Boss Metal Zone, DigiTech Metal Master, Big Muff Very versatile. One thing I found interesting was the mixer output. It sounds really cool, I actually ended up using it most of the time. The only complaint I have is that sometimes if you play a certain way, or on certain riffs, on a certain setting, you can get a weird kind of howling noise which makes the notes hard to hear. But it only happens on the rare case, If it does happen, just adjust the controls slightly. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is tough as hell. It's been dropped multiple times, plus I tend to jump on it if I'm really going all out. There's not a single scratch or dent. I'm trading it in for an RP-350 and the guys at the store were impressed on the good condition of the pedal. (I'm not trading it in because the pedal sucks or anything. I just want something with multiple effects). It's never been used Live, but I would definitely trust it without a backup (but I wouldn't trust the power adapter. I've broken a couple of those). // 10

Impression: I play metal (Metallica, Disturbed, In Flames, Rammstein, etc.) and it suits it perfectly fine. I found an almost perfect Rammstein setting, but from my experience, a Metallica sound is almost impossible to get (no matter what setup, unless you get thousands in equipment). I have been playing for 7 years, and if it were stolen or lost I wouldn't care because right now it's at Mark's Music Store as a down payment on my RP-350... Not my problem... I do miss it though... If my RP-350 doesn't cut it for distortion, I will get either another DF7, or a DigiTech Metal Master (probably the Metal Master because that's the setting I used 95% of the time on the DF7). If you want versatility in your distortion, and don't want to buy a workstation-type pedal, get this pedal! // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: WesCThomp, on december 19, 2008

Price paid: $ 99.99

Purchased from: Music Go Round

Ease of Use: This pedal works like any other DigiTech pedal, except is 7 distortion pedals build in one. There are a few extra knobs on it, that are not on most standard pedals, but that helps to Crate a custom tone. It is a little overwhelming at first because of all the settings, but after a little while you get the hang of it. // 8

Sound: This sound is amazing. I have used it with both a Marshall and a Crate. Also I have looped it with other effects including a wah, echo and another distortion pedal and it keeps it's tone and sound. You can get just about any distorted tone out of this device. I am still experimenting with it and haven't been disappointed yet by it. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have had the pedal for over a year now and it has been very reliable. I have yet to have the first problem out of it. I haven't had any kind of shorts or unusual noise from it.I would recommend to use this pedal for Live performances because of it's versatility. // 10

Impression: Overall it's a good pedal. The 100 dollars is a little high for a distortion pedal but it is basically 7 pedals in one. So it turns out to be quite a deal. The distortion factory is also great if you are trying to find the sound and tone you want. You don't have to go through several pedals to find it. Or if you change your mind on how you want something to sound, it's all at your finger tips. I would recommend this pedal to anyone Who likes a good distorted tone. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: evill22, on february 02, 2007

Price paid: $ 100

Purchased from: music 123

Ease of Use: This has to be the best distortion pedal that DigiTech has created. It has the sounds from such famous guitar effects as the Ibanez TS-9, Boss DS-1, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, Digi-Tech Metal Master, the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, and a few more. Another awesome feature is the capability to control your own equalizer, which adds an edge to all of the distortion models. The manual that comes with it doesn't spell out exactly how to use the pedal, but you can pretty much figure that out on your own, it's extremely easy just to get going. // 10

Sound: I use my Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 and a Vox DA15 amp with this. As some of you may know, the DA15 has many effects already on the amp itself, but when you use the Distortion Factory with this amp, for some reason it cancels out all of the effects on the amp, so it sounds the exact same as it would on all clean settings. I can get the sound of so many artists with this, from classic rock, to alternative, to metal, which is definitely awesome! // 8

Reliability & Durability: I have used this effect in so many gigs, and it has never let me down even once, which is amazing, since I've had it for over 3 years, with countless gigs a year. It has never ceased to amaze me at all, and I'm still finding out new sounds with this. This has to be the most dependable effect pedal that I own. // 10

Impression: I usually play classic and modern styles of rock. Sometimes metal and alternative. This pedal would fit the needs of any musician, beginner, or professional. If this effects went missing, I would without hesitation, go out and buy another one. I wish that I could use some of the effects on my DA15 with it, but with the exception of the, this is a perfect effect pedal. // 8

overall: 10

Reviewed by: badhabit000, on october 25, 2006

Purchased from: Beacocks

Ease of Use: This distortion pedal has all the basic distortion you need. All's you do is turn the knobs to ur personal settin gand bam! You can geet from Metallica to nirvana to even the Offspring! If you want a sorta punk raw sound you ca turn the mid gain and mid freq up and you got a loose sound. It comes with a manuel which doesn't tell you what to set to but it shouldn't be too difficult. // 10

Sound: I use a Squier Bullet and a Peavey adoution 110 and this pedal blew me away! It doesn't really get noisy unless you don't play (feedback) but besides that it's rally clear sound. I use the 5th setting (Boss Metal Zone) and it's always strong but the 1st setting (Ibanez) is pretty weak though. I can get anything from Metallica espcailly to the Offspring to any really heavy metal or punk sound. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I could depend on this thing with my life. I would use this anyday without a back up because this baby kickass. when I stomped on my RP100A it actully powered out so it broke and this baby I stomp on as jard as I want and it doesn't power out or anything else. // 10

Impression: I play from mexican clean stlye to metal to punk and eveerything in between. And this pedal perfectly suited me the day I bought it. I've benn using it for about a month and this thing is gonna last me a long time. If it were lost or stolen I would hunt the sucker who stole stick my foot up his ass so hard that his nose will bleed. I would aslo buy it again as well. I was thinking about buying a Rocktron but this beauty got me hooked. I don't really wish it had anything else except maybe a manuel for noobs. // 10

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: Rock Boy, on november 02, 2006

Price paid: $ 183

Purchased from: Tabs

Ease of Use: This pedal is easy to understand and it will not take long time to find out how to us the level, low, mid, mid freq, high and gain knobs to get the sound that suits you. The pedal features 7 of the best distortion pedals of all time. You can play almost all kinds of music with this single pedal! // 10

Sound: I am running it through a Ibanez RG370Â×, and the sound is awesome! I play all from classic rock to punk to metal and this pedal has got it all. The models are modelled after the best distortion pedals of all time and almost all of the models sounds like the original units. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It is made of carbon, which makes it dureable and strong. It has got a rubber base underneath which pretends against marks and slippery floor. It is great, but one day I was removing the battery, the battery ripped of the power leaders, which means I can't use batteries any more. I'm using a ac adaptor now, and it's fine with that. // 7

Impression: The overall impression is fabolous. The sound is mean and there is a low noise rate unless you have the Metal Zone preset and turn gain and high at 11. Almost the perfect pedal. I have been using it for a half year now and I'm not gonna switch to another dist. pedal. Absolutely recommended! You might wanna buy an ac adaptor in case the power leaders breaks off. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Pantera90, on may 23, 2007

Purchased from: Fazio's Music: Frets And Friends

Ease of Use: Very easy to get a good sound out of it, I like all of the distortion pre-sets, but 5 really strikes a chord for me. Everything about it is easy to figure out, you can get so many differnet tones just by chaning one of the knobs, and so many more by fiddling with all of them. The manual pretty much told you anything you could figure out by looking at it, except one thing. To get to the 9 volt battery, you have to press in two side pins to lift off the foot switch. It wasn't apparant to me at first, but the associate at Fazio's told me about it and I also read it in the manual. You might need a small pen or a key to get the pins all the way in. // 9

Sound: Right now, I'm running an Ibanez RG 5EX 1 through this pedal, and this pedal has increased my sustain 3 times more than it used to be on a normal amp. I mainly run the pedal to my computer, because I really do not have a good amp at the moment, so it takes away from the sound of the pedal. It's a bit noisy when you leave your guitar volume up, or the footswitch down. You can just twist your volume down or turn the pedal off when you're not playing to eliminate noise. The effects are all very great. I can't really get close to much of the bands I listen to(Children Of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Pantera, Slayer, etc). I suppose the setting I like best is closest to CoB and Arch Enemy. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This pedal is extremely well built. I could definetely drop this in a speeding car and it would be operational. Now, if I ran over it, I don't think it would wistand that. Haha, well that's common sense. It's made out of metal, so it's not the lightest pedal out there. If I had the power cable, I would use it at a gig. The 9 volts are just too much of a hassle to have to replace it over, and over. Especially if it dies during a song, you're screwed. // 8

Impression: I play all kinds of metal, some punk, a lot of rock and this pedal covers all three perfectly. I've been playing for a year and a half but I practice as much as humanly possible. I can play a vast majority of Pantera songs, a few of the solos included. I can play a few Arch Enemy solos, also, I'll just leave that as is. I have no regrets about buying this pedal. I am almost 100% satisfied, once I get the power adapter, I will be fully happy with it. If it were lost or stolen, I'd definetely save and buy another. My least favorite feature is the 9 volt. I know all pedals run on them, but this baby drains them in under a day, even if you're not using the damn thing. I had it sitting at home after I bought it, and when I got home from school it was dead. Just a tad bit annoying. Overall, I think this pedal is going to be in my set-up for many years, and I think it will last the time without problems. // 9

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: iSlash, on june 11, 2007

Ease of Use: This pedal is quite a great pedal in my opinion. Along with the instructions on how to use the pedal, it comes with DigiTech's full guide to all of their pedals and settings. To get a good sound out of it is up to the user, but it is very easy to get a sound out of it whether good or bad. There were no editing patches mentioned at all when I read the manual. I found the manual incredibly useful to me as this was my first pedal. It told you which each knob did, how to connect this to your guitar and amp. I haven't upgraded mine and I don't see a need too. // 10

Sound: I'm using the pedal through my Mexican Fender Telecaster and my Fender Frontman 15G. Since I have only practiced in my house, my amps on a low volume but the sound is still lound even in between 1&2 on the amp and level full on the pedal so it would get noisy if I turn my amp up. The distortion models are: the Ibanez TS-9, DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250, Boss DS-1 Distortion, Pro Cat Rat, Boss MT-2 Metal Zone, DigiTech Metal Master, and Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi. I have found that some of the distortion models are quite similiar apart from a couple. I find that I can get my favourite guitarist, Slash, sound quite well when I get it to the right settings. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I find that the pedal is very reliable and has a lot of durability. It's been knocked around and all I've seen is a bit of weathering on the corners. I wouldn't trust it on a battery as it does not last too long so I would use a 9 volt adapter instead. I'd use it on a gig without a backup as long as I have my adapter. // 9

Impression: I mostly play music of the style of Guns N' Roses as they are my favourite band. I find that this pedal really gives me that tone I need for songs by them. I have been playing for 2 years and I own a Fender Squier Affinity Strat, my DigiTech Distortion Factory, Fender Frontman 15G and my most recent Mexican Fender Telecaster. If it were stolen/lost I'd probably get it but maybe along with a different pedal (a Dunlop SW-95 Crybaby Slash Wah perhaps; ]). I love the fact that it has 7 different models as it is exactly just like having 7 pedals in one. It'd might be useful to have 2 of these just to use 2 of the models at once. // 9

Comments

[idefix]

It would be perfect with a morph knob in the 'metal master' setting

[PyroPlegic]

i'm a beginner looking for a good distortion pedal...can anyone give me any advice on what to get?

[PLUCK]

i got one of those

[PyroPlegic]

thanks, i think i'll save and buy it.

[Phantom_Lord783]

This pedal is awesome!

[PyroPlegic]

i got this pedal afew weeks ago...with its versatility i'll have to live forever to try out the different sounds!

[Dithindious]

I've only used a few pedals but this is the first one ive bought and judging by the way it makes my fairly cheap guitar sound good then i will never need to buy another! Just make sure to buy an adaptor it's worth the money in hassle!

[NoSoupForYou711]

dude i've had this pedal since like December, it has been a ****ing monster since then, I've never heard better distortions from just a single stomp box ever holy shit.

[zacky gates]

wow, i was just gonna buy the ds-1, but now i saw this and crap i gotta save up more frikin money...

[metallicax]

does this thing sound like the boss MT-2 (metal zone) cuz if it does looks like im getting one

[emohunter136]

if u want something that sounds like the mt-2, why dont you just get the mt-2?

[Abyssal]

The Metal Muff owns any digitech distortion pedal by a long shot.. If your going to buy a pedal over 100$, test it out before you buy it.

[the.spine.surfs]

But you don't get as wide a range of sounds. There's a reason they call this a "distortion factory". I've played around with one, and it's monsterously versatile. That being said, the tones are slightly...digital, but don't worry about that unless you can hear the differance between mahagony and basswood.

[zerowing]

could use a noise gate...haha but thats my opinion

good pedal in anycase
it does have a wide range of sounds, seven models but you can tweak those with bass, mid, mid freq, and high equalizer. the metal models dont really need tweaking, just leave it to the preset and you're fine
the others require a bit of playing around to get the right sound

[da\/e]

holy shit ! rock on ive found my heaven in a box. i need this bastard . ive got a digitech grunge pedle(rocks if you like nirvana)but this looks awesome i need a more metal pedal.

[CorkHunter]

want

[hattrick2190]

got

checked

[vamprocker]

cool

[epiphonedemon]

If it has digitech on it ...buy it !!!

[Rizzif]

Abyssal and metallicax, the metal muff and the mt-2 sound can be pulled out of this pedal, I own one for a while now, and I have to say, it makes all the sounds a metal/rock/alternative/blues guitar player would ever need.

[skull78]

im getting one soon

[C_majzer]

I own one of these. for me, I mostly use the TS-9 setting w/ the gain all the way down to boost/eq/color my main distortion: xmm Metal Master, the result: super Heavy metal! or just a simple mellow great blues tone w/ out the XMM. translated: I can not only get every sound out of it, but also switch from sound to sound very quickly! the DF-7 even has setting were you can hold the pedal down for a few seconds & the LED light flashes you can switch from one distortion to the next! by just steping on it twice!

[KileManA7X]

Got mine for 50 bucks

[skull78]

i have one..

if you get it

get the ac adapter!

you WILL need it!

[AustinSG]

this is the greatest distortion pedal ever made
so versitile. great sound. especially through marshall jcm 900
and gibson sg

[kidboy]

THIS THING IS AMAZING.... thats all i have to say

[joshgiesbrecht]

I traded the DigiTech "Death Metal" pedal for this one... This one was $50 more.. But I don't regret a thing.. This pedal is amazing. Each different distortion is great.. All the different distortion pedals in this sound VERY official. I am very impressed with it and do NOT regret spending the extra money.. If I lost this.. I wouldn't hesitate to get another one!!! GET THIS PEDAL.. If you love Blues, Metal, Classic Rock/Metal.. even grunge.. Get this pedal!!!

[AnxietyAngel]

PyroPlegic wrote:

i'm a beginner looking for a good distortion pedal...can anyone give me any advice on what to get?

U Should Get This Pedal, Theres So Many Sounds U Can Get With Just This One Little Pedal!

[AnxietyAngel]

Can Anyone Tell Me How To Get A Sound Like Metallica's First Three Albums...Anyone...Please!

[billytalentROKS]

i have this pedal and it worked for the first couple of days but now i can play it for up to 40 seconds before each battery dies.

[GozitanThrasher]

I love this pedal

[Blade686]

I have this pedal, and it's OK.

[mr. ...]

IF YOU HAVE A DIGITAL AMP DONT GET THIS PEDAL. sounds great in any tube amp though

[filthylittleboy]

AnxietyAngel wrote:

Can Anyone Tell Me How To Get A Sound Like Metallica's First Three Albums...Anyone...Please!

turn OFF the mid's.

[Grant_G]

hey i have this pedel.. when you buy it it comes woth a lil digitech booklet that shows all the modes and what to set it at. i have now lost the book.. if anyone can take a picture of the page if they have the book or find it on the web cuz iv searched and can not find it anywhere.

thxs alot
much appreciated

[Chrom2245]

ok i had an mt-2 and am considering this one. my question is, whoever saw the demo for the mt-2 with gary linear where he demonstrates his 7 pedals, im wondering what the settings are for when he activates the mt-2, that really aggresive sound!

[beno_guitar9]

does anybody know any sounds on this pedal?
btw... the pedal is great if you want to make youre coustom sounds, but it's hard to find sounds of famous guitar players and bands so thet is a -

[GS LEAD 5]

This pedal's nice,but sucks battery big time.

[EpiExplorer]

A hint for all pedal/battery idiots: Take the cables out after using it