Need help choosing a distortion box for under $100

[WordIsBorn79]

Hello Ladies & Germs,

My Bootzilla Bass Wah has a fuzz circuit on it, that sounds interesting, but it a little "out of control" when I play with it on. Also, if you've ever seen the pedal, the switch to turn on the "Fuzziness" is in quite possibly the worst spot, ever. So, I wanted to buy a distortion/overdrive/fuzz box for under $100.

My main goal is to simply have something that changes tonality a bit, and makes it sound more aggressive, but is also obvious to the listener. I am the bassist in a heavy metal & country band. So, after looking at Musician's Friend, I have narrowed them down to these:
DigiTech Bad Monkey
Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff
Boss ODB-3
DigiTech Bass Driver
MXR El Grande Bass Fuzz

Any other suggestions or tips? Also, if you own these pedals, and play in a band, how do they fare? Any help is appreciated.

[Jared Lash]

You've got a range of dirt boxes there that (based on accepted conventions in this forum) would be classified as overdrive, distortion and fuzz.

My thoughts on the ones you listed:

Digitech Bad Monkey - a great value overdrive pedal. Good for adding some grit to your tone but as an OD it's milder than any others you have listed.

Big Muff - Smooth fuzz box with a vintage tone. Scoops your mids (not good for metal) and is creamy rather than aggressive but a classic tone.

Boss ODB-3 - very industrial sounding distortion. Not subtle at all. Reports are that it sounds better in front of a tube amp but all of mine are SS so I don't know.

Digitech Bass Driver - Never tried it.

El Grande Bass Fuzz - Another fuzz but this one is more cutting and aggressive than the Big Muff. Not my cup of tea, but many like it.

Again, it really depends on what you want. For overdrive the Bad Monkey is a solid choice. But if you want fuzz or crunchy distortion (like a Tech 21 XXLB) those are very different sounds and would get you different recommendations.

[WordIsBorn79]

With that said, I think I am going to stray away from the Fuzz choices, as the Bootzilla already has a fuzz built it (and to me sounds decent). I guess what I am looking for is either a good overdrive or distortion.

[jufros]

Get the Humphrey Audio modded version of the Bad Monkey, the Badder Bass Monkey. I picked up one up in a trade just to try it out and was extremely impressed. Check ebay I think they go for $95.