The Keeley Monterey packs a vintage fuzz circuit and three completely different modulation effects into one pedal. They’re all built around a 1960s psychedelic vibe, the name being more than a passing nod to the famous 1967 festival.
The Monterey is really two independent sections sharing an enclosure – fuzz and modulation that can be
run separately, together, or in either order.
Key Features
- Vintage-style fuzz built around Fairchild Semiconductor silicon transistors because it avoids the temperature instability of germanium while keeping the classic tone
- Three switchable modulation modes: Rotary (Leslie speaker simulation), Vibe (pulsating modulation in the style of the classic Shin-ei design), and Wah (fixed, auto, or harmonic wah depending on the Depth setting)
- Octave control adds octave-up or octave-down to the Vibe and Wah modes, with a synth-like character on the low octave
- Independent footswitches for Fuzz and Modulation
- Rear-panel order switch to select Fuzz / Modulation order in signal chain
- TRS expression pedal input, controlling Rate (Rotary/Vibe) or frequency (Wah)
- 9V DC centre negative, 75mA
- Ships in one of 12 randomly assigned graphic finishes — no way to choose which one you’ll get
Two Sections, Five Ways to Combine Them
The fuzz side is a classic two-knob circuit that is responsive and touch-sensitive. it works well with both single-coil and humbucker-loaded guitars.
The three modulation modes each behave quite differently. Rotary mode simulates a Leslie-style rotating cabinet, with the drum and horn combined into one rich, chorused, tremolo-like sound. Here, the Octave knob doesn’t add pitch shift at all, it instead controls the volume of the simulated horn.
Vibe mode delivers a deep, pulsating modulation with genuine phaser-like complexity, and this is where the Octave control does its normal job, adding a doubling effect or a deep synth-bass character underneath.
Wah mode is the most flexible of the three: with the Depth knob off, you get a fixed wah tone controllable via the Rate knob, or a full sweeping wah pedal if you connect an expression pedal. Turn Depth up slightly and it becomes an auto-wah driven by your pick attack; then push it to get Keeley’s “Harmonic Wah,” a tremolo-like effect centred around wah frequencies.
With the rear-panel order switch, you can also run the Fuzz after the Modulation instead of before it, which opens up a different, more chaotic set of tones again.
Controls
Fuzz
- Level: Sets the output volume of the fuzz
- Fuzz: Sets the amount of fuzz
Modulation
- Level: Sets the output volume of the modulation effect
- Rate: Sets speed in Rotary/Vibe mode and the boosted frequency in Wah mode
- Depth: Dets modulation depth in Wah mode and selects between fixed wah, auto-wah, and Harmonic Wah depending on the setting
- Octave: Centre position is off; adds octave-down turning one way, octave-up the other, in Vibe and Wah modes. In Rotary mode, this knob instead sets the volume of the simulated horn/tweeter
- Mode toggle: switches between Rotary, Vibe, and Wah
- Order switch (rear panel): Sets whether Fuzz or Modulation comes first in the signal chain
Power
Runs on a standard 9V DC centre-negative supply and draws 75mA.
Who Is This For
Built for players chasing a genuine 1960s psychedelic palette without needing three or four separate pedals to get there!
Watch The Keeley Monterey In Action
FAQs
It creates 1960s inspires effects by combining a vintage-style fuzz with three switchable modulation effects — Rotary, Vibe and Wah
A standard 9V DC centre-negative supply at 75mA
True bypass.
Yes, they have independent footswitches. Also, a rear-panel switch selects if fuzz or modulation is first inthe signal chain.
In Vibe and Wah modes, it adds octave-up or octave-down to your signal, with the centre position off. In Rotary mode, it controls the volume of the simulated speaker horn instead of adding any pitch shift.
No. The Monterey ships in one of 12 randomly assigned graphic designs, and there’s no way to request a specific one.
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