If you're anything like me, then I know what you're thinking: Digitech= Digital, fake-sounding junk. Not anymore. The Digitech HardWire CM-2 finishes what Digitech began with the Bad Monkey, which is a great overdrive pedal in its own right. But the CM-2 offers tone quality that compares to the best on the market (and as a pedal maniac, I've owned wayyyy too many overdrive and distortion pedals, so in all humility, I know what I'm talking about) and flexibility that is rivaled by none in the market for anything close to the price.
  What makes the CM-2 so great is that, like several other reviews have mentioned, it's not just another tube-screamer clone. There is no distinct mid-range hump and slightly rolled off bass that tubescreamers (particularly the TS-9) are known to have. There is a lot of range to all the knobs; the level can add some serious boost, bass and treble knobs allow you to significantly change your tone if that's what you're after, or you can dial it to be more (but never completely) transparent. Also, the CM-2 has more gain on tap than most overdrive pedals; you can go from basically a clean boost to adding a surprising amount of saturation to your tone. Lastly, the classic vs. modified switch gives you the option of adding some gain and bass by switching from classic to modified.
  I've tested the CM-2 as both an overdrive to a clean channel Fender Hotrod Deville, and as a front-end boost to my Bugera 1990 (basically a Marshall JCM 900). The CM-2 sounds great in both applications. Over the clean channel of the Fender, it sounds very full and smooth. Even turned all the way up, the overdrive never sounded very "grainy" or fuzzy; it maintained warmed, organic, and tube-like. "Boutique-esque" is how I would characterize it. Great for blues playing, and I'm sure that playing with the tone knobs you could dial in some good country tones as well.
  However, I use it more as a front-end boost to my already-overdriven Bugera amp. In front of the lead channel, CM-2 serves to take my tone from hard-rock crunch territory to a more metal tone, with chunky bass and roaring highs that make palm-muted riffs sound as at home as if they were coming through a Peavey 6505.
  As a conclusion, I'm really pleased with the quality of the Digitech CM-2. Both the sound and build quality are top-notch, and for a price similar to or less than most quality overdrive pedals on the market, I highly recommend checking out the CM-2.
If you're anything like me, then I know what you're thinking: Digitech= Digital, fake-sounding junk. Not anymore. The Digitech HardWire CM-2 finishes what Digitech began with the Bad Monkey, which is a great overdrive pedal in its own right. But the CM-2 offers tone quality that compares to the best on the market (and as a pedal maniac, I've owned wayyyy too many overdrive and distortion pedals, so in all humility, I know what I'm talking about) and flexibility that is rivaled by none in the market for anything close to the price. What makes the CM-2 so great is that, like several other reviews have mentioned, it's not just another tube-screamer clone. There is no distinct mid-range hump and slightly rolled off bass that tubescreamers (particularly the TS-9) are known to have. There is a lot of range to all the knobs; the level can add some serious boost, bass and treble knobs allow you to significantly change your tone if that's what you're after, or you can dial it to be more (but never completely) transparent. Also, the CM-2 has more gain on tap than most overdrive pedals; you can go from basically a clean boost to adding a surprising amount of saturation to your tone. Lastly, the classic vs. modified switch gives you the option of adding some gain and bass by switching from classic to modified. I've tested the CM-2 as both an overdrive to a clean channel Fender Hotrod Deville, and as a front-end boost to my Bugera 1990 (basically a Marshall JCM 900). The CM-2 sounds great in both applications. Over the clean channel of the Fender, it sounds very full and smooth. Even turned all the way up, the overdrive never sounded very "grainy" or fuzzy; it maintained warmed, organic, and tube-like. "Boutique-esque" is how I would characterize it. Great for blues playing, and I'm sure that playing with the tone knobs you could dial in some good country tones as well. However, I use it more as a front-end boost to my already-overdriven Bugera amp. In front of the lead channel, CM-2 serves to take my tone from hard-rock crunch territory to a more metal tone, with chunky bass and roaring highs that make palm-muted riffs sound as at home as if they were coming through a Peavey 6505. As a conclusion, I'm really pleased with the quality of the Digitech CM-2. Both the sound and build quality are top-notch, and for a price similar to or less than most quality overdrive pedals on the market, I highly recommend checking out the CM-2.