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Digitech Whammy
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The DigiTech Whammy is a pitch-shifter effects pedal manufactured by DigiTech. It gives musicians the ability to shift the pitch of their electric guitar up or down in real time by rocking a treadle pedal up and down with their foot, similar to how a wah pedal affects the tone of a guitar based on the position of the treadle.
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Searched Digitech Whammy in Reviews
Pedal has a very specific purpose but does what it does well and is solidly built. 
| Ease Of Use |
The Digitech Whammy pedal is extremely easy to use, jack in one side, jack out the other and two toggle controls on the board. One control effectively turns the pedal on and off and the other control adjusts the function of the pedal.
The idea behind this pedal is pretty simple; Take your guitar's sound and pitch shift it using a special algorithm, then control that pitch with an expression pedal (from the horses mouth).
What this basically equates to is setting a function on the pedal itself to adjust the pitch of your guitar tone, then use the rocker foot switch to alter the signal to the degree you want.
Dependant on function the rocker foot switch controls how much input and effect the pedal has on your guitar signal. Fully depressed the pedal is engaged 100%, fully rocked to the heel position the pedal has the least effect on your signal. Easy no?
I've never used it myself but the pedal slso supports MIDI controls allowing the functions to be changed via a separate footswitch / process elsewhere. Maybe useful for someone that relies on midi patches to alter settings on kit they own.
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| Sound |
The pedal boasts 6 Whammy modes including the ability to shift 2 entire octaves upward.
This functionality was used by artists such as Dimebag Darrell on the song Becomming, Joe Satriani on songs such as Searching and Cool#9 and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine on various songs.
The pedal also allows 10 modes for what it calls "Harmony Bend modes" including the functionality to push tones 2 to 3 steps higher simulating pedal steel bends. There are also standard modes such as adding harmonies along the lines of standard minor 3rds, major 3rds or 5ths.
The pedal also provides a function allowing the foot switch controls to provide dive bombs and bends for players that don't have a floating bridge installed.
The only thing to mention is that without using MIDI, you will actively have to bend down and adjust the setting on the pedal manually via the control. This is because only a single control is used to select all functions of the pedal and you can only use one function at a particular time. Maybe something that is not terribly practical in the slightest but this is potentially where MIDI becomes very useful.
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| Reliability |
It's never broken on me, seems very sturdily made out of thick metal.
The paint hasn't so much as chipped, built like a tank.
Functionality wise it has never failed on me either, it just seems to work.
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| Customer Support |
I have not had to deal with Digitech so I can not comment.
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| Liked about it |
Provides lots of functions for playing with the sound of your guitar, works just as it describes and does the job that nothing else on the market seems to do very well.
Built like a tank and it's red. I like red.
Includes a power supply with the unit which is highly needed, so that's good.
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| Didn't like |
Really need to utilise MIDI controls for the unit if you plan on using this for multiple functions.
Without the power supply this thing will eat batteries pretty quickly. So er, use it.
Not so keen on having one control dial for every single function allowing only 1 to be selected at once.
At least splitting the whammy and harmony functions into 2 banks would have been better and adding a foot switch to control switching to either whammy or harmony would be great.
The price is high for something that can only do one function at a time.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Digitech Whammy Pedal
| Ease Of Use |
Very easy to use. Main thing is just sitting down with this pedal and figuring out what sounds good to you. It's not tough to figure out the tones you're looking for. Just takes some time to find the right one.
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| Sound |
I run this into every amp I've got when I use them. So it sounds good on all of them. However, like most effects pedals. It will sound better into a tube amp. Solid states, and even hybrids don't bring out this pedals true color. I would say the pitch shifting qualities of this pedal are good. Probably a little better than my Boss PS-5, which is supposed to be a intelligent pitch shifter. However, it can get a little overwhelmed with more than two strings at a time. Same with the Digitech, it can get overwhelmed but it sounds good when it does.
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| Reliability |
It's reliable and durable. I would gig with it and not worry about a backup. No problems so far and it bought it used. So I don't know what it had to endure before me. However, it works flawless for me at the moment.
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| Customer Support |
Never used Digitech's service.
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| Liked about it |
Durable, good tone and plenty of options
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| Didn't like |
has to have it's own power supply(you can't use your pedal board supply unless you get a different adapter end),
the price for these brand new is a little much. I got mine for $100 used and it works flawless. However, brand new I've seen these things as high as $225 and that's too much for a simple whammy pedal.
It does not have the circuitry switch over like Morley(i.e. Bad Horsie pedal) so you hear a click when you turn it on and off. Plus when it's engaged but not in use, it will tend to send a bit of a different signal to your amp, which changes your overall tone. So when I'm done using it, I just quickly shut it off.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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Great Tool If You Know What To Do With It. Otherwise Not Much Good.
| Ease Of Use |
The Digitech Whammy pedal is one of the most notorious guitar pedals to ever exist. Made famous by players like Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and 'Dimebag' Darrel Abbot of Pantera the Whammy is a fairly simplistic pitch shifter and octaver. Simply click the on/off switch to get the effect going (or not) and turn the dial to any of the many settings.
It's doubtful that many people will bother with the dry out or the midi, so in that case it's a relatively easy to use pedal.
Ease Of Use: 7/10
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| Sound |
The Whammy has had many iterations over the years. Many believe the Whammy 4 (as pictured) is the worst sounding of them all, but considering the others are either non-existent or cost hundreds of dollars due to being a collectors item you're either going to buy the Whammy 4 or not buying anything at all.
The unit does a very good job of acting as a pitch shifter. Simply select the pitch depth - up or down - and start goofing around. It's actually pretty hard to find an appropriate use for the Whammy but once you do you can really get some impressive playing going.
The bad part of the Whammy comes from the tracking of the octaves. Personally I love being able to kick in a couple extra low octaves as a way to enhance a passage in a song but you absolutely cannot cord with an octave and, as is the case with the Whammy 4, you really don't want to sustain a note too long. The octave tracking is simply too wobbly to sound good with sustained notes.
Lastly, the Whammy does not have true bypass (and cannot be modded for it due to it's internal design) and it's pretty easy to tell how it's altering your raw sound when disengaged. This may not be an issue for some, especially if you only have it in your chain for the specific song you are playing. But, if you're like me, where you like to 'set it and forget it' with your chain it can be a real downer.
Sound: (tonal quality) 7/10 (what it's meant to output) 9/10 - it's really the only true unit to do what it does.
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| Reliability |
The Whammy unit is entirely steel - pedal and all. Well, the dial is strong plastic but it can't be damaged if the unit falls, due to the knobs placement so it being plastic doesn't matter.
It's about as strong as one could hope for with a unit of this size.
Reliability: 9.5/10
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| Customer Support |
Digitech is a relatively good company as far as their customer support goes. They answer e-mails relatively quickly too, though don't expect in depth advice. They do honor their warranties without much issue but, as with a lot of the bigger companies, you probably shouldn't expect much help once your warranty runs out.
Customer Support: 7.5/10
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| Liked about it |
Top three things I like about the Whammy:
1)Great pitch shifter.
2)Tons of pitch shifting and octave options.
3)Built like a tank.
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| Didn't like |
Top three things I don't like about the Whammy:
1)Mediocre octave tracking.
2)Not true bypass.
3)Pedal smoothness leaves something to be desired.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Does a lot more than you thought
| Ease Of Use |
Nothing complicated here; just plug it in and play. It has a Dry Out, which you'll probably never use, and a MIDI In, which you'll almost certainly never use unless you play in a Muse tribute band.
One thing to note, it's mains adaptor (included) only on this one, no batteries allowed. The rotary knob selects the effect, the footswitch turns the unit on and off and the function of the treadle is dependent on the selected effect.
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| Sound |
The Whammy IV has a total of 17 different effects. You will use maybe 2 or 3 of them. Ever.
For country players, there are a series of harmony effects available. In these modes, the Whammy generates a harmony note along with your dry signal and the treadle shifts this harmony note between two fixed points for a faux-lapsteel effect.
There are also Detune and Deep Detune (think static chorus) effects to thicken up your tone, Drop Tune to drop everything a whole tone, and Dive Bomb, which actually makes a decent fist of diving any note into pitchless flubber. Not a substitute for a decent locking trem system but it works fine in a pinch.
Then there's the ones you'll use: One and 2 Octave Up and Down. Tom Morello, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Matt Bellamy, Jack White, you know the sort of thing.
Some people comment that the Whammy colours your tone significantly, or that it suffers from lag. Both of these problems I have encountered, and both can be solved by recalibrating the treadle (a simple procedure, described in the manual).
One thing you have to accept about the Whammy - it's a nasty sounding thing and you have to play around it. It's not an expensive rack harmoniser with an expression pedal attached. The overtones that come flying out at extreme pitch shifts are not necessarily what you would choose but they're part of the character of the pedal and a sanitised version just wouldn't be a Whammy.
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| Reliability |
It's big, heavy, solid and simple. I wouldn't be worrying about a backup unless I was a millionaire rockstar.
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| Customer Support |
I've never had to deal with Digitech.
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| Liked about it |
- It's THE Whammy pedal. It does what it does.
- If you can master it, it really does add a new dimension to your playing (watch Vai live to see what I mean).
- It's comfortably big and solid.
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| Didn't like |
- That characteristic Whammy warble will always be there. Deal with it.
- It offers a lot of features that many players will never use.
- That comfortable, big solid chunk of metal takes a up a lot of pedalboard real-estate.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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At second try...
| Ease Of Use |
This pedal has only one knob, so it's extremely easy to use.
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| Sound |
I use it with a Jem 77VBK and an ICT700 on a Randall RG50TC amp. the sound is great, even if it tend to change a bit the tone, thing that I don't like. It incorporates a pitch shifter, a detuner and an harmonizer, with 13 presets in total. I use mainly the whammy (pitch shifter) function and the detuner function, which is a kind of chorus/tremolo like sound. for an example of its sound, listen to Searching of Joe Satriani, or something from RATM.
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| Reliability |
I received this as a present for my 18th birthday. My guitarist told me that it was used, because they didn't have it new, but that i could change it for a new one with a little expense, like 20-30 euros. At first I said "I don't mind if it's used, as long as it works". when I tried it, the knob selected casually the presets, it went back when I turned it forth, and when i turned back as well, the pedal didn't rest on the initial position, falling a bit and changing the pitch of a semitone when there was no foot on it. So I changed it and the new one is perfect. I don't know if I should mention it, but the old one was made in USA and the new one is made in china (both WH-4). the pedal itself it's well built, it's not one of that plastic pedals around, but it's made of metal and I'm sure it can last long.
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| Customer Support |
I've never dealt with the company.
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| Liked about it |
-the sound is unique, and it's interesting if you want to change a bit your playing.
-it's well built
-it's extremely easy to use
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| Didn't like |
-a true bypass would be a great thing for this effect, because as said, it tends to change the tone
-you can't chord with it, it will give back an awful sound
nothing more
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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Fun to be had
| Ease Of Use |
Nothing complicated at all on this pedal, just turn the setting nob to what you want, turn it on, and go crazy! I've been borrowing a friends for the last few months and it's probably one of the easiest effects I've ever used. I don't think there is a real danger of over using this kind of effect
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| Sound |
The Sound from setting to setting varies a bit, the one octave up whammy sounds awesome, the two octave not so much...The the whammy down one and two octave are great, so is the divebomb! After that comes some more interesting sounds. There is the drop tune which brings your current tuning down one step (which I use more then most of the other effects), then the detune which is buest for a cool chorus kind of sound, and last a ton of harmony settings! To get a Hendrixy tone put the Whammy on the octave up harmony, in your effects chain before the distortion...Very sweet!
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| Reliability |
I would totally trust this for a gig...It's built like a tank! You just have to remember to turn it off when you're done using it.
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| Liked about it |
It sounds great, it's easy to use, it's one of the coolest guitar effects out there.
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| Didn't like |
You can't really chord with any of the settings...But that just comes with pitch altering effects anyway.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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More than just a Whammy!
| Ease Of Use |
Using this thing is a walk in the park once you calibrate it right out of the box (very important!) The manual is straightforward, and honestly there is no need to go in depth. It's pretty self-explanatory.
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| Sound |
I'm using my Ibanez JEM7V, 2011 model, running it through a Line 6 Flextone. It sounds great through high gain and low as well, but I prefer a little more distortion.
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| Reliability |
This thing is as heavy as a tank (3.5 lbs!), which i love. It can withstand pretty much everything you throw at it. I expect this pedal to last me a while.
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| Liked about it |
I love the 2 octaves up setting, the range is incredible. I also like the harmonizer functions as well, lots of possibilities there.
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| Didn't like |
The only thing I don't like about this pedal is the fact that the AC adapter is different than what my other pedals have.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.5 |
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I was expecting more...WAY MORE
| Ease Of Use |
If you can move your foot you can use this pedal. Not having a separate switch to bounce through sounds was a big time bummer. "Turn the dial" while playing live sucks...made me feel like a goof.
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| Sound |
I used this pedal through an Orange Rocker 30 head and Orange 2x12 cab.
Ibanez Prestige guitar with Dimarzio pickups and cables.
It is the most digital sounding pedal I have ever heard.
I couldn't stand how it sounded. Sounds like two cats fighting.
The pitch shifting was cool but the "dive bombing" effect is so lame.
If you have ever heard the song Becoming by Pantera you get an idea what this pedal is for.
It really sounds like a cat with its tail shut in a door.
I kept hearing some kind of "white noise" when it was on also....no thank you!
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| Reliability |
I played one gig with this pedal and sold it shortly after....not my cup of tea if you will.
Feels like it is built really well actually. That is one plus.
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| Customer Support |
Didn't have it long enough to call anyone.
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| Liked about it |
I liked the looks.
I liked the idea.
That is all I got.
If you are looking for that crazy "Dime" sound....this will help....good luck with the dial though.
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| Didn't like |
Didn't like the sound...THE SOUND WAS BAD! Too digital for me.
This pedal needs a second foot switch to bounce through the sounds if you are gonna use it live.
Remove the dial and have someone put a switch in its place.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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2.5 |
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Amazing pedal, deserves its reputation
| Ease Of Use |
Incredibly easy to use. one knob to change the effect, and a button to turn it on. no nonsense involved, simply use the rocker to change the pitch of your guitar, or add harmonies depending on what the knob is set to. The unit comes with an instruction manual, warranty info, and a small catalog of other Digitech items. In my opinion, none of these are necessary. the design is foolproof, so there's no real need for the manual unless you plan on using the MIDI feature. The pedal is built like a tank, and hasn't broken despite many times being dropped.
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| Sound |
I use this with every guitar and amp that i own, and it never ceases to create the amazing sounds that it's known for making.
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| Reliability |
This is no doubt my most reliable pedal I own. i have never had any problems with it, and it's hard to accidentally mess up the settings considering the simplicity of the design
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| Customer Support |
I have nothing to say here, due to the fact that I have never dealt with the Digitech company
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| Liked about it |
~Foolproof design
~Built like a tank
~Unique sound, really brings a solo over the top
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| Didn't like |
~no battery compartment? either that, or I haven't found it yet
~hard to change settings while playing, have to stop for a second to bend over and move the knob yourself, unless you have enough money to throw around buying multiple pedals that are exactly the same
~limited use: sounds amazing, but use it everywhere and the novelty wears off quickly
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
 By Jet9 Jul 29, 2010
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A great little invention
| Ease Of Use |
This pedal is one of the easiest products out on the market to use. On the right hand side of the pedal is a knob for selecting the desired pitch. Below that is a foot switch to activate the pedal or not.
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| Sound |
Over all I think this pedal sounds great. It does tent to color your sound a little bit but I've gotten used to it.
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| Reliability |
On a scale of one to ten I would give it a ten for reliability. I've owned mine for ten years and have never had any problems.
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| Customer Support |
I've never had to contact anyone from customer support.
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| Liked about it |
There are many things that I like about this product. First it's build like a tank. This thing can take a beating and keep on working. It's super easy to use and it sound amazing!
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| Didn't like |
I wish it had true bypass. even when it is not on it still colors your sound a little. I wish it also had two switches so you could toggle up and down through the presets instead of bending down to switch through them.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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Good Whammy Pedal
| Ease Of Use |
The pedal is very easy to use, as you can only select several modes by rotating the rotary switch.
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| Sound |
The sound is good. Think of "Cool #9" by Joe Satriani. The pedal itself is decent but sometimes it can't track certain notes as well as the Whammy I or II would. The pedal can be a bit noisy, so make sure to get some decent cables to plug it into your rig.
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| Reliability |
The pedal itself is dependable and if taken care of, it won't break. The casing of the pedal is made out of metal and it is a bit on the heavy side when comparing it to the Whammy II.
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| Customer Support |
I haven't had to call for customer support.
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| Liked about it |
It's red
It can get me close to getting Satriani sounds
It can open the possibilities for getting creative
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| Didn't like |
It has a big power supply
It will eat batteries
It should be copper shielded
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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Sweet when used properly
| Ease Of Use |
Get to know this pedal and it can work very well for you. Octaves up or down it is a great toy.
From playing Gilmour to Vai you'd be happy with one of these.
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| Sound |
I always use it on WET cause brings more nastyness out.
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| Reliability |
the only thing I don't like with pedals is that the power supply is always sold separetely
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| Liked about it |
love the presets
it's not too bulky
delivers if you know how to make it
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| Didn't like |
when the power is on the pedal is always on, I like to switch it on myself, besides that it is just great
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Take a second look at this pedal . It's worth it.
| Ease Of Use |
The pedal is very personal in the way you use it. Let me explain.
It is sort of like a crybaby in the way that it lets you express you playing.
No two players will have the same exact style with it .
It is a blast to mess around with and has endless possibilities.I use alot of the one octave up in whammy mode and six octaves up in harmony mode.
It wont take you long to get used to it, you just have to give it a fair chance.
One thing hard to do is calibrate it but that is pretty easy if you follow these instructions.
First unplug the pedal . Then hold the bypass switch and don't let go. Then plug it in and wait until the lights stop blinking . Then let go of the switch and move the pedal all they way back, the forth, then back. Finally hit the bypass switch once and you're done.
This will make it in tune , except for the heel side or towards you. To fix this you will need to take the rubber bushings out from under the heel . This will make it in tune to match the bypassed sounds. I put the bushings on wax paper to keep the glue fresh (the glue is easy to remove the bushings and resticks for later use to calibrate the pedal again with them on).
Put them somewhere safe in a bag for later use.
Now you will notice the pedal tracks better and stays in tune perfectly, thanks to removing the bushings it has better travel now and sounds amazing.
Before i had to mash the heel very hard to keep it in tune with the bypassed signal.
This is by far the neatest pedal you will ever use .Just give it a chance and mess with it and you will see what i mean.
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| Sound |
This thing sounds amazing and is very necessary for Tom morelli stuff.
The sound clip below called whammy demo is a rhythm with the harmony effect and six octaves up.The solo is whammy mode one octave up.
The other sample is obvious but i used whammy mode one octave up.
like a stone solo.mp3 whammy demo .mp3 whammy demo .mp3 like a stone solo.mp3
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| Reliability |
I have not had any issues with the pedal and hope i never do i love it.
You will need to do the mod as i described above and you will love it too.
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| Customer Support |
I never talked with them due to me fixing the only issue myself.
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| Liked about it |
The pedal is the coolest pedal out of all my gear.It is awesome red and larger than the originalk whammy , which to me is better .
The sounds of this pedal is unmatched by any other and without it we would be missing out on some cool tones and songs.
It is like a crybaby in some senses , but way trippier. I can get some very neat tones that would be impossible with any thing else.
There are some great mods people are doing for these including true bypass, led indicators,crazy limiters , and some others. Just google it.
It comes with a special power supply and most pedals don't , you have to get one after the fact.
If you like Audioslave you have to get this.
Bucket head uses this too along with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.
I'm glad i gave it a second chance.
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| Didn't like |
Well it wouldn't calibrate properly in the beginning but i fixed it and the method is above.
It was bad to have to remove the bushing from the heel , but well worth it and i see no damage from it yet.
Having no truebypass is a bummer but easily fixed with a mod or a truebypass looper.It will rob your tone slightly not not too bad for me to get the mod.
The original is the holy grail and i don't know why companies have to redo something that was perfect, but for the price of the newer one vs. the original this one does the job just fine and is well worth the money.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
By andrewsfury Oct 17, 2009
Last updated: July 06, 2010
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internal use: spec19 spec237 spec582
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