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Digitech Whammy 5th Gen
- Thread starter naufal6161
- Start date
I tried it at the shop this weekend. The one key difference is that the new one can handle chords better than the old. It still sounds artificial and digital, but that's not a deal-breaker for me. If I had a burning need for a Whammy again, I'd get the new one.
Does chords? Hmm...might have to pick one up somewhere down the line. Probably wouldn't gig with it because it's gigantic, but wouldn't mind having another one for other purposes, especially if it does chords.
I got a Whammy 5th Gen last week and love it!
Have had the Bass Whammy and 2 Whammy IV's so am familiar with the previous Gen's apart from the WH-1. The Classic mode is very similar to the IV, shifts very fast runs with ease and glitches nicely if you want it to. With the Chord mode, the glitching is gone for the main part and allows some quite complex chord voicings without issues and smooth transitions with the treadle.
More importantly, I'm overjoyed that there are these 2 modes plus the following:
Smoother shifts/travel on the treadle.
Standard 9v DC power (instead of AC which required their adaptor)
Is 'slightly' smaller by around an inch top to bottom.
Has Auto-calibration.
More harmony/shift options (not including the one that the Tool fan-boys are after
).
It rocks and the 'digital-ness' has never been an issue for how I use it, especially with a delay or reverb after.
Hope this helps!
Have had the Bass Whammy and 2 Whammy IV's so am familiar with the previous Gen's apart from the WH-1. The Classic mode is very similar to the IV, shifts very fast runs with ease and glitches nicely if you want it to. With the Chord mode, the glitching is gone for the main part and allows some quite complex chord voicings without issues and smooth transitions with the treadle.
More importantly, I'm overjoyed that there are these 2 modes plus the following:
Smoother shifts/travel on the treadle.
Standard 9v DC power (instead of AC which required their adaptor)
Is 'slightly' smaller by around an inch top to bottom.
Has Auto-calibration.
More harmony/shift options (not including the one that the Tool fan-boys are after
). It rocks and the 'digital-ness' has never been an issue for how I use it, especially with a delay or reverb after.
Hope this helps!
It always baffles me that the newer whammys don't have that "Tool fanboy setting" on them. I don't care about covering the whole two Tool songs that use that setting but I do care about it for my purposes. The 5th/Oct setting is probably the most useful and LOGICAL harmony setting aside from Oct down/Oct up setting.
bassgiant15
Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
- Dec 19, 2005
- 2,074
- 1,459
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector Basses
What Digitech should have done is as follows:
For the harmony section, instead of one knob to select preset ranges, have two knobs to set the toe up/down limits. For instance, the left knob, which would be accompanied by an LCD display, would be turned clockwise to fifth up, and the right would be turned clockwise to octave up. The default position would be the noon position. I envision a two-octave down, two-octave up harmony.
To select the settings on the Whammy, the trademark knob would remain, but only for Detune, Harmony and Whammy. The Whammy setting would send you back to the left harmony knob, where turning clockwise sends your pitch-shift up in range, and counterclockwise range down. Detune acts as before. The Whammy V has a toggle switch for chords and not chords, and we'll keep that.
I'd make the treadle a little larger. Some of us DON'T have size 7 shoes. Or, if you're not American, size 40.
For the harmony section, instead of one knob to select preset ranges, have two knobs to set the toe up/down limits. For instance, the left knob, which would be accompanied by an LCD display, would be turned clockwise to fifth up, and the right would be turned clockwise to octave up. The default position would be the noon position. I envision a two-octave down, two-octave up harmony.
To select the settings on the Whammy, the trademark knob would remain, but only for Detune, Harmony and Whammy. The Whammy setting would send you back to the left harmony knob, where turning clockwise sends your pitch-shift up in range, and counterclockwise range down. Detune acts as before. The Whammy V has a toggle switch for chords and not chords, and we'll keep that.
I'd make the treadle a little larger. Some of us DON'T have size 7 shoes. Or, if you're not American, size 40.
^^^ That's basically what Mooer Audio did with their SuperBender pedal - a Whammy with customizable presets. Would have been a Whammy killer except for the fact that its affected voice sounds more like a Boss PS-2 than a Whammy.
I'll stick with my Pitchfactor.
I'll stick with my Pitchfactor.
The Mooer, on paper, is amazing, but it sounds less than amazing. I don't know if mine was bunk or not, but the octave shifts seemed wavering and out of tune. Certainly PS-2 like. Looks incredible though...
As much as I love the Pitchfactor (and my Eclipse prior to that), the tracking still can't touch the Whammy. Plus, you don't need to have a seperate expression pedal (costing even more money) as all is in one unit. As for the other functions of the Pitchfactor, the Whammy can't touch those, but it also doesn't cost even half as much.
Seems to only ever be complaints about what isn't on a pedal whenever seething new comes out and in reality how many of these 'special' functions ever be used in a band situation? I'd like to commend Digitech for concentrating on the actual tracking and improvements in power/bypass issues of old. It does what it does very well and if you don't like that there are alternatives for more money elsewhere.
Seems to only ever be complaints about what isn't on a pedal whenever seething new comes out and in reality how many of these 'special' functions ever be used in a band situation? I'd like to commend Digitech for concentrating on the actual tracking and improvements in power/bypass issues of old. It does what it does very well and if you don't like that there are alternatives for more money elsewhere.
Still doesn't excuse them leaving out the oct/5th, IMO, though. It's the ONE thing people have been asking them for and yet they won't give it to them. It just seems really, really, really silly of them.
This is very true! According to their thread, they weren't aware of how popular this setting is so I wonder how they did their market research?
I don't think they read the Bass forums enough!
I don't think they read the Bass forums enough!
This is very true! According to their thread, they weren't aware of how popular this setting is so I wonder how they did their market research?
I don't think they read the Bass forums enough!
I guess not
Nope, mine's the same way. I thought that maybe it was just because I got one of the very first ones after being in contact with their rep for about a year after it was initially announced, but no. Such high hopes, dashed.
And to Andy Will, I'm not sure what you mean about the Whammy (at least the IV, IME) tracking better than the Pitchfactor. Did you set the proper Input Instrument on it?
I tried everything suggested (including software updates/owning 2 seperate models). On slower stuff the Pitchfactor is great but on faster runs it has a tiny lag plus isn't as 'sharp/aggressive'. This isn't a knock on Eventide as I love their stuff, but even the Eclipse had the same softer approach.
Again this is a matter of different flavours of Pitchshifting.
Anyway, back to the Whammy V. Let me know if anyone would like to know any thee details.
Again this is a matter of different flavours of Pitchshifting.
Anyway, back to the Whammy V. Let me know if anyone would like to know any thee details.
