So I finally bit the bullet and fulfilled a dream I've had since age 20...I got a Digitech Bass Whammy!! (...RI) When I first started learning to play songs by Tool, I always wondered what was going on with that weird effect I thought they used on guitar. It sounded cool, but I had no idea what it was. After spying out some Tool bass videos I found out about the Digitech Bass Whammy. I wanted one so badly, but when I read that they were discontinued and went for crazy money, I gave up hope for a long time. When I heard that a reissue might be coming out, I couldn't wait to see/hear the finished product.
Life gets in the way and it took me a while to find the right time to buy, but tonight was it. I got the LAST one they had at Guitar Center today and almost did cartwheels out the door. Played Disposition like 5796840 times on it just now, but I'll stick to what I've tried on it for this review.
First Impressions:
Well, hard to be unbiased since I've waited so long for this pedal. It was crazy to have a REAL one sitting there right under my foot. It's a nice, dark shade of blue and they went with the standard metal switch to turn the pedal on and off. Looks like they have a lot of options listed, but the format is pretty much the same as the old one was. Having seen people use one before, I wasn't that intimidated with the options, though I'll admit I went straight to the 5th up/ Oct up setting right off the bat lol. The cheesy font is just cool, I kind of like a pedal that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Tone:
Not sure what to say except that it's your tone, but changed. Some of the quintessential sounds from the Tool songs like Disposition come right out and sound like they should. Only tried this with my Ibanez SRX3EX, but it sounds great. It definitely sounds good, which will bring us to the next point...
Performance/Tweakability:
This is where it really shines. I think it was subtle and was meant to cover all bases, but the RI comes with a "classic" and "chords" setting. Put simply, the "classic" is supposed to be the exact same as the original Bass Whammy, while the "chords" setting is the modified version that is supposed to have enhanced tracking capabilities which is suitable for chording. It's a nice way of saying "Ok, if you want to say 'the original was better!', flip this switch and prepare to be wrong" lol. It doesn't take a golden ear to hear that the tracking is far superior on the "chords" setting. Even on single note basslines the difference is very audible. Nice that it's there, but I leave it on the "chords" setting. With that, you can pump out notes all over the place and it actually does a pretty good job. Closest thing I had to compare this to was the Boss whammy setting on the GT6-B. This spanks it like whining toddler.
There are several settings so you can't really "tweak" much, but there are certainly tons of options. Careful with the detune, you could really mess up a speaker with that stuff lol. All of them are clearly listed, though on a dark stage you might need a light to see what setting you are on.
Ease of Use:
It's not a hard pedal to figure out at all, people just might not know what setting they want to use right off the bat. It's fairly easy to choose one with the knob, but that brings me to one thing I don't like about the pedal. On the original you had a few footswitches to select which setting you wanted, this one has a nice little knob. Knob works great, but you gotta bend down to get to it on stage, which could get a little frustrating. Besides that, the pedal has a great sweep range and there is an on/off switch...really straightforward and easy to use. Now on the technique side, there is definitely a learning curve to actually USING the effect with the pedal. My calves are pathetic, so hopefully this will inspire some fitness on my end. Depending on the song, you will need to spend some time getting used to using this effect. If you are familiar with wahs or using volume pedals for swells, this won't be too hard. If you are like me and are just a "click and go" kind of guy, might want to spend some bench time with this to get comfy.
Build Quality:
Built like a tank, it's solid but not overtly heavy. Pedal seems smooth and stable, pretty much everything on here is made of metal and rubber. Comes with a power adapter (definitely a plus) and it's a right-angle plug as well!! While it is a side-mounted jack, I'm glad they at least thought to do the right-angle plug, lets me know they put some thought into this.
Value:
Well it's no $50 knockoff pedal, I got mine for $200 brand spanking new in box. You pay a good chunk, but you are getting the real deal and then some. Sometimes you can get something original and used for a cheaper price than a new reissue (like the Ampeg B-15), but that's definitely not the case here. Bass Whammys were going for sick crazy money (some around $1k) and the outcry from several Tool fanboys like myself was that they wanted something affordable. After clicking back and forth between the Classic and Chords settings, I can tell you this is money well spent. I would punch myself in the nads if I spent $500 on a used original and then this guy came out. Cannot express how smooth the tracking is in words, it just works, plain and simple as that. Without worrying about parts breaking down or the smell of stale beer on it, $200 doesn't sound like a bad deal to me at all.
Conclusion:
I don't think this is a pedal for the casual effects person. If you've got a tuner and a fuzz, this may or may not interest you. If it speaks to you and you'd love one, this is definitely the one to get. So many brand name guys are stepping up their game because of all the boutique competition. I'd liken this to my EHX Bass Big Muff Deluxe, it took some getting shamed by other builders, but they finally did it right and at a good price. I'd have a hard time thinking of what else could really improve on this pedal. Can't wait to re-organize my pedalboard and put this bad boy on there!!!
Life gets in the way and it took me a while to find the right time to buy, but tonight was it. I got the LAST one they had at Guitar Center today and almost did cartwheels out the door. Played Disposition like 5796840 times on it just now, but I'll stick to what I've tried on it for this review.
First Impressions:
Well, hard to be unbiased since I've waited so long for this pedal. It was crazy to have a REAL one sitting there right under my foot. It's a nice, dark shade of blue and they went with the standard metal switch to turn the pedal on and off. Looks like they have a lot of options listed, but the format is pretty much the same as the old one was. Having seen people use one before, I wasn't that intimidated with the options, though I'll admit I went straight to the 5th up/ Oct up setting right off the bat lol. The cheesy font is just cool, I kind of like a pedal that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Tone:
Not sure what to say except that it's your tone, but changed. Some of the quintessential sounds from the Tool songs like Disposition come right out and sound like they should. Only tried this with my Ibanez SRX3EX, but it sounds great. It definitely sounds good, which will bring us to the next point...
Performance/Tweakability:
This is where it really shines. I think it was subtle and was meant to cover all bases, but the RI comes with a "classic" and "chords" setting. Put simply, the "classic" is supposed to be the exact same as the original Bass Whammy, while the "chords" setting is the modified version that is supposed to have enhanced tracking capabilities which is suitable for chording. It's a nice way of saying "Ok, if you want to say 'the original was better!', flip this switch and prepare to be wrong" lol. It doesn't take a golden ear to hear that the tracking is far superior on the "chords" setting. Even on single note basslines the difference is very audible. Nice that it's there, but I leave it on the "chords" setting. With that, you can pump out notes all over the place and it actually does a pretty good job. Closest thing I had to compare this to was the Boss whammy setting on the GT6-B. This spanks it like whining toddler.
There are several settings so you can't really "tweak" much, but there are certainly tons of options. Careful with the detune, you could really mess up a speaker with that stuff lol. All of them are clearly listed, though on a dark stage you might need a light to see what setting you are on.
Ease of Use:
It's not a hard pedal to figure out at all, people just might not know what setting they want to use right off the bat. It's fairly easy to choose one with the knob, but that brings me to one thing I don't like about the pedal. On the original you had a few footswitches to select which setting you wanted, this one has a nice little knob. Knob works great, but you gotta bend down to get to it on stage, which could get a little frustrating. Besides that, the pedal has a great sweep range and there is an on/off switch...really straightforward and easy to use. Now on the technique side, there is definitely a learning curve to actually USING the effect with the pedal. My calves are pathetic, so hopefully this will inspire some fitness on my end. Depending on the song, you will need to spend some time getting used to using this effect. If you are familiar with wahs or using volume pedals for swells, this won't be too hard. If you are like me and are just a "click and go" kind of guy, might want to spend some bench time with this to get comfy.
Build Quality:
Built like a tank, it's solid but not overtly heavy. Pedal seems smooth and stable, pretty much everything on here is made of metal and rubber. Comes with a power adapter (definitely a plus) and it's a right-angle plug as well!! While it is a side-mounted jack, I'm glad they at least thought to do the right-angle plug, lets me know they put some thought into this.
Value:
Well it's no $50 knockoff pedal, I got mine for $200 brand spanking new in box. You pay a good chunk, but you are getting the real deal and then some. Sometimes you can get something original and used for a cheaper price than a new reissue (like the Ampeg B-15), but that's definitely not the case here. Bass Whammys were going for sick crazy money (some around $1k) and the outcry from several Tool fanboys like myself was that they wanted something affordable. After clicking back and forth between the Classic and Chords settings, I can tell you this is money well spent. I would punch myself in the nads if I spent $500 on a used original and then this guy came out. Cannot express how smooth the tracking is in words, it just works, plain and simple as that. Without worrying about parts breaking down or the smell of stale beer on it, $200 doesn't sound like a bad deal to me at all.
Conclusion:
I don't think this is a pedal for the casual effects person. If you've got a tuner and a fuzz, this may or may not interest you. If it speaks to you and you'd love one, this is definitely the one to get. So many brand name guys are stepping up their game because of all the boutique competition. I'd liken this to my EHX Bass Big Muff Deluxe, it took some getting shamed by other builders, but they finally did it right and at a good price. I'd have a hard time thinking of what else could really improve on this pedal. Can't wait to re-organize my pedalboard and put this bad boy on there!!!
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