WHOA...Digitech The Drop

[Adamixoye]

In the Whammy threads, DigiTechRep alluded to a product along these lines, and now it's announced.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

That page is lacking some information, but the article here specifically mentions it will be usable on bass down to a low B, which I think DigiTechRep also implied when this came up (I basically asked for a product like this, all he could say was we should keep an eye out):
Invalid Link Removed

I'm one of the only people on this board with a Morpheus Droptune, probably because it's more of a guitar-oriented pedal. The clean tone isn't great as you go down, and it's not great on bass. I've been looking for a replacement, and this seems like it does everything the Morpheus (the features and settings appear to be almost identical, with the primary difference that you use the knob and toggle switch to change settings instead of using additional footswitches), and it's a much smaller package.

I hope it sounds as great on both bass and guitar as I hope it does. I've said before that the Earthquaker Devices Pitch Bay had my ideal list of features, I just didn't like the sound quality (the warble, and I didn't need/want the dirt). It's too bad this doesn't have a few more settings (it would be cool if you had every half step down to an octave, or if it had some "capo" settings as well), but DAT FOOTPRINT compared to my Morpheus.

MSRP is $249, I hope this means street price is maybe in the $160-170 range.

 

[aledeville]

I'd love to have a blend knob...

 

[nshuman]

Very interesting

 

[Adamixoye]

I'd love to have a blend knob...

Well, considering 8 of the 9 modes are transposing, 100% wet (steps 1-7 & octave, everything except octave+dry), it's not surprising. It would be nice for the octave+dry, but other than that it's really beyond the scope/intent of the pedal I think. One could always use an external blender if they really wanted to for harmonies.

 

[gregmon79]

Very cool. I was going to say that you could do this with the new BWhammy but it leaves out some pretty important half steps. I mean, you could do half steps but its sort of a B becasue youd have to put it in a whammy option offered and put the treadle just in the right spot to get those half steps and so forth. The BWhammy wouldve been totally perfect if it wouldve had a half step down mode. Ah well, maybe this is the ticket! Thanks for posting Adam, I wouldve missed it otherwise.

 

[Adamixoye]

Very cool. I was going to say that you could do this with the new BWhammy but it leaves out some pretty important half steps. I mean, you could do half steps but its sort of a B becasue youd have to put it in a whammy option offered and put the treadle just in the right spot to get those half steps and so forth. The BWhammy wouldve been totally perfect if it wouldve had a half step down mode. Ah well, maybe this is the ticket! Thanks for posting Adam, I wouldve missed it otherwise.

No problem. I don't know if you would have missed it...I don't even think it's out yet. You hit on the problem doing this with a Whammy or a lot of the other pitch-shifters out there (like the Boss PS-6)...they don't do every half step, you could do a kludge with the Whammy but why should you have to?

Like I said earlier, my only minor complaint is that in an ideal world I might have like the 3-voice, full octave-and-every-half-step-in-between-both-up-and-down controls of the Pitch Bay. But if this does the job of my Morpheus Droptune AND has at least comparable tone AND works well for bass AND does it in a smaller package, then I'm sold. This basically skyrocketed to the top of my GAS list.

 

[Tom Von Kramm]

Yep Adamixoye, guessed it a few weeks ago. It was tough to keep my mouth shut!

 

[Adamixoye]

So glad you showed up, DigiTechRep! Would you indulge me in a few hopefully brief questions?

(1) Can you reveal any sort of release date?
(2) What is the current draw?
(3) If MSRP is $249, do you have any idea of the street price?
(4) The product page doesn't mention anything about bass, but the Guitar World article said it can go down to a low B---and I think you maybe had implied this in the Bass Whammy thread. Can you confirm that the algorithm also encompasses bass frequencies?

Thanks!

 

[Moosehead1966]

Considering this for my new board. How many m.A. required to power?

Marc

 

[jwr]

So is this actually bass friendly?

 

[Tom Von Kramm]

So glad you showed up, DigiTechRep! Would you indulge me in a few hopefully brief questions?

(1) Can you reveal any sort of release date?

Should be in stores by the end of this month

(2) What is the current draw?

I'm not sure yet, I haven't had time to measure it. I meant to do so today and got buried, I'll try to find time on Monday.

(3) If MSRP is $249, do you have any idea of the street price?

~$179 USD Street

(4) The product page doesn't mention anything about bass, but the Guitar World article said it can go down to a low B---and I think you maybe had implied this in the Bass Whammy thread. Can you confirm that the algorithm also encompasses bass frequencies?

Yes it works great with bass!

 

[Moosehead1966]

So glad you showed up, DigiTechRep! Would you indulge me in a few hopefully brief questions?

(1) Can you reveal any sort of release date?
(2) What is the current draw?
(3) If MSRP is $249, do you have any idea of the street price?
(4) The product page doesn't mention anything about bass, but the Guitar World article said it can go down to a low B---and I think you maybe had implied this in the Bass Whammy thread. Can you confirm that the algorithm also encompasses bass frequencies?

Thanks!

Considering this for my new board. How many m.A. required to power?

Marc

You stated $179 street price in another thread. Good news to me! Any information to add?

Marc

 

[Adamixoye]

Thanks for answering all of my questions, DigiTechRep! Still interested to know the current draw when you have a chance, but other than that:

 

[Tom Von Kramm]

 

[ole Jason]

Is this an original algorithm by DigiTech?

 

[Tom Von Kramm]

Is this an original algorithm by DigiTech?

Yes.

 

[ole Jason]

Yes.

Nice that's what I was hoping for. I just sent the link to a friend of mine... he recently bought a floyd rose equipped guitar and can't decide on a tuning to stick with. This will save me from many panicked texts in the middle of the night.

 

[Adamixoye]

Yes.

Just curious, when the press releases (I found this one, which is basically the same as the Guitar World one above: Invalid Link Removed) mentions the algorithm is "drawn directly from" and "shares its DNA with" the Whammy DT, is that algorithm modified at all based on the recent development of the Bass Whammy?

 

[Andy Will]

+1 on the above question and also is it similar to the Whammy V or modified?

Still on the fence about switching from the Whammy V to the Bass Whammy, even after A/B'ing them for a while.

Would like the Drop pedal as the main octave (harmony) on my smaller/main board. Actually prefer the 'classic' mode as opposed to the chord setting (on the Whammy V) for most of my playing though haha!

So many options now, so thanks Digitech for keeping things exciting. The Whammy is still my favourite pedal of all time!

 

[cnltb]

Interesting!