Digitech Whammy
The
Digitech Whammy is a
pitch-shifter effects pedal manufactured by
Digitech.
Since its original release, there have been several incarnations of the Whammy:
Digitech WH-1 Whammy
|
A Digitech WH-1 Whammy with power adapter |
The
WH-1 Whammy pedal, the original whammy, first manufactured in
1992, which remains the most sought-after.
Tom Morello was the first
guitarist to make liberal use of the Whammy pedal's possibilities, and has become his trademark sound, appearing on nearly every song on
Rage Against The Machine's debut album. Morello is a devout user of the first generation whammy, due to the synthetic sound the slow tracking it can generate.
It is controlled by a rocker and a single rotary knob, from which 16 different presets could be selected; five
"Whammy" effects, nine
"Harmony" effects, and two
"Detune" effects.
The WH-1 Whammy is considered by many to be the best in the series
Notable musicians who have used the WH-1 Whammy include:
*
Tom Morello of
Rage Against the Machine and
Audioslave (used on virtually every album from RATM and Audioslave.)
*
Jonny Greenwood of
Radiohead (can be heard on '
Just', '
My Iron Lung', and '
Subterranean Homesick Alien')
*
Kevin Shields of
My Bloody Valentine*
Dimebag Darrell of
Pantera*
Steve Vai*
Joe Satriani*
David Gilmour (first used on "
Marooned" and "
Wearing The Inside Out from
Pink Floyd's
The Division Bell, also used on "The Blue" from his solo album,
On an Island)
*
Joe Perry*
Kirk Hammett of
Metallica*
The Edge of
U2*
Nels ClineDigitech Whammy II
|
A Digitech Whammy II with power adapter |
The
Digitech Whammy II featured a black chassis (the series is now famous for the striking red colour).
It is controlled by a rocker and a button which selects the settings, which are the same as the WH-1.
Notable musicians who have used the Whammy II include:
*
Robert Fripp*
Trey Anastasio of
Phish,
Trey Anastasio Band, and
Oysterhead*
Herman Li of
DragonForce [http://www.dragonforce.com/herman_li.php]Digitech XP-100 Whammy-Wah
The
XP-100 Whammy/Wah, which was more complex, incorperating both whammy and wah-wah possibilities.
It is controlled by a rocker, and a button which selects the 26 different presets; one
"Volume" effect, five
"Wah-Wah" effects, seven
"Whammy" effects, and eight
"Harmony" effects.
Notable musicians who have used the XP-100 Whammy/Wah include:
*
Munky of
Korn*
Herman Li of
DragonForce
*John Scofield
*Ross Kilgour of Amplifico
*Mike Vennart of Oceansize
Digitech Bass Whammy
The Bass Whammy (identical to the Whammy II, but blue).
The controls are identical to the Whammy II controls.
Notable musicians who have used the Bass Whammy include:
*Justin Chancellor of Tool
*Brian Gibson of Lightning Bolt
Digitech Whammy IV
The Whammy IV; the current fourth edition, which is closer to the WH-1 in terms of design but with several new features, such as MIDI control and a 'Divebomb' feature.
The controls are identical to the WH-1 controls, along with two new presets, "Divebomb" and "Detune".
Notable musicians who have used the IV Whammy include:
*Matthew Bellamy of Muse (can be heard on "Muscle Museum", "New Born", "Dark Shines" (live), "Time Is Running Out","Sunburn, "Fury", "Invincible"). Matt has a Whammy on the floor which can also be controlled by a MIDI strip, built into his custom made Manson guitars.
*Omar Rodriguez of The Mars Volta
*Jack White of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs (used to create a "fake" bass tone on "Seven Nation Army", as well as leads on songs such as "Ball & Biscuit". He also uses it on "The Hardest Button to Button" (when played live) to create quick divebombs.)
*Richard Wong
*Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
*Munky of Korn
*Scott Ian & Paul Crook of Anthrax
*Dave Baksh of Brown Brigade
*K. K. Downing of Judas Priest
*Chad Kroeger of Nickelback
*James Root of Slipknot
*Digitech's page on the Whammy
*Harmony Central's page on the WH-1
*Harmony Central's page on the XP-100 Whammy/Wah
*Harmony Central's page on the Bass Whammy
*Harmony Central's page on the IV Whammy
