Is it that time? It very well might be! The Digitech Bass Whammy looks like it’s going to be making a return in the near future.
I don’t know about you – but I couldn’t be more excited. Now I can finally stop wasting my time scrounging around eBay to try to find one of these from yesteryear for a reasonable price (500 dollars is not reasonable for a single pedal, by the way).
According to the Digitech website:
The next generation Bass Whammy uses the most advanced pitch detection and polyphonic note tracking technology to create the world’s best pitch shifting effect pedal optimized for bass. The Bass Whammy maintains the classic settings from the original with many modern upgrades. With two different tracking modes, Classic and Chord, the Bass Whammy gives players the ability to recreate the shift glitch effects from the original or get the smooth pitch shift effect. Chord mode uses advanced polyphonic tracking algorithms for a more exact and smooth pitch shift effect while Classic maintains the tracking artifacts of the original Whammy. The Bass Whammy is true bypass, MIDI controllable, and uses a 9V DC power supply to easily integrate into your existing pedalboard.
The website also included a section for the pedal’s updated features and controls:
Check out the whole blurb here.
The Digitech Whammy first made it’s appearance back in 1989 with the guitar whammy (aka the red box) and then later the Bass Whammy in the years following.
The whammy pedal was revolutionary at the time of it’s release. Never before was there a pedal or effect that could change pitch so rapidly up or down and provide the user with such a radical playing experience.
Since then, Digitech continued to released updated models and versions of their signature whammy while discontinuing others. The Bass Whammy was one of those pedals. Though there is seldom in the way of a formal reason as to why it was discontinued, it’s speculated that it was discontinued due to lack of use from the bass playing community.
Users of the users of the Bass Whammy are few and far between and among the most noteworthy user is Justin Chancellor from Tool and Brian Gibson of the noise rock band, Lightning Bolt.
Check out what one of these pedals sounds like in action!
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