Digitech

Is the original still the best?
DigiTech
Whammy DT
£289
The Whammy DT takes
a classic into a new era
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USEABILITY
OVERALL RATING
S U M M A R Y
V S
The
Whammy has long
been the go-to pedal
when it comes to pitchbending.
The DT is the latest incarnation
and features all of the modes
that made its predecessors
such a hit. Everything to the
left of the treadle works exactly
as DigiTech’s Whammy, with
its Harmony section, Detune
effect and the classic Whammy
mode, including Tom Morello’s
much-loved two-octave-up
setting. One major complaint
that most players have with
previous Whammy
versions is its
non-true bypass
switching. DigiTech
has addressed this
with the DT.
The big news,
however, is the Drop
Tune mode, enabling
you to polyphonically
raise or lower your
pitch by seven
semitones. There
are one-octave-up
and down settings in
there too. The result?
You can play in drop
tunings without
having to change the
setup of your guitar.
Note that Morpheus
sells two standalone
polyphonic pedals
to achieve these
effects: the Capo and
Droptune, which cost around
£163 each. We just thought you
should know…
The DT’s Drop Tune
department features an effect
on/off switch and another
labelled Momentary. The latter
enables you to quickly flip
between the shifted and dry
sounds for cool hammer-on and
pull-off effects. You can also
combine the Drop Tune settings
with the Harmony, Detune and
Whammy effects. Detune here
means a two-tier sick-sounding
chorus effect, the intensity of
each setting is made obvious
from the descriptions: Shallow
and Deep. Like the Morpheus,
the DT can simulate a 12-string
guitar (select Oct+Dry from the
drop tune menu), slap-happy
Seinfeld-style bass (1 Oct Dn) and
a demented vintage organ sound
(2 Oct Up). Creating a 12-string
sound is more authentic here,
because the processed signal is
combined with the original. While
the Bomber features a USB socket
for software updates, the DT is
MIDI compatible to
allow control via other
units. For hands-
free scrolling of the
Whammy, Harmony
and Drop Tune
intervals, you’ll need
the FS3X footswitch.
It retails at £54, but
you can find one
online for £26.
There’s nothing
between the pair of
pedals in terms of
sound quality and
construction, but
DT’s spec blasts it way
ahead of the more
simplistic Bomber, for
only £50 more. This
is the best incarnation
yet of a modern
classic that has seen
service with the likes
of Tom Morello,
Matt Bellamy, Dimebag and
Steve Vai, and it’s enormous. The
new polyphonic version builds
on the possibilities of traditional
Whammy effects, and the updates
are well worth upgrading for. Get
one underfoot pronto.
at a glance
type: Polyphonic
pitchshifter
effects: Polyphonic pitch
shifting, dive bombing,
harmony, capo tuning
patches: N/A
controls: Effect on/off,
effect selector, expression
pedal, drop tune on/off, drop
tune effect select,
momentary switch
sockets: Guitar in, line out,
MIDI input, input for optional
FS3X footswitch (£54),
mains adaptor
power: 9VC DC adaptor
(supplied)
contact: Sound Technology
01462 480000 digitech.com
GEAR HEAD TO HEAD
OCTOBER 2011 167
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