Digitech Whammy

Digitech WH4

The Whammy is a pitch-shifter pedal produced by DigiTech. It was the first widely known effect pedal which utilises a foot controller which controls all the pitch shifting effects. The pedal emulates the sounds that are usually made with a "whammy" bar - giving the pedal it's name.

The first Whammy (WH-1) was built in 1989. It's most notable users are Tom Morello and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. The two still use the pedalduethe iconic glitching sounds which the early versions of the Whammy made. The DigiTech Whammy II was the only Whammy pedal to be encased in a completely different black chasis but, in contrast to WH-1, includes an option to save one preset setting. The II was followed up by the DigiTech XP-100 Whammy-Wah, a more complex pedal, incorporating whammy and wah effects, this version was followed by the DigiTech Whammy IV. It marked the Whammy's return to the original design, with the red paint, but also including new features such as the "dive-bomb" and a MIDI control option. The IV was followed by the DT in 2011. It's the first Whammy model to include polyphonic shifting and true-bypass. The DT is wider and includes a Drop-Tune section, allowing the user to tune the guitar down with a flick of a switch as opposed to fiddling around with the machine heads. The DT was followed by the Whammy V - Similar to Whammy DT but without the Drop-Tune section. The V also includes a selection between the "Classic" or the "Chords" modes. The classic mode simulates the monophonyc glitchyness of the first editions, while the chords mode makes it polyphonic and thus suitable for playing chords. The Bass Whammy was also built, released alongside the Whammy II, but was more suitable for bass.

Bellamy's Whammy pedals

Out of all the Whammy models, Bellamy used (and continues to use) the IV, V and DT models. The ability of it being controlled by MIDI is also one of the strongest points why Bellamy chooses to use these models. Some of Bellamy's guitars, such as 007 and Bomber have MIDI strips on, and this allows Bellamy to change the pitch on the Whammy by running his finger along the MIDI strip. The Whammy can also be controlled by MIDI via the X-Y pad.

The DigiTech Whammy is one of Bellamy's main effects and he uses it a lot in solos to change the pitch of the notes being played (usually up and down an octave). It can be heard when listening to the solos of Sunburn, New Born, Reapers, Defector, Thought Contagion, or the middle of Recess and parts of the "Grand Omega Bosses" edit of Assassin. He also uses it for the Invincible tapping solo and during the outro riff after New Born when played live. The Whammy, in combination with the Fernandes Sustainer, was also used in the intro of Uprising during The 2nd Law tour. The DigiTech Whammy is also heavily used on Unsustainable and Map of the Problematique.

Bellamy currently has two Whammys in the rack - The V and the DT, both controlled by either an expression pedal on his on-stage board or by MIDI, allowing Bellamy to move freely around the stage.

See also

• DigiTech Whammy on the DigiTech website

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