lxxwj Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 This has probably been debated many times before, but I was wondering: What whammy model (or any pitch bend & harmony pedal I guess) works the best with bass, besides the bass whammy? I've been trying to find a good, usable alternative to the bass whammy because those go for about 800$ or so on E(vil)bay. Here are some of the other candidates I've heard of: -Whammy WH-1 (original) -Whammy WH-2 ("Whammy 2") -XP-100 (best harmony modes for the entire whammy line imo) -Whammy WH-4 -Whammy Drop Tune -Eventide Pitchfactor So, which of these works the best with bass? I don't have personal experience with any of them, so I can't offer any opinion on sound/tracking ability. Oh, and if you have any other good effects that do pitch bend and harmony, just mention 'em! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0175westwood29 Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 well i had the digitech whammy 4, awesome pedal had to sell it due to money issues, but it tracks lovely! but i have been gasing for a eventide for ages! they do alot more than plain whammy im sure shep will be along shortly! andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I've been using the line 6 m5 for all my pitch shifting now, in the past I've used a wh4 and a wh1, The m5 is awesome as you can pretty much set it up for any intervals or blends etc Obviously you'll need to get a compatible expression pedal as well, but it's really flexible because you can save the heel down/toe down settings to whatever you want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lxxwj Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Looked into the M5, only problem with that one is that it only gets octave harmonies, unlike the various pitch-bendable ones on the digitech pedals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Ta da! I have owned the Whammy 4, Whammy DT and Pitchfactor. I have also had a good play with the rather rare Bass Whammy. For me the Bass Whammy was not very inspiring, that said I tried it before I really had a practical use for a Whammy, so I wouldn't mind giving it a try again. If you are going to run the Whammy in a recommended fashion (early in the signal chain/before direct pedals) then the Whammy 4 does the job great. It does suck a little tone, but nothing that you can't put back in on even the most basic amp head. The DT is a step forward, it is true bypass do no tone suck (not that it's a big deal IMO). It's Polyphonic where as the 4 is Monophonic, so the DT can be used on chords and multistring playing. The Whammy 4 will not track more than a single note (like an analog octave pedal). The DT obviously has the drop tune functions as well, and while they are very good with bass, I doubt many bass players will get musical use out if it. It's whammy section does have a few extra options that the Whammy 4 doesn't (including some settings from discontinued models too). The pay off here is that the DT is massive and costs far more, so you can weigh up the pros and cons from above. The Whammy 4 is still a great pedal. I now use a Pitchfactor. The main reason for my move, is that in order to sound very synthesised (and not like a bass), I run my whammy AFTER dirt. The Pitchfactor does this perfect where as ALL whammy models cut loads of top end. Engaging the pedal sounds like turning the tweeter on my cab off. Running Whammy's before dirt (before all the high end harmonics fuzz and distortion adds), means this fact doesn't get noticed. I will be honest though and say the Pitchfactor sounds more 'digital' in its 'pitchflex' (whammy) mode compared to a slightly smoother sound from the Digitech range. The Pitchfactor really though is a huge system for harmony and the whammy setting is really a minor part of it. Great as it is, if you are only after a Whammy, buy a Whammy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lxxwj Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) I am impressed by your knowledge o_O Polyphonic is probably best for me (I like chords and arpeggios a lot) and I can probably find a DT at a low price somewhere. Thanks for the help! However, I've noticed the Whammy 4 makes a nice (horrible) sound if you play multiple notes at once.. goes kind of insane. Think the guitar sound on 'Bullet in the Head.' Not sure if I could use that, but those that enjoy crazy/horrible sounding effects like me might appreciate that.. Edited January 22, 2012 by lxxwj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 That's the monophonic tracking flicking between notes trying to figure out which one you are playing. You get the same from many octave pedals. The OC2 does it particuarly well. I have tried to utilise it myself as a kind of glitch in tremolo, unfortunately it's jar to make musical as it does glitch the same way everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I have the XP-100 and prefer it to the WH-4 in terms of tone, but the tracking is basically the same. I've not tried the pitchfactor - sounds ace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind pilot Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 After gassing for a bass Whammy for some time (Tool Tribute band are we!) I tried the WH-4 - singular notes it tracks fine, but it did not have the 5th/1up harmony. So I went for the XP-100 Whammy Wah - tracks fine and sounds more 'organic' and less digital than the WH4 (to my ears). It has a level control and the best bit for me is I can save 6 patches as a user preset to make selecting my setting live a breeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 The best thing about this thread is that I have just seen myself quoted in lxxwj's signature! WIN If you were to look at the Pitchfactor as a Whammy only affect, firstly you'd be a bit mad, as it does some amazing stuff... but, it would have 100 saveable presets that can go from ANY interval from -2oct to +2oct and have a filter applied to each separately for synthy tone should you want to. That does kinda make it awesome. 2ndly, each patch can be dual voiced, so 2 separate signals swelling together... example... A heel you hear unison tone, as you swell to toe you hear 2 signals, one swelling to a 4th up and one to +1Oct and a 4th. Massive harmonic possibilities. I have a patch set that runs Unison and +1 Oct at the heel (So sounds like I have an Octave pedal running and octave up) and the reverse at the Toe, so in either position the effect is the same, but between the 2 points there is a strange off pitch swell as the 2 notes seem to 'snap back into place'. It's very musical in that sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 [quote name='lxxwj' timestamp='1327244000' post='1508222']Looked into the M5, only problem with that one is that it only gets octave harmonies, unlike the various pitch-bendable ones on the digitech pedals.[/quote] Not sure I know what you mean by that. The 'whammy' effect on the M5 you can set the heel and toe positions to any interval from -2 to +2 octaves. There's also a 'smart harmony' effect and again you can set the heel and toe to different keys and/or scales and/or harmony notes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lxxwj Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) [quote name='blind pilot' timestamp='1327310226' post='1508973'] After gassing for a bass Whammy for some time (Tool Tribute band are we!) I tried the WH-4 - singular notes it tracks fine, but it did not have the 5th/1up harmony. So I went for the XP-100 Whammy Wah - tracks fine and sounds more 'organic' and less digital than the WH4 (to my ears). It has a level control and the best bit for me is I can save 6 patches as a user preset to make selecting my setting live a breeze. [/quote] [quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1327308533' post='1508958'] I have the XP-100 and prefer it to the WH-4 in terms of tone, but the tracking is basically the same. I've not tried the pitchfactor - sounds ace! [/quote] I really do like the settings on the XP-100.. only problem is I guess it's not polyphonic and the switching method is horrendous. I'd have to get someone to put a rotary switch on it to make it even usable for me.. and of course tape a list of the harmony and pitch bend presets on the front! However, it's cheap, and if it sounds better than the WH-4 (although most things do) then I guess it's back to the DT vs. the XP-100. No clue how the sounds/tracking compare there, but the advantages: DT XP-100 -polyphonic -better presets -easy switching -good sound -good for Tool (one of my favorite bands ) -less expensive Oh, and just for fun, I did a chart of the XP-100 modes vs. the Bass Whammy modes, and the only unique modes on the bass whammy are Oct\/4th\/ harmony and 4th\/3rd/\ harmony. The XP-100, however, has 4 unique harmonies, 3 unique pitch bends (including a -6oct bend). Just to give you an idea of the versatility. [quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1327311726' post='1508997'] The best thing about this thread is that I have just seen myself quoted in lxxwj's signature! WIN [/quote] I try. Edited January 23, 2012 by lxxwj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I'm not sure what you mean about the switching method. I'd guess it's the same as the XP300 in your sig (very very jealous!!) - one switch to bypass, the other to scroll through 6 presets. Personally, if I want polyphonic harmonies with perfect tracking and tone... i'd rather play the chords. I play 6 strings so maybe that's easier for me. I use the whammy for octave down and up, pitch bend, and the low pass filter/wah which is very funky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind pilot Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I think the method of switching is much better than the WH4 - no bending down to change setting. And the 6 presets are very handy. XP300 - mental pedal, only ever seen it on you tube, but its madder than a box of frogs. I did email Digitech some while ago to ask if they had plans to re-issue the Bass Whammy, and they do not. All that said, I would still love to own a bass whammy, just because I am a massive fanboi! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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