DigiTech Whammy 5 Pitch Shift Pedal Reviews

I like it, I'm very happy as long as it holds up.

I really enjoy this pedal. I mainly use it with my ebow, but I also have an earthquaker organizer right before it so I'll use them both at the same time for a big ol' wall of layers. The classic mode is nice with the more glitchy aspect when playing chords, I know that sounds odd but it's up my alley. Sweetwater was great as always. I highly recommend this pedal.

I have had numerous Whammy's over the ages and now my 3rd V. After much searching and trial sending back pedal after pedal and researching everything. I got yet another Whammy V as just nothing does what it does. The tones are good, the V is true bypass and polyphonic tracking, what's not to love? I just had to get another one as nothing I tried out did it. Pretty amazing pedal to be 10yrs old now (the ver 5), nomination for one of the true GOAT pedals of all time.

I've had like 4 Whammy's over the years, the V is for sure the best of the lot. Proper use of this is a must and use the harmony section more. The only thing I dislike which runs true of most harmonist pedals is the digital issue with the notes and especially how bad the upper octave can sound like the POG, just can't stand that one. Whammy works excellent but it does have that digital thing to the notes. Can be very cool for a few choice things. I have never found anything that does it as well. I have been through about every harmonist/pitch shifter thing there is and have ended up getting tired of all of them. I think I am going to have to get another one of these as I just cannot find anything that does what it can do. I am fond of the T-Rex Quint, now of that could do a 5th down instead of up, it would be hard to outdo. Seems most quality level harmonist/pitch pedals are still monophonic tracking which is extremely limited. And, no the tracking glitch burble that you get from trying to play chords into something that cannot track it is just crap, not a tone. The Poly on this one does well enough. If they could just improve the tone of the pitches it would help. Apparently Digitech is returning to the market so these will not be so hard to get.

For me, the highest compliment you can give a piece of gear is when you use it for the first time, it inspires some sort of creativity.

That was exactly what happened to me when first trying this whammy pedal (ver. 5). I was able to sit down and play with it for an hour. Within that hour, i had 3 new musical ideas that i saved into my looper. I'm not claiming I "reinvented the wheel" by any means, but it was just plain FUN!

The level of customization available with this pedal is off the charts. Being able to climb up 1 or 2 octaves quickly or slowly is such a crowd pleaser.

Something I didn't pick up on from reviews and you tube videos were the 2 DETUNE settings. One is "shallow" and one is "deep". These give you 2 chorus effects that i find very pleasant to the ears. Probably wont replace your trusted chorus pedal, but any extra sonic texture is a great advantage in my book.

Pick one of these up. You won't regret a little fun in your life. We all know we need a little more joy in our lives.

If you want the Whammy sound, don't bother with finding some other way to do it. Just get this pedal. It tracks really well, sounds clean and unprocessed.

I love the ridiculous sound options. It is the epidmy of all things cool.
Easy to get lost in pure enjoyment.
Good pedal.

I've been wanting one of these for years, absolutely one of the coolest pedals in my arsenal!

I initially bought the bass version back in 2018 and then my guitarist (at the time) one that I really did love. Took a few years, but I got one now. I love it. Excellent piece of equipment and fun to play with.

This pitch shifter is an absolutely amazing which suites all of my needs for pitch shifting anything from The White Stripes, to Pantera, RATM, and many other artists that use this marvellously great pedal to be able to maneuver it up or down to your liking and the 2 octave selection would probably be the most preferred for most, but it can do so many things to make your guitar sound like a synth and give it a very unique and dramatic twist to you overall. I also own the Digitech Ricochet as well which is a lot more compact on your pedalboard and can be more mobile to carry around for gigs. It's a real crowd pleasure.

The harmony side of the whammy pedal is also very helpful for being able to creates some interesting harmonies for songs and what you prefer to be appropriate in a specific musical setting, some sounds may seem eccentric at first glance but once you get used to it, it becomes easier to handle and more convenient to use. Although most people will be attracted to this pedal for the pitch shifting purposes, the detune mode is also enthralling as well as it adds a captivating chorus-like effect that can make your clean sound sound warbly and fantastic.

No only could I not find this pedal new anywhere in the United States, Britain, Japan or even in decent condition through the various "pawn dealers" so prevalent on the innerthingy-net these days,Tommy Heil of Sweetwater managed to deliver me a brand spanking new one at the best possible pricing once could ever ask for. Often the same price as used eBay, Reverb, ad nauseam vendors. Kudos to companies like Sweetwater; their patriarch Chuck Surack, and top shelf staff!

Oh yes, there is NO other pedal that covers this myriad efx.
Complaints: put that cool ol' skool mechanical footswitch look on an led ala' the discounted Digitech Polaris
Slightly more robust expression pedal would undoubtedly increase cost, but the folded molded feels somewhat sub-standard. Minor complaints-buy 2 oif you can find 'em!

Cheers!

Steven

This pedal is built super sturdy and provides the widest variety of tones and sounds I've ever seen from one pedal. The octave switcher is super effective and clean, and the whammy effect adds a great flare to any other distortion/effect pedals. Love it!

This thing works exactly as it's supposed to. The new Chords function is beautiful and entirely the reason I wanted it. The Classic function is beautifully what an original Whammy should be. Super easy to use and packed with Whammy and Harmonizing effects that will definitely satisfy all your pitch bending desires. I seriously love this thing. Practice a bit with your foot and you can play whole licks and melody lines while hanging on a single note on the guitar. Fantastic!

Actually did the purchase to play RATM, but then found it so useful for Audioslave...given, Jack White and his offspring, Black Sabbath...don't have to dedicate a guitar to #C...let the pedal down tune. Almost forgot, the detune is sick for Alice In Chains in the heavier setting and then clean it up for a nearly perfect Bigsby tone for old school X.

Great tool for a one guitar gig I can do anything from ZZ top to pantara

I ordered the Whammy on 2/7/21. I've been up playing it without any sleep ever since it arrived. My psych says I'm a psychological phenomenon. Yes, I have visual and auditory hallucinations from sleep deprivation, thanks to this toy. But I don't mind. I've made friends with my hallucinations and have frequent discussions with them. Why? The Whammy, of course.

Joking aside, I've never had any trouble with this beauty of a Whammy - none. It's been great ever since I had it. The only problem is, I've been using it through a solid state to keep the volume down.

That's about to change. I've had the matching box to the Egnater Rebel 30 Mach II head I just received today. My sales agent, Mark Bruhn, did me a two-fold favor on the order, but that's between him and me. I also bought the Tone King Ironman II. So now I can play with some beef without scaring children and giving adults panic attacks.

I love everything about this Whammy. If you've checked it out, and read the other reviews here, they will verify how cool this music machine is. I can't wait to play it through my Egnater.

If you're wondering why people love the Whammy, buy one. Sweetwater has the best no-hassle return policy you could ask for, but once you get your foot on a Whammy, you'll have a hard time prying it loose. Try it; you'll like it.

Three things I'd like to say about Sweetwater: 1. They pack their gear better than anyone, hands down. 2. All the sales agents with whom I've spoken are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. More than once they - including my own sales agent - have saved me money by directing me to a cheaper product that would work better for me. Who else does that! 3. This is the most important thing I want to say. Thank you, Mark Bruhn. I feel lucky to have to have gotten you as my sales agent. I appreciate your guiding me through thousands of dollars' worth of gear.

Buy the Whammy, people, and have yourself some fun!

Just scratching the surface with this pedal! It seems to track very well. So many possibilities! I am having a blast with it! My bandmates love it as well.

The Digitech Whammy pitch shift is an excellent pedal. It's great for experimenting with diffenrent octaves to create cool, funky and ambient soundscapes with your guitar. The craftsmanship is superior, deliviering a long lasting pedal for at home playing or touring. A must purchase indeed for those looking experiment.

Like other reviews have said, the pitch-shifted sound from the Whammy 5 is very realistic compared to other pedals. When I first tried it out, I had to do a double-take to check the settings, then turn it off/on again to realize my signal was in fact being shifted up a 5th. Digitech put some magic sauce in their algorithms.

I use this on guitar and other source too, like keyboards/synths - it works great on those as well, depending on the original sound. If you want the functions of a Whammy, go for the real thing, don't waste time with other pedals that try to copy it. And the Whammy 5 is the best sounding version in my opinion.

I bought this pedal because of enhancing my solos with different pitch bends. I have had so much fun playing and discovering new sounds. I can't stop playing it.
I love the simple use, the small foot print it takes, and the versatility of it.
Sweetwater treated me very well in this purchase as well.

I had this pedal(or the version of this pedal sold in 2003) when I suddenly found myself the only guitarists in what had always been a two-guitar band. Having to suddenly cover my parts and now my former bandmate's parts put me in a panic to say the least. I added the Whammy and a half dozen other pedals and was easily able to conquer the task at hand. Years later, having only used the pedal to produce a few specific sections of a couple of songs, I realized that I most likely never saw its even half potential. Well, of course the pedal is long loaned out and not returned or stolen or whatever the case, so I called upon Sweetwater to haul another one over to my house. Thankfully, my point is coming. I now have time to dive into this pedals ability and it seems to have endless tunnels and portals of diversity that had I known existed, would have certainly opened them up and added to my sound possibilities. In a nutsack, the DigiTech Whammy 5 is an absolute wormhole of pitch shifting and detuning wonder that I am glad to have given a slot on my pedalboard to assist in the next phase of my performance endeavors.

I have run the first Whammy since 96 and loved it. So now it's time to upgrade, if you know the Whammy you know it is a TANK !! This 5th gen unit is a blast to play !! just get one...You can even dive bomb chords !!

Does what it's supposed to. Feels nice and sturdy.

AWESOME DIGITECH PEDAL! ANY KEYBOARD LIKE SYNTH OR WHAMMY SOUND THAT I AM SEARCHING FOR IS NOW AVAILABLE! THANKS SWEETWATER!

I liked this pedal so much I had to get another one after I sold the one had over some mistaken multi unit that was to replace everything, so did not.
This pedal takes some experience to really use properly and develop some musical sense and shall I say finesse.
It seems to hold the record on crappy first time demo users.
No one seems to get how cool the harmonizer modes are, much less no set key or scale, ultimate freedom of expression.
Some very musical things I like to do with it:
- Harmonizer a 5th low or combinations there of, 5thup/dwn 4th etc. But the 5th down harm is a fusion treat, such a killer tone!
- Using Harmonizer mode 1 oct down to 1 oct up, extremely cool. Think Dazed and Confused like note shifts, endless possibilities.
- Whammy shifts up 1 and 2 oct, Gilmour does this with such taste and musical feel, probably uses the pedal better than anyone else, talk about finesse!
There is the thing also, if you are using it just for the Whammy section you can put it before or end of line amp -in, before the delay/reverb (that should be in the amp loop). If you are using for harmonizer modes Digitech recommends, and I agree, more front of chain for accurate tracking.
Earlier versions of this pedal were monophonic tracking only and all that glitch and burble they had was not as some think, "an endearing artifact quality of the old pedals", it was simply bad tracking glitch out. The new Whammy 5 has new polyphonic tracking ability AND they have removed the old tone suck buffer to true bypass. Whole new animal. Has to be one of my fav pedals of all time and the one w the worst videos of all time. You have to spend some time to learn this pedal, it is not a bloody wah and the less you rock that treadle the better, unless you of course need a wide note shift or a dive bomb. But all that blasted "weeeeeeoooooo" crap really gives the pedal a bad name.
Put in front of your drive on that 5th harmony dwn and try to stop playing.

I decided to buy this pedal after hearing Casey Benjamin of the Robert Glasper Experiment use it and it sounds super rad on a saxophone. It's tough finding pedals that respond well to horn instruments but this one does it really well! Love that I have the option of getting synth like textures with the octaves/pitch-shifting feature, or just switching it to detune for gnarly chorus as can be heard on Terrace Martin's sax playing (Kendrick Lamar's "Alright"). I'm sure it sounds great on guitar too, haha.

Just buy it! Its so rad!!!

The pedal itself is extremely impressive and loads of fun during jam sessions. Just the sounds I was looking for! The customer service team is AMAZING and will go out of their way to make sure you are happy at every step of the way. I will definitely be a repeat buyer! Thanks, Sweetwater!

Awesome alternative to having a real whammy bar. Digitech always have awesome guitar pedals.

I love the flexibility of the pedal. From subtle changes in pitch to harmonic beauty. It is a great new asset to my rig. And Sweetwater rules when it comes to selection and customer service that is second to none.

Wow! What can I say, this new Whammy from DigiTech just blew me away! I'm glad I made the right decision. I've had the chance to play the previous versions including the legendary WH-1 but always shied away from them as they are notorious for tone sucking when they are in the off position. The "desirable" glitch that the WH-1 and the other models had wasn't really desirable for me. It was an either you love it or you hate it kind of deal. But now here it is! Finally! The DigiTech Whammy V! Polyphonic and true bypass switching! It even has a switch for the guys/gals who love the "glitch" of the old Whammys. Not to mention more Whammy options and Harmony! Pretty freakin' awesome! Love it! This will be on my pedalboard for a very long time. When an effect pedal is this good, it just inspires me to be really creative in ways that I could've never thought possible. The tones and combinations are endless! Bravo DigiTech! This new Whammy just gave me a whole new excitement in playing and creating new sounds. Truly the Best Whammy yet! Space is not enough for me to describe the awesome stuff of what this pedal can do, you're going to have to find out for yourself. If you're a Whammy guy/gal, you ought to give this new version a try. No disappointments here. I'm glad I got it here at Sweetwater. Can't get a better deal with their 24-month, 0% interest financing with my Sweetwater card! THE BEST customer service in the business hands down and shipping is always FREE!

The ability to shift whole chords with minimal glitching is awesome! Set the shift to 5th up, all wet, and its possible to simulate slide guitar type sounds with no slide. Of course, you can still flip the switch if you prefer the older style glitch-prone tracking. Its also built like a tank.

The first time I realize what David Gilmour was using in the song " The Blue " I knew I had to have one. After all ... if it's good enough for Gilmour .... well You know the rest !!!!!!!

I preface this with i am a very picky guy when it comes to purchasing anything from anyone-especially online, but I am very satisfied with this!
We're all entitled to an opinion, but I don't see how anyone doesn't love this pedal! It does EXACTLY what is says and does it perfectly! The various modes it has will keep you engrossed for hours and when playing live, your fans ears will pique when this pedal is engaged! Love the true bypass. The ONLY critique is that you physically have to change the modes with your hand, though if you can master the foot roll (kinda like driving with your knees) to change modes then no worries. I use the two octaves up for swells with my looper or for soft delicate solos because it transforms your sound into an almost synthesizer effect that is very cool!
Also, if you're a phan of Trey Anastasio and the crazy swell loops he does live then THIS IS YOUR PEDAL.

I'll close with you should order this pedal/or any other gear for that matter only from the people at Sweetwater! I know no one who works there and have no affiliation to them but have been VERY satisfied with their service! I'm the guy with the worst luck ordering anything technical on line (always get the dud or something better comes out as i order something) but Sweetwater really goes above and beyond to help you custom your purchase to what you need! They offer the best price, offer continual tech service/advice, and are quick in their delivery)
Basically, there is no other pedal for 'whammy' effects or company to order it from than DigiTech and Sweetwater!

I originally purchased this pedal in the hopes to emulate Phish's song "First Tube" as I found out that all the astonishing effects that were performed weren't so much his skills at guitar but the technology of effects pedals. Now keep in mind you'd need a Boomerrang Pedal as a looper (or use a flashback they get good ratings) but pitch shifting provides a plethora of possibilities and lets your imagination run wild. I can't get enough of it. Especially when you put it in your signal chain as to where the other pedals are effected by the Whammy pedal. You can have so much fun with it. I highly recommend being a guitarist for over 20 years that you will LOVE this pedal.

to whom it may concern i owned a whammy pedal years ago i had forgotten how great a whammy pedal is i love the powerful chorus and of course i love the various octaves of the whammy pedal i thank all of you at sweetwater as without you easy payment plan i woul not have been able to purchase the dgi tech whammy pedal and i thank sweetwater and all of you at sweetwater peace

This pedal absolutely rocks! So much fun can be had! Very sturdy, looks cool, all around awesome. Makes you feel like Tom morello or Jack White! I would recommend this pedal to anyone.

a must have for any studio guitarist

Everything you would expect at the highest level, and oh- you never longer need a chorus pedal!

Call Tommyrocker, and he will help you!

This will be a great pedal.....(once I get it mastered)!

This pedal very much does what it says it does. Works quite well in the whammy bar effect and I really like the octave up on all strings. Can easily be used as a quick substitute for a 12-string.

Good, solid pedal...easy to use...its kinda hard to put it down, even when its bedtime and you KNOW you need to be up early....one downside, even though its not a deal-breaker: the on/off switch has the hardest, loudest click of any pedal i ever owned....its faintly audible through my amp, but even more- it feels rough, making me wonder if it'll last lobg term....but it very well last 50 years: i dunno...
But for the price, and the fact that i dont know of another company other than digitech that makes a whammy like this, it was worth the purchase....
But if a clicking button isnt a deal breaker, then the sound/effect if this pedal should make you smile.

Great pedal. I owned the WH-4 for so long, but after trying to consolidate to a board with one Voodoo Lab power supply, I realized the AC power was an annoyance and the pedal had its drawbacks.

This update fixed about everything I could think of, incorporating standard DC power, a cleaner sound (and a switch to have the classic buffered sound), automatic calibration, and a much nicer design. I can tell the switch between modes is more soft sounding as well.

The only drawback I can think of is that the latch button is the loudest sounding click I've ever heard in a pedal. Louder than the older Whammy, and loudest click on my board. Might be super annoying if you're a bedroom player, but very negligible on stage.

Just revieved my whammy pedal! Loving it! Has some awesome sounds!!!
My sales consultant Ryan Murphy was awesome as always and the deliver was very very fast! Sweetwater always comes through fast!

finally true bypass!

It works as advertised. True bypass and great features. It is better than the previous version

I received my pre-ordered Whammy 5 from Sweeter today and am very happy with it and plan to keep it permanently connected to my setup, unlike my Whammy 4 which muddied the through sound.
Yes, it is true (mechanical switched) bypass, if you disconnect the power the bypass sound remains.
Chord (multi-tone) mode is very neat and sounds good with arpeggiated chords, for example in Harmony Oct Up/Oct Down mode. Personally I plan to keep it in Chord mode all the time, even for single note stuff.
Classic Whammy mode Octave sounds are there and tracking is very good.
Pitch shifted sounds are tonally different to input, but still sound good.
Although 9V power standard has been adopted, current on case says 1300mA, so you will probably need AC adapter provided; adapter is pretty quiet, I did not have any hum problems when I put it in my pedal-board.
Pedal action was very stiff when it arrived so I got out the toolkit drive socket set to to loosen pedal screw and added tiny amount of lubricant to plastic bearing.
Case is solid, switches and jacks seem sturdy and unit is made in USA.

Lots of options with this Whammy pedal. The expression pedal feels really natural and accurate. This was my first pedal of this type, so there was a short learning period before I felt comfortable and could easily get the sounds i was hearing in my head. That being said, very easy to use and tons of usable sounds/effects available. It does have a slight drop in volume and low end when engaged. The bypass is great.

As always, Dan Overstreet did a great job of helping me feel confident this would meet my needs and got it out to me the very next day. Sweetwater service cannot be beat.

This peddle is awesome. The true bypass is a great new feature, and works perfectly. The only negative comment is it does not adapt very well in the chain of effects. It must be on the backside of the effects chain. In a two-amp situation, it is an inconvenience. There was also some trouble getting the unit. The Sweetwater card did not go through right away do to some server problem. In the end, it arrived on time, (as always) and in perfect working condition. Sweetwater has the best customer service in the industry. No one compares.

If you are trying to decide between this and the Whammy DT, my advice is to get this and save a hundred dollars.
The only advatages to the DT are the fact that you can drop tune and use the whammy effects on top of that. But the chords mode on this pedal is the same algorithym as the downtuning side of the DT and it is not good enough to really replace a downtuned guitar, there are other products that do that better. The DT also has a momentary switch that is pretty cool but a momentary line selector is still cheaper than the difference in price between the Whammy and DT and you can use it with other pedals as well.
This pedal rocks! The sound of the effect is classic whammy just like you are used to hearing and using but when you turn it off, it does not sound like you threw a blanket over your cabinet.
The detune feature is a great mono chrous! Shallow for more common chorus sounds and deep for the Small Clone sound. A lot of people who have never used one do not realize that.
The chords mode was the only dissapointment. I could have done with out it. They should rename it slightly less glitchy mode because it is still NOWHERE near the level of the POG or Morpheus. If you are looking for that level of preformance you will need those pedals, this one will not do it.

Cool sounds just like you'd expect. This pedal has a lot to offer but really needs some kind of a memory. Even an AB switch would be something. But, if you like the effect and need it - it works well. Not noisy, plays in-tune, good construction all around.

It's a fun pedal that can get some interesting sounds, but my unit started introducing a troublesome amount of noise. Maybe I got unlucky with the demo unit I bought, but at some point the pedal started creating an underlying whine that can be heard even when the pedal is switched off. If there is power running to it, it makes the noise. It is still fun to use but I can't have it consistently powered on my pedal board and it ruins the tone of my guitar even when off

Worked fine for a few months now I get this night pitch noise not recommended

This pedal is a buggy mess. It needs constant recalibration to remain in tune, and it has no sweep to the pedal, only7 effect or no-effect. WAY overpriced junk.