Bass Whammy modification for effect out and or blend control???

[bassbones2]

Can the Digitech Bass Whammy be modified to have and effect out and or a blend control? I mostly use it as the world's greatest "8 string bass" in a box pedal but find the octave above tone overpowering in volume and would like to make it quieter. Also, the sub octave sound with the pedal down is too quiet. Don't know why there isn't an effect out jack......any body out there doing modifications on these?

JB

 

[bassbones2]

Mosquite Blender with BJF Buffer

will this work?????

JB

 

[lz4005]

I've always wanted a pedal in the Bass Whammy form factor that let you do wet/dry mix with the pedal (octave up or down) instead of how the whammy works.
Seems much more useful.

 

[J Posega]

Put a compressor after it

 

[bassbones2]

I don't think compressing the output will make the octave up sound quieter than the original tone. That's the problem...the mix in the whammy favors the effected signal and the original tone is overpowered.....I'm thinking the blender pedal will do the trick but it's a little pricey.

JB

 

[LSMFT6]

Try a compressor with a tone knob like the Smoothie or Diamond, I actually had decent results with the same issue

 

[Rev J]

I seem to remember the grey Bass Whammy from the mid 90s did have a balance knob and a dry out.

C/S,
Rev J

 

[J Posega]

Try a compressor with a tone knob like the Smoothie or Diamond, I actually had decent results with the same issue

I'd never thought of putting the Whammy before my Smoothie to take advantage of the tone knob, but I think I'm gonna give it a try now!

Personally, I've never found that the Whammy's upper harmonies too loud compared to the clean signal, they're just very prominent with that signature digital pitch shifting chirpiness for lack of a better word. Into a little chorus or overdrive and a lot of that is gone for me.

 

[Rev J]

I also just google shopped and saw that a second generation bass whammy is about $400 used. Ouch!

C/S,
Rev J

 

[J Posega]

I also just google shopped and saw that a second generation bass whammy is about $400 used. Ouch!

C/S,
Rev J

And the tracking and sound quality sucks compared to the modern reissue. Maybe they'll heed user input for the next iteration. Dry and effect outs and a blend of volume for harmonies. Maybe a tone control on the harmonies too. Tell @DigiTechRep what we want!

 

[bassbones2]

hmmm...perhaps its my passive bass, but it does track better for me than the active bass I have. I think I'm going to get a blender pedal.

JB

 

[Rev J]

Now I'm getting a case of the "I wants!" I think I'd use is for a combination of Octaver, Doug Wimbish style bass squeals, and a poor mans Stanley Clarke piccolo bass sound.

C/S,
Rev J

 

[theunknowndude]

Yeah maybe that's why I don't like any of the harmony sections on the reissue... Just sounds odd compared to naturally playing a chord... I end up only using the pitch shifting side

 

[J Posega]

Yeah maybe that's why I don't like any of the harmony sections on the reissue... Just sounds odd compared to naturally playing a chord... I end up only using the pitch shifting side

The harmonies are never going to sound like naturally played chords. I've learned to embrace that. Some guys that use pitch shifters/ harmonizers to mimic guitar tones throw a low-pass filter after their pitch effects to cut some of the chimey'ness. Personally, I just roll with it, it's part of the charm and just comes with all the awesomeness of the Whammy.

 

[Rev J]

"That's about all I have to say about that," Forrest Gump.

C/S,
Rev J

 

[theunknowndude]

Yeah the chimeyness is weird though compared to the clarity of single pitch shifting... I was used to that with the boss PS3 when used with expression pedal and used that to effect with the noise song I did but just can't embrace it in a serious song... Was trying to use low c# as a 5th up / octave up but sounds so much better as just a normal pitch shifted root to octave up, even with no effects it sounds pretty "normal" in the mix. ( and yes switch is in poly mode )

 

[MattZilla]

I liked the wet/dry of the early 2000's issue for this reason, and when it crapped out around the time of the new reissues and I found that neither had wet/dry out, I decided it was time to just give up on trying to make my bass more than it is, as, clearly, digitech gave up too.