WTF? Digitech Whammy WH-1's are over 700 dollars?!

[AK47]

I remember when I was a kid the new Pantera album came out and it was huge. Everyone was asking how the heck does he make that sound in "Becoming"?

It was the Digitech Whammy WH-1, and I remember you could get them for I think 199.99 brand new and that was retail. I had seen one used for a 100 dollars in 93 and that was on the high side.

I always figured I would get one sometime in the future, most people I knew thought its cool to pitch shift but not 200 dollars cool in 92.

I remember hearing that they were selling for around 300 bucks a few years ago and I figured that is understandable but when I checked today the normal price is 700!!! dollars.

I hear the reissues dont really do the same thing as well as the WH1. If I could I wish I bought 4 or 5 wh1 pedals back in 92. Then again I was a kid so I did not have that type of money and if I did I would have bought a 69 Charger beater to drive around in.

[nhspike]

That's another reason I love my little Digitech RP-250.
Has the Whammy built in, along with just about everything else they ever did.
Costs about 100 bucks.
Very under-rated pedal!

[MartinBarre]

There must be a cheaper alternative surely? One of the Boss, Zoom or Line6 multi FX pedals must have a whammy built in FFS?

[MartinBarre]

Ah, Spike's posted before me and answered my question.

[Jayster]

I think some people covet these pedals, some magic aura that only came on the original WH-1. All imitations pale in comparison, even the later whammys(once I had a magic flanger, it had the mojo !!!)

[Newc]

I've never compared the original and the later ones personally, but I'd be very interested to know the technical differences between them that makes the "1" better than the "2".

Personally I think it's the hype of "Dime used the WH1, so that's the only good one".

And it's just like everything else - people say the revisions are never as good as the original because they know once the original has been completely sold out (usually to them at a discounted price to make way for the new rev) they can jack up the price based on the hype they help to generate.

[MetalMedal II]

If the original are THAT much different and better, you'd think the company would make authentic repros like Ibanez did w the TS's. Alot of $$ would stand to be made.

[jgcable]

Its the collectability that makes them that expensive. Its not really the performance.
Same thing applies to vintage Fender Strats and Tele's.

[Racerx2k]

I had one of those back then. Damn! I KNEW I shoulda kept it! Best tracking I've heard on a stomp pitch unit. How tight and accurate is the tracking on that RP, Spike? thought about one of those, recently, and ultimately passed.

[AK47]

I had one of those back then. Damn! I KNEW I shoulda kept it! Best tracking I've heard on a stomp pitch unit. How tight and accurate is the tracking on that RP, Spike? thought about one of those, recently, and ultimately passed.

"I have tried alot of the reissues and different units since and some are "Good enough" for a live show or cover band but if I was going to record with something I do not think there is a proper substitute for the WH-1" this is according to my friend who I just spoke with and he has played and recorded for years as a musician and was my old guitar teacher back in the early 90's. They had a W-2 or something like that and it was decent.

[bloodlust]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Digitech-Whammy-Pedal-WH-1-in-box-w-manual_W0QQitemZ260340689174QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item260340689174&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

[AK47]

I just found one brand new in the box with all the paperwork. They wany a 1000 dollars!!!

[bloodlust]

god damn dude!

[hippietim]

Direct from Jennifer Batten: "Get the Whammy II". She had several of the early ones and said they were noisy, no presets, and they weren't reliable.

I took her advice and picked up a Whammy II - works great.

[bibz]

WH4s are fine for live yeah, but WH1's were developed with a company (confusing it with a cricket league at the moment IPL haha) that had a spat with digitech then went bust so they can't remake them. I bought mine half for the sound half for collectability, figured if I was spending $450 here retail on a newy, I'll spend $700 on the original. Now the aussie dollars dropped they'll prolly be $1200au in the box again (mine isnt). WH2's are apparently the same thing in a different shell with some extra features, also the whammy bass 2 is a little different but awesome too. And theres a rack unit that has the chip in it aswell, ips33 I think, then it was updated and didn't have it.

That said I'd still like an eh pog to play with aswell!