Pitchshifter Pedals

TOTAL GUITAR NOVEMBER 2016
P
itch-shifting means
diff erent things to
diff erent people. For
some, it’s a simple chorus
eff ect, while others will point at
Jack White’s Seven Nation Army
riff , played an octave down
through a DigiTech Whammy, as
a perfect example of creative
shifting. That same pedal was
used to fuel Tom Morello’s
extreme pitch bends on Rage
Against The Machine’s Killing In
The Name, but pitch-shifting can
also refer to the more refi ned
harmonising guitar work of
players such as Queen icon
and badger lover, Brian May.
Whatever your preferred
pitch-shifter fl avour, from the
simple octave work of the TC
Electronic Sub ’N’ Up to the
iconic dive bombing of
DigiTech’s Whammy Ricochet,
the four pedals in this round-up
cover all the major food groups.
Let’s tuck in…
PITCH-SHIFTER PEDALS
106
T
his is the new compact incarnation of a
pedal loved by the likes of Tom Morello,
Dimebag and Jack White. Most notably,
it lacks the foot-rocking treadle of previous
Whammys. You do get seven pitch options
including 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and the ability to
bend notes up or down across two octaves, but
it sweeps for you in absence of a treadle. Your
job is to set the range via the ballistics control,
choose whether you want the pitch to rise or
fall, then hit the on/off button in latch or
momentary mode. No other pitch-shifter dive
bombs or soars quite like a Whammy and the
Ricochet is a credit to its iconic lineage.
T
he PS-6 Harmonist comes over-stuff ed,
like a pitch-shifting calzone. Inside the
metallic blue case is a multi-voice
harmoniser, a pitch shifter, an octaver and a
chorus. You also get the Super Bend mode
which off ers wild pitch sweeps in a similar
fashion to the Whammy. The only fl y in the
ointment is that, although you can twist the
knobs to shift the pitch, you need an optional
external expression pedal to get the best out of
these sounds. The PS-6 lacks the vintage-like
warmth and simple operation of the Sub ’N’
Up, but it has so many goodies included in the
price, it’s hard to beat.
DigiTech
Whammy Ricochet
A MODERN CLASSIC GOES FOOTLOOSE…
Boss PS-6
Harmonist
WHAT, NO KITCHEN SINK?
£129
£125
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
USABILITY
TH
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TGR286.gear_peds.indd 106 10/10/2016 12:06