Is a new DigiTech Whammy on the way?

DigiTech appears to be set to make an imminent return, following the posting of a teaser clip on the effects brand’s social media channels.

While remarkable news in itself, what has particularly caught our eye is that cheeky #whammy hashtag at the front of the post’s tag queue, which begs the question: are we about to see an all-new Whammy pedal arrive in the future?

The post showed an iconic segment of The Blues Brothers, in which John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd’s characters, Jake and Elwood Blues, state, “We’re getting the band back together,” at which point the DigiTech logo appears over the footage. 

The firm behind the DOD pedal range and innovative products like the Whammy pedal was purchased in 2017 by Samsung, only to be slowly shuttered and eventually sold on to Cort Guitars owners Cor-Tek in April of this year. 

A statement at the time from Cor-Tek read: “Since 1973, DigiTech/DOD guitar effect pedals have been iconic in the guitar industry, and we have a deep admiration for the heritage and legacy of the DigiTech/DOD products.

“We look forward to continuing the manufacturing and selling of the iconic products as well as investing in new features and products.” 

It now seems the firm is finally coming good on that promise. And, if speculation that a new Whammy iteration is on the way turns out to be true, it would be one triumphant return for the brand.

Starting with the WH-1 in the early ‘90s, the Whammy has one of the most decorated careers in pedal history. Having been reborn as several different iterations – such as the complex XP-100 Whammy-Wah and expanded Whammy DT – the Whammy proper has not been updated since 2012’s Whammy V. 

Coincidentally, this year marks one decade since that release, and so a 10-year anniversary would certainly be a nice way to bring it back.

Of course, the Whammy would just be the start – there are plenty of fan favorite pedals that may be getting a second lease on life following DigiTech/DOD’s return. Units that immediately spring to mind include the Gunslinger distortion and Obscura delay pedal, not to mention all-new pedals that could arise from the new era.

However, back in April this year, former DigiTech product development lead Tom Cram – who had a hand in designing the Whammy V, Ricochet and Rubberneck – stated he wasn’t in the loop regarding DigiTech’s latest developments.