The Digitech Whammy WH-4 is an effects pedal built for pitch-shifting, the effect that moves a note up or down in pitch, by intervals or octaves, while the player holds or bends it1. It belongs to the Whammy family of pitch pedals, a line DigiTech has revisited many times, from the original WH-1 through the Whammy 5 and the Whammy DT.
What it does
As a pitch-shifting pedal, the WH-4 takes the note a player plays and shifts it, which is the job the Whammy line is built around. Guitarcloud describes it plainly1:
"an effects pedal used by Prince from the mid 2000s onward"
Prince's rig
The WH-4 has a documented place in Prince's gear history. It was introduced into his rig when Prince replaced his rack effects system with pedals, and in that change it replaced the Roland GP-16 and Zoom 9030 for pitch-shifting effects1. For a player tracing how a rack-based setup gave way to a pedalboard, the WH-4 was the unit that carried the pitch-shifting duties in that transition.
Prince used it from the mid 2000s onward, and it is associated with the eras of his career covering1:
Guitarcloud also notes, "It was also used by Rhonda Smith"1, his bass player of that period, which fits the Whammy's standing as a pedal that works for bass as well as guitar.
The WH-4's documented history here comes from its use in Prince's rig rather than from a maker's specification sheet, so players looking for its controls and power requirements will find those on the pages for the Whammy versions that carry them.
The Whammy family
The WH-4 is one of many versions of the Whammy. Others covered on this site include:
| Version | Page |
|---|---|
| Whammy 4 | Whammy 4 |
| Whammy II | Whammy II |
| Whammy V | Whammy V |
| Whammy Ricochet | Whammy Ricochet |
| Mini Whammy Ricochet | Mini Whammy Ricochet |
| MonoNeon Signature Whammy | MonoNeon Signature Whammy |
For a wider view of the effect type, see Octave & Pitch Pedals.
Videos
Amplifiers & Explosions
Sources (1)
- Digitech Whammy WH-4, Guitarcloud (guitarcloud.org), 2026
Eric Gales
Freekbass
