Digitech Drop Guitar Effects Pedal

This is a surprisingly good stomp box. Well packaged, very well priced, sturdy construction, easy to use, and comes with its own 2A, 9V DC power pack. This is useful given that the Drop draws a fair amount of current; although sitting in Position 2 on my pedal board, directly after my Boss Tuner, the TU-3 can provide the Drop with the required power.Oh, yeah; and it's also a true bypass pedal i.e., it will sit connected on a pedal board with no power and still allow a signal to pass clean through it, unprocessed of course.As one of a range of Digitech "whammy" pedals, the Drop seems to be the best option for a guitarist (or bassist) who needs to detune to a lower standard tuning, quickly and easily, whilst, of course, not actually retuning their guitar (or bass).I've now had the opportunity to test the pedal extensively and, as a guitarist and bass player, I can provide the following assessment; all based on a lot of Rockdown home use and at a series of band rehearsals.First up, it's not for those who expect sound perfection (and neither you should at this price). I found that the Drop can transpose pristine clean guitar and bass tones but, if you listen closely, there is definitely a loss of sound quality. However, this varies depending on the sound. I think that this is a matter of personal taste but IMHO such expectations should be aligned with significantly more expensive equipment.Indeed, as the Drop has no perceptible latency, some sound deterioration is inevitable and, from what I can tell, "Nobody Knows" you are even digitally dropping on the fly (just you!).However, the chances are that you are a guitarist (or bassist) who is playing with a certain degree of bite, grit, dirt, overdrive, distortion, "scream", fuzz, etc. If so, this little stomp box will probably exceed your expectations; as it certainly did mine.Simply put, in terms of sound quality, I could Drop my guitar by a semitone (Eb) or a tone (D) and the "new" standard tuning sounded great. Then it was down to C and "baritone" B, again with very satisfying results. It goes a lot further but I can't say that I tested these lower registers to any great degree (although I am sure that they will be fine). Note: the Drop allows you to change standard tunings (e.g., E standard to Eb standard, etc.), but will not cope with alternate tuning changes (e.g., E standard to the equivalent Drop D). If that's what you need, buy a Variax.Finally, and being a bass player, first and foremost, the most impressive aspect that I have encountered to date, was during my band's final pre-pandemic rehearsal in 2o2o. To the best of my knowledge, the Drop is intended for use with a guitar, not a bass (for which there is a blue Whammy). However, on this particular occasion, the Drop was playing host to my bass playing (which, being "rock" influenced, has a little dirt in its tone). In essence, I decided to Drop a few tones, on the fly, and play, as if tuned to my usual E standard. Hence, I played a couple of tracks in "D" and finally in "C". Not only did my fellow band members fail to notice anything "out of the ordinary" but personally, I was seriously (and I mean seriously) impressed with my bass tone.In summary, unless you are a perfectionist (in which case you are looking way below the required price point), this is a remarkable little pedal; if, that is, your requirements, as a guitarist, are to Drop a standard tuning both quickly and easily.And, as above, if you are a bass player with similar requirements, then this is a stomp box that is well worth looking at.In summary, HIGHLY recommended.~ Notes ~[1]: IMHO, the Drop is for use in a live environment where on the fly standard tuning changes are required.[2]: However, I wouldn't use it to record and it is certainly not a substitute for carrying say three quitars tuned to E, Eb and D standard.[3]: Similarly, if you are constantly playing in lower registers e.g. Eb standard down to B standard, get yourself a 5-String bass or a Baritone guitar (as needs must).

After gigging with digital systems, I have found joy in good old amps and pedals again.I still needed the ability to detune one or two steps fornthe odd song though and rather than swap guitars or transpose on the neck I thought I'd give the Drop a go.It works really well and the latency at half and a full semitone drop is almost imperceptible.Obviously the more detuned you go the latency increases ever so slightly.It's a great small pedal and quite low profile.It works best as the first pedal in your chain. No tone colouring or loss of volume in use.The octave effect is really nice too.For me it's a necessary utility pedal. I didn't need the full Whammy pedal functions, and due to its size and odd power requirements it's not always an easy pedal to integrate into a small to medium board.They seem to hold their value well too on the 2nd hand market.

I play in a covers band and this pedal is a lifesaver and saves you needing multiple guitars. I done quite a bit of research and read a lot of reviews before buying, but really glad I purchased. The pedal tracks amazingly with no lag and I haven't noticed any difference in sound (I only really need to drop 3 semi-tones max). No issues with it during fast solos and using wah and other effects, but just make sure this pedal is definitely first in your effects chain. I did mess around pushing it really low and sounded darker but I think this is just because the sound is so low. The octave part is a nice bonus too

For anyone wondering, this pedal drops the tone across all strings (ie. From E Standard down to drop E Standard) via the switch. And to be able to play dry and octave at the ssme time, was just what I was after.

Its a mini whammy in a nutshell. Packaged well, beautiful design and will in turn add a magnitude of arsenal too your playing. Whether looking for intermitant slow bends or screaming divebombs going flat out soloing it has your back all the time.You Can go up or down, numerous octave settings and also you can adjust the rise and fall of each mode. Epic creativity awaits. Check out the videos on youtube and see for yourself. An instrument on its own.Few second notes - are skeptical of the button (me initially) and i can see why. The whammy is iconic however having played both no difference. i think having used this now for a week its awesome and feels built too last. Will be a permenant fixture on my board.There is a lot of give for the money also being £40 less then the original whammy. Besides the whammy is huge, attracts dust more and this works so so easy. Also you are in turn going too put more pressure on a pedal then a button in my eyes; this in turn questioning which would survive the end of time. for fans also you can also convert this pedal into the original whammy mode.BE WARNED! This will require a 300ma 9volt cable (most small Boss pedals are 100ma speaking as a novice) there are a lot of reviews that suggest unwanted hum and interference. This will play a part if not the adaptor, i tried running off a 250ma and it provides significanct humming. Saw other reviews wasn’t sure if the problem at hand? BUY ONE BUY ONE BUY ONE!

Whilst I wouldn’t use it for session work and studio recording, it’s made playing in a band that uses both drop D and drop C tuning very easy. Almost un-noticeable at two semi-tones.Also useful if you like lighter gauge strings and don’t want to be playing spaghetti live.Fantastic bit of kit that truly proves technology has moved on and the game has changed. Love it.