Skip to content

a blog on effects

Menu
  • Home
  • collection (486)
  • Ibanez (111)
  • Danelectro (53)
  • DOD, Digitech (51)
  • Electro-Harmonix (40)
  • Boss (54)
  • Other Brands (177)
Menu

Digitech XSW Synth Wah

Posted on 21/01/2015 by mirosol

Digitech-XSW-SynthWah

What is it?
Digitech XSW Sythn Wah envelope filter from X-series. Made in china around late 00’s

Deeper green on the color than the bass version, the Synth Wah Envelope Filter takes on the battle for autowahs with slight synth features for a guitar. Decent set of features will let you play around for hours. Some of the modes are usable and may even come handy in some situations. Once again, there is nothing close to a schematic available, but once we open the torx screws and check the PCB we notice something that we didn’t want to see. Sea of vias and the auto-routed footprint that is nothing more or less than the same board we’ll see in the bass version.

Digitech-XSW-SynthWah-guts1

This continues when we flip the board over. Yes. It is exactly the same effect as the XBW Bass Synth Wah. Only things that are different are the print on box and some lines of code inside the ROM. I did know to expect this, but it still made me feel stumped. This makes me think that all the X-series boxes have just two different boards inside them. The first are the ones which have a rotary switch as a fourth pot and the second, there are boards with a standard pot in that position. It is just me, but i’m still an analog electronics enthusiast first and thus, not too thrilled about all digital designs such as these.

Digitech-XSW-SynthWah-guts2

I had a conversation over the social media some time ago. One talented guitarist (who uses Boss GT-100 multi effect, by the way) noted that all the effects are just resistors and capacitors, so it doesn’t matter if the design is digital or analog. I just had to correct him. You know, when there is someone wrong on the internet.. No, these two methods are not the same and cannot be compared head to head. Analog designs rely on electronics engineering, while digital designs rely on processing power, code and A/D-D/A signal conversion. Some modern pedals nowadays can easily hold a power of Nintendo64 inside them (some modern multi effects are even more like desktop computers). But the question is like comparing locally hand forged steel gate on your driveway with one that’s been moulded in chinese steel ovens. Yes. These both do the same thing. And yes. To the laymen it doesn’t matter. But for hand forging enthusiast the different is huge. Then comes the question which is “better”. Neither. Or both. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

How does it sound?
Not bad. The modes have good and usable wobbles in them. The synth-like sweeps are pretty wild and since there isn’t too many guitar envelope filters with similar modes available, this unit is rather desirable. Whether it is the same effect from electronics design point of view as the Bass Synth Wah is irrelevant. Sure it matters to me, but it doesn’t affect the sound. My personal opinions rarely affect the sounds… Again, the low price point and big user value will make this effect tempting to many. Not to analog enthusiasts, but for everyone else. Not a bad unit. Good and cheap thing to get. Not a bad investment, if you don’t care about the analog/digital aspect.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

/usr/bin/locate

/usr/bin/whoami

here used to be a short description of me. however, it wasn't exactly accurate anymore. so i'm replacing it with this placeholder for now. and yes. it's been a long time since my last post. but let me assure you. i'm very much still alive.

Found an error? One of my assumptions is dead wrong? Something else is just not right? Let me know! Leave a comment to a post, or drop a line to mirosol at kapsi dot fi.

I do mods, repairs and custom builds too. For inquiries, use the email address above.

/var/lib/collection

  • Electro-Harmonix (40)
  • DOD, Digitech (51)
  • Other Brands (177)
  • Boss (54)
  • Danelectro (53)
  • Ibanez (111)

/var/lib/tags

Amp Autowah Bass Boost Booster Chorus Compressor Delay Distortion Echo Envelope Filter EQ Filter Flanger Fuzz Harmony Loop Modulation Noise Gate Octave Overdrive Phaser Pitch Power Preamp Reverb Special/Multi Synthesizer Tremolo Tuner Utility Vibe Vibrato Wah

/usr/lib/comments_recent

  • zix on DOD FX55-B Supra Distortion
  • Ali Imran on Ibanez MF5 Modern Fusion
  • Ali Imran on Ibanez MF5 Modern Fusion
  • Schlunzo on Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger
  • Jefferson on Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger

/var/lib/archives

  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • September 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
© 2025 | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme