Wah pedal recommendations

[deeaa]

Hmm...I gotta try that trick too...

 

[LeadedEL84]

A looooong time ago.....I had a Crybaby Hendrix Fuzz wah. It got some cool sounds but there were some things I didn't like about it. The Fuzz setting was not that great. Sometimes I had problems with accidently switching in or out of the Fuzz mode and accidently hitting bypass mode. Also the sweep was too fast. It dropped off into the dark, nasily sound when pulled back far too fast. Also going into the trebbley, sucked mids zone it got too bright right away. It was great for doing agressive,screeming,wah sounds but not for subtle stuff. I like to use a wah for tone shaping sometimes. Like getting that bright,sucked mids,Hendrix tone or a fat nasily Page sound. I couldn't do it with the Fuzz wah because I couldn't find the right notches. It was always too bright or too dark. I tried a regular dunlop Crybaby a few times since then and liked them better but still not for me.
I prefer the Vox wah. The sweep is extreme but feels right to me. I can get the sounds I am looking for with it. I can use it as an EQ for tone shaping or for screaming wah. It's not perfect but I like the classic wah sound it gets. I have wanted one for a long time and it will likely be my next equipment purchase.
I know someone who has a budda Bud-Wah. It's the purple one. He loves it. It's very versatile and sounds great. I've played around with it a few times. It is very nice and one of the highest quality wahs I've tested. It can be subtle or aggressive and sounds good about anywhere in the sweep.It just doesn't quite get the classic Vox sound I like(think Page,live on No Quarter from Song remains the same). They are expensive too!!

 

[Bloozcat]

I too have a standard Crybaby with a Roger Mayer Red Lion kit in it and I'm very pleased with the tone. Not only does it have a Halo inductor, it also doesn't suck tone when it's off. It's got the tone sweep pot adjustment as well. I drilled a small hole in the base plate of the wah so I can easily get to the adjustment.

As cheap as the std. Crybabys are on the used market, you could pick one of them up cheap and install an Area 51 kit with a ICAR pot and a Carling 316PP DPDT footswitch. That would get you there or you could install a Red Lion kit...if they're still available.

 

[guitardragon]

Fulltone Clyde Deluxe

Check out the Fulltone CLYDE Deluxe Wah Wah. I have it, I love it, it has the best sound of all.

My Crybaby Deluxe is the only piece of equipment I ever returned. It started making loud clicking noises when activated....some say a "buffer" problem but I'm a guitarist, not a technician.

Not any problems with my Clyde and I gig with it at least 6 to 8 times a month. Couldn't do Jimi or Clapton without it! Great product. It costs more but I only buy the best when I can.

www.mikeimbasciani.com

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[Moander]

If I'd have seen this thread earlier..... oh well...

I would have recommended the Ibanez Weeping Demon, the full one, not the toned down version.....

If you ignore, for a moment, all the buttons and switches, and set everything to 'center', it's a truly amazing pedal.

You can use the setting knobs to essentially dial in any Wah type you want. I was a fan (still am) of the old, Tel-Ray Morley pedals. They had an incredible range, great Wah.... no longer made....$80+ bucks on eBay used.....

I plugged in the Ibanez, and right out of the box, there was my Morley... I have since, and easily, obtained the Cry Baby tone, and the Vox tone, plus a huge variety of other tones......

Most versatile pedal out there IMO

 

[deeaa]

I had one of those Weeping Demons for a good while - it was indeed a very good wah. Swapped it later for a Vox though.

 

[Bloozcat]

Well, if money was not a consideration (and it usually is), I'd recommend one of Geoffrey Teese's Wahs.

The RMC1 is great for straight single coils, but the RMC3 is best for versatility. Best Wah-Wah I've ever heard, but for $235.00-$255.00 you'd expect it to be.

 

[Eric]

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?p=177334#post177334

 

[6stringdrug]

Wahs, IMHO, are one of the toughest pedals to give an opinion on. I have played a ton of them and they all sound different. Too low at the heel, too high at the toe, too screechy, too flat, no mid hump, too heavy mids....it becomes your ear's bane. Price can become an issue too. I play, this week, a budda budwah. Through sheer luck, I found an older model on ebay. I prefer it to the newer models, a little more classic sounding, but not gravelly as I think the voxs and dunlops can be. There is a definite + to the scratchy, almost muddy sound the less expensive wahs make, but for my $, this budda is awesome!!!! I had a chance to play a fulltone RMC and that was the best I've played yet, but the price was a bit high for me at that time. maybe another time.

 

[otaypanky]

I don't use one often at all but I do get an itch to wah every now and then. Last year I started putting a few pedals together. I had an old CryBaby but it was kind of blah sounding so I got a Whipple kit from Mike on eBay. That was a cool mod.
But I was still itching. So I ended up getting a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe. That sounds really great and is versatile for sure. I have it mounted up on a big SKB powered board. But even still, sometimes that itch would come back again and I thought it would be cool to have a wah on a small little 'grab and go' board for jams and at home band practice. So last week I was reading reviews on the Budda and located a few new ones in stock at several places. I listened to a few demos and liked the sound a lot. Then I came across a demo clip of a CryBaby Classic. It sounded great. I found one listed as B stock at American Musical Supply and ordered it for $89, (usually $129). It arrived today and sounded great. I also grabbed a cool little Gator powered pedalboard in a soft case. When I went to mount the wah to the board I discovered one screw hole was stripped so they're sending me a brand new one for the same price. I lucked out there. But most importantly, in the very few moments that I used it today, and only at low volume, it sounded really, really good, much better than the old standard one I had IMHO. I dig it.
Everybody's gotta' wah once in a while ~

 

[deeaa]

Well said Otapanky...I had a Morley I loved way back...you could really work it and it'd give real nice swells and not be too drastic yet sounded good. It was perfect for the 90's stuff like Alice In Chains.

These days I like the way my Vox sounds, but the heel is too dark, almost feels like it cuts off the sound...and I'd prefer a little bit more grit and suprises in the sound too.

Just the other day I was entertaining the idea of trying an autowah, it'd be much easier to use as a singer-guitarist, and have - maybe - more control over the sweep etc. Never really tried one.

 

[otaypanky]

Yeah, but you can't make 'Wah Face' as well with an auto wah can you?

Well said Otapanky...I had a Morley I loved way back...you could really work it and it'd give real nice swells and not be too drastic yet sounded good. It was perfect for the 90's stuff like Alice In Chains.

These days I like the way my Vox sounds, but the heel is too dark, almost feels like it cuts off the sound...and I'd prefer a little bit more grit and suprises in the sound too.

Just the other day I was entertaining the idea of trying an autowah, it'd be much easier to use as a singer-guitarist, and have - maybe - more control over the sweep etc. Never really tried one.

 

[Tig]

Through sheer luck, I found an older model on ebay. I prefer it to the newer models,

The good ol' purple one, right? I haven't played the recent version but love the old one housed in the Dunlop box (assembled by Dunlop, too).
Sweet vocal sounding wah. My only change would be to have a pot adjustment to increase the sweep range. I moved the gear up 1 notch but returned it to stock setting.

 

[Moander]

Well said Otapanky...I had a Morley I loved way back...you could really work it and it'd give real nice swells and not be too drastic yet sounded good. It was perfect for the 90's stuff like Alice In Chains.

These days I like the way my Vox sounds, but the heel is too dark, almost feels like it cuts off the sound...and I'd prefer a little bit more grit and suprises in the sound too.

Just the other day I was entertaining the idea of trying an autowah, it'd be much easier to use as a singer-guitarist, and have - maybe - more control over the sweep etc. Never really tried one.

This is one reason to look at that Ibanez pedal. Out of the box, on factory settings, is the old, giant, nosebleed inducing Morley which I loved above all others. (was stolen years ago).

A few tweaks to the dials, BOOM ! Vox
A few minor tweaks from the Vox setting, BOOM: standard Crybaby.

Not to shabby getting several Wah's in one unit, for about $79.00 at GC (was on sale).

Solid, studio quality, as quiet as the rest of your gear is. Can be used as a standard, must turn on Wah, or be used as an Auto on/off Wah.

 

[6stringdrug]

The good ol' purple one, right? I haven't played the recent version but love the old one housed in the Dunlop box (assembled by Dunlop, too).
Sweet vocal sounding wah. My only change would be to have a pot adjustment to increase the sweep range. I moved the gear up 1 notch but returned it to stock setting.

Yup, the cool ol purple!!! I did the same thing, back and forth with the pot until I went back to stock, I love this wah, Ive had it a few weeks now and have discovered wah tones I didnt think I was ever going to find! Unlike my vox, it still sings at full heel. Deeaa, you sound like yours does the same thing. The new model, in the shiny black housing probably has a bit more range in the sweep but does not sound as sweet to my ears.

In the end, now that I've found my wah I can concentrate on other effects and finding "the one" for me! :}

 

[deeaa]

This is one reason to look at that Ibanez pedal. Out of the box, on factory settings, is the old, giant, nosebleed inducing Morley which I loved above all others. (was stolen years ago).

A few tweaks to the dials, BOOM ! Vox
A few minor tweaks from the Vox setting, BOOM: standard Crybaby.

Not to shabby getting several Wah's in one unit, for about $79.00 at GC (was on sale).

Solid, studio quality, as quiet as the rest of your gear is. Can be used as a standard, must turn on Wah, or be used as an Auto on/off Wah.

I swapped my Ibanez Screaming Demon for the Vox actually...it was indeed a good all-rounder and I liked the automatic switch, but I just could not get the grit and such with it. I suppose I need to look for a Crybaby used so much it's on the verge of destruction...those are what sound best to me. Almost uncontrollable squeals and uneven sweep from high to low, lots of noise. Excactly what I want in a wah!

I wonder if I could somehow 'ruin' the pot in the Vox to make it sound more broken and gritty.

 

[Commodore 64]

I'm meeting someone today on the way home form work to get a beat up Morley Wah, that "works, but might need a new pot"--according to the seller.

But for $10, I'll take a chance. I've got a soldering iron and lots of pots and I also have some DeOxIt, which might be all it needs.

 

[deeaa]

I'm meeting someone today on the way home form work to get a beat up Morley Wah, that "works, but might need a new pot"--according to the seller.

But for $10, I'll take a chance. I've got a soldering iron and lots of pots and I also have some DeOxIt, which might be all it needs.

I was under the impression Morleys are optical wahs, but might be wrong. Maybe some models aren't.

 

[Commodore 64]

I was under the impression Morleys are optical wahs, but might be wrong. Maybe some models aren't.

We'll know in about 6 hours!

 

[Eric]

I was under the impression Morleys are optical wahs, but might be wrong. Maybe some models aren't.

What's an optical wah?

 

[deeaa]

What's an optical wah?

When I got me a Morley pedal back in '93 or so one of the selling points was it was optical, which means there isn't a mechanical gear system moving a tone potentiometer, but a LED that shines through a disc with a hole pattern, behind which there is a light-sensitive sensor that controls the tone according to how much light it detects thru the disc in its various positions.

That way there is no chance of mechanical wear-out or noises, there's no moving parts except the pedal rocking back and forth.

 

[Eric]

When I got me a Morley pedal back in '93 or so one of the selling points was it was optical, which means there isn't a mechanical gear system moving a tone potentiometer, but a LED that shines through a disc with a hole pattern, behind which there is a light-sensitive sensor that controls the tone according to how much light it detects thru the disc in its various positions.

That way there is no chance of mechanical wear-out or noises, there's no moving parts except the pedal rocking back and forth.

Huh. Interesting.

 

[deeaa]

Yeah...here's a PDF from their website, they don't say if they're all optical but it explains pretty well how they work and how they can be tweaked:

http://www.morleypedals.com/ttwahadjust.pdf

 

[Commodore 64]

He was 10 minutes late, but he showed up. I got it. It is indeed optical, there's only 1 pot in it, for level.

Looked up some mods for it, that I will be doing, mainly to add a clean/distortion switch and something else, I can't remember right now. Last night I had to fix our dishwasher so I couldn't get to the Wah pedal. Also, I have a Peavey Bandit project that I want to do first (solder in new jacks, and replace the OP Amps).

The Morley has a Op Amp, a T071, IIRC. It's a single Op Amp, 8 pin, DIP style. I suppose I can't replace it with one of the dual Op Amps I just bought.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I have been doing some study on an old Hendrix tune (well, really a Dylan tune), and one lead requires a wah. I sold mine (as has been pointed out) a while back, and now I am looking at getting one again. Thinking about a used Ibanez Weeping Demon. Based on comments, it seems like it would be a good value. Then I will have to learn to play the darned thing. That is why I sold my first wah, never felt comfortable using it. But now if I am going to try to learn Hendrixy stuff, kinda have to.

 

[bcdon]

I've got the Morley Bad Horsie 2 Contour Wah that is pretty cool. I really need to learn how to use it properly but it doesn't seem to affect your tone when not engaged.

 

[Eric]

I have been doing some study on an old Hendrix tune (well, really a Dylan tune), and one lead requires a wah. I sold mine (as has been pointed out) a while back, and now I am looking at getting one again. Thinking about a used Ibanez Weeping Demon. Based on comments, it seems like it would be a good value. Then I will have to learn to play the darned thing. That is why I sold my first wah, never felt comfortable using it. But now if I am going to try to learn Hendrixy stuff, kinda have to.

I just never really find occasion to use it, so I tend to kind of leave it out of the setup. I used to use it a bit, but it usually ends up being something I **** around with and that subtracts from my playing rather than adds to it. I guess I'm just not very effective with wah, so it ends up being like a toy instead of a musical tool. But yeah, it has the potential to sound really cool in the right context and add a lot to the music.

 

[deeaa]

I've had both the Screaming Demon and a 'normal' Morley, both good wahs...I dunno how different the Bad Horsie is from standard wah.

I got the Ibanez because it turns on and off automatically if desired, with just rocking the pedal, which I liked, with either spring tension or no.

I got a bit lost with all the adjustments on the Ibanez, though, plus I didn't really ever get it to do what I want a wah to do, i.e. kinda give the sound its own character even when it's just on, and the Weeping Demon was, with any setting, kinda sterile to me, albeit a great wah, would be good for someone who used it as an effect lots for rhythm too etc. The Morley was very modern-sounding as well, great for some swells and like, Alice In Chains kinda stuff, but not so much for rock quack.

I use very little wah; currently one song start has a little for 10 seconds, sometimes I might add some to the end, and I use it on one lead part on another song, usually on one solo bit, and one rhythm part on a fourth song. However, I might get lazy and just mimic it with pick angle & harmonics sometimes. Still, a wah is the only pedal I use.

I now have a Vox wah I did the jump the sprocket thing to get a little more movement before it gets too bright, and it's quite suitable for me, although I could envision a better one.

In fact it's really hard to find a really really desirable wah, I think...my friend has this old Crybaby I would take any second; it is worn somehow just right that it gives all kinds of crazy - but super cool - sounding squelchs and is has just the right amount of throat. Leads can really be made to sound like human voice almost with it, and that I like. You know, when you hold it in place and move it, it won't just simply and steadily brighten or darken the sound like normal 'eeeEEE', but it goes like 'Wo-eeEEE', always adding some weird duck or a freaky 'croak' to every movement, and you can just move it quite off-beat too and not have to keep pushing up and down to get a nice effect. The Vox I have is quite boring in comparison, but it has a nice rock scream anyway. I've tried many a wah, and while some have been really throaty too, none have been sufficiently crazy. I'd like the sound to vary a lot with pedal positions, and plenty of pedal movement too.

 

[Tig]

In fact it's really hard to find a really really desirable wah, I think...

^ This.
Wah's are tricky beasts. Mine works really well with some amps, and is horrible with others. I'd guess that many people bought an otherwise good wah, but it didn't work with their amp so they sold it.

 

[omegadot]

I'll be honest, I like how a wah sounds, I can't control it for anything. I need someone to sit down and be like, "Omegadot, this is how do not dumb things with a wah".