What do you look for in a wah pedal? How does a "vintage" sounding wah differ from a modern one? Is there any good reason to get a more expensive one than the low-priced Crybaby, or the cool-looking Vox? What's the deal with fasel? Who's Clyde? Do I really need a variable Q? Did Jimi Hendrix play on the Jimi Hendrix signature wah, and is it really any different from a plain ol' crybaby? Isn't a wah pedal just a tone knob you control with your feet - I mean, how different can they all be, really?
Wah! :cry:
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I think I only have clear the wah I like. It is the classic Vox. I agree, it is cool, I like the visual aspect but the tone is my favorite. (If the other things such as pickups, bass, etc. were like the wah...)
And I don't like the "complex" wah with several emulations, knobs, options, etc. A wah is just a filter, as you said a tone knob that you control with your feet. You can also add a lot of new things and variable resistors that do harder the adjustment or better components but it is a simple filter.
The Jimi Hendrix is also similar to the Vox and it is also "compatible" with the way I play: clean or almost clean, just with a little of "crunch". For more overdriven/distorted tones perhaps the Crybaby sounds better than the Vox, perhaps "fuller", it is less treble to me.
Currently I have enough troubles with my fingers so I will wait some time to include also a wah in my chain! :lol:
But it will a Vox!
IMNSHO, the only real answer is YMMV. It really depends upon your musical prefs and playing style. Many players don't want to mess around with too many adjustments -- understandable. But the fact is there are many different wah sounds from very generic to those that really seem to produce great vocal or horn (Clyde was a trumpet player) timbres. My fave happen to be the Clapton rhythmic (with the beat) wah, such as that on Tales of Brave Ulysses - a Clyde McCoy wah, BTW - and the growly dirty single line soloing wah that sounds like a animal crying in pain. You may like something different. Even the simpler pedals can be adjusted for sweep range, so you can "hit the sweet spot" you prefer. But some models just have a "good" sounding bandwidth and resonance, while others don't. Many reviews say the Digitech multiple model wah pedal is very good and capturing the best of the wah sounds, plus other signature Digitech effects. But it is costly and complicated. If you have the $$, time and inclination, it might be for you.
-=tension & release=-
Right now I have the Vox 847, the Dunlop original Crybaby, and the Morley Bad Horsie. The Vox sounds best, especially with clean tones, but only runs on batteries. The Morley only engages when you step on the pedal which is very convenient, but there seems to be a very slight delay which I dislike. I also do not care for the sound, very nasal in my opinion. So, I mostly use the Crybaby. It sounds almost as good as the Vox but accepts a power supply. That is important to me, I dislike having to unplug the input jack to prevent the battery from running down.
What do I look for in a Wah? I like it to have lots of sweep or range. I like it to go from very low tone to very high tone. That is another bad thing about the Bad Horsie, it has no range at all. The Vox has the most.
I use the Wah on a few classic Wah songs like White Room. Sometimes I will engage it and leave it at one position just to get a distortion. I also like funky music. :D
I used to be pretty good with Wah, but not so much anymore. Seems I can't move my foot as freely and quickly as when I was younger.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I'm no expert on wahs but I did get a Boss Dynamic Wah for my Bday in June. Tons of great tones from it but you need a PHD to figure the thing out. I've played with it a little bit. Once I got over the novilty, I shelved it. For you Slej, you'd need one when you're ripping into the solo in 2112. Must have for a RUSH guy. 8)
Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.
Thanks guys! Good info, as always. So Clyde played trumpet, eh? :lol:
Wes, fyi, the latest version of the Vox pedal does support a power supply. It's now the 847a, with the "a" being for "adapter." I don't know if it has changed in any other ways.
Do you all think the (non-Clyde) Vox would do well to get the following fairly bright sounds?:
intro lead guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRNFuxaVcqY
rhythm guitar (guy with the blue strat, comes in at 00:10):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq8RysN5pAA&feature=related
Blueline, I'm pretty sure Lerxst used a simple Crybaby in the early days ... that Boss thing looks way too complex for me! :oops:
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I use the Wah on a few classic Wah songs like White Room. Sometimes I will engage it and leave it at one position just to get a distortion. I also like funky music. :D
Yeah, Wes --White Room is the other Cream tune I associate with great wah.
And oh yeah, FUNK! My first memories of wah predate my guitar playing. waviness transitions to flashback ... I'm playing trumpet in the school band, and we are practicing to perform the Theme from Shaft (sweet, sweet trumpet tune for us! Thank you Mr. Hayes!). We are all sort of skeptical about it sounding right, as there are sounds in there that none of us can make. Band director says, "Not to worry. I've hired a guy to help us with that." We are STOKED! Well, people hear different things in their music. He hires a bass player. Yeah good and necessary, but not the super cool wittitt-wittitt sound our younger ears want to hear. ......waviness ...... A couple years later, after starting on guitar, I learn what a wah pedal is. ...... wavy return to present
-=tension & release=-
Mitch, I didn't compare both but the Vox can achieve very bright sounds. I guess you already know this video. It reviews the new 847a and compares it to the old 847 (I mean, the previous version).
the Vox can achieve very bright sounds.
That's what I need! Thanks.
I saw a video comparing the new Vox to an old 1970's Vox "King" wah. The King is mellow, but silky smooth and sexy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hesaGhXokeQ&feature=related
8)
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Yeah! I also saw that video! :)
Vox is brighter than CryBaby and Morley to my ears. Perhaps they are more for rock. For playing clean or almost clean, somebody recommended to me the Vox some time ago. The Vox or the Jimi Hendrix but not the others Dunlop.
Once, while I was in a store, somebody try out the new BBE Wah. I only heard it while I was speaking but it sounded bright, too. But it has extra controls knobs.
the Vox can achieve very bright sounds.
That's what I need! Thanks.
I saw a video comparing the new Vox to an old 1970's Vox "King" wah. The King is mellow, but silky smooth and sexy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hesaGhXokeQ&feature=related
8)
Use your bridge pup (gotta start with bright to get best bright), and if that's not bright enough, the pedal's sweep range may need adjustment. The Vox usually gets better reviews than the Crybaby.
-=tension & release=-
Something to consider: some wahs use a spring to go back up/down when you're foot is not on them. Morley has some of these. Others stay in position if your feet is off the pedal. This can be usefull if you want to use it as a static 'EQ' of sorts, like Clapton, Gilmour and Knopfler did. A variable Q-point can handy if you also play bass and it goes low, or if you're just a knob-fetisjist like me. I suggest you just try the standard wahs from Vox, Dunlop, Morley (Behringer!) and such. If one of them sounds like a cool wah to you just go with it. I know a guy who constantly changes wah pedals, has them custom-build etc to find the perfect wah-sound. I doubt the audience will ever notice.
Currently I have enough troubles with my fingers so I will wait some time to include also a wah in my chain! :lol:
But it will a Vox!
You said it!
