Question:
Hi, im looking into buying a wah-wah pedal and it would be nice if i knew something about them before i bought one.
i suppose my main questions are:
what is the main difference between wah pedals?
what are the good models?
what are the best features to look for?
i guess that's all i really need to know, and i'd appreciate it if someone who has one could tell me what they like or would like to have had now that they have one.
god bless,
Ian
Answer:
Originally Posted by irtrogdor what is the main difference between wah pedals?
Their particular tones.
what are the good models?
Common low end brands are Vox, Dunlop, and Morley.
what are the best features to look for?
Whatever you need. Personally, all I need is my wah pedal and an on/off switch.
Answer:
As the ever popular saying goes, "You get what you pay for." This is true for most things in life. Real cheap wah-wahs will be just that, cheap. But moderately priced ones can yield really good results.
One important feature that you would probably want to look out for is True Bypass. It'll make a world of differences in your tone, and to some degree in your playing while in a live situation. One of the worst things for a gigging guitarist is when he turns his wah pedal off and has to 'deal' with a dramatic loss in tone - all due to the wah pedal.
Based on preferences, you may want to look into the wah-wah pedals with optical circuitry. Basically, all you have to do is start rocking the pedal to activate it. When you are done with the pedal, just stop using it. I believe only Morley makes these types of pedals.
You have ones where you can adjust the frequency of the sweep (how vocal the wah effect will sound).
If you just want a basic, yet good wah-wah pedal, then I would recommend getting a Dunlop wah-wah. For $70 it's really good. Then later on, when you have a real good feel for the pedal (and what you want out of it), you can then look around for others.
Answer:
i personally like Dunlops... altough Vox's are pretty good.. umm.. you might go to a music shop and try some out...
Answer:
I prefer the Voxes and Morleys to the Dunlop, personally.
Answer:
I used to have a VOX that I really liked, but got rid of it for some reason. I recently went shopping for a new one and ended up getting the Dunlop 535Q which is essentially a Crybaby but you can adjust a few things. I compared it against a Vox, original Crybaby, and a Morley Bad Horsie II. While I thought all were decent, the 535 had the most flexibility and in my opinion the best tone of the 4. I think ultimately, you should go and compare a few for yourself with your guitar or a similar one and get the one you think sounds the best.
Edit: I also should add that the main reason I didn't get the VOX was simply because they do not have the capability to use a 9V AC adapter.
Answer:
I got the Original Crybaby and I could certainly use an on/off indicator light. The toe switch isn't real firm and there's no way to tell if its on or not besides listen which may be too late. I'm sure one could be added without much trouble but if buying again I would find one with an LED or something.
Answer:
i've heard of people modding them thusly... it doesn't seem like it would be all that hard...
Answer:
Originally Posted by Dave H I used to have a VOX that I really liked, but got rid of it for some reason. I recently went shopping for a new one and ended up getting the Dunlop 535Q which is essentially a Crybaby but you can adjust a few things. I compared it against a Vox, original Crybaby, and a Morley Bad Horsie II. While I thought all were decent, the 535 had the most flexibility and in my opinion the best tone of the 4. I think ultimately, you should go and compare a few for yourself with your guitar or a similar one and get the one you think sounds the best.
Edit: I also should add that the main reason I didn't get the VOX was simply because they do not have the capability to use a 9V AC adapter.
This is a question I've wondered about before but I haven't had the chance to try out the 535Q--I have seen that it is "adjustable," but what is it that you can adjust? The sweep of the wah? The depth? or something else?
I have just the "basic" GCB-95 Dunlop wah. Although I like it for some songs, other times I wish I could make the sweep of the wah more subtle. I find that I don't need full-out "funk" every time I want to use wah.
Answer:
hey, thanks for your help. i think the first thing i would have done is gone to a guitar center and try some out if i could, but i'm in mexico were there is no such thing. so that's why i asked. i looked at them some at musicians friend and i liked the morley alot since it had the optical switch thing. i suppose i sort of doubted it because it was the only wah with that feature.
and thanks for the bit about the true bypass, i hadn't thought of that. are there any that have pure bypass though? my visual sound H2O has that, and i hear it's better.
anways, thanks a bunch, and if anyone else has somethingto say, i'll keep checking this thread every now and then
Answer:
Originally Posted by irtrogdor and thanks for the bit about the true bypass, i hadn't thought of that. are there any that have pure bypass though? my visual sound H2O has that, and i hear it's better. Pure bypass is pretty much something that Visual Sound pedals have that most manufacturers skimp on. As far as I know, pure bypass is just a really good buffered bypass. It's supposed to be superior to true bypass in that it retains your signal clarity and tone without sacrificing signal strength.
Answer:
ok, cool.
i think i like the morley power wah volume pedal. it has everything i've liked, the optical circuitry, LED indicator, and it has a volume pedal built in to boot. but if anyone's owned it and didn't like it for some reason, or it didn't work or something, it'd be cool if you told me.
here it is by the way:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...dal?sku=150788
Answer:
Originally Posted by irtrogdor ok, cool.
i think i like the morley power wah volume pedal. it has everything i've liked, the optical circuitry, LED indicator, and it has a volume pedal built in to boot. but if anyone's owned it and didn't like it for some reason, or it didn't work or something, it'd be cool if you told me.
here it is by the way:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...dal?sku=150788
I'm not sure if the Power Wah and Power Wah/Volume have the thing that if you take your foot off, it stops. I looked at them both today on the Morley website, and it didn't mention anything about it on those two pedals, but it did on the Mark Tremonti and Steve Vai pedals.
Answer:
I think you're right Eric, the volume/wah doesn't have the optical circuitry. i've had second thoughts on it too because i don't really need a volume pedal as of yet, and combos generally aren't the best. i think the mark tremonti power wah is the best one so far. i'll have to wait until the end of december to try one out though. bleh.
Answer:
Originally Posted by irtrogdor I think you're right Eric, the volume/wah doesn't have the optical circuitry. i've had second thoughts on it too because i don't really need a volume pedal as of yet, and combos generally aren't the best. i think the mark tremonti power wah is the best one so far. i'll have to wait until the end of december to try one out though. bleh. um...from the MF site you linked to earlier:
"The Power Wah Volume pedal from Morley incorporates a number of pro features like Morley's custom HQ2 inductor, wah level control, and electro-optical circuitry so there are no pots to wear out."