Question:
When I use my wah with my Ibanez SZ (humbuckers) it distorts, but when I use it with my Fender Telecaster (single coil) it is clean.
I thought it was my Dunlop Crybaby Wah (a wah) so I borrowed my friends Budda Bud-Wah (a purple wah) and it too distorts.
Is this a common problem with wahs and humbuckers, or is it just my pickups and is there a way to fix this?
Thanks guys.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Micahb When I use my wah with my Ibanez SZ (humbuckers) it distorts, but when I use it with my Fender Telecaster (single coil) it is clean.
I thought it was my Dunlop Crybaby Wah (a wah) so I borrowed my friends Budda Bud-Wah (a purple wah) and it too distorts.
Is this a common problem with wahs and humbuckers, or is it just my pickups and is there a way to fix this?
Thanks guys.
Are you using a high-output pickup? That might have something to do with it.
Answer:
Originally Posted by RubberChipmunk Are you using a high-output pickup? That might have something to do with it. indeed. I know with my wahs, it doesn't just feel like they're filtering towards a certain frequency, but that the signal is also boosted at this frequency. This means that if your humbuckers were on the verge of clipping the amp's input, the humbuckers through the wah are going to get a sufficient boost to clip the front end a bit and produce distortion.
Answer:
Where is the gain on your amp set?
Answer:
I get the EXACT same thing with my SZ....interesting....
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve indeed. I know with my wahs, it doesn't just feel like they're filtering towards a certain frequency, but that the signal is also boosted at this frequency. This means that if your humbuckers were on the verge of clipping the amp's input, the humbuckers through the wah are going to get a sufficient boost to clip the front end a bit and produce distortion.
I think it's actually pretty cool to get an automatic boost.
Answer:
My Morley wah has an adjustable boost.
Answer:
I'm not sure what the pickups are exactly (I bought it err..4th hand...i think), but I'm pretty sure they would be considered high output.
If I switched to medium output this would be fixed?
Answer:
Originally Posted by Micahb I'm not sure what the pickups are exactly (I bought it err..4th hand...i think), but I'm pretty sure they would be considered high output.
If I switched to medium output this would be fixed? a lower output pickup would do it...or you could just roll the volume knob down. in fact, checking to see if the distortion goes away when you roll the volume down would be a great way to check if this is an output related issue.