Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

[wildstar]

I'm thinking about buying one of these. Since all my other pedals are true-bypass, I'd hate to stick something on my pedal board that kills tone when in bypass.

So does anyone out there use one of the wahs? And if so, do you think it affects your tone when in bypass? I'm not sure what Dunlop means by "hard-wire bypass", but I'm sure if it were actually true bypass they would put it in bold capital letters, since it's such a buzz word.

Thanks for any opinions.

Cheers

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

I'm thinking about buying one of these. Since all my other pedals are true-bypass, I'd hate to stick something on my pedal board that kills tone when in bypass.

So does anyone out there use one of the wahs? And if so, do you think it affects your tone when in bypass? I'm not sure what Dunlop means by "hard-wire bypass", but I'm sure if it were actually true bypass they would put it in bold capital letters, since it's such a buzz word.

Thanks for any opinions.

Cheers

Most of the Dunlop wahs are not true bypass...The Vox 848 Clyde McCoy is though..

 

[wildstar]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

Most of the Dunlop wahs are not true bypass...The Vox 848 Clyde McCoy is though..

Yeah, I know it's not true bypass. Dunlop describes this particular wah as having a "hard-wire on-off switch." What I'm wondering is if people using this wah have had issues with the bypass. Tone-killer? Just fine? No problems? Big problems? Is it reasonably close in fidelity to a true bypass pedal, when in bypass? Or not close at all?

I will probably buy one and just try it, since this is not the kind of thing you can really test out in a store. But I'm hoping to collect some anecdotal evidence first!

I'm finding my HomeBrew wah to be a little too nice and smooth for my tastes. I think I need something nastier, or something that allow me to dial in some nastiness!

Cheers

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

Yeah, I know it's not true bypass. Dunlop describes this particular wah as having a "hard-wire on-off switch." What I'm wondering is if people using this wah have had issues with the bypass. Tone-killer? Just fine? No problems? Big problems? Is it reasonably close in fidelity to a true bypass pedal, when in bypass? Or not close at all?

I will probably buy one and just try it, since this is not the kind of thing you can really test out in a store. But I'm hoping to collect some anecdotal evidence first!

I'm finding my HomeBrew wah to be a little too nice and smooth for my tastes. I think I need something nastier, or something that allow me to dial in some nastiness!

Cheers

Maybe you could read some reviews about the wah over at www.harmonycentral.com

 

[tone4days]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

i have one and it is the only pedal i have between the guitar and amp .. i like it just fine but will be the first to tell you that i am not a 'dog ears' when it comes to subtleties in tone like that ... i am not sure i can tell much a difference with it 'off' compared to when i plug the guitar straight into the amp ... it is a very flexible wah with the variable voicings and Q plus the gain boost ... i use it for about 1 tune per set, max

hope this helped

good luck
t4d

 

[wildstar]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

i have one and it is the only pedal i have between the guitar and amp .. i like it just fine but will be the first to tell you that i am not a 'dog ears' when it comes to subtleties in tone like that ... i am not sure i can tell much a difference with it 'off' compared to when i plug the guitar straight into the amp ... it is a very flexible wah with the variable voicings and Q plus the gain boost ... i use it for about 1 tune per set, max

hope this helped

good luck
t4d

Yes, thank you! I trust the opinions and reactions of folks here on this forum a helluva lot more than the loonies on Harmony Central. HC tends to be kind of like "I just bought Item X and it freakin' sucks! It's the worst thing ever!" and "I just bought Item X and it rocks! You HAVE to buy it! It's the greatest!!!!!!"

Of course some esteemed forum members contribute to HC, so present company excepted.

If you're not sure you're hearing a difference between on and off, then there might not be much difference to detect! That's what I'm hoping, anyways. A purist might not be 100% satisfied, but if I can get to 85% satisfied, it'll do. And the tweakability of the 535Q may outweigh any sonic funniness in bypass. Maybe...

If anyone else has an opinion on it, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[JLagoon]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

I don't know about the 535Q, but I think that it's very similar to Crybaby from Hell--I have one. No tone sucking is noticeable. Maybe 2% out of your 100% tone.

I'm very picky when it comes to pedal bypasses, and am quite an audiophile. Nevertheless, it's the first pedal that my guitar connects to and I have confidence in it to keep my tone intact when it reaches the preamp.

 

[taphappy]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

If its like the CFH I think it may be less than 2%. The bypass on it is very good, I just noticed an extremely slight amount of treble loss.

 

[JLagoon]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

I would agree to that as well, taphappy. I was just aiming a bit high. :dance:

 

[wildstar]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

Thanks guys, that's very helpful. I may get to a store today to try one out. And now we have a wah poll in this forum! I guess I'm not the only one with wahs on the brain.

Anyone interested in buying my HomeBrew Medicine Bawl wah? or trading for a 535Q? I'll post in the Trading Post.

 

[B Bent]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

i have one and it is the only pedal i have between the guitar and amp .. i like it just fine but will be the first to tell you that i am not a 'dog ears' when it comes to subtleties in tone like that ... i am not sure i can tell much a difference with it 'off' compared to when i plug the guitar straight into the amp ... it is a very flexible wah with the variable voicings and Q plus the gain boost ... i use it for about 1 tune per set, max

hope this helped

good luck
t4d

Exactly what t4d said. I really can't hear some of the differences that some guys here claim to be able to hear. I love mine. It produces the results I want! Be advised though...... the gain boost can be unusably noisy IMO!!

EDIT: BTW mine is some sort of limited edition all chrome version that often is mistaken for a Vox. Does anyone know specifically anything about the one like mine. I know it's the same electronics as the regular one, but when were these made etc.......

 

[mind_transplant]

Re: Dunlop 535Q wah: Does it kill your tone in bypass?

I went through the exact same problem as you a bit over a month ago, was trying to decide between the 535q and an RMC. The bypass on the 535q is fine IMO, though there is a minimal amount of treble loss. For me the flexibility more than made up for it, especially when recording...:banana: