help with wah

[bluesfloyd]

hi, guys
looking to buy a wah pedal, love the wah sound in the following songs,
STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN " VOODOO CHILE,
Jimi Hendrix " voodoochild,
Guns n Roses "sweet child o mine,

what wah pedal would you guy recommend to get the same sound in these songs, money/price no problem,

thanks for your time,
bluesfloyd,

[PFDarkside]

Re: help with wah

Seeing as guitars, pickups, overdrives/distortions/fuzzes and amps are all different, I think tunable and tweakable wahs are the way to go.

Dunlop's
Crybaby 535Q
CAE MC404

Teese
RMC3 Real McCoy

Fulltone
Clyde Deluxe

If you use a fuzz (Fuzz Face, Tonebender, not a muff) I'd highly suggest a fuzz friendly buffer like in the Teese and Fulltone.

[DinoTrousers]

Re: help with wah

I posted a thread a bit back with several wah reviews in it. I've ended up with the Fulltone Clyde Deluxe and could not be happier. I leave it on the "Jimi" setting most of the time, and it plays quite well with fuzz.

[GilmourD]

Re: help with wah

Normally I suggest getting an older Vox V847 (not the A version) but the John Petrucci has me quite interested because of the insane level of adjustment you have without having to do any actual modifications.

[blueman335]

Re: help with wah

I think tunable and tweakable wahs are the way to go.

+1. You get a variety of sounds to choose from. Some have internal trim pots, others have external pots. It's really nice to be able to adjust the Q value and select sweep ranges. What do you do if you get a non-adjustable wah, and the sound isn't quite what you want?

Designing wahs has become an art these days, and there's a lot of wizards out there making great ones.

[ant_riv]

Re: help with wah

The easy answer is to get a basic Dunlop CryBaby wah, as that has been the standard for a very long time, for good reason.

Everything else is a different flavor. It might make sense to start with a basic, and then figure out what, why you want more/less of. It is not likely you are going to get the one you hear in your head on the first try.

I have settled on a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe, but have tried/owned more than a dozen very different flavors over the years.

[blueman335]

Re: help with wah

It might make sense to start with a basic, and then figure out what, why you want more/less of. It is not likely you are going to get the one you hear in your head on the first try.

Which is why it makes sense to get a versatile one that gives you more options, like a MC404, 535Q, Fulltone Deluxe, etc. You have a much better chance of getting the sound you want on the first try with a wah that has a variety of sounds to choose from. Plus these are true bypass, so you don't have the tone suck (when they're switched off) like you do with cheaper basic models. From a tone quality perspective there's no good reason to get a GCB95, when you can get a 535Q. Get a used 535Q for what a new GCB95 costs.

[ant_riv]

Re: help with wah

All good ideas.
I supposed the OP would consider his budget and the time/hassle of buying/trying/selling.

A used GCB95 costs about $25USD, a used Fulltone Clyde Deluxe will cost ~$125USD.

[blueman335]

Re: help with wah

All good ideas.
I supposed the OP would consider his budget and the time/hassle of buying/trying/selling.

A used GCB95 costs about $25USD, a used Fulltone Clyde Deluxe will cost ~$125USD.

I've been looking at used wah's for a while now, and used GCB95's usually go for $40-50 with shipping. Considering they're not true bypass, and may not have the wah sound you want, it's not that much of a bargain. It's sucks tone when it's not switched on. You can add a DPDT switch and wire them for true bypass, which adds to the cost, but the average person isn't going to want to be soldering on a PCB. The addition of red fasel inductors was fairly recent, and most used GCB95's don't have them.

Used 535Q's regularly go for under $100, sometimes well under. Besides true bypass and a red fasel, you get external trim pots for Q value and gain, and another for sweep ranges. Odds are you can get the wah sound you want. This is Dunlop's description of it:

"The 535Q is the Swiss Army knife of wah pedals. It provides control over the most important wah parameters, making it easy for you to create your ultimate wah tone. Select the frequency center of the effect, then dial in the frequency range to be swept by the pedal. From narrow and sharp to broad and subtle, this amazing wah can deliver it. Once you've got your sound, make sure it gets heard with the adjustable, switchable boost that can create endless sustain on any note."

"The 535Q is the answer to every guitar player's wah dream. This pedal allows you to select from 6 different frequency range selections, ranging from the high of the Original Crybaby to the low of the Bass Crybaby, and comes loaded with the legendary Fasel inductor."

For someone that want's to get one wah and have the sound he wants, a 535Q sounds like a pretty good choice.

[bluesfloyd]

Re: help with wah

hi, guys
big thanks for all your good advice above, i am sure i will choose a wah from the options above, if i need more help i will post back,

thanks for your time guys, bluesfloyd.

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: help with wah

From my experience:

Best Simple Wah: Jerry Cantrell

Best Mid Road Options: Dime Wah

Best CRAZY Options: Petrucci.

If you think you like the idea of all the Petrucci options, consider the Dunlop Rack wah.

Enjoy.

[Mincer]

Re: help with wah

I've always been how amazed how varied a wah can sound. I was fine with my early 80s Crybaby, until I heard a Fulltone. Now, even multi-fx can simulate all kinds of wahs very well.