XSSIVE
OCDologist
i guess i should note before i go into detail with this wah that i collect wahs and mod them and have owned or at least played most of the wahs from boutique and big companies that are out there now. so i'm a bit of a wah junkie to say the least.
i've been following this wah since i first heard a rumor of it way back when and i had an order placed for it as soon as i possibly could and today it arrived. i've always been a big AiC and Cantrell fan and had a feeling he'd come up with something good when given the chance to do a signature wah and i think he did just that. when it comes to aesthetics it's very cool aged copper finish with a bit of factory relicing and wear which looks great IMO. the tread pad is a nice touch and not too over the top or tacky looking.
as for the circuit it much simpler than i thought it would be, it's based on the standard GCB95 with Jerry's own twists to achieve the tone he was looking for. those changes are simple but effective in changing its voice from the standard GCB95. the sweep cap value is increased giving it a deeper voice (not as deep as the wylde which can be a bit muddy in some cases) and connected to the main pot is an external pot which alters the sweep in a different way than normally associated with external knobs. it's not a typical notched switch that changes the sweep cap value thus changing the wahs vocal range like the 535Q or DB01. it's instead a smooth turning pot where you can adjust the toe down bite from full on which cuts great or real mellow if you don't want the top end to be as bright. similar to one of the features on the DB01 wah but the range seems to be a bit greater making it a bit more tweakable. this feature i found very handy depending on the playing style i was going for. for a high gain metal lead with it all the way up you can really get notes to cut through and scream. on a clean tone though roll it back and you don't get that real spikey top end that can be downright painful and harsh to your ears from some wahs out there.
all in all i'm happy with it and it's a nice change on a classic wah circuit with enough of a twist to give it its own character in the line of Dunlop wahs. to compare it to two others when it comes to its vocal range i'd say it sits vocally between the GCB95 and the Wylde wah in terms of how deep it can get which IMO is perfect since the Wylde wah as i mentioned can be a bit muddy and dark in some cases and the GCB95 a bit too bright and lacking that nice chewy tone. then factor in the addition of the adjustable toe down top end via the external knob and that too sets it apart and lets you fine tune the part of the wah i've often heard people complain about as either not cutting enough or being too bright and harsh...so now you can fix that.
unfortunately i don't have any way to record good quality clips and i won't do the wah a disservice by doing clips with poor sound quality or anything like that. so for now you'll just have to make due with some pics as you wait for some audio/video reviews from others....sorry.
so here's some pics...
-Mike
i've been following this wah since i first heard a rumor of it way back when and i had an order placed for it as soon as i possibly could and today it arrived. i've always been a big AiC and Cantrell fan and had a feeling he'd come up with something good when given the chance to do a signature wah and i think he did just that. when it comes to aesthetics it's very cool aged copper finish with a bit of factory relicing and wear which looks great IMO. the tread pad is a nice touch and not too over the top or tacky looking.
as for the circuit it much simpler than i thought it would be, it's based on the standard GCB95 with Jerry's own twists to achieve the tone he was looking for. those changes are simple but effective in changing its voice from the standard GCB95. the sweep cap value is increased giving it a deeper voice (not as deep as the wylde which can be a bit muddy in some cases) and connected to the main pot is an external pot which alters the sweep in a different way than normally associated with external knobs. it's not a typical notched switch that changes the sweep cap value thus changing the wahs vocal range like the 535Q or DB01. it's instead a smooth turning pot where you can adjust the toe down bite from full on which cuts great or real mellow if you don't want the top end to be as bright. similar to one of the features on the DB01 wah but the range seems to be a bit greater making it a bit more tweakable. this feature i found very handy depending on the playing style i was going for. for a high gain metal lead with it all the way up you can really get notes to cut through and scream. on a clean tone though roll it back and you don't get that real spikey top end that can be downright painful and harsh to your ears from some wahs out there.
all in all i'm happy with it and it's a nice change on a classic wah circuit with enough of a twist to give it its own character in the line of Dunlop wahs. to compare it to two others when it comes to its vocal range i'd say it sits vocally between the GCB95 and the Wylde wah in terms of how deep it can get which IMO is perfect since the Wylde wah as i mentioned can be a bit muddy and dark in some cases and the GCB95 a bit too bright and lacking that nice chewy tone. then factor in the addition of the adjustable toe down top end via the external knob and that too sets it apart and lets you fine tune the part of the wah i've often heard people complain about as either not cutting enough or being too bright and harsh...so now you can fix that.
unfortunately i don't have any way to record good quality clips and i won't do the wah a disservice by doing clips with poor sound quality or anything like that. so for now you'll just have to make due with some pics as you wait for some audio/video reviews from others....sorry.
so here's some pics...
-Mike
