Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

[Lewguitar]

OK...I did it. I compared all three and took a lot of time doing it.

I dunno...maybe my Teese Picture Wah isn't up to snuff, but for my needs, the Spina modded Vox 847 is my fave.

John modded it with Fulltone parts and also added the Fulltone volume control and tweaked it to his tastes a bit.

I like it best.

It has the strongest and deepest wah wah effect of the three.

Next would be the Fulltone. Sounds alot like the Spina modded Vox 847, which is natural: the Vox is full of Fulltone parts and John copied some of the Fulltone circuitry.

And the Teese? It's nice. But more subtle than I'm used to.

I think it sometimes comes down to what you're used to hearing and I've been using my Vox and Fulltone for the last few years and just got used to that tone I guess.

And now, I prefer it. It's just a more pronounced wah wah effect and I like it.

More growl when I use the wah with distortion (Proco Rat, Ibanez Jemini or Vox Satchurator) and a deeper, more vowel like "OW" to the tone. And I like having the volume control on the side of the pedal - I can actually use my Fulltone and my Vox as a boost to push my amp harder and as an aid in overdriving the amp.

The Teese is much more subtle. It's a great, warm, organic tone, don't get me wrong. But I like the Vox with the Fulltone parts and John's tweaks and my Fulltone Clyde Deluxe better.

Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

The guitar I used is my Fender Strat with the dual Tom Holmes humbuckers (basically alnico 2 pafs) and my modded blackface Deluxe Reverb with Celestion G12H30 and modded Princeton Reverb with Celestion G12-65.

 

[millsart]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Id agree with you on the Picture Wah, Its a very nice pedal, dont get me wrong, but it is a little mild. Pretty accurate vintage wah sound yes, but I personally like a little more effect and cutting sound.

The Teese RMC3 is my choice in the lineup as you can dial in the basic PW sound but then add a bit more seasoning to taste

 

[Curly]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

sorry you don't like the Pic Wah more, Lew ... nothin' wrong with those modded Voxes though

I'm gonna have to pull out the Vox that John modded for me ... last time I did that, I still liked my Teese RMC1 a little more.

too bad John's not around more to give us a rundown of his mods

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Well, now you know!

Ya know, the things you like about the Fulltone and the modded Vox are the things I don't care for and the things you didn't like about the Picture wah are the things I love about it!

They extra deep tone of the Fulltone wah (and John's modded wahs) drives me nuts...not sure why I just don't like it.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Well, now you know!

Ya know, the things you like about the Fulltone and the modded Vox are the things I don't care for and the things you didn't like about the Picture wah are the things I love about it!

They extra deep tone of the Fulltone wah (and John's modded wahs) drives me nuts...not sure why I just don't like it.

My memory is probably faulty - but I remember owning one of the first Vox Wah Wah's around 1968 or maybe 69 and when it wore out a few years later, buying another Vox Wah Wah or Crybaby to replace it.

That second pedal was a later version but still a Vox and didn't sound as good to me. The Wah effect was not as deep.

The Teese Picture Wah reminds me of my memories of that second Wah - and my Spina modded Vox 847 and the Fulltone Clyde remind me more of the way I felt about my first Vox Wah that I got after hearing Hendrix, Beck and Clapton working out on thier's around 1968.

Soon as I plugged in my Fulltone Clyde I remember thinking: "THIS is how I remember my original Vox sounding". I hadn't owned that tone since 1968 or so and was glad to finally have it back again.

The Teese doesn't take me back in time like that.

Lew

 

[Curly]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Is it possible to return it, or trade it in for a different model?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Is it possible to return it, or trade it in for a different model?

Nah. I bought it used. No biggie. I'll keep it for awhile and if I decide to sell it I'll be able to get what I paid for it since I bought it used. I'm going to give it a little more time - maybe it'll grow on me. LOL! Lew

 

[Curly]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

In retrospect, it sounds like you might like the Wizard Wah or the 2 or 3 model better.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Thanks for giving these the Pepsi Challenge, Lew! I actually prefer a more subtle effect, and need to adjust my RMC-3 accordingly. I either want a subtle effect or a wide and deep wah, but I've been finding that my tastes tend to lean more towards the subtle side.

It's good to know there's a high-quality wah out there for every need and taste.

- Keith

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Thanks for giving these the Pepsi Challenge, Lew! I actually prefer a more subtle effect, and need to adjust my RMC-3 accordingly. I either want a subtle effect or a wide and deep wah, but I've been finding that my tastes tend to lean more towards the subtle side.

It's good to know there's a high-quality wah out there for every need and taste.

- Keith

It's nice to have a variety of sounds available. Joe Satriani has two wah's on his board: a Digi-Tech and a Dunlap. I don't want two wah's on my board though. I've got my pedal board down to just a few pedals now:

1. Boss TU-2 tuner
2. Homebrew CPR compressor
3. Vox 847 modded by John Spina
4. Proco Vintage Rat
5. Ibanez Jemini
6. ART A/B box feeding:
A: 7. Line 6 Verbzilla feeds to two tweed Deluxe Fenders in stereo
B: 8. Line 6 DL4 feeds to two Deluxe Reverb Fenders in stereo

It's a nice set-up.

Just got a Fulltone Ultimate Octave, and I'm still experimenting with the placement of it. I sold my Experience pedal.

Lew

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

That's a nice and tidy setup, Lew. Did the Jemini replace the DS-1?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

That's a nice and tidy setup, Lew. Did the Jemini replace the DS-1?

Yes it did. I love the lower gain "green" channel of the Jemini. It sounds like a cross between a DS-1 and a TS-808 to me. It's not as "metallic" as a stock DS-1 can be and it's not as midrangey and compressed as a TS-808 or TS-9 can be. I don't use the "red" channel of the Jemini much - I use the Rat.

When I run the Rat through the green channel of the Jemini it really makes it sound HUGE!

Lew

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Nice! Sorry to take the thread off-topic like that. Just curious and didn't want to start a separate thread about it.

Back to wah talk…

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

The volume control that John added to my Vox must be a little different than the one he added to Christian's Spina modded Vox. I can adjust it to get close to the tone of either the Fulltone or Teese.

John knows what tones I like and I think he probably tweaked the Vox to my tastes and perhaps didn't make it as gainy as Christian's.

 

[Gunny47]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

It's nice to have a variety of sounds available. Joe Satriani has two wah's on his board: a Digi-Tech and a Dunlap. I don't want two wah's on my board though. I've got my pedal board down to just a few pedals now:

1. Boss TU-2 tuner
2. Homebrew CPR compressor
3. Vox 847 modded by John Spina
4. Proco Vintage Rat
5. Ibanez Jemini
6. ART A/B box feeding:
A: 7. Line 6 Verbzilla feeds to two tweed Deluxe Fenders in stereo
B: 8. Line 6 DL4 feeds to two Deluxe Reverb Fenders in stereo

It's a nice set-up.

Just got a Fulltone Ultimate Octave, and I'm still experimenting with the placement of it. I sold my Experience pedal.

Lew

I dig that set-up man. As for the Ultimate Octave, I put mine DEAD FIRST in the chain. I have my tuner towards the middle of my pedals (all my pedals are true-bypass) and the wah after my fuzzes. So I got it Ultimate Octave>Fuzzhead>Clyde Deluxe. I really like the way the wah pedals sound behind the wah, the wah cuts through them but I still get a fuzzy sound. I like the wah before my overdrives though.

I dont know about your comp pedal though, I don't have one and I've never experimented in where that should go in the chain relative to an octave fuzz, but my suggestion is to go first with the octave fuzz, before the wah.

The Ultimate Octave is a freaking ballin' pedal, I really like the non octave side, the thing sounds so huge!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

I dig that set-up man. As for the Ultimate Octave, I put mine DEAD FIRST in the chain. I have my tuner towards the middle of my pedals (all my pedals are true-bypass) and the wah after my fuzzes. So I got it Ultimate Octave>Fuzzhead>Clyde Deluxe. I really like the way the wah pedals sound behind the wah, the wah cuts through them but I still get a fuzzy sound. I like the wah before my overdrives though.

I dont know about your comp pedal though, I don't have one and I've never experimented in where that should go in the chain relative to an octave fuzz, but my suggestion is to go first with the octave fuzz, before the wah.

The Ultimate Octave is a freaking ballin' pedal, I really like the non octave side, the thing sounds so huge!

Yep - it's a very cool pedal. I bought my Experieince pedal years ago thinking it would get the Hendrix Octavia tone, which it kinda did. But I never quite bonded with it.

The Ultimate Octave is more consistant and even sounding and less spitty sounding than the Experience. Lacks that cool "swell" control that the Experience has and which allows for backwards guitar effects - but that feature was kind of hard to dial in on a consistent and dependable basis.

Anyways, I'm liking the Ultimate Octave but still experimenting with its placement.

I used to put all of my overdrives and distortion devices in front of my Wah Wah by the way - I've changed and now prefer them after.

Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

I have to admit that there is a nice sweetness and warmth to the Teese. Think I'll hang onto it after all. You never know - I might just grow to love it! Lew

 

[Gunny47]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

Yep - it's a very cool pedal. I bought my Experieince pedal years ago thinking it would get the Hendrix Octavia tone, which it kinda did. But I never quite bonded with it.

The Ultimate Octave is more consistant and even sounding and less spitty sounding than the Experience. Lacks that cool "swell" control that the Experience has and which allows for backwards guitar effects - but that feature was kind of hard to dial in on a consistent and dependable basis.

Anyways, I'm liking the Ultimate Octave but still experimenting with its placement.

I used to put all of my overdrives and distortion devices in front of my Wah Wah by the way - I've changed and now prefer them after.

Lew

I never really nailed the hendrix tone with the Ultimate Octave. Then again I hadn't really tried. If you want the dead on balls accurate hendrix tone, you gotta go with the Fulltone Octafuzz. I can get sorta like a hendrixy tone with the UO, its a similar type of pedal, but it is way smoother and fatter sounding IMO. All Hendrix aside, I think the UO is a way better sounding pedal.

I have to admit that there is a nice sweetness and warmth to the Teese. Think I'll hang onto it after all. You never know - I might just grow to love it! Lew

I've never tried the Pic wah, I've always been interested in a Teese one but I wound up getting the Clyde Deluxe. This other band that warms up for my band sometimes, the guitar player has a Teese Wizard wah and we traded for a week and I really liked my Fulltone better. The Wizard, I couldn't do the typical hendrix stuff with, didn't sound as good for funk either IMO. I really liked the Wizard for Slash type stuff better, but I use that type of sound way less than the others, and I was able to dial in a good enough sound with my Clyde Deluxe.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Teese vs. Fulltone vs. Vox 847 (Spina mod)

I guess different ears just do hear things differently...no worries thats what makes us all different!

I just don;t care for the tone of the Fulltone wah much at all and the Spina modded Vox I have sounds a LOT like the Fulltone to my ears but with even more gain...it's able to be dialed in to unity gain but unity is all the way down on the pot! John used BC109's on this board and it's HOT!

Anyway, not to side track too much but the Fulltone UO is a cool pedal...I fo9nud it to be a little picky running it before wah pedals, it just became a BEAST to deal with and of course after a wah it has too many issues, I just never ran my UO and wah together until I went with the Fuzz Friendly Teese wah.

I am betting you'll dig the UO a lot Lew!

Good luck!

BTW...does Satch run 2 wahs?? I am thinking it's one wah and a Whammy pedal...am I crazy??