What the best WAH pedal....

[d1dsj]

for bluesy/ classic rock? I need something that's versatile enough to go from Voodoo Chile to Bad Love to Sweet Child O Mine. I have a bog standard Dunlop Crybaby and the sound seems to get lost. I have got in first in my pedal chain so don't think that's the problem? The sweep doesn't seem to be wide enough... but then I don't really know much about Wah pedals anyway! Your suggestions and ideas on prices please. Thanks for your help.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Keep in-mind that my advice is heresay. I use a Dunlap Original Crybaby that I used to hate. But I LOVE it now. It's perfect. I dunno what happened, but it works for me now to get the tone I want.

The Fulltone Clyde and Clyde 2 are top notch.

The Vox Clyde is supposed to be great.

The Budda Bud Wah is supposed to be good and the one I was looking at when I thought I wanted a new wah. I like the purple! lol

 

[metallicaxlxl]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

id say just keep the crybaby. i believe the standard is moddable, so just take a stroll on the dozens of webpages out there with moddable wahs, figure out what youd like best in a sound, and do it. entertaining little projects are always fun...

i have a 535q, and kind of regret spending the 30 dollars more on it, since its not moddable, and most of the settings on it arnt worth it. somedays it sounds better than others...

 

[ksmith63]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

the budda wah is one of my favorite and could do all you described above.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Don't forget about the search function, to get to some of the in-depth threads on wahs.

I used a Budda Bud Wah for years, and liked it a lot. Once I dialed in the treadle for the frequency sweep I like, it sounded perfect. Plus, it's true bypass.

I sold it to get a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe, and to me it was worth the bump in price. I like the way you can set the type of frequency sweep you want, Shaft for chirpy funk riffs, Jimi for classic Vox sound, and Whacked, which is good for gainy solos, especially when you're digging into low notes. Whacked reminds me most of Jerry Cantrell for some reason.

Also, it has a rotary volume control, so you can adjust the effect/dry balance any way you want.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

I'm a simple guy, so the Pro Analog Supa Quack did wonders for me. It has an extremely usable sweep with no bad settings on it and unlike so many wahs, it has a clear treble and bass without getting muddy or an ice pick. It's voiced just right for my taste (does Jimi/Cream stuff in spades). What I love about it is that it works just as well for any rock application I've put it through (Alice In Chains notably) so even though it's a very classic wah sound, it fits a lot of styles.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

I like the crybaby 535q because you can tailor the sound with the varios knobs and it has a boost in it to help cu through the mix. The budda wah also sounds ver good but you cant adjust the sound.

 

[LunaticFringe]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Teese. Special technology that lets it work with fuzz that would derail most other wahs, RMC2 has lots of customization but not too much to get lost with as with the upgraded version, the RMC3 which is ultra finetunable but advanced. There is also the RMC1, the picture wah, wheels of fire, wizard, which go better with humbuckers or single coils respectively. 200+ dollars.
http://realmccoycustom.com/ this website has alot of information. Teese is at the top of the wah ladder along with the fulltone clyde.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

The two best I've ever owned is the Fulltone Clyde and my Vox that STRATDELUXER modded with Fulltone parts. Those two are unequaled, IMO. Lew

 

[tubeman87]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Teese. Special technology that lets it work with fuzz that would derail most other wahs, RMC2 has lots of customization but not too much to get lost with as with the upgraded version, the RMC3 which is ultra finetunable but advanced. There is also the RMC1, the picture wah, wheels of fire, wizard, which go better with humbuckers or single coils respectively. 200+ dollars.
http://realmccoycustom.com/ this website has alot of information. Teese is at the top of the wah ladder along with the fulltone clyde.

Luney, ya beat me to it Teese wahs are pretty much as good as it get in the department your looking at Mr. Teese is also very approchable if you want a custom wah to your spec just email him and he will get back to you with the quickness! I would ahve to say that put side by side, the Teese wah will win over the Fulltone wah.

I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to "boutique" pedals fulltone is the "boss" of the bunch, good stuff but when compared to others in the same league it comes up lacking.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Luney, ya beat me to it Teese wahs are pretty much as good as it get in the department your looking at Mr. Teese is also very approchable if you want a custom wah to your spec just email him and he will get back to you with the quickness! I would ahve to say that put side by side, the Teese wah will win over the Fulltone wah.

I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to "boutique" pedals fulltone is the "boss" of the bunch, good stuff but when compared to others in the same league it comes up lacking.

Is that a guess or have you actually compared them both side by side?

When I play through my Fulltone Clyde, it takes me right back to 1966 and the original Vox Wah Wah I had back then.

Curly loves the Teese too...I've never tried one. I'll bet they're great but the Fulltone is so good I've never felt the need to look further.

 

[Bludave]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

I have 3 Wahs. They are all a little different, but like Lew I would recommend you buy as used Vox 847 and send it to john Spina (Stratdeluer97). He has modded two for me. The first on is a late 60's Thomas Organ Co. Crybaby that was basically sitting in a drawer because it sounded so bad. That is now my main Wah. I also have a board that I keep at my bands rehearsal site and I have the 847 modded by John on that one. This is also a smokin' Wah, My 3rd Wah is a stock Vox Clyde McCoy. Out of the 3 my favorite is my old Crybay. It does exactly what I want it to do. The Vox 847 has a lot more variety of sounds, but I try to get it to sound like my Crybaby and thats pretty much where I leave it. IMHO the best stock Wah for the Money is a Vox Clyde McCoy. Mind you this Wah does not compare to the 2 that John modded for me, but it is a very respectable Wah. I bought mine used for $70.00 and for that kind of cash it sounds great! The Tesse Wah and Clydes will set you back in the $200.00 range. They are worth it IMHO.

 

[tubeman87]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Is that a guess or have you actually compared them both side by side?

When I play through my Fulltone Clyde, it takes me right back to 1966 and the original Vox Wah Wah I had back then.

Curly loves the Teese too...I've never tried one. I'll bet they're great but the Fulltone is so good I've never felt the need to look further.

Yes I have tried them side by side, a local shop sells boht brands, you are correct by the Fulltone sounding more vintage but the Teese can match the same vibe. Where Teese pulls ahead of the pack is the fact that it can sound very vintage-y and can handle very modern heavy sounds as well, the Fulltone IMO doesn't do this as well as the Teese.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Yes I have tried them side by side, a local shop sells boht brands, you are correct by the Fulltone sounding more vintage but the Teese can match the same vibe. Where Teese pulls ahead of the pack is the fact that it can sound very vintage-y and can handle very modern heavy sounds as well, the Fulltone IMO doesn't do this as well as the Teese.

John rebuilt two of my Vox 847 and installed a volume control on the side of one. It's a nice feature and gives a nice boost when advanced. I'd like to try the Teese someday.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

I am rather fond of the Ibanez Weeping Demon Wah. Very versatile, virtually infinitely tweakable, and cost-effective.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

I've only heard great things about Fulltone and Teese. If you don't want to spend that much you can go for a BYOC kit that reuses your own enclosure.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

I say get a Crybaby. Any will probably do. The original, classic, the one with the Q control and the Hendrix would all do the job.

 

[wahwah]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

I've had a Teese RMC1 for 3 years which Geoffrey custom built to be unity gain. (His normal RMC1 has a 6 dB boost.) After having tried the Fulltone Clyde, the Teese is just a better sounding wah IMO, with a smoother sweep and generally funkier tone. The Fulltone sounds kind of "correct" but lacks character compared to the Teese. In fact, that's how I feel about most if not all of Mike Fuller's products, they get close, but never quite "there.". My next investment would be a Teese Picture Wah, for that classic Italian wah sound. If you want more of a "swiss army knife" wah with adjustable parameters, look at the RMC2 or RMC3.

Geoffrey Teese is one of the true gentlemen in the music equipment business. He is passionate, attentive and signs his e-mails, "Peave, Love and Wah!" He's a specialist. I've done a lot of recording sessions where a writer or producer asks for a wah track (a speciality of mine!) and when the engineer hears the RMC1, they always say something like "what the hell is that wah, it sounds fantastic!" Yes, it does!


Cheers....................wahwah

 

[d1dsj]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

Thanks for all the replys guys, I'll see if I can find any stores with the Fulltone and Teese Wahs and check them out. But one final question, is it possible to buy a new circuit board for my Crybaby and just retro fit it? If so, who supplys them? Could Stratdeluxer or Geof Teese supply one? I think it would be too costly to send the pedal out of UK and back again! Thanks to all.

 

[OrkestrA]

Re: What the best WAH pedal....

go for a Budda, that's what i've got. It's amazing