Cry baby wah vs Vox wah
- Thread starter jimistone
- Start date
Steenamaroo
...
Was watching a Bowie tour/documentary last night. Never really paid much attention to Ronson but he really was making some noise!
Is that acting like a kind of treble booster then?
Was watching a Bowie tour/documentary last night. Never really paid much attention to Ronson but he really was making some noise!
Is that acting like a kind of treble booster then?
It just depends on where you set it. Supposedly Ronson would spend many many minutes finding that just right spot, and then not touch it for an entire show. He was definitely IMO an underrated innovator in the world of electric guitar stuff.
Schwarzenyaeger
Formerly "Dog-In-Door"
Can confirm.
My cry-baby is locked in a setting at the moment. Pot is knobbered.
My cry-baby is locked in a setting at the moment. Pot is knobbered.
At one point way back, the silver Vox generally had more "quack" . . . whereas the black Crybaby had more of a "wah-oh" sound. Not a hard and fast rule because a lot depends on what you're amp is doing, but in general, that was the scoop. But, over the past few years, every standard Vox I've played (including the HW) has been too shrill by miles to my ear. OTOH, a lot of Crybabys loose the sweet spot and with medium- to high-gain usages. That being said . . .
After trying a bunch of different ones, I settled on the RMC Picture Wah as my main unit. I tried Teese's Wheels Of Fire and The Wizard as well, but the simple Picture Wah is easily as good as I need all the way. It's pricey though. My backup is a Vox Bag Bad Wah (a Satriani Sig thing) that's far better and more flexible than the standard Vox jobbies. A really good wah for sure. I also have a Crybaby 535Q which is a decent unit, but sits in my gear cupboard waiting for one of the other two to futz out.
All that stuff aside . . . finding the perfect Wah is impossible (just like finding the perfect fuzz), but if dough is a factor, I don't see how you could go wrong with either a 535Q or the Crybaby Faisal. If you're really on a budget, the best-sounding Wah for the lowest price (IMHO) is finding an old Crybaby JH-1 Jimi Hendrix model. You can get them used for about $50 or so. Not the greatest on the planet, but vastly overlooked. Miles better than a standard Crybaby (again, IMHO).
After trying a bunch of different ones, I settled on the RMC Picture Wah as my main unit. I tried Teese's Wheels Of Fire and The Wizard as well, but the simple Picture Wah is easily as good as I need all the way. It's pricey though. My backup is a Vox Bag Bad Wah (a Satriani Sig thing) that's far better and more flexible than the standard Vox jobbies. A really good wah for sure. I also have a Crybaby 535Q which is a decent unit, but sits in my gear cupboard waiting for one of the other two to futz out.
All that stuff aside . . . finding the perfect Wah is impossible (just like finding the perfect fuzz), but if dough is a factor, I don't see how you could go wrong with either a 535Q or the Crybaby Faisal. If you're really on a budget, the best-sounding Wah for the lowest price (IMHO) is finding an old Crybaby JH-1 Jimi Hendrix model. You can get them used for about $50 or so. Not the greatest on the planet, but vastly overlooked. Miles better than a standard Crybaby (again, IMHO).
jimistone
long standing member
Yeah, since it looks like I'm going to have to spring for another wah, I have been checking out some used ones on the guitar center used gear pages and ebay. I came to the same conclusion about the jimi crybaby.
I was just checking on eBay, and wow . . . they seem to go for about $30 to $40. Seeing as you're in the U.S. shipping is dirt cheap (to have one shipped to Canada where I am would cost about $30). I saw a used one listed locally here a while back for $50 . . . was half thinking of snagging it for $40, but having even more "stuff" is going in the wrong direction
.About the pot and maintenance . . . any wah is gonna need at least a replacement pot at some point, so it's kinda part of the overall cost of ownership (same way amps need new tubes, or axes need pro setups from time-to-time). The pots on the more expensive Wahs (Wilson, Teese, Fulltone, etc) are supposed to be good for "x" thousands of rotations, but even they wear out. So, if you have to buy a Crybaby Hot Potz every couple of years, it's only an extra $1 or so per month over time. Even with my Teese RMC Picture Wah, I have to spray Deoxit on the pot every month or so. Sooner or later, it'll have to be replaced, but everything musical requires maintenance, so WTH . . .
I'd definitely go for an old JH-1 as the best bang for the buck, and the best sound I imagine you're looking for.
jimistone
long standing member
I was just checking on eBay, and wow . . . they seem to go for about $30 to $40. Seeing as you're in the U.S. shipping is dirt cheap (to have one shipped to Canada where I am would cost about $30). I saw a used one listed locally here a while back for $50 . . . was half thinking of snagging it for $40, but having even more "stuff" is going in the wrong direction
About the pot and maintenance . . . any wah is gonna need at least a replacement pot at some point, so it's kinda part of the overall cost of ownership (same way amps need new tubes, or axes need pro setups from time-to-time). The pots on the more expensive Wahs (Wilson, Teese, Fulltone, etc) are supposed to be good for "x" thousands of rotations, but even they wear out. So, if you have to buy a Crybaby Hot Potz every couple of years, it's only an extra $1 or so per month over time. Even with my Teese RMC Picture Wah, I have to spray Deoxit on the pot every month or so. Sooner or later, it'll have to be replaced, but everything musical requires maintenance, so WTH . . .
I'd definitely go for an old JH-1 as the best bang for the buck, and the best sound I imagine you're looking for.
Well, although I have done a lot of wah wah playing throughout my guitar playing lifespan I'm not really planning on wah wah ing that much these days. I'm just in the process of recording a hendrix cover and I'd like to have wah wah in it.
So, I have to decide do I buy one and use it for a small passage of the song and then put it back in my stack of pedals to collect dust.
My crybaby and vox wah sat for 7 years and I haven't touched them until last week.
antichef
pornk rock
I've been using one of these - I love it - not harsh at all.
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
yeah, the clips I've heard have it sounding very vocal and that's exactly what i desire in a wah.
jimistone
long standing member
Well, I went by the pawn shop on my lunch break and they had a cry baby that looked almost brand new. Price tag said $49.99 and I offered them $30. We settled on $35. I have a wah wah again now.
I already cut the guitar tracks on my cover of voodoo chile without the wah. I'm going to do them over again...putting this pedal through the paces and see what I can come up with. I'll put it up in the clinic when I finish
I already cut the guitar tracks on my cover of voodoo chile without the wah. I'm going to do them over again...putting this pedal through the paces and see what I can come up with. I'll put it up in the clinic when I finish
Cool dude. This thread got me interested in my wah again. I can barely play so I just did some half-cocked Ronson style rhythm tracks.
Great stuff! For $35 you can't lose (even if it ends up making friends with your other wahs in the back of the gear cupboard). Looking forward to hearing what you coax out of it when you're ready to post the results in the Clinic. I miss a lot of new threads on HR, so maybe you could post a heads-up here when you post the tune?
Suds . ..
jimistone
long standing member
Cool dude. This thread got me interested in my wah again. I can barely play so I just did some half-cocked Ronson style rhythm tracks.
I think you play pretty damn good myself.