I Wah Wah Wah Wah Wonder...

jonny deep

Disappointing Member
I want a new wah pedal. I have an old George Dennis optical wah pedal I bought off a mate when I was a teenager and it sounds like shit. Now, I'm a crappy guitar player, but I'd like to be able to play some wah noise in my songs when I want.

I just don't know what to get. Crybaby, Vox. Probably either of those is fine, right. There seem to be different models. Any to avoid? And hand-wired? Seems a bit silly.
 
Wahs all sound different and there are some with more features. It's worth going to a music store and trying some out back to back. I've used Crybaby (common Dunlop from the 90s) and Morley (ancient 12V version with modded shutter and a Rat clone built in) wahs and they are very different. Each sounded good on some things and kind of stupid on others (though some of the stupid sound was just me).
 
Wahs all sound different and there are some with more features. It's worth going to a music store and trying some out back to back. I've used Crybaby (common Dunlop from the 90s) and Morley (ancient 12V version with modded shutter and a Rat clone built in) wahs and they are very different. Each sounded good on some things and kind of stupid on others (though some of the stupid sound was just me).

Thanks for your answer! In an ideal world, that's what I'd do, but I'll probably get something mail order to try out, based on a recommendation from someone here. I've watched some YouTube of the CryBaby and the Vox and they both seem ok to me - I'm just wondering about the different models and if anyone would steer me in a particular direction. I don't think I'm interested in paying double the price for a signature or hand wired version.
 
There are other guys here who would say that same.
It's just a good wah with nothing bad to say about it. Sure, you can find other types that have their own mojo, but they would be good as add-on wahs if you wanted to have even more variety.

For one wah pedal that can cover a lot of flavors...I've never seen anything else that beats the 535Q in that department...and all of the tone (Q) selections sound great in their own right.

If you just want a single signature wah sound without the need for variety...then just shop around until you find it.
 
535 is the way to go. I have one and I like it. Not that I know anything else but there's gotta be something right about it.
 
I used a Budda wah mostly, and sometimes a parapedal, which isn't really a wah, I guess. Love them both
 
I've got a GCB95 from the mid 90s and its broken :( this means I can have some fun performing surgery on it thouogh. I think its the swtich though cos it works on bypass but stops when you click it on. Was gonna but a new switch but also possibly mod it a little.

1. I fancy doing a true bypass mod to it as it does tend to lower the level of your whole chain.
2. I wouldn't mind drilling a hole in the chassis and stikcing a really bright activation light on it like the one on my flanger.
 
I modded my Budda (which was already true bypass) to put a LED in it - I used a UV purplish blinding LED which looks cool because the pedal is purple itself. Like an idiot, I put it on the back of the pedal (below where your heel goes) with a collar around it, and I can't see it at all when I have my foot on the pedal. But I can see it when I back off, which still helps because I have some visual feedback if I failed to turn it off when I thought I did.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Looks like the 535Q is getting a lot of love round these parts, I'll probably have a look at that.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Looks like the 535Q is getting a lot of love round these parts, I'll probably have a look at that.

If you don't really have a set wah style or sound in mind, the 535Q is badass because it's so adjustable. It can be dark or bright, wide or narrow. And it has a built in boost if you want that. (I like the built in boost). You can fine tune it to a wah sound of your liking.
 
If you don't really have a set wah style or sound in mind, the 535Q is badass because it's so adjustable. It can be dark or bright, wide or narrow. And it has a built in boost if you want that. (I like the built in boost). You can fine tune it to a wah sound of your liking.

That's exactly what I'm after. I wouldn't know what particular sound I want - I just want to be able to play a couple of notes from the current chord and add some wah to make me sound better than I am.
 
I went and looked at a video about the 535Q - wow - I suppose that's what I would go for if I were looking at this point. I know with mine, it doesn't work as well when I'm using my neck pickup as it does when I'm using my bridge pickup, but I bet the frequency shift of the 535Q would take care of that.
 
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