Switchless Wah

[theGeek]

So, I'm looking a getting a switchless wah. I know that the dunlop 95Q and the Morley Bad Horsie Wah are switchless... any other switchless wahs?

Also, do any of you guys out there have a video or soundbyte of either of these pedals? I would prefer a clean tone with wah.

Thanks!

[audibleobsession]

Hey there...I've had the luxury of owning pretty much every wah out there, including the two you've mentioned. If you've got the bucks and are crazy about wah and have rackgear, i'm definitely recommend the rackmount crybaby. its amazing and what I use now with my setup.

Now, moving on to the switchless options; the Morley is a nice pedal. The own the basic one, not the bad horsie. Its old, but the optical sensor works like a charm! Never any problems with scratchy pots which you're bound to get with other pedals (especially if you have a pet!!!)

The only other switchless one I can think of is the Weeping Demon by Ibanez, which is pretty nuts! As the name suggests, probably not for you considering you're looking for clean tones.

Tone wise:
- Morley = very clear and defined. Not the biggest range in the wah sound...more of a vintage styled range on the one I have, though I imagine the Vai version has a bigger range (modern wah pedals have a larger frequency sweep for that huge Zakk Wyle type wah)

- Dunlop = Classic wah, great for psychedlic rock and the likes and really what you're going to want for cleaner sounds. It tends to color your tone a little more, but in general, this is a good thing!

- Weeping Demon = umm....the name says it all. stike

Another important consideration to make is the type of "wahing" you'll be doing. If you're doing funk style strumming with your foot moving the wah up and down with every strum....well, this can be hard if the pedal is stiff. The Morley pedal isn't the most natural or easiest thing in the world to make quick movements, though the stiffness makes it easier to make slowww sweeps with your foot and really feel out those wailing notes. The Dunlop is loosey goosy which is great for quick movements, but harder to really feel out those slowww wah lines, especially if you're standing.

Hope all this helps! Happy Wahing.

A.o.

[octatonic]

Another way to go is with the H-Pad TBWP (True Bypass Wha Pad).

Essentially you Vox/Dunlop style switched wha sits in it, always on.
Anytime you step on the pedal it opens the circuit thanks to the pressure sensor.
Take your foot off, it closes up.

Here is a pic.

[IMG]******//guitar-xperience.com/onlinestore/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/76d141e8564797ec9e0ba6be8e9aaafc.jpg[/IMG]


I haven't tried it but am assured (albeit by a sales guy) that it works great.
The only downside I can see is it is slightly more expensive than buying a new switchless wha, but if you have a particular what that you want to use (like a Vox for examples) then you might like it.

[audibleobsession]

VERY COOL!!!

Nice find

[theGeek]

I don't think the wah pads are available in the US yet. I sent an email to GLab asking.

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by audibleobsession

VERY COOL!!!

Nice find

My pleasure.

Originally Posted by theGeek

I don't think the wah pads are available in the US yet. I sent an email to GLab asking.

Or email Charlie Chandler's and see if they can ship you one from the UK.
Be bloody expensive though.

[wesarvin]

As long as the Glab pad works well, it seems like the most promising option. I have the Bad Horsie 2 and an old Crybaby. The Bad Horsie doesn't take alot of effort to use, but seems to only suit itself to wild solos. The optical sensor and spring-loaded pedal make it horrible for funk, not to mention its wide frequency sweep. My Crybaby seems to get much more use.

[theGeek]

I found this today...

Rivera: The Definition of Tone

This is identical to the Glab guitar control system and they have a wah pad. I'm guessing these are sister companies.

[theGeek]

I found this today...

Rivera: The Definition of Tone

This is identical to the Glab guitar control system and they have a wah pad. I'm guessing these are sister companies.

[wesarvin]

That looks really really cool.

Buy Rivera RM1 Guitar Effects Switching System at Musician's Friend

But it costs more than the sum of the pedals you can connect to it!!!

[theGeek]

yeah, and the wah pad that rivera sells ONLY works with their controller.. that's a total investment of about $600 or so.

[Ironklad Audio]

i have the 95q, and i love it

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by Ironklad Audio

i have the 95q, and i love it

Finally, a straight answer!

How does it sound vs. an original crybaby?

[guitardom]

i own a 95q as well. i have owned an orignal morley bad horsie which i was not to happy with, tried various other models, ended up with a 535q which i liked, but hated the switch. a good friend of mine had the 95 and wanted one w a switch so we just traded.

the 95's variable q is a very nice feature though not as nice of the 535 which is notched to recall settings easier, and MUCH larger and easier to turn, but still nice. plus the boost is pretty cool. nice to engage for some in your face lead stuff. i am not a HUGE wah fan but has done the job when i need it. can get some nice sweep out of it though.

[Ironklad Audio]

Originally Posted by theGeek

Finally, a straight answer!

How does it sound vs. an original crybaby?

i couldn't really tell you, honestly...i played through an original a couple of times, but got my 95Q like 5-6 years ago, and haven't bothered with another wah since

like guitardom mentioned, the variable Q can be really handy, and i also like that if you need a volume pedal for something, you can just turn down the wah and engage the boost on the 95Q for an extra 15db

[audibleobsession]

Originally Posted by theGeek

Finally, a straight answer!

I thought my answer way up top was pretty straight! This thread is a perfect example of how we all get carried away with gear though. Let's be honest with ourselves, its a wah wah pedal. Freakin stomp on the thing and start wahing, how much harder is it to stomp on it when you're putting your foot down anyways?

I personally thing that plate device is a gimmick and a HUGE waste of money. Just ridiculous really....something else to break in a live situation.

Hope you find the prefect wah tone though! nothing like it when you do, it would jsut be a shame if you passed up tone over whether or not it has a button on it.

Peace!

[faizz]

There's the SilverMachine by MSD too: it can be operated in standard way or just putting the foot on it.
It's an inductorless wah, plenty of tonal options, very quiet, built like a tank.

Silvermachine MKII State of the Arts Wah Wah Pedal!

My .02,
Faizz

[theGeek]

what do those cost?