Which Wah Wah pedal?

[Dopamine]

First of all, I'm a producer/synth guy, not a guitar player.

I have an electronica track which I am producing and I want to add a wah-wah effect to the lead guitar. (Yes, it's a house track with a lead gtr.)

I am currently using the Wah in Amplitube, but it just doesn't cut it.

There seem to be a lot of Wah pedals out there. Can someone please recommend a model that would suit my needs? Should I look on eBay for a real vintage one or are any of the clones good?

I just need to get an over-the-top interesting tone and Amplitube ain't cutting it.

[Black Dog]

From my own experience either a Jim Dunlop Cry baby, Vox or Morley will all produce that classic wah wah sound you hear on records. They all have slightly different tones so it might be better if you find out which records use what pedal and then pick the one you like the most. For reference Hendrix used a Cry Baby apparently.

Good hunting

[dj_who]

I'm a guitar palyer. (although i don't like to admit it in public)


in guitar circles, RMC Teese is the soundelux of wah pedals.

Real mccoy wahs

[simonv]

I've used the Cry-baby for a long time, and finally sold it off for a Morley.

The Cry-baby tends to cut a lot of the bass freqs, leaving a sometimes agressing thin sound, while the Morley tends to wah over a bigger frequency range.

[elder rookie]

i'm not a fan of wah but i do have a vox wah for those times when i need wah.

your best bet is going down to the store and trying out as many different ones till you find one you like.

[Dopamine]

Originally Posted by simvez

I've used the Cry-baby for a long time, and finally sold it off for a Morley.

The Cry-baby tends to cut a lot of the bass freqs, leaving a sometimes agressing thin sound, while the Morley tends to wah over a bigger frequency range.

The Morley sounds good! I'll start looking on eBay.

[Dopamine]

Wow, I see the Morley's are fairly cheap on Ebay $30-$100. Any particular model to keep an eye out for?

Has anyone tried running gtr and synths out of Protools and into the wah pedal? I have a small Crate MX10 amp. Should I consider re-amping this gtr through the wah to get a killer tone?

[84K]

Originally Posted by dj_who

I'm a guitar palyer. (although i don't like to admit it in public)


in guitar circles, RMC Teese is the soundelux of wah pedals.

Real mccoy wahs

Teese is not the soundelux of wahs... they are the Neumann of Wahs. But for house lead, I would try a Colorsound Wah, or a Budda Wah.

[Kenny Gioia]

If you're not a guitar player I would think twice about buying a pedal that requires you to play it vs. auto wah.

I was ready to throw all mine away until a great wah player came and showed me how good they can all be.

Thought for Food.

[Dopamine]

Originally Posted by Produceher

If you're not a guitar player I would think twice about buying a pedal that requires you to play it vs. auto wah.

I was ready to throw all mine away until a great wah player came and showed me how good they can all be.

Thought for Food.

Interesting, maybe I should be looking for some autowah pedal or other effect.

Produceher-- I tried your Pt wah trick (using 2 focusrite eq's, flipping phase, and sweeping the mid of one), but the effect wasn't pronounced enough.

Anyone else have some ideas on effecting an already played gtr w/ wah?

Could I use an Adrenalinn for this?

[simonv]

Hey I talked about my cry-baby and my morley above, but I just remembered...

You could try a Boss AW1 with a Roland expression pedal (same as for keyboards).
When used as a stompbox, it is an ordinary auto-wah, but when used with an expression pedal, it becomes a real wah and you can really build a NICE sound. It is very versatile, and you can get a lot of different wahs out of it.

Try it out in a guitar store.. I think it's worth a look.

As a plugin wah, I like the Ultrafunk FX wahwah.

[pigpen]

I have had and have always been happy as hell wiht my Dunlop Cry Baby 535. it is an older model, but I assume you could still find one. It has a switch so you can choose b/w 4 different wahs including the original, the Jimi, a tiny wah, and a bass wah. It also has a boost button with an increment pot on the bottom.
It rawks my socks off.

[DC11]

I'm a big fan of the Fulltone Clyde. I'd like to have a feature like Morley where you can step and wah, rather then hitting the button, but also to stay put if I want it. I love to do that Zappa-esque mid-honk at "that" certain frequency. I'm probably asking to much.

[GMR]

Well as a gtr player, you gotta know how to use one, it ain't just going up and down randomly! I prefer a vintage Vox, cry baby does the job also. Pots get dirty quick and scratchy on these things so....get your de-oxit out!

[Kenny Gioia]

Originally Posted by Dopamine

Interesting, maybe I should be looking for some autowah pedal or other effect.

Produceher-- I tried your Pt wah trick (using 2 focusrite eq's, flipping phase, and sweeping the mid of one), but the effect wasn't pronounced enough.

That's funny. I was too lazy to type it out again. I was even lazier not to search where I originally typed it so I could re-paste it.

It's not the best trick. There's no replacement for a good player.

The best auto wah stuff I've heard was the seek wah.

http://media.zvex.com/seekwah.mov

[Dopamine]

Have any of you guys tried taking an already recorded gtr (we're using a 2-bar loop) then running it through a wah wah pedal?

I guess I'll look for a used Morley or Cry baby. I'm also thinking about getting the Adrenalinn and checking out the Auto wah.

[everybody's x]

I have a big chrome morley about the size of a volkswagen. I have left instructions to be buried with it (or in it)

[7rojo7]

MuTron

[jebjerome]

Hate to be the hater, but I can't stand morley wahs. Like their volume pedal but the wah blew. It was the standard black one. Can't speak about the chrome ones. I've tried the "Bad Horsie" one too and that also seemed to blow. The one I had never sounded decent clean and marginal when overdriven or distorted. Could get the big, wider sound - voodoo chile kinda stuff, but never the funky porn soundtrack outta one. But really I didn't even like what I could get out of it and always enjoyed a Vox or a Crybaby better.

Definitely try what you buy beforehand.

If you want to go big: Teese Real McCoy RMC3. Probably the best.

[u b k]

budda is buttery, vox has bite.

as to whether you can handle it, not being a guitar player, i say go for it. you produce house, odds are you've got a well developed ear for the nuances of filter sweeps, and a wah is no different. if you've ever dinked around with a resonant bandpass filter a la the jupiter 6, you know what's what.

so put it on the floor, use your foot. put it on the table, use your hands like a seesaw. or do what i've been known to do: open the pedal up, take out the rotary knob, and twist it manually. you can really work the sweet spot that way.

i expect you'll love it, it's an analog filter for you to run everything thru .


gregoire
del ubik

[Metatone]

I'd like to put in another word for Geoffrey Teese's RMC3. Seems to me it's very well-suited to studio use as it's parameters are fully adjustable. I've not had mine very long yet but have found many of the different sounds I've been looking for in a wah, plus some sounds that I've never even thought of as a wah effect. I've got it set right now that I can do these gentle filter sweeps...sooo sweet.

Another wah that I think has extra potential in the studio is the Zvex Wah Probe. It'd be easy to use hands instead of feet since it's a 'theremin-style antenna' controlling the wah. I should mention that I don't actually have a Wah Probe *but* I do have a Zvex Drip Guitar that has one built in to the pickguard. They are apparently the same, except that the W.P also has a SHO boost built into it (with a dial to adjust the level). Based on the wah in my Drip, I'd say it's an extra thick and creamy sounding wah...really juicy...

As far as autowah goes, I've used the one in the Alesis Ineko with my insane old Farfisa organ...and it's been great. However, I must admit that the Farfisa has been very noisy on it's own (currently fixing it, hopefully) so I can't speak for the Ineko's sound quality...never recorded with it myself.

Try before you buy...a fine idea most times. Good Luck!

[adam_w]

Sod those boutique things - here's one that's good for destroying things - the dan-o-wah - ranging from mild mannered wah to being savage & practically unusable on the right settings (the overdrive is soo nasty it'll skin a live animal at 40 paces ), and it's shaped like a car for god's sake. And cheap. What a beast !

[Musicfuelzgood]

i'm a fan of the crybaby 535Q...has a nice boost pot..and a Q pot you can switch it's effects on the side as well...mine has been through a tour through 2 years and is still kickin'...built like a tank......i'd like to get something interesting like the Zvex probe wah or whatever..saw a demo of it..and it looked interesting....im a big fan of a lot of the dunlop wah's though...zakk wylde..dimebag's....all interesting...check 'em out.

Jim dunlop

[toolskid]

I've just been trudging through google to try and find details on it, but to no avail...

one of the best wahs I used was an old ibanez (not WH-10) silver (I think) metal body fuzz/wah pedal with a reverse action pedal and a (slightly unusual) dual stomp switch operation..that was pretty extreme.

Anyone remember what it was called??

[lane thaw]

Gotta chime in here for the Teese wah's. I use a Teese Picture Wah 4 nights a week and I have to stop myself from over using it. Not adjustable like the 3 model but for a novice, it may be just right.

[NuSkoolTone]

I own both the Fulltone Clyde standard and Teese RMC3LE.

I find the teese meatier, but the clyde funkier.

IME,

For clean stuff: Clyde
For heavy stuff: Teese

[Playback]

The RMC is the Honey Pot of Wah's.
But for the real British rock tone use the VOX.
I just went to a GTR shop the other day and tryed the Cry Baby,RMC, and Vox.
You should go down to the local GTR shop and have a listen.
Now that you have so much Slutz knowledge.
I got the Vox for the feel and tone.If I had extra cash I would of bought the RMC.
RMC has way more range and also a great Tone!!
Hope that hepls!!

[Mr. Boston]

Originally Posted by jebjerome

Hate to be the hater, but I can't stand morley wahs. Like their volume pedal but the wah blew. It was the standard black one. Can't speak about the chrome ones. I've tried the "Bad Horsie" one too and that also seemed to blow. The one I had never sounded decent clean and marginal when overdriven or distorted. Could get the big, wider sound - voodoo chile kinda stuff, but never the funky porn soundtrack outta one. But really I didn't even like what I could get out of it and always enjoyed a Vox or a Crybaby better.

Definitely try what you buy beforehand.

If you want to go big: Teese Real McCoy RMC3. Probably the best.

I'm with this guy I think the Morley's sound like crap too. They buzz like crazy, and make every solo sound like Damn Yankees "High Enough"

If you're looking for a kind of 80s hair-metal guitar sound the Bad Horsie will certainly meet your needs- I don't know what "type" of house music this is you're doing. Sounds intriguing though house w/ guitar track.

Anyway as a guitar player, when I went out to buy my wah I was looking for the perfect blend of tone, options, and ease of use. Buying for a studio is different, you're probably just looking for the perfect sound, let the guitar player worry about how easy it is to use right? The Cry Babies, sound like all the classic wah I'd already heard- and I agree with a previous reviewer who thinks they kinda drop the bottom end a little. However, most of the newer ones have a knob on the side to adjust the sweep of the modulation, so you can customize it from a dramatic to a sublte effect. I tried a Digitech- too hard to use. If your heel comes back too far, it switches into a different mode, and sounds terrible. Too many options. I hate wahs that try to be more than wahs. I tried a VOX wah too. Not enough for me, just didn't hack it, and the foot action was a little forced, not really comfortable. I play funk so I knew I'd be using it a lot.

I finally settled on a Tech 21 Killer Wail Wah for $120-brand new. It's all chrome, and low to the ground, so it's not like playing with one foot on a stepladder or anything. The wiring is supposed to be some big deal, went way over my head (I'm not very techie) but it's supposed to reduce hum, and does. This thing has incredible tone. That's it. I tried every wah they had in the store, 8 in all, and this one sounded the best to me. Unbelievable tone without venturing into heavy metal territory. Definitely something you can imagine on a Stevie Wonder record or something. It has three positions to choose from, Deep, Extended, High, designed to accentuate particular tone. The Deep is awesome for heavy riff-rock and lower note soloing. Extended is great for strumming chords really fast in that 70's style, and the High is perfect for soloing. Combined with my BOSS Compression Sustainer pedal, I can get some pretty searing lead lines, but it never sounds like 80's metal. A very unique sound in the world of wah, and one I would personally recommend to anyone. And it can take the abuse. I've had mine 6 months, jamming with a band twice a week, and by myself frequently, and it still looks and performs great. Worth the money. I'd spring the extra 12 bucks or whatever for the adapter though, this baby devours 9-volt batteries.

Anyway those are my thoughts, hope it helps.

[Dopamine]

Thanks for all the replies. I still haven't decided on model.

If anyone is interested in hearing a house track with guitar, check the mp3 upload forum where I posted the track.

[cdog]

RMC3

In the famous words of Ron Popeil, "set it and FORGET IT!"

If you're processing an already recorded track, reamp it (Radial X-Amp) into the wah then send it to a tube amp, and turn that sucker UP.