The five best wah-wah pedals
Since the late 1960s, the wah-wah pedal has been an integral part of many guitarists' sound, hardly losing any of its popularity since then. Legendary guitarists who have used wah effects in their songs include Jimi Hendrix, Kirk Hammett, Michael Schenker and Eric Clapton. In this article, we'll explain what makes the wah effect so special and introduce you to our five current favourites.
What is a wah-wah effect?
Wah-wah pedals produce a sound that can seem almost human. The term 'wah-wah' is an onomatopoeia that describes the sound produced by this type of effects device. The wah effect is typically sold as a floor pedal with an expression pedal. This is used to change the frequency of the input.
This effect is particularly popular in guitar solos as it enables guitarists to be more expressive. However, wah effects are also often used by guitarists for regular chords.
Striking examples of wah-wah use include 'Voodoo Child' by Jimi Hendrix and 'Bad Horsie' by Steve Vai, the riff of which will probably be familiar to some from the legendary guitar duel in the film Crossroads. You should also definitely check out the crazy sounds of Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
You are free to choose where in your effects chain you want to use your wah-wah pedal. Depending on its location, the sound can change dramatically. However, most guitarists place their wah-wah pedal at the beginning of the signal path.
The history of the wah-wah pedal
Unlike other effects used throughout the music world, such as reverb, the wah effect was primarily developed for guitarists. However, the inspiration for this came not from a guitarist, but from the trumpeter Clyde McCoy, who was renowned for producing human-like sounds with his instrument.
Bradley J. Plunkett developed the wah effect in its current form in 1966 while working for the American company Thomas Organ Company (a subsidiary of Warwick). He used components from a Vox amplifier, the US importer of which was Thomas Organ Company, who also developed their own devices under the name.
The first wah pedal was marketed by Vox under the name 'Clyde McCoy'. However, the Thomas Organ Company later decided to sell the devices in the US under the name 'Cry Baby'. Unfortunately, Vox failed to secure the trademark rights for the term. Consequently, Dunlop is now renowned for its wah-wah pedals.
An interesting fact is that the legendary jazz musician Miles Davis used wah-wah pedals with his trumpet in some of his songs.
How do wah effects work, and what types are there?
Technically, a wah effect is a sound filter that alters the frequency of the resonance peak. In devices with an expression pedal, a low-pass filter is initially used. Pressing the pedal switches the device to a high-pass filter, and it is precisely this switching between low and high that produces the characteristic 'whining' sound.
Most wah effects are available as a classic pedal. Individual devices differ not only in terms of sound, but also in terms of how many wah effect parameters you can adjust. Beginner devices often only have the pedal itself with no additional buttons or controls.
Auto-wahs take a different approach to manually controlled wah effects. Most of these devices do not have a pedal at all. Depending on the device, either the same wah sound is generated consistently, or the device reacts dynamically to how hard you strike the strings of your guitar. The sound produced is therefore mostly rhythmic and predictable.
Wah pedals with adjustment options often allow you to change some of the following wah parameters:
Centre frequency (Q): The frequency around which the sound 'swirls', so to speak.
Range: The frequency spectrum covered between the pedal's starting position and its fully depressed position.
Boost: How much gain is used.
Bass/Treble/Mids: Rotary controls that determine the amount of treble, bass or midrange used.
The five best wah-wah pedals
In this section, we present our current favourite wah-wah pedals. They are not necessarily the best-sounding effects in absolute terms. After all, we want to recommend affordable pedals for everyday users, not just ones that cost several hundred pounds.
Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95
The Cry Baby GCB95 is the modern version of Dunlop's legendary classic. It also tops our list. While the Cry Baby doesn't offer any adjustment options, you get a sound appreciated and used by many famous guitarists without having to experiment too much.
It uses a red voice coil and a 100 kΩ hot pot potentiometer, has a virtually indestructible metal housing, and can be powered by a battery or mains adapter.
Best of all, despite its status as the 'original Cry Baby', the GCB95 is available for less than £90. This makes it one of the more affordable wah pedals.
Vox VX V847A
Second on our list of favourites is another modern take on a classic. The Vox VX V847A is the direct successor to the original Clyde McCoy wah pedal from the 1960s. Not only is the Vox device a wah pedal, it also comes closest to the classic wah sound.
Like the Cry Baby, this device has no adjustment options. However, that doesn't mean you can't achieve flexible sounds with the pedal.
With a reasonable price tag of around £70, the Vox VX V847A is a solid entry-level option.
Boss PW-3
The PW-3 from Boss is slightly more expensive and versatile than the other devices presented so far. It is also a pedal with no real adjustment options. However, it has two modes that can be switched using the switch on the front panel.
In Vintage mode, the PW-3 produces a classic wah sound that is in no way inferior to the original. In Rich mode, lower frequencies are preserved to make the overall sound richer than with regular wah-wahs.
Although the PW-3 looks robust, thanks to its aluminium housing it is surprisingly light for a wah pedal. With a price tag of around £120, it may not be the most affordable option for beginners, but it is still relatively inexpensive and more versatile than Vox and Dunlop devices.
Xotic XW-1
The Xotic XW-1 mimics the classic Clyde McCoy wah in its circuitry but offers much greater flexibility than the original. There are four small knobs on the left side of the device for bias, Q, treble and bass. This means that you can customise the XW-1 to your own preferences with virtually no limits.
The XW-1 can be powered by 9V batteries or a 9V power supply (not included). A particularly nice detail is that the Xotic pedal supports true bypass. This means that when it is not in use, it does not distort the sound in any way.
With a price tag of around £250, the Xotic XW-1 is certainly not a cheap device for beginners. However, it offers an extremely flexible wah sound that is well worth experiencing.
Electro Harmonix Q-Tron Plus
The Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron Plus is undoubtedly the most exotic device on this list. Visually, the device stands out: instead of an expression pedal, you will find a colourful logo, a foot switch and six large rotary controls.
It is therefore not a classic wah pedal, but rather an auto-wah. Wah effects in this category were particularly popular in the 1970s. The Q-Tron Plus reacts dynamically to the guitarist's playing style.
It offers great sound flexibility thanks to its numerous settings options. As well as the standard wah sound, it also offers two distorted modes. If that still doesn't sound original enough, additional devices can be looped directly into the device via the FX loop with send and return.
Priced at around £130, the Q-Tron Plus from Electro-Harmonix offers exceptional value for money.
Conclusion:
Wah-wah pedals may not be the first effects unit you should buy, but they can add a whole new dimension to your sound. It's therefore no surprise that hardly any professional guitarist has some form of wah-wah on their pedalboard.