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Vintage threads from the first ten years

In search of .....a really good WAH WAH

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2/12/2000 6:12 AM

In search of .....a really good WAH WAH

Howdy folks. Okay, I've put it off for years, even though I love the sound of a wah wah. Now I'm determined to buy one, but I could really use some help in weeding out the bad stuff from the real stuff, to ease the pain of the shopping process. Ampage used to have a corner where these kinds of things were rated, but it doesn't seem to be here anymore. So.. I'm hoping I can count on some BRAIN POWER instead... your's!!! If ya'll could share some of your experience in helping me find a good, solid, SONIC, and quiet! unit, I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks for listening..

2/13/2000 2:21 AM

Two of the best currently in production are:

Geoffrey Teeses' RMC3 (Real McCoy)

The Fulltone Clyde

Interestingly both pedals named after Clyde McCoy, a trumpet player whose picture appeared on the bottom of some signature model Vox wah-wah pedals in the 60's.

The RMC has lots of options for different sounds. The Clyde has a better pedal sweep and IMHO a better enclosure overall. Both are expensive.

2/13/2000 2:22 PM

I agree with JS. Both the Teese and Fulltone are phenomenal, but very pricey. Not sure about the Teese, but the Fulltone runs around $220. What I did was find a Vox reissue that had really solid tone and replaced the 100k Dunlop pot with a 470k pot that is used in the the Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Special Wah. I'm quiet happy. Whole cost of project...$65. How can you go wrong? Older Cry Baby wahs with the "non TDK" 03 inductor sound pretty good as well. Limited tone throw, but you can dig them up for around $70. Let me know what you try and what you think, always interested in opinions.

2/15/2000 12:45 AM
westmoreland	Thanks for the leads, gentlemen. I'll see if I can give them both a try, and post what I find out..

2/17/2000 5:09 PM

Matthew Springer

Other vintage wahs

I've been fiddling around with my Mutron Wah/Volume and it's got a great sound to it as well. YOu can still pick these up for around 185 or so over on HC. One thing to be aware of, it's an optical design that uses a piece of plastic between a LED and a photo resistor, so It's very difficult to adjust the "logality" of the sweep if you don't like it.
The volume pedal mode could also be a little more gradual as it suffers from the same non-log operation as the wah. Also, on the one I've got, the wah "sweet spot" and the volume "sweet spot" don't line up well, so the swell/wah mode doesn't work terribly well.
It is AC powered though, and has the buttons on the front where they belong!
Also, you may have a moral crisis about modding it as it is fairly rare (where as I have no problem doing ths to my OTS crybaby).

2/18/2000 8:39 PM
Tobias Karlsson	Don't forget the old Colorsound wha's! I have two, one wha/fuzz and one wha/fuzz/swell, they both sound excellent! It's my favorite wha's of my vintages. More "rocket swing" than the Cry's and Vox. Tobias Karlsson in Sweden

2/18/2000 8:42 PM
Tobias Karlsson	.....forgot to mention that the Fuzz mode isn't that great....... Tobias

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