So there are about a million different types of wah pedals out there not to mention the automated wah effects you can find built into about a zillion different effects units. So the big question is, which one is the right one? More importantly, the question is, which one is the right one for me. As usual, this highly depends on who me is? Ya dig?
Wah wah weh weh?!
If you are just starting out on the guitar, the automated pre-built in effects types are probably the ones to best get you acquainted with the sound of a wah, of course, having some tiny digital automaton trapped inside the metal box and doing all the work also takes all the fun out of it. Playing guitar with wah effects is more of a challenge than one would think off hand, it does take some practice initially and like most experimental sounds, that's what makes it fun, the joy of discovery, the power of creation, the new found glory! Oh, sorry, I digress?
There are basically 3 modes of operation, on, full on, and off. It's fairly obvious to say what it sounds like when it's off? I know I know, smart ass 101? When it is turned on and actuated, you can hear the slightest sine wave in the tone, this increases incrementally as you engage the pedal down and when you have the pedal to the metal, it is full open. This is called the "frying pan effect because
by Russ Rohrer
Posted on November 19, 2010
there is so much pop and sizzle down there. Each time you press the pedal down with a voluminous note, it actually creates a noise under the guitar tone that makes the sound "Wah", hence, the name. It also inherently adds a little volume too, there were a times when my system was down and I was forced to use it as a volume boost for solos? Maybe that's how I learned to wah? Anyways, there are "Cry baby" wah's, Fuzz Wah's, Buzz Wah's and "Bad Horsie" wah's and I used to even have one a long time ago called a voicing wah, which was misleading or good marketing, not sure which, a voice wah is something entirely different and begs for another time in another article.
I have seen guys who made a career with their signature wah sounds and techniques like Jimmy Hendrix, Lonesome Dave, and Kirk Hammett. Then there are the freaks like Steve Vai who do things with the wah that were never heard before, I remember when it was the most dominant effect in rock music besides distortion, then it took a back seat to things like chorus', flanges, etc. Then there was a resurgence in the late 80's early 90's, and especially in the early days of the grunge alternative movement, it seemed like every group out there was over doing with wah effects (that's because none of them could play decent solo's) shhhh. Just kidding, but, it is like a whammy bar in that it can become a crutch for lack of ideas and then overused? I'm an old school guy so like most of my stuff, I like the old stuff the best, I have explored with different types of pedals and configurations but when it comes right down to it, the original is usually the best? I personally use a Dunlop, Cry Baby wah pedal, for one thing, they are about mid range in price, they sound the best, seem to have the most diverse range up to the frying pan, but most importantly, they last! Dependability is very important for products you are going to use in a live setting, especially when your talking about something that you are going to repeatedly stomp on with your foot and expect to keep on ticking? Try that with a Timex?!
Westminster, Colorado
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