Wah pedals

[gusgorman]

Just looked in a few shops in town.. saw the following wah pedals :

Crybaby Classic with Fasel - used £89
Fulltone Clyde (not sure if it was the standard or deluxe) - used £160
Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q Multi-Wah - new £147

Any opinions on these? I'd rather buy from a bricks and mortar store than order online and thinking of picking one up later today or tomorrow.

I know its hard with wahs - because the stings, guitar, amp and playing style all have a massive part to play, but I'm looking for an oldschool sound (funkadelic, shaft etc). Please don't mention any others that aren't in the list

thanks!

[øøøøøøø]

Out of those choices, the Clyde would probably be the one I'd pick, with the £89 Crybaby my second choice

[somanytoys]

I don't know which one would fit best with your style, or if you may want to branch out into other styles later.

I believe that the standard Clyde and the standard Crybaby are at opposite ends of the wah spectrum. I think the Clyde seems a bit more like a duck quack and was originally marketed to trumpet players (Clyde was a famous trumpet player), and the Crybaby has a broader range/sweep, chewier.

I have the 535Q and I like it. I bought it exactly because it's very versatile. It may not be great for everybody, or as good as something else in a particular style, but most other things will only be really good at the one thing, so the 535Q can be kind of a trade off for the versatility.

Fulltone makes some good stuff, I have a few of their custom shop pedals that are great and I doubt I will ever sell any of them. Never tried their wah.

It might be best if you could test drive them.

[gusgorman]

I've checked and its the Clyde Deluxe in the shop near me which has got the switch between Wacked, Jimi (standard) and Shaft.

This is a classic case of GAS. I was learning a track that's got a bit of wah in it, and so I looked online and found someone selling an old USA made Vox V847 for £59 and ordered it. It didn't work so I sent it back... and now a day later I'm thinking about spending £160 on a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Now I've stopped to think about it I'm not even sure I really want a wah that much

Agree its probably a good idea to drive them.

[MechaBulletBill]

I believe that the standard Clyde and the standard Crybaby are at opposite ends of the wah spectrum.

The fulltone "Clyde" is marketing more than anything. There are very few differences in the components between the old wah circuits.

[gusgorman]

Tried the Crybaby Classic out. Prefer the sound of it to the standard Crybaby, but this one was in a bit of a dodgy state so gave it a miss.

[øøøøøøø]

I believe that the standard Clyde and the standard Crybaby are at opposite ends of the wah spectrum.

The fulltone "Clyde" is marketing more than anything. There are very few differences in the components between the old wah circuits.

yep

[lhwarp]

Supposing you have some knowledge in electronics, gusgorman, I would go for the Cry with Fasel :

1 - replace the feedback cap from 10n for a 15n for a bit more vocal, less trebly-peaky sweep.
2 - adjust the rack an pinion relative position to slightly modify the wah sweep for progressivity.

It's what I did on mine with success. I play Soul, Rhythm'n'Blues, Funk in a band loaded with brass.

Otherwise, yes : go for the Clyde, not cheap but serious tone. I had the 535Q : not worth.

- lhwarp

[øøøøøøø]

I've quietly grown into a bit of a wah-sniffer over the years. Pretty much the only thing I use anymore is an old Maestro Boomerang, which is my favorite for what I use it for (rhythm). But I also have an old Colorsound from the 70s, and an original Vox Cry Baby (yes it has both names) with the film can inductor from '67.

But the Boomerang is my favorite.

[gusgorman]

Supposing you have some knowledge in electronics, gusgorman, I would go for the Cry with Fasel :

1 - replace the feedback cap from 10n for a 15n for a bit more vocal, less trebly-peaky sweep.
2 - adjust the rack an pinion relative position to slightly modify the wah sweep for progressivity.

It's what I did on mine with success. I play Soul, Rhythm'n'Blues, Funk in a band loaded with brass.

Otherwise, yes : go for the Clyde, not cheap but serious tone. I had the 535Q : not worth.

- lhwarp

I'm not great with electronics tbh.. and I tried the Crybaby with Fasel out yesterday and although I like how it sounds, this particular one was in a bit of a mess so would prob need someone who's good with electronics to look at it anyway.

Thanks for the reply though.. much appreciated. I'm learning to play funk, soul etc myself but tbh I'm not good enough to be playing in a band yet. I'm starting to think I should just be getting on with practicing rather than buying wah wah pedals!

[lhwarp]

I'm not great with electronics tbh.. and I tried the Crybaby with Fasel out yesterday and although I like how it sounds, this particular one was in a bit of a mess so would prob need someone who's good with electronics to look at it anyway.

Thanks for the reply though.. much appreciated. I'm learning to play funk, soul etc myself but tbh I'm not good enough to be playing in a band yet. I'm starting to think I should just be getting on with practicing rather than buying wah wah pedals!

Oh, no... Moreover if you're interested by Funk, Soul, etc...

Here is a Funky short tune on which I played with a Squier Standard Strat, a Roland Micro Cube, my modified Cry-Baby Fasel exactly the way I explained it to you :

https://soundcloud.com/tubelectron/spec ... hesi-remix

Here is a Funky rhythm wah tune, still with my Squier Std Strat but using a DIY distortion-wah pedal (only the wah section here) :

https://soundcloud.com/tubelectron/r05- ... tele-rhmp3



I mean : if you want to play with a wah, do it, don't hesitate : have wah fun while practising... No matter your level !

- lhwarp

[øøøøøøø]

Thanks for the reply though.. much appreciated. I'm learning to play funk, soul etc myself but tbh I'm not good enough to be playing in a band yet. I'm starting to think I should just be getting on with practicing rather than buying wah wah pedals!

Practicing is good! Having a decent wah pedal is also good for what you're learning to do.

You can practice, and you can also get a nice wah pedal to practice with... wah is itself a technique to be practiced!

Enjoy whatever you decide!

[mackerelmint]

Having played in a funk/disco band, I'll say that crybabies are not the ideal family of pedals to use if you want to get funky. They're good for playing single line lead kind of stuff, but if you're looking to make a funky chord outright stinky, go for something else. I can't speak to the Clyde never having played one, but I don't think there's a better rhythm wah than the humble vox 847. I suspect it has some things in common with the Clyde that a crybaby doesn't, and I'd say go in that direction in your search.

And for what you're looking to play, I can't overstate the importance of a good compressor, and possibly an eq pedal. That's where most of the funk can be found.

[gusgorman]

Having played in a funk/disco band, I'll say that crybabies are not the ideal family of pedals to use if you want to get funky. They're good for playing single line lead kind of stuff, but if you're looking to make a funky chord outright stinky, go for something else. I can't speak to the Clyde never having played one, but I don't think there's a better rhythm wah than the humble vox 847. I suspect it has some things in common with the Clyde that a crybaby doesn't, and I'd say go in that direction in your search.

And for what you're looking to play, I can't overstate the importance of a good compressor, and possibly an eq pedal. That's where most of the funk can be found.

Thanks... Do you mean the old USA made Vox 847?
I've seen people say that that new made in China 847-A isn't really the same pedal.

[øøøøøøø]

My experience has been a bit different from the above, for what it's worth.

I've never used a pedal compressor nor an EQ pedal as part of any rig, nor felt that either was essential (nor even helpful) whenever I've been doing the kind of work that you seem to be trying to do.

I do, however, prefer the Maestro Boomerang. But I consider this personal taste above all.