Wah?

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dezb1
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Wah?

Post by dezb1 » Thu Jan 02, 2020 9:14 am

Been considering getting a wah however they do score low on the Bonamassa / Mascis scale. Generally if I go to a gig and the guitarist steps on the wah it usually signifies the start of a total yawn fest... Opinions on the wah (and any good examples of it being used that isn't pure guitar wankerage).

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marqueemoon
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Re: Wah?

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:12 am

I used a wah for a while when I played in an Americana-esque band. It can be nice for controlled feedback stuff, especially with some offset vibrato warble.

There was a fair bit of wah in early Ride and Swervedriver stuff.

I used a Morley Bad Horsie (Steve Vai) wah. I liked the optical sensor (no switch to step on to click it on). I eventually got bored with it and sold it though.

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Re: Wah?

Post by panoramic » Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:26 am

yeah early ride / swerverdriver and J Mascis of course feature lots of wah, so does Spiritualized

I've been mulling getting a coloursound one for a long time
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Re: Wah?

Post by dadsoda » Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:27 am

I had a Ibanez WD7 wah I bought because you don't have to switch it on or off. I broke that from stomping too hard at a show. I have the smaller version now and I love it. I think it sounds great with rhythm parts with a distortion pedal. But for lead guitar its sounds too "funky" for my taste..
I mainly just mess with it during big parts of songs to add some "shwiiiihh shoooo."

I never realized Ride used so much wah until I watched a old live set of theirs. LSD and the search for god made me really want one.

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Re: Wah?

Post by zhivago » Thu Jan 02, 2020 1:26 pm

I have an RMC4...it is a great pedal for adding expression to chords or, I guess, wanking endlessly! :D

I have always liked wah as a filter when playing chords. 8)
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Re: Wah?

Post by MechaBulletBill » Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:41 pm

how about the fucking stooges?

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Embenny
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Re: Wah?

Post by Embenny » Fri Jan 03, 2020 8:12 am

All my favourite uses of wahs have been by funk guitarists and those influenced by them, rather than those of the "rock god guitar solo" persuasion.
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Re: Wah?

Post by Jaguar018 » Fri Jan 03, 2020 8:41 am

I like a number of recordings with wah, even some of the super wanky shit, but I still struggle with using it for my own music. I don't play funk, or funk-ripoff stuff, so there go all my Curtis Mayfield band dreams, and as much as I'd like to, my wheedling never gets very face-melting.

Recently there was a really good deal on a used, but essentially new-in-box Exotic Wah, but even then I could not get motivated enough to get it.

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Re: Wah?

Post by mijmog » Fri Jan 03, 2020 9:32 am

Wah's are ace! Use it as a notch filter, like Mick Ronson or the bloke from Khruangbin, see Reine Fiske too, incredible tasteful use of wah. So many great sounds for recording with the wah on full treble, really cuts through the mix. Leave on half way with fuzz, superb vowel like sound.

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Re: Wah?

Post by MC3 » Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:26 pm

The Bonamassa/Mascis scale had me laughing pretty hard.

to be fair, the only reason I have thought about getting a wah would be to do the Dino Jr. Just Like Heaven thing

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dezb1
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Re: Wah?

Post by dezb1 » Sat Jan 04, 2020 6:26 am

MC3 wrote:
Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:26 pm
The Bonamassa/Mascis scale had me laughing pretty hard.
Apparently it's very offensive...

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Re: Wah?

Post by RuffiansFC » Thu Jan 16, 2020 5:46 am

I use wah quite a bit, but not in the waka chaka way. the wah I have is a bit darker and doesn't have a wide sweep like the standard crybaby, which makes a major difference in it not being overboard. I treat it more like a manual envelope filter to punctuate certain notes or phrases. I make a point to not use it for too many solos, so it doesn't become a crutch. I also like to do the fast rocking wobbly bit.

One group that uses wah in a way that I really like is Mars Red Sky, where the wah is after the fuzz and the use is very deliberate.

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Re: Wah?

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Thu Jan 16, 2020 7:33 am

Image

...PLUS...

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...PLUS...

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...EQUALS?

I don't know! This is as far as I got, over 6 years back!! :fp:

I dug out the parts the other day & realised I'm only about 20 easy solder joints away from a super pimped out Wah.
Who knows, maybe I'll get this thing up & running by the end of the year! Ha!!
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Re: Wah?

Post by Jaguar018 » Thu Jan 16, 2020 9:34 am

PorkyPrimeCut wrote:
Thu Jan 16, 2020 7:33 am
I dug out the parts the other day & realised I'm only about 20 easy solder joints away from a super pimped out Wah.
Who knows, maybe I'll get this thing up & running by the end of the year! Ha!!
I'll take it! :w00t: I will pay you $60 OSG bucks for it.

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Re: Wah?

Post by HH1978 » Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:27 am

I love wah and use it quite a bit. I find it can be a very expressive tool during solo's.

One of my favourite wah user is Marc Ford, he always used it in a way that sounds very musical to me.

That said, wahs can be tricky or awful sounding. I started years ago with a Vox v845, it was absolutely terrible and made everything sound harsh.

Some wahs don't work well with fuzz either.

My two favourite wahs are not cheap, but they both deliver, and are very different from each other :

RMC10 : it's the one I use the most. It's inspired by the old italian wahs and has a short sweep. It's not always easy to control, as changes are fast, but it sounds really beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA7_e2LZ1Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwtlecRgdu0

BMF wah : it's the one that Marc Ford uses. It has a long sweep, and it is modulable as Scott Kaye (BMF) offers different PCB replacements, depending on which vintage circuit you want to emulate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-epS0vEHrw

Can't go wrong with either in my opinion, but if your not used to wahs, the BMF is easier to control.

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