Hard time finding the right Wah for me - need the BIGGEST sweep

[Mechanical Birds]

I’ve tried to get and use a Wah like 30 times in my life but I’ve yet to find one that ever made me give a shit. I’ve bought them based on looking cool - Boss PW10, Korg Mr. Multi, etc. I’ve bought them based on sound demos - Mr. Multi again, Bad Horsie, etc. but it’s universally been a “oh that’s it?” Experience. I don’t even want to use it for the Jimi/typical Wah Wah thing, I just want more of a filter to do the wooshy background noise thing that Oliver Auckermann or Brian Gibson does and to do it well I assume I’ll need a pretty big range/sweep, and I’ve yet to find any kind of consensus on what that might be on the market so figured I might as well ask here. I’m not opposed to getting one made even, I just am so lost on what I should even be on the lookout for.

Example of what I mean - Starts ~ 5:10 when he starts using the Wah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRY2t4-hfhw

Any ideas?

[ctu]

Maybe some sort of filter unit with external control? This way you could set the "sweep" values (Q, gain) and use external pedal to control the rate. In my case, I use Rocktron Hex with Line 6 Filter Pro unit, not for wah effect, but still quite similar. As long as you have the unit that has (fully) parametric control over the cut/increased frequency range and the center of the frequency range itself can be controlled via external pedal, you could create your own wah with full control over all the parameters.

Another solution would be to use a pedal such as Sovtek Deluxe Muff Pi with Mids boost active and an external pedal to move the frequency about. The disadvantage is that you have to activate the fuzz in order to boost the mids, but that could help, judging by the Youtube clip included.

[mackerelmint]

It looks like he built a custom circuit into a crybaby case. It's got a gain bump and he says it's a tweaked classic type circuit, a la crybaby or vox. IME, crybabies have like barely any sweep at all, so I'm gonna guess the circuit he's using is more vox 847 than anything else.

I used to have one of those Voxes, and I got it precisely because it had the widest sweep of anything out there I'd found. That's where I'd start if I were trying to find something off the shelf.

Although, maybe you could email him and ask for more info?

[soggy mittens]

Source Audio EQ2 with expression pedal is probably the most (expensive) flexible custom wah you could do, expression pedals almost always have a bigger sweep. https://youtu.be/Lvcf3ffw2p0?t=379

The EHX Cock Fight does a decent wah via expression as well and it has the low dial to retain low end which is nice, quite flexible amount of sounds to tailor.

As far as wahs I've tried that are big sweeps and alright are Xotic XW-1 (also expensive), AMT Japanese Girl I really like this one might be a bit small tho, I currently use a caline CP-31 that I recovered with skateboard deck tape it just has the sound I'm looking for with a decent travel and isn't too big or small, its also a decent volume pedal. But can agree that trying to find a wah that doesn't suck but is also not expensive is hard.

I never tried one of the VOX wahs^^^^ but sounds tempting now. xD

[Zork]

Modding a wah is actually pretty easy and there are great ressources online. Check https://www.wah-wah.co.uk/diy.html
I started from a Zakk Wylde Crybaby and modded pretty much the hell out of it. You can also replace resistors with a pot wired as a variable resistor to tweak the sound to taste.

[Zork]

You might also want to have a look at the Sonuus Wahoo: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/sonuus-wahoo

[fuzzjunkie]

I was doing exactly what Oliver is doing in that video clip 25 years ago with a Vox wah. Whatever was off the shelf in the mid ‘90s.

The widest sweep I have found to be the Colorsound wah and the Morley wah. The Colorsound is a bit funky and the Morley a little more linear sounding.

For non-wah filter sweeps I used a Yamaha SPX-900. It had a filter that had different high-low-bandpass EQ curves that you could program and sweep with a LFO or expression pedal and combine with delay or reverb.

That got me further into more synth type filter devices instead of a wah. My go-to is an Electrix Filter Queen, which is a mini version of the Filter Factory and similar to a Sherman Filterbank. I think that was popular with the “head” bands back in the day. Portishead and Radiohead.

The Source Audio suggestion above is probably a good one. I use their expression pedal to control a Fairfield Circuitry Four Eyes. It can be set to do a wah sweep with or without fuzz, much wider sweeps than a standard wah, and can get Diamond Sea type sounds when using an LFO. That’s what I have on my board in place of a wah now.

For the SPX-900 sounds that I used to like, I use an Eventide Timefactor now, which has filtered delays.

If you just want a wah though, the Colorsound is the way.

[fever606]

I used to have one of those Voxes, and I got it precisely because it had the widest sweep of anything out there I'd found. That's where I'd start if I were trying to find something off the shelf.

I was doing exactly what Oliver is doing in that video clip 25 years ago with a Vox wah. Whatever was off the shelf in the mid ‘90s.

Came here to say pretty much exactly this... the Vox V847 is your winner here...

[hulakatt]

The Colorsounds are kinda funky but I dig mine.

The Fulltone wah is supposed to have a very large physical sweep to it but don't know about the sonic sweep.

[MechaBulletBill]

the wahs with the longest throw don't always have the widest sweep in the effect coz of pot tapers and whatnot. maybe worth getting any old wah and experimenting with different pots?
i have an older v847 with castledine guts and it's basically perfect for everything, not that i've used it much lately.

[CorporateDisguise]

I seem to remember the Ibanez WH10 and even the Weepin Demon having massive sweeps.

[Zork]

Yes, the Weeping Demon is as ugly as it can get but sound and functionality are spectacular.

[øøøøøøø]

Colorsound has the widest sweep/longest throw I’ve found

[Mechanical Birds]

I like the idea of using an exp with some kinda filter but I’m fuckin lost here I need to do some more reading it looks like. Thanks dudes

[Zork]

I like the idea of using an exp with some kinda filter but I’m fuckin lost here I need to do some more reading it looks like. Thanks dudes

Maybe EHX Blurst or go all in and score a Moog MF 101 or Iron Ether Xero Graph. Frostwave Resonator is awesome but rare and expensive.