Sonnus Wahoo

[Plastic_Telos]

Who's got one. How do you like it? It seems like a pretty sexy chunk of metal. It seems like there are metric shitloads of possibilities with this thing but most of the demos out there are pretty...narrow.

[Seizurema]

Very interested.

[behndy]

i can remember being excited about this and then thinking it was a complete piece of shit.

but i can NOT remember what happened inbetween those two reactions.

so.

yeah.

HELPFUL.

[digi2t]

I have one. Bought it several months ago. Love it. Apart from some minor stuff that I've proposed to Sonuus for the next software update, it's a fantastic piece of kit. It's replaced my Crybaby 535, Mr. Multi, Vocalizer, and even my Ludwig Phase II. Even then, it's still got lots left under the hood. The only pedal it hasn't laid to waste is my Mold Spore (for it's Ringmod wah). You can emulate any wah on the market... and save it to memory. Then there's all the funky stuff you can dream up with an LFO and dual filters. Endless possibilities. The treadle works using a proximity sensor arrangement, so there are no pots to wear out. Also has different switching senarios that you can choose from. This includes the "toe down to turn on, and off after a settable amount of time function", like the Morleys. It's a much bigger footprint than a standard wah, but it has waaaay more to offer.

Sync's to MIDI clock, so any LFO based patches sync right away. The software editor is super simple to work with. Any questions I've asked on the forum have been answered promptly. Heck, they even wrote a custom operating .bin file for me, so I could run it on a specific MIDI channel. Super support. These people actually listen to what you're saying, and are willing to adopt solutions when possible. Two of my recommendations will be adopted into the next software update, to be released soon.

Only draw back is that it needs a MIDI - USB interface, since there are no MIDI ports, only a USB jack. But, apart from accepting positive or negative ground, you can also power it through the USB port. It even runs on batteries! I power mine via a Kenton MIDI-USB interface, so no wall wart.

To date, it's been my "wah to end all wahs". I'm still on the tip of this iceberg. Word.

[Seizurema]

exactly what I wanted to hear.

[Plastic_Telos]

That sounds beautiful.

It sounds like, with all the tweakability, it can get to planet synth and back. Is the editing/tweaking pretty straightforward? and Once youve made presets is it pretty easy to scroll through and find them on the pedal? I have a fear of stomping endlessly on it.

From descriptions it seems like it'd be pretty easy to go from Tortoise type filter phatness to faux synth pretty easily.

The other filter that has my eye is the Xerograph- less money but less features.

Now I need to find out what made made Behndy's relationship so complicated....and maybe find 350$ somewhere

[Doctor X]

i was interested in it with all the talk of synth like filters and lfo etc, but when i listened to a load of youtube demos they all just sounded like the standard wah-wah sound, that duck quacking honk that reminded me why i never use the wah pedal i already have .... so i dont know .... it may just be that the pedal can sound a lot better than the demo vids

disclaimer: i love a lot of wah-wah that i hear other people playing, and i do like the sound of real ducks

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJVwvq5z3MI[/youtube]

[Tristan]

Same here actually but it's supposed to be able to do much more (much fatter and much crazier sounds) than is shown in the youtube vids, there's one in a shop not too far away from me so I'm going to check it out if I can.

[manymanyhaha]

I've been shopping for a wah after becoming fascinated with Goat since I saw them at Green Man last year. Never had even thought about wahs before so kind of a steep learning curve. I just come across the Sonnus, not many user reviews out there though the few are pretty enthusiastic.

This interests me because as someone who kind of does not know what they want, that this can reportedly cop any wah sound (plus lots of other potential uses) has my attention.

Any of you still using this pedal? What wahs did you use before and has the Sonnus satisfactorily replaced them? Any downsides? Any other updated info since this thread slid into neglect?

[Tristan]

In the end I bought one (used shop "credit" that was forced on me due to a scam - long story) but not so long after I sold it again.
In short, it sounds weak, I'd recommend to get something else like the Iron Ether Xerograph Deluxe, Moog Drive or upcoming WMD Protostar for instance.

[manymanyhaha]

The filter/envelope follower aspects are added benefits but I'm really looking for a wah pedal.

What do you mean by weak? Were you interested in the way or just the filters?

[Tristan]

Both, both are the same for me, a wah is just a filter that you can move manually.
The difference is that a wah is usually a bandpass filter and it often has quite a narrow Q point.
On all accounts the Wahoo just sounded weak, dead, boring and uninspiring, even if you're just looking for a wah (bandpass filter) I still wouldn't recommend it.
Wilson makes great wahs, as does Joe Gagan, or you could get one of those Black Cat Mona Vintage Deluxe wahs for instance, just to name a few.

[manymanyhaha]

I had already been thinking about the Wilson Rippah before I saw the Sunuus.

Yours is the first negative review I've read, it's good to get the counterpoint. Thanks for that.

[Tristan]

Glad to help.
If the wah sounds are your thing and you like the filter sounds then it might be worth it but I think the wahs and filters don't live up to the other pedals I mentioned so I decided to move in a different direction.
Also, preset selection is quite tricky and not really intuitive on the thing since it has only one footswitch, plus the pedal is quite big so it takes up lots of space on the pedalboard.
If you have the chance to try it out before you buy then why not of course, first hand experience is always the best.

[UnicornTrap]

I dunno, the wahoo works great for me. I have had one shortly after the release. My old fender and proximity to the city's radio/tv station towers prohibits me from really using an antenna wah without overwhelming AM interference. I have built a decent amount of my own patches at this point. Some of the presets overwhelm my guitar amp with the bass, so it doesn't really sound thin to me unless you want it to. It all depends what you have dialed in. The F00 crybaby works pretty well for me tbh for a regular wah. I am still trying to acheive a ritualistic I A O with the foot pedal. I have the I A dialed in but adding the O has been elusive. It is a hefty purchase for sure, but I've ended up using it on recordings quite a bit.

That WMD protostar does look cool (for synth, for me, might pick that up!)