I Wah-na know what you think

[Dapper Bandit]

After several years of thinking wahs are just for blooze bois and people who think doing the whole 70's "whukka whukka" sound between songs is hilarious, then several more years thinking they were OK but just not for me I am now looking at wahs.

What's the skinny on these fellas? Who's good and who's not so much?

I have been looking at Dunlop/MXR as they seem to be the OGs, the Cantrell Wah seems cool but the CAE one looks good too (and Ler Lalonde uses one).

What's the hot take?

[Dapper Bandit]

Should have called this thread "Help me Obi Wa(h)n Kenobi, you're my only hope", oh well, c'est la vie.

[Chankgeez]

You can still change the title. It's not too late.

I like wahs with long throws (aka not wahs in Cry Baby-style enclosures).

[frigid midget]

For me it's a novelty kinda effect more than anyting else. Only a handful of people get away with using a wah on a regular basis, and they're either virtuoso or noise geniuses. I'm neither

If I were to give it another go, I'd first look at auto-wah or envelope filter type pedals instead. Or else one of those small wah pedals, like the AMT WH-1.
A pedal that only gets used once or twice in a set doesn't deserve to take up twice the space of a fuzz pedal

[BoatRich]

I bought a Crybaby mini because dumb metal solos are kinda hard without a wah. It’s cool? I have no idea what makes a wah better or worse, but this one is slightly less annoying than others?

[fldrvr]

I recently put my old GCB-95 back on my board in the hopes of using it more. I basically think it would be used in transitions or solo-y parts to add some flavor to the tone. I'm thinking, kinda like Adam Jones?

Lots of options out there, I've read good reviews of the RMC Teese Picture Wah, but it's pricey and i have no experience.

If I were to buy one right now, I'd like to try the Ibanez Weeping demon, if simply for the options and the fact that you can use the side switch on/off for fixed wah. but to be fair it's gigantic.

Other thing to think about is optical vs inductor, apparently there are some difference in tone.

[coupleonapkins]

What's the hot take?

Wah has always been misunderstood, I think, but I'm partial to envelope filters/et al, which is all cut from the same cloth anyway (at least to mine ears). My fave actual wah is the Dimebag Crybaby From Hell, since it has some righteous tweakability & camo colors.

But if it's immediate results you're after, Jero has a standard issue GCB-95 Wah for $30 in B/S/T rite nao

[manymanyhaha]

I went through a similar journey with wahs. Didn't understand them until the first time I saw the swedish band Goat and then I started down that road.

First wah: Wilson Rippah 12-position booster wah. Still have this on my board and love it. Very adjustable.

Have since tried:

Reece Picture Wah. Very piercing compared to the Rippah. Tried it a couple times and hated it. Worst than the fabled ice-pick.

Wilson Mini Wah. Came broken but my body did not like the shorter form.

Wilson Freaker. I like it but just not as much as the Rippah. It is almost exclusively throaty whereas the Rippah can be many different things. Also, I did not realize I needed to request a LED. LED is important for my music because sometimes when I moving around the fretboard, I like for this to be a subtle thing going underneath the looping and thus, I might not be hearing myself.

[Gunner Recall]

Dimebag cry baby covers a lot of ground and is pretty easy to find.

If you want to get fancier Wilson is your guy. The 12 positions are pretty versatile and he's got a few spot on clones of some rarer ones (colorful/10spot)

[MechaGodzilla]

Old jens can be great.

Old vox v847 are easy to mod. And get weird/extreme with

Would love to try the zvex theremin wah

[Jero]

But if it's immediate results you're after, Jero has a standard issue GCB-95 Wah for $30 in B/S/T rite nao

you're awesome.

[fldrvr]

I mean, the gcb-95 is a classic.

[gila_crisis]

I have a CRybaby mini, which is super cool.
I mostly use it to filter my sound, than for the classic wahwah "jimi voodo chile" thing.

[retinal orbita]

I am a fan of wahs/filters but always wind up flipping Wah pedals. I bought the Dunlop bass mini recently and found that the sound was great but it was infuriatingly “little” (I know right, I bought it because I wanted something small then sold it because it was “too small” ) but it was great for my board but too small for my foot!

I *would consider* picking up a full-size when I see it used (I see this often) but I worry I would never use it on my board because it’s too friggin’ big. But I would never go in for a wah with a click switch like the crybaby’s. Too much of a hassle. I love the ability to put it on with a touch of your foot. I also bought an Interstellar Orbiter and I welcome like that sort of filter is more my vibe even though I barely understand it.

[Snufkino]

Similarly I'm not really into wahs, even though I've tried. The ones that sounded most pleasant to me have been the Wilson mini crybaby and North Effects Vox. Basically vintage spec circuits. Crybaby for a nice overall sweep, the vox for that brighter peak.