Baby’s first wah
- Thread starter markal
- Start date
The reason not to get a Crybaby is they are not very good. I have had a few and even after modding was never happy with them.
Get a RMC. Any of them will be a mile better than a Crybaby or modern Vox. The classic Jimi and Cream wah is the RMC-6, but his other wahs are also great.
Get a RMC. Any of them will be a mile better than a Crybaby or modern Vox. The classic Jimi and Cream wah is the RMC-6, but his other wahs are also great.
Thanks. Not very good in what way? Noisey? Unreliable?
They don't 'wah' like the pedal on classic recordings. They sort of 'aww'. It's obviously difficult to explain, but the "wah" sound is very much watered down in modern Crybaby pedals. Why? I have no freaking idea. Why on earth would they make a pedal that sounds worse than its predecessors? Again, I have no idea.
I literally spent 30+ years trying to understand why my Crybaby didn't sound like Jimi, and then a few months back bought a RMC-6 and there it was, the sound I had been searching for.
This is the sound of the RMC-6 if you can kick it like Jimi.
EDIT: To be clear, Jimi did not play a RMC-6, he played a weird and completely obscure Italian built wah that the RMC-6 copies.
ross1shark
TDPRI Member
My favorites are the Crybaby 95Q and the Ibanez WD7. With the 95Q, you get the Crybaby tone, but with control over the Q, a selectable volume boost, and - my favorite feature - it's auto-return rather than a toe-down operation, so just step on to activate and off to switch off. No, you can't "park" the treadle in the middle of the sweep like with a classic Crybaby, but I rarely use a wah in that manner and much prefer the auto-return.
You could also look for a used Ibanez WD7 Weeping Demon. It's got a lot of controls to custom tailor the sound, and can be made to function manually (like a regular wah) or auto-return. Its knobs can lock into place so you never accidentally lose your settings. It's a geat wah and you can find them used pretty easily (usually in the $100-120 range). One drawback may be its size; the WD7 is huge, so probably better on the floor than board-mounted because it takes so much real estate. Size issue aside, there's an awful lot of range to what it can do.
You could also look for a used Ibanez WD7 Weeping Demon. It's got a lot of controls to custom tailor the sound, and can be made to function manually (like a regular wah) or auto-return. Its knobs can lock into place so you never accidentally lose your settings. It's a geat wah and you can find them used pretty easily (usually in the $100-120 range). One drawback may be its size; the WD7 is huge, so probably better on the floor than board-mounted because it takes so much real estate. Size issue aside, there's an awful lot of range to what it can do.
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FWIW I had a Dunlop but it never really sounded that great to me. Recently I bought a Vox V847A on the used market for about 40 bucks and did the true bypass mod on it as well as did the pot throw adjustment, and a good wah became a great wah for very little effort. There are videos out there that show you how to do all of this, if you're comfortable with soldering and stuff.
I ended up getting a mash-up of two previous posts, but in mini-form — the Mini Crybaby 535Q Auto-Return
https://www.jimdunlop.com/crybaby-q-mini-535q-auto-return-wah/
https://www.jimdunlop.com/crybaby-q-mini-535q-auto-return-wah/
the boss pw-10 is a great wah if you can find one second-hand.
you've got all the classics in there; cry-baby, morley classic, vox plus a uni-vibe and a rake of overdrive models built in. you can also set the sweep range, which is very useful. it's buffered, it's solid, it sounds great, it's built like a tank and it's cheap.
you've got all the classics in there; cry-baby, morley classic, vox plus a uni-vibe and a rake of overdrive models built in. you can also set the sweep range, which is very useful. it's buffered, it's solid, it sounds great, it's built like a tank and it's cheap.
You need to decide what your ideal wah sound is and then chase that. Listen to examples, watch videos to get a feel for the sounds. Most fall into two broad categories: Dunlop-like wahs which tend to have more 70s Rock lead growl and grit especially with humbuckers, and Vox-like wahs which trend more towards cleaner funk whacka-whacka. Dunlops will clean up some and Vox's can get dirty, of course, depending on the guitar and the gain in your chain - but if your hopes lean one way or the other I'd start with the flavor more likely to get you there...
I use a Dunlop Crybaby Classic, fwiw, but that's just me and the sound I was after.
I use a Dunlop Crybaby Classic, fwiw, but that's just me and the sound I was after.
Good to know. I’ll listen to some demos. I think I would lean more toward the clean/funk flavor, but I’ll check them out and see if either appeals to me more.
Thanks. I’ll check them out. They are a little pricey, but there’s the old “buy quality, buy once” rule.
That is why I tried to make my other wahs better, but ultimately it was wasted effort.
bendercaster
Tele-Afflicted
For me, the size, reliability, and how it impacted my signal chain when it wasn't o on was almost as important as the sound it made given how much I actually use it on gigs (and how much the audience really wants to hear it). I tried several different full size and mini wahs and settled on the Dunlop mini that lets you switch between three different sounds with an internal switch. It has held up longer than the Donner mini did, is true bypass, and in the bass mode it keeps my tele from sounding too shrill.
AngelStrummer
Friend of Leo's
The standard CryBaby is a perfectly serviceable wah pedal. If you think it's too strident, just play around with where the rack meets the pot wheel and use your ears.
The trouble with commonly constructed wahs is that there are moving parts that will eventually wear, including the heavy-duty ones like e.g. a Fulltone Clyde. Switch, pot, rubber grommets, etc., they'll all give in if used long enough.
Learn how that stuff functions and how to maintain it, and even a GCB95 will live a long time if you know how to care for it.
The trouble with commonly constructed wahs is that there are moving parts that will eventually wear, including the heavy-duty ones like e.g. a Fulltone Clyde. Switch, pot, rubber grommets, etc., they'll all give in if used long enough.
Learn how that stuff functions and how to maintain it, and even a GCB95 will live a long time if you know how to care for it.
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You can also defend yourself against assailants by wielding one above your head in a threatening manner.
Lol yeah I don't care about the size because most of the sounds come from my amp and I don't use many effects other than delay. I did see where they jumped on the mini bandwagon recently so they might be the size of a crybaby now.
