Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

After playing guitar for 40+ years , I'm finally gonna break down and buy a wahwah pedal .. Better late than never..
Anybody got any recommendations for the best one for an after-effects (distortion, eq) pre-power-amp one? The old standard dunlop; cry-baby? Or are there better ones out there now? I know it depends on personal preference, but popularity in numbers is also a key factor..
Thx-
-z

Have you ever played on a Morley? They designed some for Steve Vai. The first one was the Bad Horsie and I found one at a pawn shop for $45. I love it. You don't have to step down on the switch to engage it, just start using it and it goes into Wah mode and when you quit, it goes back to normal. The next step up, the Bad Horsie 2 has different controls so that you can switch back and forth from Bad Horsie to Contour wah. Still switchless though.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=Bad+Horsie

We had a long thread about this not too long ago. Seems the Morley came out on top for comment. Been looking at the Bad Horsie II myself.
But I need a couple of paychecks behind me first.

I've got the Morley Mark Tremonti Wah. Love it. Like stated - you don't have to click it to engage it. It starts working after you've pressed down on it, which to me is crucial. The other thing is that the Morley Wah seems to work without totally altering your amp's tone, which can't be said of the Crybaby.

That said - I would seriously like to try out the rack mounted version of the Crybaby Wah with a really good pedal. It looks awesome.

Sounds like Morley's the one to have. If I wanted to leave it on for a solo but not wah it, just leave it on for a different tone and not be pedaling it, would it turn itself off? Is it like auto-bypass if your not rocking the pedal for a second or 2, it turns off?
Thx,
z

dunlop cry baby wah..

I DO like the idea of a switchless wah, though..

Yeh, I dont like that big switch on the front under the pedal either, but I would like the option to leave it on if needed for an effect.

I personally hate the Morley pedals and stick exclusively to the Crybaby "standard" model. They make a Hendrix model that isn't all that good...

The morley pedal just reminds me of jamband wankers who use their Morley pedal like a cheap hooker, laying into them for what seems like hours until they finally get off...

The crybaby is more of a metal screamer type, and still can do the chicka-chicka 70's funk, etc.. more flexible IMO.

I use Morleys

I had one of the old steel tank hardwired ones from the 70s and used it til it expired in the late 90s, then went to a Morley Bad Horsie I and now have a Bad Horsie II.

Kramer you must have heard me a couple of weekends ago. I steped on that wah every solo. I like the wah to beaf up the mids on my solo tones. The mesas I use seem to work better for rythym scooped somewhat but I love alittle mor mid in my solos.

Damn so now Im a WANKER or is it WANKAR?

I use Morleys

I had one of the old steel tank hardwired ones from the 70s and used it til it expired in the late 90s, then went to a Morley Bad Horsie I and now have a Bad Horsie II.

Kramer you must have heard me a couple of weekends ago. I steped on that wah every solo. I like the wah to beaf up the mids on my solo tones. The mesas I use seem to work better for rythym scooped somewhat but I love alittle mor mid in my solos.

Damn so now Im a WANKER or is it WANKAR?

you can only obtain wanker status if you can extend any given song by 20 minutes or more of pure and uninterrupted soloing, of which at least 95% of it is done with the morley pedal on...

Sounds like Morley's the one to have. If I wanted to leave it on for a solo but not wah it, just leave it on for a different tone and not be pedaling it, would it turn itself off? Is it like auto-bypass if your not rocking the pedal for a second or 2, it turns off?
Thx,
z

The Morley doesn't work like that.

The pedal is in the UP position by default (big spring underneath that keeps it that way). When you press down on the pedal it engages the Wah. The further down you press the pedal the more high tone Wah you get. When you back off the pedal you get the lower, bass tone Wah.

To do what you're suggesting you would have to step on the Wah, find the tone you're after and then not move your foot. Which is actually pretty easy to do. That's what I do for the first half of the solo on Alter Bridge's "Brand New Start" song.

Hmmm, if you're planning on getting a few effects, I would suggest the Line-6 Pod, but avoid using its "distortion channel(s)" because they sound like tin can shit.
Also, you should hit the store and test both Morleys and the Crybaby. It's a matter of taste as far as I've seen.

The pedal is in the UP position by default (big spring underneath that keeps it that way). When you press down on the pedal it engages the Wah.

.. so if i modified it by removing the spring.. hmmm.. but if the fulcrum is in the very back that wouldnt work..

if you're planning on getting a few effects

no--only the one at the moment..

Thanx for all the input guys..

.. so if i modified it by removing the spring.. hmmm.. but if the fulcrum is in the very back that wouldnt work..

That's what I was thinking before reading your post. You'd have to tighten the screws that allow it to swivel so that when you're done you return it to the up position and it stays there. That might be pretty cool. I may try that on mine tomorrow and let you know if it works.