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The wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name wah-wah. The first wah pedal was created by Bradley J. Plunkett at Warwick Electronics Inc./Thomas Organ Company in November 1966. The first use of a wah pedal on bass was by Michael Henderson in 1972 on Miles Davis' On The Corner. Since then, bassists such as Cliff Burton, Geezer Butler, Chris Squire and Doug Wimbish have used a wah pedal.
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What You'll Learn
Wah-wah pedals are designed for electric guitar
Wah-wah pedals are effects pedals designed for electric guitar that alter the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying "wah-wah". The first wah pedal was created by Bradley J. Plunkett at Warwick Electronics Inc./Thomas Organ Company in November 1966. The pedal sweeps a band-pass filter up and down in frequency to create a spectral glide. Wah-wah effects may be used without moving the treadle as a fixed filter to alter an instrument's timbre (known as a "cocked-wah"), or to create a "wacka-wacka" funk-styled rhythm for rhythm guitar playing.
The wah-wah effect originated in the 1920s when trumpet or trombone players found they could produce an expressive crying tone by moving a mute in and out of the instrument's bell. This was later simulated with electronic circuitry for the electric guitar when the wah-wah pedal was invented. It is controlled by the movement of the player's foot on a rocking pedal connected to a potentiometer.
The creation of the modern wah pedal was an accident that occurred during the redesign of the Vox Super Beatle guitar amplifier in 1966. Several engineers and technical consultants, including Bill Page and Del Casher, noticed the sound effect caused by the circuit. Page insisted on testing this bread-boarded circuit while he played his saxophone through an amplifier. After the installation, Page began playing his saxophone through the pedal and asked Joe Banaron, CEO of Warwick Electronics Inc./Thomas Organ Company, to listen to the effect. At this point, the first electric guitar was plugged into the prototype wah pedal by guitarist Del Casher, who suggested to Banaron that this was a guitar effects pedal rather than a wind instrument effects pedal.
Wah pedals are nearly synonymous with the electric guitar and have permeated popular music since their invention. Their sound can be heard on classics such as Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", and Isaac Hayes's "Theme From Shaft". Wah pedals are so popular that Beatles legend George Harrison even wrote a song about it.
Although wah-wah pedals are designed for electric guitar, bass players also use them. For example, Cliff Burton, the Metallica bassist, used a wah pedal. Bassist Justin Chancellor uses the Justin Chancellor Cry Baby Wah, which combines three separate effects into a single pedal: the fluid expressiveness of a custom midrange filter, the bright aggression of a custom wah circuit, and the chainsaw grind of a vintage fuzz.
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The wah effect originated in the 1920s
The wah-wah effect, which transforms the sound of an electric instrument into a voice-like tone, was first created in the 1920s. Trumpet and trombone players discovered that they could produce an expressive crying sound by moving a mute in and out of the instrument's bell. This technique was later simulated with electronic circuitry for the electric guitar when the wah-wah pedal was invented.
The first wah pedal was created by Bradley J. Plunkett at Warwick Electronics Inc./Thomas Organ Company in November 1966. However, the concept of the wah effect was not new, with similar sounds being produced by musicians in the 1950s. For example, country guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins used a self-designed device to create a wah-like sound in his recordings of "Hot Toddy" and "Slinkey". Jazz guitarist Peter Van Wood recorded a version of "Summertime" with a "crying" tone using a modified Hammond organ expression pedal.
The wah-wah pedal gained popularity and was used by guitarists such as Terry Kath of Chicago, Martin Barre of Jethro Tull, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. One of the first wah pedals was used and tested by guitarist Del Casher, and the first famous artist to use it was Frank Zappa. The wah pedal reached its peak when Jimmy Hendrix added it to his pedalboard and used it during his Woodstock concert in 1969.
Today, the wah effect is commonly used with electric bass to create a unique sound. Bassists such as Justin Chancellor of the band Tool and Stanley Clarke are known for their use of the wah pedal. The wah effect is frequency-based, and bass wahs are designed to work well with bass tones, keeping more of the low end than a guitar-focused wah.
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Wah pedals are also used with wind instruments
The wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying "wah-wah". The pedal sweeps a band-pass filter up and down in frequency to create a spectral glide. The wah-wah effect originated in the 1920s when trumpet or trombone players found they could produce an expressive crying tone by moving a mute in and out of the instrument's bell. This effect was later simulated with electronic circuitry for the electric guitar when the wah-wah pedal was invented. The first wah pedal was created by Bradley J. Plunkett at Warwick Electronics Inc./Thomas Organ Company in November 1966.
The wah pedal is controlled by the movement of the player's foot on a rocking pedal connected to a potentiometer. Wah-wah effects may be used without moving the treadle as a fixed filter to alter an instrument's timbre (known as a "cocked-wah"), or to create a "`wacka-wacka` funk-styled rhythm for rhythm guitar playing. This effect was first heard on the song "Little Miss Lover" (1967) by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Despite being designed for electric guitars, the wah pedal is also used with wind instruments. In fact, the first prototype was tested by Bill Page on a saxophone through an amplifier. The prototype was modified by Casher and Plunkett to better accommodate the harmonic qualities of the electric guitar, but the original intention was to market the wah pedal for wind instruments. Jazz/crossover records feature wind and brass instruments with the wah effect – for example, Miles Davis' trumpet with a wah pedal. Several of Frank Zappa's sax players, such as Bunk Gardner, Ian Underwood, and Napoleon Murphy Brock, played saxophones amplified through a wah-wah pedal on some of Zappa's albums like *Uncle Meat* and *Chunga's Revenge*. David Sanborn can be heard playing an alto saxophone modified by a wah-wah pedal on the David Bowie album *Young Americans* (1975).
While the wah pedal is typically associated with electric guitars, its unique sound can also enhance wind instruments. The wah pedal's versatility allows musicians to experiment with different instruments and create expressive and dynamic performances.
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$44.99
The Dunlop Crybaby wah is popular with bassists
The Dunlop Crybaby is a popular wah-wah pedal, initially manufactured by Dunlop in 1966. It was copied from the Thomas Organ/Vox Cry Baby wah-wah, which was first manufactured in 1966 but failed to be registered as a trademark. The Dunlop Crybaby is popular with bassists as it has a range of models, including the Cry Baby Bass Wah, which is specifically designed for bass guitars. The Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Wah features Q and Volume controls and comes in a white housing. It is optimised for bass frequencies and has an adjustable Q, volume control, auto-off switch, and 1 x 9V operation.
The Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Wah is ideal for when the bassist wants to come to the front of the stage for a break or a solo, as the bass sound cannot be ignored. It has a heavy die-cast construction for years of reliability and a 100k ohm Hot Potz potentiometer that allows for a quick, abrupt wah sound. The Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Wah has received positive reviews, with users praising its tone, depth, and ability to handle low frequencies better than other guitar wahs. It is also noted for its ease of use, with a press and play function that reduces stress during live performances.
The Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Wah has been used by bassists such as Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, who used a wah pedal in the bass solo "Bassically" on the band's self-titled debut album (1970). The Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Wah is also used by HIM guitarist Linde Lindström, who finds it "more aggressive" than a normal guitar wah.
In addition to the Cry Baby Bass Wah, Dunlop has released several other models of the Cry Baby wah pedal, including the JC95 Jerry Cantrell Signature, the ZW45 Zakk Wylde Signature, and the SW95 Slash Signature. These models offer a range of features such as a wide sweep, custom-wound resonance inductor, and high gain distortion.
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Cliff Burton used a wah pedal with Metallica
Cliff Burton, Metallica’s original bassist, is regarded as one of the finest four-string players of all time. His melodic sensibility, aggressive forward bass tone, and advanced technique underpinned much of his work on Metallica's first three records, "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", and "Master of Puppets".
Burton's tone occasionally featured the dense harmonic saturation of fuzz, and he is known to have used a Morley Power Fuzz Wah pedal with a built-in gain boost. This was a mainstay of his pedalboard throughout his time with Metallica.
Some claim that Burton's fuzz sound came from an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, but Metallica fans agree that he got his fuzz sound from the Morley Fuzz Wah. He also used a Morley Wah Boost, a Boss Compression Sustainer CS-2, and a TS9 Tube Screamer.
Burton's right-hand technique involved playing the strings extremely hard with his fingers, rather than a pick. This, combined with his use of lighter bass strings, facilitated the wide, aggressive bends for which he became famous.
The Morley PFW Cliff Burton Tribute Power Fuzz Wah is a remake of the wah pedal that Burton used to shape his sound in the early 1980s. The pedal has two different effects units in one: it can be used as just a fuzz pedal, just a wah pedal, or with the sounds combined.
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Frequently asked questions
A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah".
Some famous electric bass players who use a wah pedal include Stanley Clarke, Cliff Burton, Justin Chancellor, and Geezer Butler.
Popular wah pedals for electric bass include the Justin Chancellor Cry Baby Wah, the EBS Stanley Clarke Signature Wah-Wah Bass Effect Pedal, the Morley PFW Cliff Burton Tribute Power Fuzz Wah, and the Xotic XW-1 Wah Pedal.
