Using a Wah with a Mark IV in the lead channel

[sduck]

I'd be interested in hearing your tips and/or setup for using a wah pedal in the lead channel of a mark IV, or whatever mark you've got.

I've got 2 wah pedals - a Fulltone Clyde and a Boss V-Wah, and while they both work fairly well, and excellently in the clean channel, in the lead channel I get a kind of notchiness - unsmooth transitions through the various wah positions. Is there a trick to get a smooth wah sound from the lead channel? Can it even be done? Do I need to put some kind of overdrive pedal before the wah and back off on the gain? Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

[stokes]

Not familiar with the Boss pedal,but I've got a Fulltone and a Dunlop.The Fulltone has a volume control,try turning that down some.I have never had the problem you describe with my MKIIC+,with either pedal,but I do keep the volume on my Fulltone fairly low,I have turned it up full with my Fender type lower gain amps to add some gain.You might try using it in the effects loop,dont know if that'll help,but worth a try.

 

[rummy]

I use RMC 4 Picture Wah, and it works pretty well with the lead channel of my IV. I think it boosts volume ever so slightly, however.

 

[screamingdaisy]

I never really liked my Clyde Deluxe. Sold it and bought a Dunlop wah. The Clyde was nice for cleaner stuff but I find the Dunlop voicing works better with humbuckers into modern high gain amps.

No experience with the Boss so I can't really comment on it.

 

[sduck]

Aha! I tried backing off the external gain knob on the Clyde, and while it improved things, there was still some spots in the wah travel with "clunks" - hard to describe the sound. Then I remembered that there is an internal trimmer - so I backed that way off, and now the thing really sings! I haven't really experimented with it yet, I may find a better setting yet.

 

[stokes]

I had forgotten about the internal trim pot,I believe that alters the frequency band,your issue was probably a combination of overloading certain frequencies at the input and then overdriving them in the lead chanell.Glad you got it sorted out.

 

[sduck]

According to the manual the trim pot adjusts the overall gain, and also affects the bass content. Mine shipped with it set at about 10 oclock; the manual states that at about 2 oclock is the classic Vox setting. I have mine at 8:30 currently, and it works much better than it used to, although still isn't ideal. More experimentation will happen soon!

 

[RickyLee]

I have a big Love Hate Love relationship with Wah pedals. They are my favorite stomp pedal for sure. But as you describe, I have always had an issue with the glitching in the middle of the sweep to a certain degree, when running into a Dirty amp. Clean channels and semi clean amps make the Wah sound fantastic.

I have more Wah pedals than I will ever need. Way too many different models to mention. But the Fulltone Clyde Deluxe is one I have had for quite a few years and have had it stashed away. My main Wah since 1996 has been my Dunlop 535 (not the 535Q), and I basically keep coming back to it after numerous other models of Wah's.

I need to get my Clyde Deluxe out and start putting some hours on it for sure. But basically, I just wanted to say that playing into a Dirty amp, the Wah will never be 100% glitch free. I f I am wrong on this and someone has found the secret, please fill us in. But you have to find a happy medium and compromise somewhat on how you use the Wah sweep and how you dial in the amp. And sometimes, one particular model of Wah might work better for a particular model of amp or amp settings. Or that Wah might just work better on a particular day just because the Sun is shining. Trust me, as sometimes they work almost perfectly and the next day they will glitch a bit LOL.

But it sounds like you are on your way to dialing it in, so stay with it. Keep us posted on your progress . . .

 

[sduck]

Thanks! I ended up not being really happy with the internal knob dialed all the way back - it just didn't sound right, and still glitched a bit more than I wanted, so I've put it back in it's former sweet spot and will probably try some other wahs in the future.