Wah advice needed!

[jjruiz]

Hi there,

I'm looking for a new wah wich sounds good with my single rectifier and strat (swamp ash body and maple neck).

After some research I've reduced my choices to:

- Crybaby Zakk Wylde
- MXR m-404 cae
- Morley Mark Tremonti

I also have heard nothing but good reviews of the Fulltone Clyde, but it's way expensive...

I mainly play hard rock / metal, I don't think I'm using the wah in the clean channel... so it's important it sounds well with high gain settings.

I'm looking for a wide sweep range, not too trebbly, and also I want to hear a clear "wah" when I play the high frets (from 12 on).

Thanks!

 

[TheMadMacBook]

I believe the Tremonti wah should do the job. super nice wah

 

[John Price]

I've been using the MC404 CAE wah for a few years now and really love it.

 

[screamingdaisy]

The Clyde Deluxe is more of a traditional wah sound that's obviously geared towards the Hendrix sound. I had one for awhile and wasn't super impressed with it. Once the gain is turned up I generally prefer Dunlop wahs.

I have a Wylde Wah. It has a super wide sweep and goes both really bright and really bassy, which is good when used with high gain since a more extreme sweep will cut through the distortion better.

That said, also have a Cantrell wah. It's the same basic voicing as the Wylde but the sweep is much more narrow so it doesn't go quite as high or deep. I find it easier to use since I can flail away and not hit a bad sound. With the Wylde I have to be a lot more precise. The trade off is that it sometimes gets lost in the distortion, but I like a more subtle wah sound so I'll accept that risk.

The Dime Wah is also a really good wah, particularly if you're not quite sure what you're looking for in a wah yet. It gives you the freedom to experiment with different voices and sweeps so you can get a lot of experience without having to buy a dozen different wahs just to compare differences. I found I tended to dial mine in like Cantrell so I eventually bought his wah when it came out.

I haven't tried the MXR/CAE wah yet, but I have no doubt that it'll be a good wah for rock.

I have no real interest in Tremonti, so I have no real interest in his wah... :|

 

[jjruiz]

The Clyde Deluxe is more of a traditional wah sound that's obviously geared towards the Hendrix sound. I had one for awhile and wasn't super impressed with it. Once the gain is turned up I generally prefer Dunlop wahs.

I have a Wylde Wah. It has a super wide sweep and goes both really bright and really bassy, which is good when used with high gain since a more extreme sweep will cut through the distortion better.

That said, also have a Cantrell wah. It's the same basic voicing as the Wylde but the sweep is much more narrow so it doesn't go quite as high or deep. I find it easier to use since I can flail away and not hit a bad sound. With the Wylde I have to be a lot more precise. The trade off is that it sometimes gets lost in the distortion, but I like a more subtle wah sound so I'll accept that risk.

The Dime Wah is also a really good wah, particularly if you're not quite sure what you're looking for in a wah yet. It gives you the freedom to experiment with different voices and sweeps so you can get a lot of experience without having to buy a dozen different wahs just to compare differences. I found I tended to dial mine in like Cantrell so I eventually bought his wah when it came out.

I haven't tried the MXR/CAE wah yet, but I have no doubt that it'll be a good wah for rock.

I have no real interest in Tremonti, so I have no real interest in his wah... :|

You helped me a lot! Is great to hear of someone using the clyde with high gain settings, you confirm my thoughts about this and other "classic sound" pedals, they might sound great for low/medium gain but not further...

I already considered the Jerry Cantrell wah over the Zakk Wylde, but I'm not sure if the sweep range is good for me, I had a Budda Wah II wich sounded awesome to my ears but had a narrow wah range and it was difficult to control, so I ended up selling it.

I agree that the Dimebag is probably the way to go, but man... it has a terrible design LOL

I'm interested in the MXR m-404 CAE as it is the one Kenny Wayne Shepherd uses live, he has a "heavy" sound even he plays blues/rock.

To be honest, I know of Mark Tremonti because of his signature stuff like PRS guitar, pedals, etc. but I haven't listened to his music... anyway there are good reviews about his Morley Wah, I love the switchless feature, I had a Bad Horsey II in the past and it seemed good for me, maybe a bit bland... I mean, you may like a crybaby or not but it has character, I found the Bad Horsey to sound neutral... I'm not sure if it's the same with the Mark Tremonti wah.

 

[joe web]

the wylde wah is great to cut thru with a lot of gain and it has a nice fat tone.
my first choise since it came out, i love it. the EVH is nice sounding as well, but the mid-range sweep is not that wide.
never been a friend of morley wah pedals and a good friend of mine had troubles with it while playing open-air show during the day, because the sunlight let the wah always be in "on" position. that was not so good at all. he changed back to dunlop after this happened.

go with the wylde wah - it´s great!

 

[jjruiz]

Hi,

First of all, thank you very much guys for taking the time to share your experience in my post.

Finally, I bought the mxr mc404 cae, it's a really cool wah,it is very versatile and works good with high gain. I really like both inductors, while the yellow one seems to me in the vox side, the red inductor reminds me to Zakk Wylde, it has a very wide range and pronounced wah, great for crazy solos! Maybe I would like the wah to have a more vintage sound, it is voiced modern, it respects the amp sound but maybe sounds a bit neutral at the same time, anyway I'm happy with it and I don't feel like I'm needing another wah in a very long time.

Cheers!