Wah pedal recommendations

[Eric***]

I've come to the point where I'm finally ready to give wah a try. I would demo a bunch of stuff, but I find I don't really form much of an opinion until I've lived with a pedal for a long time, so I'm trying to gather opinions up front. Here's what I've been considering:

Budda Budwah
Vox wah
Dunlop Crybaby
Behringer Hellbabe

The Budda pedal seems to get pretty universal accolades, but it's definitely pricey and hard to come by used. I'd say they're probably listed in rough ranked order right now.

Any thoughts?

[markb]

Any of the above except the Behringer. I've got one of those and just can't recommend it. I think Gearmandude on has some wah shootouts on youtube.

[Eric***]

BTW, what's the difference between the Vox V847 and V845 wahs?

[Robert****]

I have some wah demos on dolphinstreet too. After testing a bunch, I went with the Dunlop Classic Crybaby. I love it. The best sounding wah pedal I've ever used.

[Eric***]

I think Gearmandude on has some wah shootouts on youtube.

Indeed. It seems like the Vox is a bit brighter and cleaner than the Dunlop, but I'm not honestly sure if that's good or bad. Now reaching the end of his video, that seems to be his conclusion as well.

[Eric***]

I have some wah demos on dolphinstreet too. After testing a bunch, I went with the Dunlop Classic Crybaby. I love it. The best sounding wah pedal I've ever used.

Yes, I remember you going through a bunch of wah pedals and deciding on the Dunlop. That's good to know, since it's ubiquitous and pretty easy to find on the cheap used. Too bad I didn't grab SVL's for $25 when he was selling it!

[ZMAN]

+1 on the Crybaby. I had one in the early 70s and sold it and I purchased a new one in the mid 90s, it is just has the right sound for a wah pedal. The new ones probably have more bells and whistles, but I was happy to get one that would run without batteries. What I like is they are built like a tank and I have never had a problem with either of them.

[Jimi75]

Here's a clip I have recorded with my Vox V847A. It's the cheapest model they produce, but I just love it, the sweep range of the pedal is perfect.

http://www.box.net/shared/eekvbjrq4i

[mainestratman]

I have to vote for the Crybaby as well. I've used a good ol' GCB-95 for close to 20 years and love it.

I would entertain the Budwah, but only because I'm fairly Buddhist and I think Buddha would get a huge kick out of something like that.

[Tig***]

After a year of use, I'm still enjoying the Budda Budwah (the older ugly purple one). It was the most vocal wah I tried. The only thing I'd change would be to give it a bit more sweep range. You can open it up and adjust the range's pitch up or down if needed.
Bypass is dead quiet. They now have a new case and pedal outers, but the internals are suppossed to be the same.

I'd demo some of the Vox's, and perhaps the Crybaby Classic Robert loves. Let your ears tell you what's best.

[Jimi75]

How about a Roger Mayer Red Lion Wah upgrade kit. It fit all common Wah pedals and the upgrade ist done in 5 minutes.

I used to play mine for several years until it accidentally broke.
Here's a clip of the Roger Mayer Red Lion Kit:
Wah sound starts at 1:44
http://www.box.net/shared/krams2yl9s

[Tig***]

How about a Roger Mayer Red Lion Wah upgrade kit. It fit all common Wah pedals and the upgrade ist done in 5 minutes.

Very nice sounding, but the best price I can find is $119 US, which means it will have to wait a while.

[Tone2TheBone]

Crybaby Classic with the red fasel thingy. Best sounding wah IMO. Had one...sold it to someone here and regretted it...found a practically brand new one on Craigslist for cheap and bought it.

[otaypanky***]

I had a Crybaby but it didn't get much use. I got a Whipple mod kit on eBay and installed it and liked the change. I ended up selling it and got a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe which is pretty nice

[markb]

Get the Crybaby Classic and forget the mods imo. True bypass is useful but that's just a matter of swapping out the switch for a DPDT unit.
Look at mods if you get a bog standard Crybaby for a good price.

[marnold***]

You could try to find a Digitech EX-7 on sale so you could be cool like Robert, Spud, and, um, Me.

[Kazz]

Yes, I remember you going through a bunch of wah pedals and deciding on the Dunlop. That's good to know, since it's ubiquitous and pretty easy to find on the cheap used. Too bad I didn't grab SVL's for $25 when he was selling it!

Yeah...I grabbed it up pretty quickly :-)

[deeaa*]

I have the Vox and I like it for the range & sweep, but I reckon I might like a Crybay better, I understand it would be a bit more ragged and dirty.

My friend has this old Crybaby that has some issues...but those issues make it a formidable pedal. The thing squeals and screeches like no other; you need to use it very carefully but it truly makes the guitar wail like a wraith...that's what I'd like in a wah. Very ragged, lively and even unexpected wails.

[Eric***]

Get the Crybaby Classic and forget the mods imo.

That's kind of how I was going to approach it. I want to go somewhere to test the Vox vs. Dunlop, but I think it might end up coming down to which one I can find at a better price used, since they're pretty comparable.