Wah Pedals

The wah pedal or "wah- wah" as its commonly referred to, is one of most expressive and fun-to-play guitar effects. The first wah pedal was made by Vox in the 1960's to imitate the supposed crying tone that a muted trumpet would produce. Wah pedals work by rocking the pedal back and forth using your foot while playing. The pedal produces a mid-boost, and together with the motion, it has the ability to sweep between frequencies giving the guitar a distinctive vocal sound. Its expressive sounds have made wah pedals very popular with famous guitarists throughout the years and have been used within countless tracks.

Most notably was Jimi Hendrix who adapted the wah pedal into his legendary sound, which can be heard in the intro to 'Voodoo Child'. Big names in the rock scene such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Kirk Hammett, Slash, David Gilmour and Frank Zappa were using wah pedals in their riffs or memorable solos. Wah pedals have been used in various genres of music such as blues, metal and of course funk as it was Isaac Hayes with his theme song for 'Shaft' who innovated the ‘whacka-whacka’ funk sound of the 70s.

There are a good range of wah pedals to choose from; The classic and most popular has to be the Dunlop Cry Baby which has been built with a solid construction and will last for years. Dunlop also produce signature models of the Cry Baby that have features dedicated to that guitarist's style. Other brands such as Morley, Vox and Ibanez make great sounding wah pedals perfect for adding that extra emotion into your solos.

Why Should I Choose a Wah Pedal?

• Unique expressiveness
• Iconic guitar effect
• Ability to shape frequencies
• Great for many genres from blues to metal