So I have been through a few wah's in my time, mostly because I have a tendency (yes believe it or not) to break them. Not the pedal casing etc of course as most wahs will stand the test of time and a nuclear explosion! But the potentiometers and/or internal gubbings tend to go. I have been gigging pretty intensely (and rehearsals, recordings etc) with the Vox V847 Wah for well over a year and a half now, and it is starting to crackle and drop out. I am sure I can fix it easily with some contact cleaner and a bit of soldering.....but the Jerry Cantrell wah caught my eye when it came out, and I really really like the fact you can change the voicing with the control knob on the side, you can set it with across the spectrum featuring at the top end, more...well top end and at the lowest point a much more deeper wah sound, which when you add bit of dirt, you get a lovely vocal wah (and of course it sound very Man in a box at the low end of the sweep). With the control in the middle it sounds to me like a classic crybaby. It is possible to imagine that this wah provides you with not only a classic wah, but a talkboxy style wah and then a high frequency boosty type wah, which could be used to give a nice sound to a lead break.I should add that after all these years of playing this is my first 'signature' piece of gear purchased. Generally, signature pedals, amps, guitars etc are not for me, and personally I guess I see them as a bit of a marketing ploy to get you to spend more cash on what you could pick up much much cheaper (with a few tweaks, which if we are honest relate to the player in question, in their set up, with their gear, playing stadiums etc). But then, why did I break the rule of a lift time, well, because this pedal is fantastic, in a sense Jerry Cantrell isn't an obvious 'signature' player choice, so you know there is a purpose behind this instead of labelling something EVH or Vai because the marketer's know that those guys have the most massive of followings and people will just by a Phase 90 because it has EVH and some stripes on it. (Sorry I should stop being cynical!).Pros
- The range of sounds possible
- Personally I love the 'vocalish' tone you get at the low end of the sweep
- Looks fantastic
- You can't stop playing the Man in a Box riff
- Guthrie Govan uses one :)
Cons
- It is much more expensive that other wahs (unless you manage to get a deal....which I did and I think there are a few about at the moment)
- Let's see how long this one lasts
Video review coming soonPeaceNeil