In This Guide
1 What Is a Wah Pedal and How Does It Work?
A wah pedal is a foot-operated bandpass filter that sweeps a peak of emphasis across the frequency spectrum as you rock the pedal forward and back. When the pedal is rocked toward your toe, the filter peak moves into the upper frequencies, producing a bright, nasal sound. When rocked back toward your heel, the peak moves into the lower frequencies, producing a dark, muffled sound. This sweeping motion creates the vocal "wah-wah" sound that gives the effect its name.
Inside a wah pedal, a potentiometer is connected to the treadle (the foot platform). As you rock the treadle, the potentiometer changes the center frequency of a resonant bandpass filter. The filter boosts a narrow range of frequencies while attenuating everything else. The resonance (or Q) of the filter determines how pronounced the peak is: a high-Q filter produces a sharp, dramatic "quack," while a low-Q filter produces a broader, more subtle sweep.
The wah pedal was invented in 1966, originally as a failed attempt to create a tone control for a trumpet amplifier. Musicians quickly discovered its expressive potential on electric guitar, and Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and other pioneers of the late 1960s made the wah an essential part of the electric guitar's voice. The Dunlop Cry Baby and Vox V847 remain the two most popular wah pedals, both derived from the original Thomas Organ/Vox circuit designed over fifty years ago.
What makes the wah unique among guitar effects is its interactivity. Unlike chorus or delay, which process your signal automatically, the wah responds directly to your foot movements, making it an extension of your physical expression. A skilled wah player can mimic the inflections of the human voice, create percussive rhythmic patterns, or add crying, vocal-like tones to solos. This directness is why the wah has remained one of the most popular and emotionally powerful guitar effects for over half a century.
2 Classic Wah Pedals and Their Sounds
The Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95 is the world's best-selling wah pedal and the standard against which all others are measured. Its sweep range, from a bassy rumble in the heel position to a bright, cutting peak in the toe position, covers a wide frequency range that works for rock, blues, metal, and funk. The Cry Baby has a pronounced midrange peak that cuts through a band mix effectively, making it the default choice for rock and blues players. At around $80, it is also one of the most affordable wahs available.
The Vox V847 is based on the original 1960s Italian-made Vox wah that Hendrix and Clapton used. Compared to the Cry Baby, the V847 has a slightly narrower sweep range and a more focused, vintage-sounding midrange peak. Many players describe the Vox sound as "sweeter" and "more vocal" than the Cry Baby's broader sweep. The V847 excels at smooth, expressive soloing and vintage-flavored rhythm work. It is the preferred wah for players seeking an authentic 1960s sound.
Popular Wah Pedals - Comparison
Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95 (~$80)
- Sweep: Wide, from deep bass to bright treble
- Character: Aggressive, pronounced midrange peak
- Best for: Rock, blues, metal
- Notable users: Slash, Kirk Hammett, Buddy Guy
Vox V847 (~$100)
- Sweep: Narrower, more focused
- Character: Sweet, vocal, vintage
- Best for: Classic rock, blues, psychedelic
- Notable users: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton
Dunlop 535Q Multi-Wah (~$130)
- Sweep: Adjustable range and Q
- Character: Versatile, customizable
- Best for: Players who want one wah for everything
- Features: 6-position range selector, Q control, boost
Jim Dunlop JH-1 Hendrix Wah (~$120)
- Sweep: Tuned to Hendrix's specifications
- Character: Aggressive, bright, pronounced
- Best for: Classic rock, psychedelic
- Notable: Modeled after Hendrix's personal wah
Morley Bad Horsie / Power Wah (~$100-150)
- Sweep: Switchless (activates when you step on it)
- Character: Smooth, even sweep
- Best for: Players who dislike on/off switches
- Features: No pot to wear out, optical sensor
The Dunlop 535Q Multi-Wah offers the most versatility in the Dunlop lineup. It features a six-position range selector that adjusts the frequency range of the sweep, a Q control that adjusts the width of the filter peak, and a built-in boost for extra volume. This level of customization lets you dial in anything from a narrow, quacky funk tone to a wide, smooth blues sweep. For players who want one wah that does everything, the 535Q is hard to beat.
Pro Tip
The potentiometer inside a traditional wah pedal will eventually wear out with heavy use, causing scratchy sounds or dead spots in the sweep. Budget wahs use cheaper pots that wear faster. If you play wah heavily, invest in a wah with a high-quality pot (like the Dunlop Hot Potz II) or consider a Morley-style wah that uses an optical sensor instead of a pot, eliminating mechanical wear entirely.
3 Wah Technique: Beyond the Basic Rock
The most common wah technique is the simple rhythmic rocking: pushing the pedal forward on the beat and pulling it back between beats to create a "wah-wah-wah" pattern synchronized with the rhythm. This is effective but only scratches the surface of what the wah can do. Developing advanced wah technique transforms it from a simple effect into a deeply expressive musical instrument.
Slow-sweep soloing uses gradual, deliberate pedal movements that follow the phrasing of your melody rather than the beat. As you bend a note, slowly push the pedal forward to add a vocal-like "cry." As the note sustains, ease the pedal back to darken the tone. This technique, pioneered by Hendrix and refined by players like Michael Schenker and Kirk Hammett, makes the wah an extension of your musical expression rather than a rhythmic device. The pedal movements should mirror the emotional contour of your phrases.
Funk wah is a percussive, rhythmically precise technique where the pedal is rocked in tight, clipped movements synchronized with sixteenth-note rhythm guitar patterns. The wah adds a "chick-a-wah-chick-a-wah" quality to muted strumming patterns that is the signature sound of 1970s funk guitar. Players like Jimmy Nolen (James Brown's guitarist), Isaac Hayes's session guitarists, and more recently John Mayer have mastered this technique. The key is keeping the wah movements sharp and rhythmically locked to the groove.
Wah Techniques
1. RHYTHMIC ROCKING (Basic Rock)
Beat: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Pedal: TOE HEL TOE HEL TOE HEL TOE HEL
Use: Classic rock rhythm and soloing
2. SLOW SWEEP (Expressive Soloing)
Phrase: bend up........sustain........release
Pedal: slowly forward.......slowly back......
Use: Blues/rock solos, following melody contour
3. FUNK CHICK (Percussive Rhythm)
Beat: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a
Pedal: T H T H T H T H T H T H T H T H
Strum: D x U x D x U x D x U x D x U x
Use: Funk, R&B rhythm guitar
4. PARKED WAH (Fixed Filter)
Pedal: Set at one position (usually 60-80% toe)
Leave pedal stationary for a fixed nasal tone
Use: Soloing with a permanently colored tone
Famous: Michael Schenker, Mark Knopfler
Pro Tip
The "parked wah" technique involves setting the wah pedal at a fixed position without rocking it, creating a permanent tonal color. At about 60-70% toe-down, the wah produces a nasal, midrange-boosted sound that adds presence and bite to solos. Mark Knopfler used a parked wah for the solo on "Money for Nothing." This technique is simple but effective and sounds completely different from a standard wah sweep.
4 Wah Pedal Placement in Your Signal Chain
The traditional and most common placement for a wah pedal is at the very beginning of your signal chain, directly after the guitar (and after a tuner, if you use one). This placement means the wah filters your raw guitar signal before it reaches any other effects, producing the most dramatic and responsive sweep. When the wah comes first, overdrive and distortion pedals downstream amplify and saturate the wah-filtered signal, which creates the aggressive, vocal sound associated with classic rock wah tones.
However, placing the wah after overdrive or distortion pedals produces a distinctly different sound. Post-distortion wah is smoother and less aggressive because the wah is filtering an already compressed, harmonically rich signal rather than a clean signal. Some players prefer this smoother quality, particularly for funk and fusion playing where a less extreme wah sweep is desired. Jimi Hendrix reportedly experimented with both placements depending on the song.
Some wah pedals include a buffer circuit that maintains your signal strength when the pedal is off (bypassed). Buffered wahs can affect the tone of other pedals in the chain, particularly fuzz pedals. Vintage-style fuzz pedals (like the Fuzz Face) are notoriously sensitive to what comes before them in the chain and can sound thin or harsh when a buffered wah precedes them. If you use both wah and fuzz, try fuzz first, then wah; or use a true-bypass wah that does not affect the signal when off.
Pro Tip
If you use a wah and a fuzz pedal together, experiment with order. Hendrix often ran his Fuzz Face before his wah, which produces a thick, vocal, synth-like tone. Running wah before fuzz produces a more traditional, aggressive sound. Both are valid; the "correct" order depends entirely on the tone you want. Try both and let your ears decide.
5 Buying Guide: Features and Recommendations
When choosing a wah pedal, consider these key features: sweep range (how wide the frequency sweep is), Q (resonance) (how sharp or broad the filter peak is), bypass type (true bypass or buffered), build quality (metal housing, quality potentiometer), and additional features (adjustable Q, boost, auto-off, switchless operation). Your budget and playing style will determine which features matter most.
For beginners and budget-conscious players, the Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95 ($80) and Vox V847 ($100) are the two standard recommendations. Both produce excellent wah sounds, are built to withstand years of use, and have been proven on countless recordings and stages. The Cry Baby offers a wider, more aggressive sweep; the Vox offers a sweeter, more vintage-focused sound. You genuinely cannot go wrong with either as your first wah.
For players who want versatility and customization, the Dunlop 535Q Multi-Wah ($130) offers adjustable range, Q, and a built-in boost. The RMC (Real McCoy Custom) wahs ($200-$350) are hand-built boutique wahs that offer exceptional tone and build quality. The Xotic XW-1 ($200) uses a custom JFET circuit for a warmer, more transparent wah tone and includes internal DIP switches for customizing the sweep range and voicing.
For players who want modern features, the Line 6 HX Stomp and similar multi-effects units include excellent digital wah models that can simulate multiple classic wah circuits in a single device. The Mission Engineering Expressionator can turn any expression pedal into a wah controller for modelers. The Morley Power Wah ($100-$150) uses an optical sensor instead of a potentiometer, which eliminates pot noise and mechanical wear, making it ideal for heavy wah users who do not want to deal with maintenance.
6 Famous Wah Tones and How to Achieve Them
Jimi Hendrix ("Voodoo Child Slight Return"): Hendrix's iconic wah tone came from a Vox wah into a Marshall amp on full volume. To approximate it, use a Vox-style wah (V847 or JH-1 Hendrix Wah) with a cranked amp or heavy overdrive pedal. Use slow, expressive sweeps during solos and aggressive rhythmic rocking during the intro riff. The key is playing with the wah as an expressive tool, not just an on/off effect. Hendrix's wah was always in motion, always responding to his phrasing.
Kirk Hammett (Metallica solos): Hammett uses a Dunlop Cry Baby Rack Wah (and the KH95 signature model) with high-gain distortion for his aggressive, screaming solo tone. To achieve this sound, place a Cry Baby-style wah before a high-gain overdrive or distortion pedal. Use the wah during solos with broad, dramatic sweeps that add a vocal, crying quality to bends and sustained notes. The high gain amplifies the wah's filter effect dramatically.
John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers funk): Frusciante's funk wah tone, heard on tracks like "Tell Me Baby" and "Can't Stop," uses a classic Dunlop Cry Baby with a Stratocaster and clean to lightly driven amp settings. The wah is rocked in tight, percussive sixteenth-note patterns synchronized with his scratchy funk strumming. The combination of the Strat's single-coil bite and the wah's filter creates the quintessential modern funk guitar sound.
Pro Tip
The best way to develop your wah vocabulary is to practice with a metronome or drum loop and experiment with different rhythmic patterns. Try rocking the wah on every beat, every other beat, on upbeats only, in triplet patterns, and in syncopated sixteenth-note funk patterns. Each rhythmic approach produces a different musical character. Record yourself and listen back to find the patterns that sound most musical and natural to your playing style.
Key Takeaways
- A wah pedal is a foot-operated bandpass filter that creates a vocal "wah" sound by sweeping a frequency peak as you rock the treadle
- The Dunlop Cry Baby and Vox V847 are the two classic wah designs, offering wider/aggressive and narrower/sweeter sweeps respectively
- Advanced techniques include slow-sweep soloing, funk wah, and the parked wah, each serving different musical contexts
- Traditional placement is first in the signal chain (before overdrive), though post-distortion placement produces a smoother, less extreme sweep
- Watch for interactions between buffered wahs and vintage fuzz pedals, which can cause unwanted tonal changes
- Practice wah with a metronome using different rhythmic patterns to develop the pedal as an expressive musical instrument, not just a novelty effect