Guitar Oracle

There is a famous guitar effect which sounds like a human voice. It's been around for ages, people know it by "Wah-Wah Effect" and is usually controlled by an expression pedal that allows to control how "wide the mouth of the guitar" is (i.e. sonically speaking :P). It's a great easy way to give expression to what you play. Even if you're only playing the same chord/note over and over again, you can make it sound different each time you play it by giving it different Wah properties. Maybe because it is independent of what you're doing on the strings/guitar with your hands AND it seldom comes incorporated on an amp, it is arguably one of the most popular guitar effect pedals type for decades.

Well, surprise surprise? There are hundreds of different brands of Wah pedals, as always happens with something popular. And if you ask someone which ones are worth even a try, seventy percent of the people will just tell you to try out a few on your local shop and "let your ears decide". That would be a good advice if there weren't so many options to choose from. I think it would help a lot if you hit the shop already with a few brand names on your mind, so you get the idea of which brands are widely used and which you "genuinely never heard of before".


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It's metanalysis time ;). For an explanation, see This site explained.

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Gear Slutz forum topic 1

- Dunlop Crybaby: 9
- VOX: 8
- Teese: 5
- Budda: 3
- Fulltone: 1



Bestcovery site
Mentions Morley, Fulltone Clyde and VOX.



Analogman site
Mentions Dunlop Crybaby.



Dolphin Music site
Mentions 3 Dunlops (I'll only count one "vote"), 1 Z-vex Wah Probe, 1 VOX and 1 Ibanez.



Jemsite forum topic
Original Post Date: December 2006
Original Poster Question: the best wah pedal amongst a list of three

- Teese: 2
- Duncan: 1
- VOX: 1
- Maestro Boomerang: 1



The Gear Page forum topic
Original Post Date: April 2007
Original Poster Question: the best first wah pedal, for sounds like Hendrix and Clapton

- Budda: 3
- Fulltone Clyde: 3
- Morley: 3
- Snarling Dogs: 3
- Area51: 2
- Dunlop (most mentioned: Crybaby, 535Q): 2
- VOX: 2
- Zakk Wylde: 2
- RMC: 1



Gear Slutz forum topic 2
Original Post Date: June 2007
Original Poster Question: the best wah pedal amongst a short list

- Dunlop (most mentioned: 535Q, Crybaby): 7
- Morley Bad Horsie: 3
- Teese: 2
- Fulltone: 1
- Ibanez: 1



My Les Paul forum topic
Original Post Date: August 2008
Original Poster Question: the best wah pedal

- Dunlop (most mentioned: 535Q): 5
- Vox: 4
- Teese RMC: 3
- Area51: 2
- Budda: 2
- Colorsound: 2
- Fulltone (most mentioned: Clyde): 2
- Vision: 2
- G- FX Stereo Mega-Wah: 1
- Mutron vol/wah: 1
- Zvex Wah Probe: 1





And the Pedal of Honor goes to...


1 - Dunlop: 25


2 - VOX: 19


3 - Teese: 12

(without article on Amazon)

4 - Fulltone: 8


5 - Morley: 6