Does a volume/wah pedal exist?

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

Hello,

I have been thinking it would be cool to have a two mode volume pedal, i.e. one that could be a straight volume pedal and one that could do a combination volume and wah at the same time, i.e. increase volume and shift a boost in the eq curve the way a wah does simultaneiously. Could that be done? I tried a new Morley volume/wah/distortion but it won't work for the steel because when you shift to wah mode, the pedal is at maximum volume, which as we know means insanely loud. (I keep my amps cranked and only move the volume pedal from the 1/2 point for solos or long sustains.)

Or should I just figure out a way to get both my Cry Baby and Goodrich LDR in there? Any of you other steelers using a wah with any regularity? Thanks for reading my post and any suggestions you might have.

Gerald

Jim Ives · From: Los Angeles, California, USA

Gerald,
I use a wah with some regularity, and I find that the effective volume increases as the tone becomes sharper. So I put the volume where I want it, step on the wah pedal to enable it and then go.
Good examples of wah effect include Jerry Garcia playing on the first NRPS album as well as Robert Randolph.
I hope this helps,
-Jim

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Mullen D-10 -or- Zum D-10
Lexicon MPX 100 -or- RV3
Fulltone Full-Drive II
Evans FET 500 -or-
Peavey Nashville 1000
Vox wah-wah pedal
My dog Toby sittin' on the floor listening

Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

I heard that some of the Sacred Steeler players use the Morley wah/volume pedal...maybe there's a trick to reducing the volume spike with the wah mode. I belive that Budda used to make one, but I think the volume mode worked like a swell rather than a full sweep pedal. It seems like it would be easy to add a volume pedal function to a wah pedal.

Keith Cordell · From: San Diego

There are modders out there that can put an internal pot in the circuit of a pedal so you can adjust what the "volume off" loudness will be.

Chick Donner · From: North Ridgeville, OH USA

Fender built one for many years . . .two pots, two strings, etc. I actually own one, but loaned it out about 10 years ago and havent seen it since.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Hey Gerald. There are several units that do either/or vol/wah. There is a DOD FX 17. I have one. The volume side of it is lousy enough that it is pretty much useless. Crybaby has a unit that I have read some reviews of that make me think that the volume side is, again, not up to par.
The only unit I know of that does vol and wah rather than vol or wah is this:

It is the hardware of a vol/tone pedal. Unfortunately and rather counter-intuitively, the wah is in the rocker and the volume is in the swivel. I have been considering modding it to reverse the operation. Swivel-wah would take some getting used to but for all of us for whom the volume pedal is as natural as breathing, I'd rather relearn wah technique than retool my brain for a swivel volume.

Hey Chick-----no, folks, this isn't his! I swear!

[This message was edited by Jon Light on 24 October 2005 at 01:11 PM.]

David Doggett · Posted 24 Oct 2005 12:12 pm

All the old Bigsby volume pedals were also a tone control (a wah) when swung sideways. I recently borrowed one to try. I was underwhelmed by the wah effect. It would be a real challenge to learn to use the wah and volume at the same time. To get a good wah, you have to get your foot all the way over to the bass side lock, and swing it quickly all the way over to the treble side lock, about 45 degrees. I found it very difficult to maintain a constant volume while doing this. Then to have normal tone while not using the wah, you had to really be careful to keep your foot centered. For the volume, it didn't seem to be linear taper - most of the change was in the first half of the range, and there was almost no change toward the end of the range. Finally, these things have two pots, and with good pots hard to find and expensive, that's a problem.

In past threads on this, old timers claimed there was a Fender volume/tone pedal that was much better, but they didn't say how.

The sacred steelers (Chuck Campbell and Rober Randolph) just use good modern wah pedals, and don't use a volume pedal at the same time. The old schoolers, like the old country players, use a pinky finger on a tone control near the pickup.

I think this is a problem for Keith Hilton and Goodrich to work out electronically. The wah would need to have no more than about a 30 degree swing, and would need an indent at the middle to keep your tone centered when not using the wah.

David Doggett · Posted 24 Oct 2005 12:15 pm

Wow, three posts in 11 minutes.

Brendan Dunn · Posted 24 Oct 2005 12:40 pm

The Mu-tron C-200 does volume, wha and volume/wha together. There is a separate switch for each function as well as a trim pot on the side to adjust the overall volume. It uses a light sensor instead of a pot and takes 120 AC for power.
Out of production so it's hard to find them nowdays, especially since Carlos Santana's been seen with one.

Keith Hilton · From: 248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721

How would you guys like a wah effect on a knee lever that attached to the leg of your guitar. I have one built, but have been to busy to get it into production. Not all wahs are equal. Study the electronics of the one Jimmy Hendrix used. All the wah volume pedals I have tried altered tone, ususally taking highs away.

David Doggett · Posted 24 Oct 2005 5:29 pm

Yeah, one that sounds like Jimi's - that's what I want. A knee wah is a pretty good idea, but most of us pedal steelers already have our knees occupied. I wouldn't want to give up one of the knee levers I have. So what's left? Don't laugh. I want a wah I can bite on with my mouth - or maybe one I can wedge under my armpit. Yeah, an armpit wah that sounds like Hendrix - that's what I want.

Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

How 'bout a wrist operation lever?
Phred

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I tell you, the anal sphincter air-bulb pressure-control wah's the one you want. Just watch out for the beans before the gig.

I use a wah a LOT for standard guitar, often very subtly, and the best thing I've found to both shape the sweep and equalize the volume is to use it in conjunction with a little 7-band graphic EQ stompbox. You absolutely want to adjust the tone to be pleasant when the wah is swept all the way toward treble, and if you do that on the amp it's terribly muddy when you turn the wah off. If you just plug in a wah and expect to keep your standard tone settings, you'll be able to sidelight as an exterminator, and not just bugs.

Jim Ives · From: Los Angeles, California, USA

I still like my system the best. Even with a D-10 there is enough room on the right side to accomodate both pedals. My brain has gotten used to "the right foot controls volume and wah" so my knees and left foot are free.
-Jim

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

I would like to thank the Santana devotees of this world for helping set the "buy it now" price on a Mutron C-200 that was on eBay recently, at the princely sum of $500.

It sounds like this must be a pretty cool pedal, rare as the hen's teeth you hear about on this forum. Many folks on Harmony Central make mention of it, being central to the Santana sound, etc. Maybe I can find one for sale somewhere where there aren't any Santana devotees. Maybe I should just use my Mutron 3 on a song or two and be done with it. I do REALLY appreciate the tips, especially the one about the Mutron C-200.

Keith Cordell · From: San Diego

Actually there is a serious difference between a wah and a tone control like on the Fender or Bigsby. Wah sounds are produced by an inductor in the circuit, and have distict characteristics that make a true wah tone considerably different. I planted my wah next to my volume pedal, and keep a foot on both at the same time to get what you want.

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

In terms of the Sacred Steel wah style, the holy grail is the old Morley huge wah thing with the oil can or something. However, most of the best Sacred Steel players I know use the Roland V-Wah (Chuck Campbell and I discovered the thing simultaneously). It doesn't cut tone when not in use, and has some serious wah mojo. It's hard to figure out how to use it in conjunction with the volume pedal. This is another reason why many Sacred Steel players have volume knobs on their steels. I know I'm going to add a volume knob to my Franklin. You don't really use the volume pedal in the traditional steel way in conjunction with the wah (at least in the Sacred Steel style).

Here's an example of a couple of V-Wahs: In the Morning

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www.tyack.com

Bob Kagy · From: Lafayette, CO USA

Keith Hilton,

I'm interested in your wah prototype.

Knee activation sounds tough with a loaded psg. Is there an alternative? Is it spring loaded so that when pressed it goes to full bass and back to full treble (or normal) when released?

bk

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