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Topic: How to get that Wah Wah sound? |
Tim Konecky
From:
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2013 10:47 am |
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You know that old-timey C6 Wah Wah sound on Hank Williams records.
Is the obvious answer a Wah pedal? I've got a Bad Horsey but it's not cutting it.
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Jackson Blackjack
Fender Deluxe
Peavey Nashville 400 |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 25 Sep 2013 1:02 pm
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It's NOT a Wah-Wah pedal, but a tone pot.
Usually they used a volume/tone pedal, where the top plate swivels to control it. I've also seen a pinky curled around a tone pot near the bridge, like some guitar players do with volume knobs.
EDIT: see here:
www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-FEN-0234500002-LIST
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 25 Sep 2013 3:08 pm Wah-wah sounds of olde
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Your reference to Hank Williams Sr...and his olde records clearly places you in the realm of JERRY BYRD's days with Williams.
JERRY BYRD was playing his six string Rickenbacher and was using his hand operated TONE CONTROL on the guitar.
For more information about the type/model of control that was being used by JERRY you might wish to visit the JerryByrd-FanClub.com/
There were no tricks or affects being used way back then except in perhaps a few isolated instances.
I can be done....... |
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Larry Bressington
From:
Nebraska
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Posted 25 Sep 2013 6:53 pm
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I love Jerry Byrds use of the tone pot , very inventive and creative... I love hanks, hole in The bucket ! Thanks Ray!
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A.K.A Chappy. |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 26 Sep 2013 1:31 am
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Pretty much as soon as I started on lap steel I was trying to work out what that sound was that I was hearing on those Hank Williams and Speedy West records.
I could never master the "pinky round the tone knob" technique. If you are like me, there are a few pedals around that can help you with it but you'll have to hunt for them.
DeArmond used to make a pedal called the 610 which went up and down as normal for volume and swiveled side to side for tone. Fender and Bigsby made these too and have re-issued them in recent years - there's a link to the Fender in Lane's post above, although I've heard folk say it's not as good as the original (but people always say that about re-issue stuff and I have never tried one). The old pedals can be a bit temperamental - I've found the tone sweep is a lot more pronounced on some amps than others and particularly with the 610's, the nylon strip that links the pedal to the tone pot is always jumping out of the cogs and needs to be put back in place.
The DeArmonds started being used by regular guitar players and the association with people like Hank Marvin and Dave Gilmour have pushed the prices of them way up there.
I don't often use a volume pedal with lap steel - particularly on the Hank style stuff - and am currently using a modern pedal that replicates just the tone part of the DeArmond pedal in "up and down" mode - like a volume pedal. It seems to work with a much wider range of amps and doesn't have the mechanical problems associated with the old 610's.
All of these pedals are passive and definitely nothing like a modern wah-wah. |
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