Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: FELINEGUITARS on February 15, 2012, 08:04:49 PM

Title: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on February 15, 2012, 08:04:49 PM
Wahs and Crybaby pedals are something I have always had a bit of a mixed relationship with.

I have often owned a wah but never really gotten on with them enough to persevere with learning to get the most out of it.

My favourite guitarist :Michael Schenker is somewhat of legend when it comes to the use of Wah wah - even if it is often just left half c--ked as a tone filter.
It is probably that amongst a few other users that keeps me coming back.

Last year I built a BYOC wah kit and put it in the housing of an old Dunlop Crybaby I got off someone as part payment for a repair.
It had a lot of tweakability but somehow wasn't really doing it for me and still needed more work , but I still had the urge to get a really good sounding unit .....but which one?

SO many on the market and the Vox handwired one attracted me a lot as did the RMC one, but having watched a few clips (damn you YouTube) I decided to give the Dunlop/Custom Audio Electronics one a try.

(http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/001/475/013/DV016_Jpg_Large_582116_R.jpg)

(http://www.electricguitartrends.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/mxr-mc404-cae-crybaby-dual-inductor-wah.png)

What can I say - it is superb - possibly the best wah I have ever tried
It has some great features:
Switch between yellow and Red Fasel  inductors (yellow is classic wide range "porno" wah and red is darker & modern sounding )
Switchable clean boost (basically the CAE Line Drive pedal included)
Hardwire bypass
Adjustable Q (bandwidth) for EACH inductor as well as gain for the wah
Also adjustable tension for the treadle.

Here are the features explained beter than I can do it:
http://youtu.be/dpcJ8dA4GXg (http://youtu.be/dpcJ8dA4GXg)

I'm loving it - really great!!
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: 38thBeatle on February 15, 2012, 08:07:21 PM
Nice one Jonathan. Can't beat a bit of wah.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: dave_mc on February 15, 2012, 08:07:30 PM
very nice :)

very relevant to my interests... i've been vacillating between this one and the RMC3 (and the wilson) for about the last 2 years (hey it's me :lol: ). i've got a bog standard crybaby but i'm not too fussed.

have you tried any of the rmcs, out of interest, jonathan?
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on February 15, 2012, 08:54:25 PM
very nice :)

very relevant to my interests... i've been vacillating between this one and the RMC3 (and the wilson) for about the last 2 years (hey it's me :lol: ). i've got a bog standard crybaby but i'm not too fussed.

have you tried any of the rmcs, out of interest, jonathan?

I hadn't but I liked the sound of the Picture wah or the version with the graphic EQ built in
(http://www.realmccoycustom.com/www/RMC8-2011.JPG)
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: dave_mc on February 15, 2012, 09:47:23 PM
no worries

yeah i liked the look of the rmc3 because it has all those controls on it. but then the cae one has a bunch of options, too.

i'll still not have decided in another 2 years' time :lol:
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: d1dsj on February 15, 2012, 10:17:03 PM
I'd love to try one and if I hadn't got 2 Wah pedals that CAE would be the one I'd get! Glad it's ticking all the boxes, HappyNewWahDay,
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Dmoney on February 15, 2012, 10:28:38 PM
these CAE wahs look awesome. I used to use a wah all the time but I haven't had one out for a while... I'll have to get back on it! congrats Jon
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on February 16, 2012, 12:08:47 AM
The CAE is very sensibly laid out - possibly the best Dunlop one I've tried to date
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: XxpapertigerxX on February 16, 2012, 05:07:36 AM
The CAE wah is the one I use. I like it quite a bit, it sounds great and it's well laid out like felineguitars pointed out. Another nice feature is that the 2 fasel inductors are switchable with a push button on the side. You can even switch between them on the fly if you're athletic enough.  8) The boost is activated in the same way. I don't use the boost, though, and I wish the Q rotary adjustments were located outside the pedal, instead of on the PCB. That makes it hard to make fine adjustments, or just to mess around with it on the fly. I've considered drilling access holes in the bottom now that the warranty has run out.

All in all, it's a great wah, probably one of the most versatile out there, and it sounds great, but I just wish the Q controls were more accessible.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: XxpapertigerxX on February 16, 2012, 05:25:01 AM
very nice :)

very relevant to my interests... i've been vacillating between this one and the RMC3 (and the wilson) for about the last 2 years (hey it's me :lol: ). i've got a bog standard crybaby but i'm not too fussed.

have you tried any of the rmcs, out of interest, jonathan?

I just checked out the Real McCoy Custom website... wow  :o Those wahs look incredible. I don't think I would ever be able to choose between the RMC3 and the RMC9 graphic equalizer one, though  :?
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Mr. Air on February 16, 2012, 12:49:06 PM
Congrats on the new wah, Johnatan. It really is a keeper.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: roland_rat on February 16, 2012, 02:33:03 PM
Congrats on the Wah. 
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: PhilKing on February 16, 2012, 02:48:56 PM
I love wah's, but my favorites are the old Jen Crybaby's with the film can inductors.  These are late 60's/early 70's and have a very vocal sound.  I've tried the Fasel's but still come back to the old wah's.  That being said, it looks like the CAE has some really interesting features.  I had a crybaby modded to have switchable inductors (a red Fasel & a 'Stack of Dimes').  The only problem is that I can't turn the wah off as the switch is used to flip the inductor.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: dave_mc on February 16, 2012, 06:03:29 PM
very nice :)

very relevant to my interests... i've been vacillating between this one and the RMC3 (and the wilson) for about the last 2 years (hey it's me :lol: ). i've got a bog standard crybaby but i'm not too fussed.

have you tried any of the rmcs, out of interest, jonathan?

I just checked out the Real McCoy Custom website... wow  :o Those wahs look incredible. I don't think I would ever be able to choose between the RMC3 and the RMC9 graphic equalizer one, though  :?

:lol:
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Gooby on February 16, 2012, 09:09:01 PM
Congrats, I have been considering one of these or the Vox (Satch) Big Bad Wah which even though its not true bypass its supposed to have a great buffer.

Be very interested in how you get on with it, especially if it can do thick vocal type wah

Martin
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on February 16, 2012, 09:12:52 PM
The red Fasel gives a nice dark throaty sound which is good with OD.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Telerocker on February 16, 2012, 11:22:44 PM
Nice buy! I believe Hunter posted some clips of this wah. Pretty good stuff.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Andrew W on February 17, 2012, 01:01:12 PM
Those do look really good. When I got rid of my Bud-Wah that I never got on with I ended up getting the Cry-Baby 535Q which does have some of the tone-shaping controls your one does though I suspect with somewhat inferior components. I'm pretty happy with mine but reckon were I buying now, I'd do as you have, the Custom Audio looks like a great piece of kit.

All of that said, the nicest wah I ever played through was a friend's Area-51 Wah. You couldn't adjust anything on that particular one (though it can be added as an option when you buy) and I really didn't need to. It just sounded wonderful.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Mr. Air on February 17, 2012, 04:35:09 PM
If you are looking for a wah you should try out the CAE. My bets are that you'll be sold  :D
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Oli on February 17, 2012, 06:38:23 PM
A friend of mine had one of the RMC wahs for a while, and the build quality on it wasn't very good-- the rocker couldn't be adjusted to not flop around, so it made half-c--king impossible, as wherever you'd set it, it'd then dip down a centimetre or two when you lifted your foot.

The CAE looks great! I'll have to bring my MP1 round at some point and check it out :)
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: dave_mc on February 17, 2012, 07:07:10 PM
^ thanks

on the one hand the rmc has teh boutique mojo, but on the other, since the whole freekish debacle, i'm very sceptical of anything boutique :lol:

i know hunter traded in his rmc for the cae one and was happy. then again i've heard plenty of people say they prefer the rmc, too.

:lol:
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Telerocker on February 17, 2012, 07:25:24 PM
I read pretty good stories about the Keeler Stretchwah.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: 38thBeatle on February 17, 2012, 07:26:27 PM
I was telling Mrs 38th that Jonathan bought a new wah. Did He? she answered disinterestedly. I thought she was being funny and laughed ( New Wah Diddy etc) and she wondered why I was laughing.

Another little vignette of life at the 38ths.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: XxpapertigerxX on February 17, 2012, 09:36:11 PM
on the one hand the rmc has teh boutique mojo, but on the other, since the whole freekish debacle, i'm very sceptical of anything boutique :lol:

What happened with freekish?
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: dave_mc on February 17, 2012, 10:29:46 PM
oh wow

i don't want to get this forum into trouble or anything, so basically check this link

http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=13383&hilit=freekish+alpha+drive

the proverbial really starts hitting the fan on page 2
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: XxpapertigerxX on February 18, 2012, 07:06:28 AM
So it wouldn't let me see the page unless I registered. I did, but it never sent the confirmation emai :? Anyway, I found the thread on it on the harmony central forum... Wow. That's really all I can say. It's just too bad, because I'm willing to pay extra for small scale boutique pedals (these guys have to make a decent living, right?), but I have to trust in their honesty because I know nothing about electronics and can't verify authenticity/originality.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: dave_mc on February 18, 2012, 03:30:15 PM
oh right i thought only diy stompboxes was like that- maybe they changed it since they got sued (or threatened with being sued). sorry :oops:

but yeah, agreed.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Alex on February 18, 2012, 08:10:41 PM
That is a very good-looking and interesting wah. I must say I'm very happy with my Zakk Wylde Wah though. I went through 4 wahs and I think simple works best for a "simple mind" such as me.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Aizaku on February 21, 2012, 08:16:57 AM
I can totally relate to not getting on with wah pedals. I own a Bad Horsie 1, just because I don't like having to push the foot plate all the way forward to turn the thing on. That said, all the features of the Custom Audio do make it sound like a formidable pedal. I kind of want to try a Silvermachine wah, too. Just because Guthrie Govan uses one.:)
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Pete24v on February 21, 2012, 01:15:00 PM
quite a while ago whilst i was waiting for some valves in Hotrox i tried every Wah they had on the shelf, to my ears the CAE was the best one. Very versatile indeed! If i didn't already have an EVH and Ernie Ball Wah i'd get the CAE one without a shadow of doubt.
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: tekbow on February 23, 2012, 11:39:19 AM
Heard good things about the CAE wah, would like to try one but unless it exploded my brain i wouldn't be buying, got vox style wahs sown up with the fulltone clyde standard (to my ears anyways). But i've been De-loving vox/crybaby style wahs recently anyway, needed something whackachakier, so got my hands on a vintage colorsound wah. It truly brings the whackas shaft style. Now if i could just get my hands on a maestro boomerang i'd have all the wah bases covered..
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: HTH AMPS on February 23, 2012, 08:32:54 PM
speaking of Wahs, here's a vid of the Stuart Castledine one I have...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjdxJyuRXqg&list=UUzqKEsk80v098n1C-pey1HA&index=38&feature=plcp

amp is my HTH100 I gig with.

pickups are Abraxas bridge + neck
Title: Re: NWD- New Wah Wah Day
Post by: Telerocker on February 23, 2012, 11:32:25 PM
Heard good things about the CAE wah, would like to try one but unless it exploded my brain i wouldn't be buying, got vox style wahs sown up with the fulltone clyde standard (to my ears anyways). But i've been De-loving vox/crybaby style wahs recently anyway, needed something whackachakier, so got my hands on a vintage colorsound wah. It truly brings the whackas shaft style. Now if i could just get my hands on a maestro boomerang i'd have all the wah bases covered..

My friend has a vintage Colorsound. I's his fav wah.