What do you think about wah?

[gnoll]

I hate it. If a guitar solo has wah I want to turn it off immediately because I hate the sound so much.

Does anybody else feel this way? Am I weird?

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Good wah is good. Bad wah is bad. It just so happens that most is bad because it's usually over used. Like most effects, subtlety and nuance goes a long way.

Paul Waggoner's use of the effect on Colors is a great example of good wah.

 

[littlebadboy]

Best person to ask, is Kirk Hammett.

 

[Concerto412]

As Max said, subtlety goes a long long way. Jerky, rhythmic “wakka-wakka” can sound pretty cheesy in no time. Small foot movements, particularly in the back half of the treadle’s travel, can yield some very chewy and dynamic textures.

Think of it like garlic. It adds a delicious flavour to the right dish, but those who like it like it a lot, and as a result it’s all too often overused.

 

[Alex79]

I like wah. Even on rhythm guitar.

For a time I even had two different wah pedals on my board, a Morley and a Dunlop.

 

[budda]

I generally forget it exists 90% of the time

 

[bostjan]

Take it or leave it.

I just generally don't "get it" with effects. A lot of people will hear a guitar solo that is just one note with a shit ton of effects on it and say "wow, that guitarist is sooo good, listen to that otherworldly sound!" I'm just like" meh."

With one of my old bands, we played a song that had a very simple solo in it. Some of the other guys in the band wanted me to layer effects on top of it. I ended up using a little delay and a fairly heavy flanger, but these guys kept asking about envelope filters and chorus and all sort of other crap. As a sort of inside joke, I pulled out every pedal I had, and switched them all on for only the last note. Incidentally, out of all the songs we had that used various techniques, the one with the five-note solo with effects ended up being our most well-known song.

But as for wah, it's the effect that gets spammed the most. I feel like it can be used in great ways, but 90% of the time, it's used as a get-out-of-work-free ticket.

 

[tedtan]

As with anything else, it comes down to the payer - use it creatively to enhance the song and it's great, but fall back on the same old cliches and overuse and its shit.

 

[ArtDecade]

Schenker doing that cocked wah thing in the 70s is basically why we ended up with Marshall 800s, but I can do without the wacka wacka stuff.

 

[gunch]

Hates it, precious

 

[GunpointMetal]

I'll use one on the helix as a preset filter, but otherwise I always found the sound cheesy. Mostly it seems like guitar players trying to get more mileage out of three notes really, really, really love their wah pedals.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I like it.

 

[sleewell]

i was into jam bands for a while and needless to say i got waaaaaaaay over done on wahs. i think some of those bands even use them on drums lolololol.

 

[Drew]

Good wah is good. Bad wah is bad. It just so happens that most is bad because it's usually over used. Like most effects, subtlety and nuance goes a long way.

Paul Waggoner's use of the effect on Colors is a great example of good wah.

This.

I can't use it myself because I'm a huge Satriani fan, and not only do I lack his subtlety, I feel like I can't afford to do anything that would make me sound any MORE influenced by him.

 

[CanserDYI]

I have tried and tried and tried and tried to have a wah on my board/patch. It NEVER gets used. I was so excited that my helix had one built on to the chassis, now I would pay extra to have it removed and the size knocked down to half.....

 

[wheresthefbomb]

I still have my first pedal that I ever got, a 535-Q Crybaby. I bought it because I was a 16 y.o TOOL fanboy and wanted to sound like Adam Jones. I haven't used it in years because there are 8 powered spots on my pedalboard (an intentional choice) and it just doesn't make the cut.

I do really like a slow wah sweep through a tremolo picked line going into a slow delay. Cult of Luna are particularly adept at this. This is why it left the board though, I don't believe in keeping a pedal around for "that one section in that one song."

Also, one time the post metal band I was in played a show and I accidentally left the wah pedal on for the entire set and multiple audience members/guitarist buds were raving about how good my t0an was after. I didn't keep doing it, but I thought it was very funny.

Also it never did make me sound like Adam Jones.

 

[ArtDecade]

Also it never did make me sound like Adam Jones.

Consider it a success.

 

[thebeesknees22]

I like a good wah from time to time, but I keep forgetting to add it to my helix patches though so I hardly ever use one.

 

[CanserDYI]

Consider it a success.

I've determined we are enemies, sir. Be prepared for battle.

 

[ArtDecade]

I've determined we are enemies, sir. Be prepared for battle.

Let's settle this when the next Tool album is released. In the mean time, we let it fester.