WAH PEDAL

A Wah-wah pedal (or just wah pedal) is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, intended to mimic the human voice. The pedal sweeps the peak response of a filter up and down in frequency to create the sound.

History

The earliest version, was first heard in 1945 on a pedal steel guitar created by Leo Fender and in the early 1960s on Vox amplifiers (under the name Wah-Wah) and Thomas electronic organs (as the Crybaby). B.J. Plunkett et al, applied for patent protection Feb. 24, 1967 and were granted US Patent 3,530,224 Sept. 22, 1970.

Function

The variation in the peak response frequency of the filter resembles the change in formant frequency in the human vocal tract when saying the word "wah", making the wah-wah pedal a crude form of speech synthesizer. The "wah wah" effect does not affect the guitar's volume.

An envelope filter or envelope follower is often referred to as an auto-wah.

Guitarists

The first recorded use of a wah-wah pedal was by Chet Atkins, who used a pedal that he had built himself on the 1961 recording "Boo Boo Stick Beat".

Session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan used a wah-wah pedal on the 1961 record "Sweet Little Sixteen" by Michael Cox. The first UK hit using a wah-wah pedal was on the 1964's "The Crying Game" by Dave Berry - again by Sullivan.

Frank Zappa extensively used a Wah-wah pedal but did not always use it in the conventional way of rocking it back and forth. Zappa often left it set in different positions to get different tones, using it as a filter or distortion device. In many recordings though, he also used the pedal in the conventional manner.

Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) used the Wah-wah pedal throughout their first album and in their hit single Bulls on Parade.

Jimi Hendrix did much to popularize the wah-wah in the late 1960s, as heard on his "Machine Gun" and the intro to "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" on his Electric Ladyland album. A song "Little Miss Lover" introduced percussive wah-wah effect, made by muting guitar strings. This effect was later used by many funk and soul musicians throughout the 1970s, a notable instance occurring throughout Isaac Hayes' theme song for the 1971 film Shaft.

Eric Clapton first played wah-wah with Cream on "Tales of Brave Ulysses" on the Disraeli Gears album and used it for both background riffs and an extended solo on "White Room".

Jimmy Page of the band Led Zeppelin used a wah-wah pedal in an unorthodox manner. Instead of the distinct wah sound, Page's wah tone was much sharper. An example can be heard on the Led Zeppelin DVD on the solo of "The Ocean".

Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin played wah-wah on some notable singles by The Temptations in the early-'70s, as well as with Martha Reeves and the Pointer Sisters. Hendrix proclaimed blues guitarist Earl Hooker the "master of the wah-wah".

Numerous guitar players have included wah pedals in their arsenal and it is among the most common effects used by modern musicians. A famous model, the "Crybaby", is made by Dunlop.

John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is noted for using the Wah Wah pedal on many of his solos. Among these are She's Only 18, Hey, and Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

info : wikipedia