Welcome to our guide to all the best wah pedals organized by type. In this article, updated whenever a new wah pedal is released, you’ll find most wahs currently on the market, organized by features.
Updated on May, 25, 2023
The Wah pedal burst into the rock scene in the late ’60s and changed the sound of Rock’n’Roll almost overnight, through the records of early adopters such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton’s Cream.
An effect originally inspired by this trumpet trick, the wah effect is, in essence, a resonant bypass filter whose boosted frequency is linked to a pedal treadle that can be swept up and down the frequency spectrum. This produces a nasal tone similar to the one human voice makes when slowly moving from a “w” to an “a” sound (or vice-versa) – hence the name “wah.”
A Buyer’s Guide to the Best Wah Pedals
A Brief History of the Wah Pedal
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Before we delve into the list of pedals, it’s important for you to understand what element in a wah circuit can change from a model to another.
Variables Affecting the Tone of a Wah Pedal
While the original Wah Wah pedals didn’t offer any room for fine-tuning, today several companies have developed their own take on the original model and there are a lot of options on offer, from single-voiced to fully tweakable. The tone of a wah pedal can vary substantially depending on how each one of these variables is set up:
Inductor: The inductor is the component of the wah that gives it its character. See this other article for a more in-depth look at what the inductor does and list of Wah pedals organized by inductor.
Central Frequency (aka Q): This is the frequency that’s boosted when the treadle is in center position.
Boost: This is the amount of gain applied to the resonant frequency
Q Curve: This defines how wide or narrow the boost’s bandwidth is (wider Qs produce a less nasal sound).
Range: This is the range of frequencies covered between the toe and heel positions, which can be tighter or wider.
LIST OF CATEGORIES
We decided to organize our list of best wah pedals on the market according to the functionality offered by each unit, here’s our list, click on the category that interest you to jump directly to the relevant interactive gallery.
• Best Affordable, Single-Voiced Wah Pedal
• Best High End, Hand-Wired Wahs
• Best Wah Pedal with Two or More Voices
• Best Wah Pedal with Advanced Controls
• Best Wah Pedal with a Creative Angle
• Best Mini Wah Pedals (Separate Page)
• Best Fuzz-Friendly Wah Pedal (Separate Page)
The lists’ order in this article are based on the ratings of each pedal from various online music stores
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• Best Affordable, Single-Voiced Wah Pedal
The pedals in this list stick to the classic Wah sound without offering any options for fine-tuning, and are not hand-wired, like the ones in the following category. This makes them affordable and very popular.
Dunlop Cry Baby Wah GCB95
Click pic for Video | ZZOUNDS | SWEETWATER | THOMANN | AMAZON | EBAY
$89 | The Dunlop GCB95 is a modern interpretation of the classic pedal from the ’60 from one of the two original builders. Retains the expressive character of the legendary red Fasel inductor with a more focused high-end and a more aggressive and accentuated wah sound. There’s also a GCB95F version of it that’s almost as popular and uses an Italian-med fasel inductor based on the original Cry Baby.
Other single-voiced wahs organized by popularity:
• Best High End, Hand-Wired Wah
For those who value human craftsmanship, here’s a list of hand-wired pedals featuring top-notch components. The time-consuming effort of building them by hand and above-average quality of the parts make them decidedly more expensive than the average. They are all single voice pedals apart from the Jam Wahcko and the RMC3, and they are considered among the best wah pedals on the market.
Real McCoy RMC10 Wah
A heavy-duty, hand-wired wah inspired by the early Italian Vox models. It features a metal can inductor and exclusive RMC-ICAR potentiometer and includes and includes fuzz-friendly technology and adjustable rocker tension.
Other hand-built wah pedals organized by popularity:
• Best Wah Pedal with Two or More Voices
Some modern Wahs offer different voicings that are useful for different sonic situations – most commonly, a beefier tone for solos and a lighter one for rhythmic parts, like the ones played in funk music. Here’s a selection of the best wah pedals on the market with more than one voicing.
Dunlop MC-404
Click title for Video | SWEETWATER | THOMANN | AMAZON | EBAY
$169 – A dual Fasel inductor wah with 2 distinct voices (high-end emphasis or low-to-mid resonance), and a built-in MXR MC-401 Boost. Internal pots let you adjust the Q control (which sets the wah effect intensity) and gain adjustments.
Other multi-voice wah pedals organized by popularity:
• Best Wah Pedal with Advanced Controls
The wah pedals in this list, rather than offering pre-defined settings like the ones in the previous list, let the user free to set their preferences through a series of controls affecting the various parameter like Q, Range, and Boost.
Dunlop 535Q Multi Wah
Click title for Video | SWEETWATER | THOMANN | AMAZON | EBAY
$169 | A more versatile take on the classic wah, letting you select the frequency center of the sweep (big silver knob) and its range. The small red switch close to the heel is a gain knob for an added punch to the boosted frequency. The two small black knobs on the left panel are a regular gain and a control that sets the range of the sweep.
• Best Wah Pedals with a Creative Angle
These wahs are recommended for the “out of the box” guitarist, since they offer, on top of classic functionality, also a series of unique effect features.
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• Best Mini Wah Pedals
We have a separate article about the Best Mini Wah Pedals!
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• Relevant Videos about Wah Pedals
Here are a few popular videos on wah tips and tricks.
5 comments
Steve Fulltone says:
Jun 4, 2020
Don’t forget that Fulltone is owned and run by a fascist-supporting turd, so don’t buy Fulltone unless you’re a Nazi lover.
Jim says:
Dec 19, 2020
I have the Hellbaby, and it is surprisingly good.
bruce Baldy says:
Oct 26, 2021
I had to epoxy mines axle, it kept falling apart. Loved the sound and all the adjustments.
MAP448 says:
Aug 19, 2021
I was hoping to see the Fender Treadlight Wah pedal featured here in some way or another but maybe next time.
Paolo De Gregorio says:
Jun 16, 2022
Thanks for pointing that out, we added it