Guitar wah and a few questions

Casezilla · #1 11-09-2010, 06:27 AM

I was wondering if I could plug my bass into a guitar wah pedal without damaging the amp or the pedal, and without it sounding HORRIBLE? I haven't tried it yet, too nervous about it.

Also, I am thinking about getting an effects pedal of some sort now that I came up on a little bit of money, but I have noooooooooooooooooo idea what to buy. I have 0 pedals. My style is a really jazz-ish sort of funk style over some rap jams, or over the occasional metal jam. So, naturally my idea is a dulop wah pedal, but in all practicality, I want something that does more and is far more versatile. Any suggestions?

plangentmusic · #2 11-09-2010, 06:31 AM

Yes, you can use a wah. And don't buy pedals LOOKING for a sound. You'll search forever. Have the sound in mind, then get the pedal that'll give it. 9 times out of 10, you may not even need a pedal -- you just need more technique.

Mark Olson · #3 11-09-2010, 06:36 AM

You can plug into any guitar pedal with a bass and you won't damage it. You won't damage the amp either. You won't damage anything just by plugging a bass into a guitar pedal or guitar amp.

But, at least out of a guitar wah, you're not likely to get much low end either. A wah pedal is basically a band pass filter (a band pass filter allows a certain band of frequencies to pass, cutting frequencies above and below that point) that you vary the center frequency of with a potentiometer controlled by a treadle.

Fortunately Dunlop does make a Bass Wah, the white 105Q Crybaby Bass Wah. Those work great on bass. Lots of other manufacturers make bass wah pedals too that help retain low end. I'm using a custom wah I had made for me by Kevin Wilson at Wilson Effects.

If it is a wah sound that you would like, you can always add versatility by adding other pedals. I like to use a wah with and without an overdriven sound, so an overdrive paired with a wah would give you some different things you could do, really I could do a good deal of what I do with just those two things. I don't even use an overdrive pedal, I just have a tube amp so I overdrive that.

MIJ-VI · #4 11-09-2010, 07:01 AM

If your bass cab has a tweeter, then turn it down before risking it--and your ears...