How to use wah-muff

peaveyuser · #1 10-09-2007, 06:59 PM

Well I finally got my morley

Now how to use this thing effectively with the Big Muff. My question is in "Pulling Teeth" does cliff fully press/depress the wah, or throughout in certain parts does he keep a bit of wah on? I'm asking this because I set up correctly (bass--muff--wah--amp) but when I fully depress then press it seems like A) I'm not getting enough muff as I were if I had the wah off B) when I fully press down I get a very high wah sound that doesn't hold well, I've played around with the sustain on the muff and this still happens.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

JanusZarate · #2 10-09-2007, 07:40 PM

The wah is on during the whole song, but he shifts the position a few times, and does sweeps on some notes. I'd try experimenting with the middle range of the sweep and leaving it there for the times you aren't sweeping on notes.

It's all about practice with the wah, and plenty of Big Muff tweaking. If the tones aren't working out so far, change the Tone and Sustain settings on the Muff until the result is closer to what you're looking for.

peaveyuser · #3 10-09-2007, 07:47 PM

sweep? I don't get that reference. Are you talking abouthow he's playing the bass because I know he rakes a few times, or do you mean a technique with the wah?

Oh also just as a little helper where are your settings with the muff?

JanusZarate · #4 10-09-2007, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

sweep? I don't get that reference. Are you talking abouthow he's playing the bass because I know he rakes a few times, or do you mean a technique with the wah?

Yeah, I'm referring to the physical operation of the pedal. Push it all the way to the toe-down position, and it's bright as heck - too bright for that solo. You have to move back from that until you get a more midrangey tone. If it sounds too muffled, you probably just need to tweak the Big Muff.

Quote:

Oh also just as a little helper where are your settings with the muff?

I don't have my Little Big Muff anymore, but... you'll need to crank the Sustain (how much is a matter of trial and error), and you'll probably want to use a brighter tone setting.

Bear in mind, his amp wasn't bright, even though his Ric and Alembic were. So... you may need to tweak your amp a bit as well.

peaveyuser · #5 10-09-2007, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

Yeah, I'm referring to the physical operation of the pedal. Push it all the way to the toe-down position, and it's bright as heck - too bright for that solo. You have to move back from that until you get a more midrangey tone. If it sounds too muffled, you probably just need to tweak the Big Muff.

I don't have my Little Big Muff anymore, but... you'll need to crank the Sustain (how much is a matter of trial and error), and you'll probably want to use a brighter tone setting.

Bear in mind, his amp wasn't bright, even though his Ric and Alembic were. So... you may need to tweak your amp a bit as well.

Thanks I get it now, will take practice though, ughhh now I have to concentrate on foot position as well as the finger board.

JanusZarate · #6 10-09-2007, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

Thanks I get it now, will take practice though, ughhh now I have to concentrate on foot position as well as the finger board.

Heh

You should be able to step off and leave it alone. The only problem is... there's enough dynamic work in that solo that you might want to keep a steady foot on that pedal, ready for the sweeping.

The Lurker · #7 10-09-2007, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

Thanks I get it now, will take practice though, ughhh now I have to concentrate on foot position as well as the finger board.

I found that part pretty easy to get... it just comes with practice. If you're concentrating on it, you're making too big a deal out of it.

peaveyuser · #8 10-10-2007, 06:19 PM

Ok so this tone thing is getting to me as I still can't find it, I think I'll make a number of sound clips on a certain part and see maybe post em'.

flakeh · #9 10-10-2007, 07:41 PM

Go on msn Peavey I can help yah more threw that.

As MB said, in pulling teeth theres a fair bit of sweep (rocking the wah pedal) When you hear a very harsh, trebly sound, thats the wah in the 'toe down' position, For the most part, I'm pretty sure Cliff has it around the middle position.

McHaven · #10 10-10-2007, 07:46 PM

You're also not going to get Cliff's exact tone no matter what. After all, he had different equip, and of course, he was cliff burton. I get my best Cliff-sounds with the tone knob around 10:00-1:00, and the sustain around 10-12. I also run through a tube amp though, so it sounds even better haha. Just try your best to find the tone, but you'll never get it just right.

peaveyuser · #11 10-10-2007, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McHaven

You're also not going to get Cliff's exact tone no matter what. After all, he had different equip, and of course, he was cliff burton. I get my best Cliff-sounds with the tone knob around 10:00-1:00, and the sustain around 10-12. I also run through a tube amp though, so it sounds even better haha. Just try your best to find the tone, but you'll never get it just right.

I'm aware of this, but I'm looking for a decent tone that can pull it off, something that won't sound totally different and like garbage. I'm just getting some very bright points, for some reason it's hard to get mids, either high or low.

McHaven · #12 10-10-2007, 10:50 PM

with the toe fully down, its going to scream. Personally, I have trouble standing the tone when its fully down. The mids are really present when you have it about 1/2-3/4 of the way forward.

Shav · #13 11-12-2007, 08:53 AM

Hi everybody. I'm new to this forum, and i know only half as much as all you. But i'm pretty much in love with Anesthesia, and I have a decent big muff/fuzzy kinda sound, but i need a wah. Can anybody recommend me a decent wah that'll do the job and which is not toooo expensive?

I would appreciate it. I propably shouldn't post this in somebody else's thread, but i figured that it was kinda the same question..

sk8 · #14 11-12-2007, 09:08 AM

morley power wah

Shav · #15 11-12-2007, 09:23 AM

I don't suppose there is like, a Morley power wah for guitar, and a different morley power wah for bass. Right?

screamingmonkey · #16 11-12-2007, 10:28 AM

Nope, just the one power wah. Works well for bass and guitar.

crapusername · #17 11-12-2007, 05:18 PM

Ibanez weeping demon

JanusZarate · #18 11-12-2007, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by screamingmonkey

Nope, just the one power wah. Works well for bass and guitar.

+1

Your best bet is either a current reissue Power Wah (the one on the Morley website), or an old Power Wah Boost (the vintage chrome one). The current Power Wah is as close as you can get on a budget, but the old PWB is the real thing.

Shav · #19 11-13-2007, 07:23 AM

But isn't the old PWB like 300-400 bucks? I think it's a little much to pay, considering i never tried a wah in my life..

JanusZarate · #20 11-13-2007, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shav

But isn't the old PWB like 300-400 bucks? I think it's a little much to pay, considering i never tried a wah in my life..

No... they run between $100 and $200 on eBay, from what I've seen in the past. Rarely do they go above $200 - I've seen plenty go for $120. My big problem with them, though, is that they're huge (which is a plus for some) and they only run on an AC power cord.

If price is an issue, just get the $70 reissue Power Wah. Most online shops have them, and they can be found used on eBay sometimes. It's a smaller pedal, but it sounds similar to the old vintage wahs (although not dead-on, it's close enough) - I used to own one, so I can attest to that.

Be warned that the older Power Wah reissues (the ones without the rough script they have now) aren't as good... try to get the newest one.

But if you've never tried a wah before, are you sure you want a Power Wah? They're dramatically different than anything else on the market, and while they dip into the low frequencies, they're not like more traditional bass wahs that consisently hold the bottom end. Their signature sound comes from how they sweep through everything and SCREAM.