No Love for the Boss AW-3???

**TheFantod** · #1 10-29-2009, 02:35 PM

I did a search here (which is a PITA 'cause you can't AW-3 isn't a "searchable" term) and found several "unkind" comments about the Boss AW-3 Dynamic Wah.

I got one off evil-bay cheap, just 'cause I was curious and wanted to find out for myself.

Well, I only noodled around with it at lunch, and I am more than pleasantly surprised.

I'm getting a super wet, super funky sound out of it. It sounds a lot like the coveted FX25, only much cleaner, and much easier to achieve.

Granted, I just went through the dials just to see what they do (need to print out a manual). I don't plan on using the "vowel" gimmick - but I'm digging on it so far.

Anyone else?

T

playbass1983 · #2 10-29-2009, 04:16 PM

I use one and enjoy it quite a bit. Throw a Bass Big Muff and some chorus behind it and you can get some cool feedback that goes for miles.

Bassmike62 · #3 10-29-2009, 04:33 PM

I bought one about a month ago, but ended up trading it in for a Nano Bassballs 4 days later. It's a typical quality Boss pedal and simple enough to use, but it was a little too much for my taste... I play mostly rock related stuff, with a little touch of funk once in a while, so the BB fit my bill. However, I did like some sounds and looking to purchase a Cry Baby bass wah in the next few months...

Mobile Sprout · #4 10-30-2009, 03:02 PM

I got one as a gift about a year ago. I think folks are way too hard on this pedal. People often compare it unfavorably to things like the EBS BassIQ... but that pedal is nearly 2x as expensive! The only real direct competition for the AW-3 is the Digitech Bass Synth Wah, and for what it's worth I think the autowah functions on the AW-3 beat out the BSW handily.

The "vocalizer" option is kinda distorted sounding, and the "sharp" mode has a bit too much resonance for my tastes. But the "Normal" mode is very usable I think, especially with a little EQ before the pedal. The automatic tap-tempo function is cool too; I can get some nice tremolo type effects going with it. Very fun when added to chorus and octave effects.

I suppose if you're some monster funk player that is looking to use an envelope filter on every song - OK - go buy that EBS BassIQ. But if you're just looking for an auto-wah to throw in as a special effect once or twice a night, the AW-3 is a totally viable alternative to the BSW.