Who Names Their Kids Clyde Anymore? An Initial Look at the Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah

andvari7 · #1 04-20-2008, 06:51 PM

Yeah, despite a thread title that sounds like a consumer report (I used to do this with anthropology papers all the time - my favorites being "Underwater Love: The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis Revisited," and "Archaeological Humanity: Are We Not Men?" - it's a wonder I graduated, with the use of Faith No More AND Devo in credible, scholarly works), I'm going to give my initial impressions of this effect.

Oh, this might take some time, and maybe two or more posts. If I'm lucky, there will be no deliberate "Venture Bros." or "Kim Possible" references.

History: I started using wah pedals back in 1998, with my brother's Vox V847, made in USA. It sounded decent - not great - on bass, and I used it almost exclusively on guitar. Fast-forward a year or so later, and he gets another wah - a Dunlop CryBaby 105Q bass wah. Put off by the spring-loadedness, but an otherwise fine wah. Not the sound I necessarily wanted, but it got the job done. I really wanted a bass-friendly Vox, but this would do. Those would be my only wahs until my brother sold his effects in 2003. His prerogative, and I was powerless to resist.

So I went wah-less, until October of 2006. I won (on the eBay) a Morley Pro Series II Bass Wah (the blue one) for an Andrew Jackson. I really liked the idea of a lower center-of-gravity on the Morley (I still do, but it takes up real estate on my floor), no pots, guaranteed made in USA (Cary, IL, IIRC), and cheaper than the used Dunlops. But it too is spring-loaded, and the sound is similar to the 105Q - the sound I wanted to avoid - so I bought a Morley PWA wah from 1998 a month later, this one costing a ten-spot (also on the eBay). It was hissy, a bit clanky in movement, and certainly NOT the ideal wah sound. Too metal-ish, I guess.

January '08. I had just graduated, and was about to enter the ennui-drenched world of unemployment. I wanted a Vox wah sound, so a Vox V847A wah would do, right? <reverb>WRONG.<\reverb> Made in China, this wah is nasally, irritating, and not at all bass-friendly. Nope, it had to go. But what else was there? I asked, in my Pulitzer Prize-winning thread, "Multi-Tasking Wahs?", that very question.

But there was another option, to be detailed in the next post...

rustynuts · #2 04-20-2008, 07:02 PM

The suspense is killing me....

andvari7 · #3 04-20-2008, 07:19 PM

...And it's the next post.

April 12, 2008. Eight days ago. I had just come off a very, very bad temp job with a shady IT firm. <aside>On the bright side, I did just get paid from that job yesterday, and I feel better about it.<\aside> Downtrodden and ferociously bored, I went, with three wahs and my second of two Russian Big Muffs (the one I never used), and at least $250, to my formerly favorite guitar shop, which had seen better days (they do usually have more crazy effects pedals than most of the other shops in Madison, WI, though). <aside>It's a sad day when your favorite guitar shop is supplanted by a Guitar Center, and even that's starting to lag.<\aside> In their glass case, where they keep the pickups, they had a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah. Yes, only NOW are we getting to that part of the review. A thorough, and I mean THOROUGH, test-drive, and a close call with a 50-something guitarist who was in the same opinion as me about that wah later, I went out to my car, grabbed my backpack (containing the aforementioned pedals), came back in, and offered a trade, the details of which will never be revealed to anyone at any time. Ever again. Long story short [All: Too late.], I went home with this wah pedal (and mistakingly thought I was to make my family's evening meal; it was the next day - and the turkey and gravy were very delicious).

Build quality: 16 gauge steel, according to Mike Fuller. Hand-built in Culver City, CA. Would have preferred a local outfit, but who in Wisconsin makes great wah pedals, hmm? Thick, durable coat of white paint. Shape addresses wobbly CryBaby past, without the Samsquanch footprint of the Morley. 10/10. Nothing more on that.

Tweakability: Two external knobs: Volume, and the settings. Three settings, to be precise (in order, from heel to toe): Whacked, Jimi, and Shaft. There might be some internal trimpots, but because I've found a wah I like now, I'm leaving the inside alone. It doesn't have the tweakability of the Bad Horsie II, but it doesn't suck like that wah, either.

Sound: Holy crap in a pita, this is what I've been looking for. I keep the volume at max, and the setting to 'Jimi,' and it's got that psychedelic, old-old-school wah sound I've coveted. The 'Shaft' setting isn't my thing (for bass; it's pretty cool on guitar), but it's nice to have. Same with 'Whacked.' The sweep is comparable to a vintage Clyde, plus some more back end. Perfect for my needs. This is where it goes to 11. By strange coincidence, The Fulltone Clyde Standard (not the Deluxe; the Standard is just the 'Jimi' setting) is a preferred wah of Nigel Tufnel. Remember those VW commercials, where they were giving away a First Act guitar with the cable to use your car as an amp? Nigel's wah was a Fulltone (so they say). "This Is Spinal Tap" being my all-time favorite movie, and Tufnel being a major influence on me as a guitar player (yes, Derek Smalls is one of my bass heroes), I am in awe of this fact.

Cost: No. I won't tell.

Will you hear sound clips? Sure, if you can tell me how to post them. I'm going to warn you now: there is no possible way for me to not suck on a bass, especially when there is the potential for literally billions of people to hear it.

Mark Olson · #4 04-20-2008, 08:44 PM

If you want to put up clips, I just upload them to putfile.com and copy the links into a thread.

KarateKid25 · #5 04-20-2008, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andvari7

I'm going to warn you now: there is no possible way for me to not suck on a bass, especially when there is the potential for literally billions of people to hear it.

Its all good mate

Everytime I have attempted a clip, not only do I choke on my bass, but my PC seems to choke up a bit too. I think I have some of the worst sound clips on TB!

While people may be sitting there thinking "what is this **** ?", they are always polite enough round here to say "sounds good man"....

EDIT: Of course though, someone called Clyde might tell you that your clips sound like poo

bongomania · #6 04-20-2008, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid25

I think I have some of the worst sound clips on TB!

Me too.

So OP, you're in good (bad) company here, which means if you are able to record clips then I encourage you to do so. You can upload them to putfile as suggested, or make a silly video with the clips as "soundtrack" and post it on Youtube. If neither of those works for you, PM me- I'm happy to host some MP3s for you.

FWIW those review posts are some of the most amusing writing I've read in a while.

Mark Olson · #7 04-20-2008, 11:17 PM

And I'm sure everyone is well beyond sick of my aimless noodling and half-assed guitarisms on god knows how many different pedals. It doesn't matter what you play. I just want to hear what the pedal sounds like!

andvari7 · #8 04-22-2008, 03:24 PM

Unfortunately for everybody that isn't me, I'm going to be busy the remainder of this week, so clips aren't in the bag for any time earlier than Saturday afternoon. And that's if I can convince myself to record. Rest assured, there will be as LITTLE Cliff Burton as humanly possible.

Mark Olson · #9 04-22-2008, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andvari7

Rest assured, there will be as LITTLE Cliff Burton as humanly possible.

Excellent! That's the way I like it!

Metropolis_488 · #10 04-22-2008, 08:22 PM

A good wah is hard to find...I did a shootout some time ago. I really considered getting a Deluxe Clyde, but for the price I was going to wait until I exhausted all other options before taking the plunge. I ultimately found the Wilson's Effects Bass Q-Wah - holy good mother of god! Amazing sounding wah. Imagine the classic Hendrix and Clapton (cream live) Wah sounds tailored for bass - that's the Wilson...growly as hell. I'd love to A/B the Clyde with the wilson. As a general rule, I think Fulltone pedals sound outstanding.

andvari7 · #11 04-24-2008, 06:33 PM

[ominous Dr. Weird intro music]

GENTLEMEN, BEHOLD!!!

http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-1
http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-2
http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-3
http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-1
http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-2
http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-1
http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-2
http://media.putfile.com/Fulltone-Cl...tting-sample-3

[/ominous Dr. Weird intro music]

xsubs · #12 04-24-2008, 06:49 PM

Playing bass through a wah for over 30 years, I've tried many...
I now have a RMC wah that Geoff built for me, based on his RMC-1... it's the best wah I've ever played.

Mark Olson · #13 04-24-2008, 07:04 PM

Thanks for the clips! It sounds like you've got your overdrive, distortion, or fuzz in front of the wah? Try putting the wah before the distortion and see what kind of sound you get.

andvari7 · #14 04-24-2008, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Olson

Thanks for the clips! It sounds like you've got your overdrive, distortion, or fuzz in front of the wah? Try putting the wah before the distortion and see what kind of sound you get.

Only the Big Muff (Russian, black) is ahead of the wah. And that only came after a battery of tests, and endless experimentation. The RT-20 (set not to simulate rotation, but the overdrive on) is the last effect in the chain, and there are some other settings in GarageBand that made some difference.

andvari7 · #15 05-09-2008, 07:49 PM

I've decided to amend my previous posts, based on a month's worth of experience.

The 'Shaft' and 'Wacked' settings are REALLY bass-friendly, as you can hear. Granted, it was just me noodling on my fretless sixer, but I loved it all the same.

The Black, Private Dick: It's called the 'Shaft' setting for a good reason: it sounds like an early '70s wah, with a more pronounced treble sweep. I didn't like it at first, but in conjunction with some of the effects, it worked with me. By itself, though, it's not the sound I'm looking for in a bass wah, but on guitar, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Especially on Strats.

Wacked, Like A Bratty Child: There is no 'h' in 'Wacked.' A-whoops. This is the most modern sound, if you can call it that. It sounds a bit Morley-ish, and a bit Crybaby-From-Hell-ish, at the same time. Again, this sounds better in conjunction with my other effects. Truth be known, I like this setting more than the 'Shaft;' it sounds really different from anything else out there.

But, there are always exceptions to every rule, the Clyde Deluxe/other-effects-in-my-rig rule included.

And here they are:

EHX Q-Tron. It just sounds like...nonsense. I love envelope filters - the Q-Tron is crucial to my sound - but not with this wah. Nope.

EHX BMS - The wah doesn't really DO anything, but I'm going to experiment with it a bit more, because my BMS is out of my signal, and thus gets less air time than my other effects.
UPDATE: Well, running the wah after the BMS creates some out-there sounds. But, due to the problems of my BMS, it's not likely to be a common occurrence in my non-existent live playing.

EHX Bassballs - This one is a bit unfair, because my Bassballs doesn't work. At all. I'm either getting it repaired, or going to buy a Nano unit, or some better effect.

I'm going to further my experiment(s) with my friend's pedals. Oh, wait, I don't have any friends; that's why I'm here.

OW. %#@!ing sandals...

There is a pressing need for me to get a 1-Spot, or a Power-All, or a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2, or some similar device. I say this, because I am without ample power for my effects. And copious amounts of 9v batteries are environmentally not-so-kosher, and they're expensive, even in an economic boom ($25 for twelve, versus the $40 for a power supply and daisy chain - a repeat subscription, versus a one-time investment). And my Tricky-Dick Fun-bill (worth 300 wing-wangs) hasn't come in yet.

Again, I digress.

The reason I bring this up is because the wah, when coupled with a...not-so-fresh...9v Duracell, sounds less than savory. Maybe I should have gone with the Rayovac batteries - they're cheaper, they seem to last longer, and Rayovac's corporate headquarters is in Madison. But I digress. And the power supply for my Rotary Ensemble (a Boss pedal) fits and works perfectly, but I need it for my, um, Rotary Ensemble.

stoo · #16 05-10-2008, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andvari7

Again, I digress.

The reason I bring this up is because the wah, when coupled with a not-so-fresh 9v Duracell, sounds less than savory. And the power supply for my Rotary Ensemble (a Boss pedal) fits and works perfectly, but I need it for my, um, Rotary Ensemble.

Would that power supply enough juice to run both?

ebay link for boss 9v daisy chain lead

andvari7 · #17 05-10-2008, 06:44 AM

Doubtful. More importantly, there is space for one pedal, and one pedal only. If there were some way for me to connect two, I'm all ears.

andvari7 · #18 05-13-2008, 06:57 PM

Well, now that I look at your eBay link, I might have replied prematurely. I'll have to investigate further.

EDIT: Ba-Hey! Maybe my PSA-120S, the power supply I bought for my Rotary Ensemble, can be successfully utilized in a daisy chain. Roland says it has a max output of 500mA, and the combined total of my 9V effects that will USE this pedal (including the aforementioned Rotary Ensemble) is about 200mA. Maybe even lower; I'm still incompetent with a multimeter.

Now, all I need to buy are the makings for a good daisy chain. And it's going to kill my Clyde. I just know it. That's another super-rare pedal I can't afford.