Intro: I will be comparing this pedal to my Dunlop 105q quite a bit as it is a wah that many of us are familiar with. I will also make references to the plutonium bass chi wah wah which I had the displeasure of spending a couple weeks with. Note: I DID receive this pedal for free, but I do not work for AMT, nor do I have any affiliation with them. I emailed the right person at the right time and said the right things = free pedal. I am just a pedal enthusiast like the rest of you.
AMT WH1B Review:
Features/Construction:
Solid steel housing, sturdy jacks (located on sides), 2 blue led's located on either side of the pedal that light when the pedal is engaged, true bypass switching, standard boss 9v DC power req/room for a 9v battery, 3 fixed switching bandpass filter ranges: 0.22-2kHz, 0.15-1kHz, 0.1-0.6kHz. Completely analog. No volume control. No spring like many wahs we are used to seeing. There is a set screw for adjusting the movement speed of the treadle. dimensions: 4 1/4"l x 2 3/8"w x 2 1/4"h. Less than half the length of a standard dunlop wah.
Initial thoughts:
First thing I noticed after plugging in, before even turning the pedal on, was the lack of signal loss I was used to with my Dunlop 105q. I personally did enjoy the sounds from my 105q, but every time I plugged in I hated the signal deterioration that came along with it. Many people don't notice this, but I did and it bothered me a lot. The WH-1B is true bypass, it has a switch for engaging the pedal which the 105q doesn't, but the trade off is worth it. Secondly, I had never used a springless wah before. This is taking some time for me to get used to but the more I use it the more natural it feels. I felt the throw range was a little small being that the pedal is so compact, but now that I have had more time to play with the WH-1B it doesn't bother me at all. I think the lack of a spring (no force pushed back against my foot) and overall quicker movement speed/wide freq sweep threw me off, making me think the throw range was quite a bit smaller than a normal wah. I was worried about the lack of a volume knob as wahs can be peaky, but I am not missing it at all. I have yet to test it out at my jam session, but I do not believe the lack of a volume knob will be an issue when it comes to soloing/wanting to cut through the mix.
The Sound:
First review I've done so bare with me. I thought I would be a little limited with just a switch to select between 3 frequency presets, I enjoyed having a sweepable knob on the 105q, but thats not the case. AMT did a great job with their freq selection in my opinion, as I find every preset usable. With the selector in the most forward position (0.1-0.6kHz) and the treadle all the way back, we get a fat bass boost. Ive honestly had a lot of fun just leaving the pedal sitting all the way back in this position playing some finger style motownish grooves. This freq position has balls that the 105q and (especially) the Plutonium bass chi wah wah cannot achieve. Obviously as we move the selector we are getting into the higher freq ranges. the mids and highs are hot and clear, but with the volume being pretty much set I don't find my ears bleeding from scorching highs - which I am glad about. Bubbly funk is very easily achievable utilizing the first half of the sweep, but I would say this pedal shines in being pretty vocal in its mids/highs. Not "quacky" (?) like the 105q, but vocal - more smooth once you get a hang of the movement of the treadle. It sounds more wet all around than the 105q which may not be to some of your liking, as the fundamental is held pretty decently with the 105q IMO, but the effect is more noticeable and just better sounding to my ears than that of the 105q.
Overall I think this pedal solves a lot of the issues I had with the 105q and Chi Wah Wah. The form factor is great (size of most standard pedals), no signal loss in bypass, a nice wet effected signal with a wide clear range unachievable on the 105q or Chi Wah Wah. Doesn't have the backwards use like the chiwahwah i.e. lows are up and highs are down with only the ability to use your toes to control the wah. And at $139 brand new it comes in 20 bucks more than the 105q and $50 less than the chi wah wah.
TL,DR I would take the AMT WH-1B over a Dunlop 105q and Plutonium Bass Chi Wah Wah any day. I will do my best to get some sound clips up in the near future, and maybe a youtube demo.
AMT WH1B Review:
Features/Construction:
Solid steel housing, sturdy jacks (located on sides), 2 blue led's located on either side of the pedal that light when the pedal is engaged, true bypass switching, standard boss 9v DC power req/room for a 9v battery, 3 fixed switching bandpass filter ranges: 0.22-2kHz, 0.15-1kHz, 0.1-0.6kHz. Completely analog. No volume control. No spring like many wahs we are used to seeing. There is a set screw for adjusting the movement speed of the treadle. dimensions: 4 1/4"l x 2 3/8"w x 2 1/4"h. Less than half the length of a standard dunlop wah.
Initial thoughts:
First thing I noticed after plugging in, before even turning the pedal on, was the lack of signal loss I was used to with my Dunlop 105q. I personally did enjoy the sounds from my 105q, but every time I plugged in I hated the signal deterioration that came along with it. Many people don't notice this, but I did and it bothered me a lot. The WH-1B is true bypass, it has a switch for engaging the pedal which the 105q doesn't, but the trade off is worth it. Secondly, I had never used a springless wah before. This is taking some time for me to get used to but the more I use it the more natural it feels. I felt the throw range was a little small being that the pedal is so compact, but now that I have had more time to play with the WH-1B it doesn't bother me at all. I think the lack of a spring (no force pushed back against my foot) and overall quicker movement speed/wide freq sweep threw me off, making me think the throw range was quite a bit smaller than a normal wah. I was worried about the lack of a volume knob as wahs can be peaky, but I am not missing it at all. I have yet to test it out at my jam session, but I do not believe the lack of a volume knob will be an issue when it comes to soloing/wanting to cut through the mix.
The Sound:
First review I've done so bare with me. I thought I would be a little limited with just a switch to select between 3 frequency presets, I enjoyed having a sweepable knob on the 105q, but thats not the case. AMT did a great job with their freq selection in my opinion, as I find every preset usable. With the selector in the most forward position (0.1-0.6kHz) and the treadle all the way back, we get a fat bass boost. Ive honestly had a lot of fun just leaving the pedal sitting all the way back in this position playing some finger style motownish grooves. This freq position has balls that the 105q and (especially) the Plutonium bass chi wah wah cannot achieve. Obviously as we move the selector we are getting into the higher freq ranges. the mids and highs are hot and clear, but with the volume being pretty much set I don't find my ears bleeding from scorching highs - which I am glad about. Bubbly funk is very easily achievable utilizing the first half of the sweep, but I would say this pedal shines in being pretty vocal in its mids/highs. Not "quacky" (?) like the 105q, but vocal - more smooth once you get a hang of the movement of the treadle. It sounds more wet all around than the 105q which may not be to some of your liking, as the fundamental is held pretty decently with the 105q IMO, but the effect is more noticeable and just better sounding to my ears than that of the 105q.
Overall I think this pedal solves a lot of the issues I had with the 105q and Chi Wah Wah. The form factor is great (size of most standard pedals), no signal loss in bypass, a nice wet effected signal with a wide clear range unachievable on the 105q or Chi Wah Wah. Doesn't have the backwards use like the chiwahwah i.e. lows are up and highs are down with only the ability to use your toes to control the wah. And at $139 brand new it comes in 20 bucks more than the 105q and $50 less than the chi wah wah.
TL,DR I would take the AMT WH-1B over a Dunlop 105q and Plutonium Bass Chi Wah Wah any day. I will do my best to get some sound clips up in the near future, and maybe a youtube demo.
