• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Bass Wah Questions

GreggBummer

GreggBummer

Jan 16, 2008
1,790
624
Southern New Jersey
#1
I am considering a bass wah pedal in the near future... the expression pedal/autowah on my Zoom B1x is no longer cutting it.

I am considering two different pedals. The Dunlop Cry Baby 105Q. This pedal (as I understand it) must be pushed into the full down position in order to activate the effect.

The other pedal is the Morley PBA-2 Dual Bass Wah. This functions by just pushing the pedal a slight bit. It has a spring that when you remove your foot, the spring pushes the pedal to the full up position and deactivates the effect.

Is there any advantage to the activation method between these two pedals/styles of pedal? I imagine that with the CryBaby I could activate it, set it, and leave it there... although why I would want to do this remains to be seen.

I like the simplicity of the Morley... and having two different settings... traditional and funk.... appeals to me. Although I don't know what Morley means by that.

I play a variety of music. In the past I have played punk and metal. I play in a couple of cover bands now... mostly 80's and 90's rock. I am experimenting with slap/funk on my own.

Experiances? Thoughts? Ideas? Insults? :D
 
#4
Optimus,
I might have misread the discription. I was messing around with a wah pedal at the local shop last week.... I might be confusing the Dunlop with a different brand.

However, I am still very interested in a compare/contrast of these two pedals...
Mixed reviews on both products here on TB and other sites as well.
 
#7
I've used both.

Both are "switchless" - in other words, they trigger as soon as you move the treadle, and turn off as soon as you let go. The Morley is instant in terms of turning on/off, but the Dunlop has a small delay (and if you tweak a trimpot inside, it's adjustable to be fairly instant or really long). The 105Q is odd because most Dunlop wahs aren't switchless - they have a trigger switch at the toe. The 105Q isn't one of these.

Sound-wise, they're VERY different. The Dunlop has Level and Q controls underneath, so you can create really mellow or super-funky wah tones. The Morley has a switch to change between two modes, but you can't tweak them beyond their preset sounds. The Traditional mode is very good - very clean, bright, and a cool descendant of the legendary Morley Power Wahs that guys like Cliff Burton (Metallica) used for their solos. The Funk mode is actually more "synth" like, low-mid heavy, not as bright, and awesome with distortion.

Bypass-wise... the Morley buffered bypass is very good. The Dunlop's buffered bypass noticeably messes with your bypassed tone...

Feel-wise... the Dunlop feels "restrictive" to me, but it does have that classic Crybaby feel. The Morley is something else entirely... it is a larger pedal with a larger sweep.

In the end, the sound is most important. For me, the Morley is my favorite, but if you are looking for pure funk, I'd suggest the Dunlop (especially if you prefer the wah sounds of guys like Tim Commerford and Flea).

There are OTHER wahs worth checking out, too, from other brands...
 
#8
MysticBoo, thanks for the info. That was a great comparison between the two pedals. I think I am going to play through the Dunlop again. However, the Morley sounds like it might be closer to what I need.

Anyone else have any experience with these two (or other) Wahs?
:)
 
#13
Try the Fulltone Clyde Deluxe. It has a really old-school sound (like Hendrix or Cream), but it can get funky with the best of them. It is not "switchless," but the bypass runs marathons around the Dunlop, which I actually quite like. Yeah, I said in my novella, "Who Names Their Kids Clyde Anymore? An Initial Look at the Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah," that the 105Q wasn't my favorite, but I had another go with one recently, and I must say that it would make a great SECOND wah for me, but the Fulltone remains my favorite.

But, if those two are your only options, get the Dunlop. The Morley sound, while not terrible, is not one I'm totally in love with anymore.

And Snarling Dogs wahs are a joke. I tried a Mold Spore last week, and I will never, EVER buy their products. Poorly made, awful-sounding, and about as wide as a Morley, and twice as tall. It was like wearing platform heels, and I don't swing that way.
 
#14
BuckoSama said:
Has anyone tried the Snarling Dogs Bootzilla? I know the fuzz is supposed to be crap, but as a straight wah, is it just a gimmick, or is it nice?

I think I'm between that and the Morley.
Click to expand...

I actually thought the fuzz was really nice, almost more of a high-gain distortion than a fuzz, and the wah sounded great too. I was scared off buy the build quality though. The two little wires that are sticking right out form the pedal to connect to the "eyes" in the treadle looked weak and were indicative of poor design choices throughout, which were confirmed by reports of failure from everyone on the interwebz.
 
#15
speak_onion said:
I actually thought the fuzz was really nice, almost more of a high-gain distortion than a fuzz, and the wah sounded great too. I was scared off buy the build quality though. The two little wires that are sticking right out form the pedal to connect to the "eyes" in the treadle looked weak and were indicative of poor design choices throughout, which were confirmed by reports of failure from everyone on the interwebz.
Click to expand...

Yup, this just about sums mine up exactly, good fuzz, but more of a distortion, great wah(I love the tone), its really funky sounding, but I play rock/metal more:atoz:.

QC sucks, one of those wires snapped in me when transporting, an easy enough fix, I also have some(used to be loads) of squealing during the sweep, changed which range it happened on, depending on settings, got that mostly under control, though I'd prefer to find out what the real problem is and rewire it(or w/e) and have it perfect.
 
#16
lbanks said:
I've a Morley and pretty happy with it. However, the 'Wah' is more of a 'wah-oomph', than a 'wah'. But its clean and very 'synthy'.
Click to expand...

I used to have a Morely at one point in my life too, but it never had a sweeping wah. It sounded like it was on and off.
Switching to the Dunlop 105Q has all that sweep I was looking for. There are times when I hold the pedal half way open for a cool midrange snarl, I could never get that out of a Morley.
 
#18
I tried my buddy's Morley out this afternoon and I thought it sounded great with his fuzz... but by itself it seemed kind of flat. He uses a shload (knobs all turned to max) compression... I didn't mess with this other FX... I should have turned it off....

BTW... Mr. Banks... I listened to your music... good stuff! Let me know when you play in/around Philly. I would love to see you perform.
 
#20
A lot of people don't like them, but I'm pleased with my second hand Boss v-wah. models 5 or 6 different famous wah's, including bass wah and even a univibe (which is fab!). It also has a few od/dist stompbox models that subtly used can give your wah effect more body, or even simulate a synth (though I've not had much success with that).

Only downside is it's a bitch to programme. Due lack of controls, it's one of those where you have to set knobs to a certain place and apply power to do any deep editing. I leave mine on manual mode, but when I find some time I may sit down with it for a couple of hours and programme it properly.

Oh, and the other downside, fairly minor, is the effect is engaged when power comes on. My power supply went flaky on a gig once and I couldn't work out why I had a server lack of volume and no low end. Turns out the intermittent power caused my pedal board to reset and wah was engaged with the foot plate at the treble end.

Other than that, worth looking at if you can't decide which wah sound you like. Wouldn't have been my first choice either, but saw it in cash convertors for too good a price to let go.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back