Revisiting the very first wah circuit with delicious vintage-flavored results.
Delicious, present voice. Satisfying, expressive range and filter curve. Well-made. Very little noise.
Toppy tones could be too hot for some players.
$279 street
Vox Real McCoy VRM-1 Wah voxamps.com
Some pedals are more fun than others. And on the fun spectrum, a new Vox wah is like getting a bike for Christmas. There’s gleaming chrome. It comes in a cool vinyl pouch that’s hipper than a stocking. Put the pedal on the floor and you feel the freedom of a marauding BMX delinquent off the leash, or a funk dandy cool-stepping through the hot New York City summertime. It’s musical motion. It’s one of the most stylish effects ever built. A good one will be among the coolest-sounding, too.
Vox Real McCoy - MAIN by premierguitar
Needless to say, there are not a lot of original Vox Clyde McCoys on the gigging circuit. They’re collector-spendy and a rarity, even in nice studios. And as anyone who has ever owned a wah knows, the combination of vigorous stomping and relative fragility in electro-mechanical terms means many wahs live short lives. A late-’60s Clyde McCoy can indeed sound special, though: top end that’s substantial, sweet and searing, and vowel-y contours in the filter sweeps that lend a haunting humanity to the voice. The new Vox Real McCoy VRM-1 is exhilarating in many of the same ways vintage specimens can be.
Of Halos, Pots, Treadles, and Trips
The Real McCoy mixes old and newer components and circuit construction techniques. The machine-populated board is clean, neat, and dotted with time-tested, familiar parts, like BC-109 transistors, and a contemporary halo inductor design. The latter component, like any inductor, shifts the resonant peak and shapes a wah’s voice. The one used here is less noisy than those on early Clyde McCoys, but clearly shares many very similar tone attributes.
Something in the Wahter
When I play a wah, I love using long, slow filter sweeps—like, “Maggot Brain”-at-half-speed slow. The McCoy’s nuanced taper means lots of copious tone colors to paint with if you take that approach. If you’re accustomed to the narrower vocal range of inexpensive wahs, the Real McCoy can inspire a relaxed approach to the effect—the kind that compels a player to lean on a single note and enables sweet, vocal-style support in more tender, soulful musical settings. As much pleasure as there is in these lazy-footed adaptations of the effect, the McCoy’s range and treadle action also makes it a standout for Wah Wah Watson and Skip Pitts “wocka-wocka” rhythm jabs. The Real McCoy is quiet, too, adding little hiss or noise to your signal.
At extremes of the potentiometer’s travel, the McCoy shines. The toppiest of the top end is blue-flame hot—a killer place to punctuate a solo or linger for a whole one, for that matter. The bassier reaches of the sweep are throaty, thick and powerful rather than muffled. I love the sounds the Real McCoy makes here, particularly with a nasty fuzz on the receiving end, which can sound really snarly and focused rather than grating.
The Verdict
The Real McCoy sounds, in most respects, very vintage in its tone profile. There’s lots of range, sharp trebly peaks, and fat, bassy resonance. It feels great underfoot, too. It’s responsive—facilitating fast, fluttering “Dazed and Confused” filter sweeps and long, slow throws of the treadle. About the price: $279 is on the high end for new wah wah. That’s only 20 bucks less than Vox’s V846-HW handwired wah and anywhere from 100 to 180 bucks more than wahs at the affordable end of the price spectrum, where the occasional wah-ist tends to look. If lyrical, super-present wah textures are a cornerstone of your sound, the Real McCoy merits a listen to see if the differences here justify the cost. Even wah newbies, however, may well find the Real McCoy’s characterful voice infectious and irresistible.
Featuring a unique Blah Blah Circuit for expressive filtering effects, versatile tone control, and premium Morley buffer circuit. Available exclusively through the LERXST Reverb Store for $299.
Spawned out of Lifeson’s long-time appreciation and use of the classic wah-wah effect, the Lerxst Blah Blah is a new breed of wah designed specifically for adventurous tone chasers. The Blah Blah uses Morley’s iconic switchless optical wah circuit as a springboard, carefully tuned by Lifeson and the engineers at Lerxst and Morley for an expressively vocal response that is equally usable in both classic and modern applications.
“Wah pedals have been an essential tool of sonic expression for me since the ‘Fly by Night’ album,” explains Lifeson. “With the ‘wah’ side of the Blah Blah, we really wanted to capture that classic sound while also giving it a wide enough frequency response to suit modern players.”
“The guys at Morley have designed some of the greatest wah pedals ever, so it was a natural collaboration to work on this project with them, and also see where we could take it next.”
The Blah Blah’s namesake Blah Blah Circuit is where the pedal sets its sights, and sounds, squarely on the future. Taking inspiration from Lifeson’s immediately recognisable Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction acceptance speech from 2013, the Blah Blah Circuit is a cornucopia of expressive, touch-sensitive filtering effects that evoke both vocal and synth-like sounds out of whatever instrument that is run through the pedal – including a recognizable ‘Blah’! The Blah Blah’s onboard tone control allows precise EQ control of these effects to make them fit perfectly alongside anything else in your pedalboard, or mix.
"Alex wanted us to create something unique and inspiring," said Morley Owner Scott Fietsam. "We certainly achieved the 'Blah-talkie' sound, but what surprised us was how versatile this pedal turned out to be. It opened up numerous sonic possibilities in both clean and distorted modes, making it enjoyable for a wide range of players."
Blah Blah Specifications
- Iconic Morley Switchless Optical Wah Circuit
- Switchable Blah Blah Circuit for Expressive Filtering Effects
- Versatile Tone Control for Blah Blah Circuit
- Premium Morley Buffer Circuit
- Sturdy Steel Enclosure
- Heavy-Duty Footswitch, Knobs, and Jacks
- LED Indicator Light
- 9V DC Negative Center Power
- Current Draw: 300mA
- $299
Asked to comment on the implications of such a unique wah pedal in a crowded market of effects, Lifeson said the following: “Blah blah blah, blah blah, blah. Blah blah blah blah, blah blah. Blah, blah blah blah. Blah blah. Blah blah. Blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah. Blah? Blah blah blah, blah blah, blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah, blah blah, blah.”
For more information, please visit lerxstamps.com.
Morley Reissues Classic Power Wah Fuzz Pedal With Modern Improvements
When compared to the original version the Power Wah Fuzz delivers its iconic tone, but with modern improvements. Most notably, it’s now equipped with Morley’s famous Switchless Activation.
Clifford Lee Burton is regarded as one of the greatest Bass players of all time. He transformed the instrument and left an incredible legacy. One of the secret weapons to his tone arsenal was a Morley Power Wah Fuzz. Cliff’s use of a Wah Pedal for Bass solos was revolutionary. The Power Wah Fuzz had a Wah Sweep like no other Wah Wah Pedal at the time and it’s Optical Circuitry also gave it a unique flavor that contributed to Cliff’s thunderous sound. Morley has reissued and modernized this classic pedal as a tribute to the one and only Cliff Burton.
"The Burton family is thrilled to have Morley releasing this pedal as a Tribute to Cliff and his legacy. This is not only for his existing fans but for a new generation of musicians as well." – The Burton Family Estate
When compared to the original version the Power Wah Fuzz delivers its iconic tone, but with modern improvements. Most notably, it’s now equipped with Morley’s famous Switchless Activation. Just step on the treadle to activate and step off to Bypass. You also start at the more desirable lower end of the Sweep. It also sports a Distressed Chrome finish mimicking the battle-worn pedal Cliff used. The Wah Circuit has a 15db Level control perfect for pushing your signal above the mix for earth-shattering signature solos. It also sports Morley’s Glow-in-the-Dark treadle and toe sticker that not only look great but help you find your pedal on the darkest of stages and uses a standard 9v power.
“Burton was renowned for his distinctive use of a wah-wah pedal throughout his career, adopting a Hendrix-esque approach to filter through frequencies to achieve a sweeping bass solo tone. The Morley Wah can be seen on Burton’s pedalboard for nearly every Metallica gig, and can notably be heard Ride The Lightning standout ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’.” – Mixdown
Main Features & Specs
- Tribute Reissue of the Pedal Cliff used for Bass Solos.
- Distressed Chrome Finish mimics Cliff’s Battle Worn Pedal.
- Fuzz emulates that old-school ripped speaker sound of the original.
- 15 dB Level Control on Wah Circuit.
- Classic Morley construction: 9.13″ x 5.88″ x 2.75″ ( L x W x H)
- Our world-famous Electro-Optical design. No pots to wear out!
- Premium Buffer circuit ensures pure guitar tone and output.
- Glow-in-the-dark treadle rubber.
- Powered by one 9-volt battery or 9V adapter. We recommend a Truetone One Spot Adapter.
- Rugged cold-rolled steel housing, LED indication, and a one-year warranty.
- Works with Guitar, Bass, or Keys!
- Morley Part Number: PWF1
Morley’s mission with this pedal is to keep Cliff Burton’s legacy alive and to grow it. We want an entire new generation of players to be able to experience the exact same pedal that Cliff used on his iconic recordings. Since our humble beginnings in 1969, we’ve said, “We build them failsafe because your career depends on it – and so does ours!” Without our great fans and the great musicians like Cliff Burton who have used our pedals, we would not be where we are today.
For more information, please visit morleyproducts.com.