There are plenty of options in the world of wah, and they run the gamut of function, construction, voicing, and price. Take a look at the 10 we’ve rounded up—all ready to bring the chaka chaka to your game.
V847-A
A redesigned inductor brings this wah’s sound even closer to the ’60s original, while an added input buffer prevents impedance loading of your signal when in bypass mode.
Gary Clark Jr. Cry Baby
The voice of this brushed-copper-finished Cry Baby is tuned to a lower frequency for added warmth and smoothness, and a tighter sweep adds the percussive element GCJ is known for.
XW-1
A 2-band EQ and adjustable Q and bias controls optimize this wah’s voicing for different styles and gear, and internal DIP switches permit resonance and frequency range adjustments.
Cock Fight Plus
This rack-and-pinion wah features both a traditional wah-pedal filter and a format filter for vowel sounds, as well as a fuzz circuit that can be added before or after the filter section.
20/20 Bad Horsie
Pedalboard-sized and loaded with a built-in buffer, this wah features optical circuitry, switchless activation, glow-in-the-dark details, and two wah modes.
Bel Air Wah
Switch- and potentiometer-free, this dual-mode wah and volume/expression pedal features a low, ergonomic profile and silky smooth operation.
PW-3
This wah offers up a space-saving design, low-noise operation, and adjustable tension, as well as two wah flavors: “vintage,” for classic-wah sound, and “rich,” for more low-end fullness.
Wah
Vocal- and vintage-flavored, these handmade wahs are available with a variety of custom options, are built one at a time with high-end components, and voiced individually.
Rewah Pro
Thanks to a longer sweep and large inductor coil, this wah reports having extended range, impressive bass response, and little saturation, making it ideal for contemporary styles.
Hellbabe HB01
No mechanical pots or switches and total optical control means wear-and-tear-free operation, and the Q control offers precise filter shaping for vocal-esque effects—all at a guilt-free price.
We love “Cult of Personality” because it’s one of the hardest hitting riffs in the classic rock canon. Catch it on drivetime radio and it’ll get your heart pumping faster than an extra double-shot of espresso. But we also love it because it launched Vernon Reid’s guitar into the mainstream. We’re unpacking Reid’s playing—from his early days in the NYC jazz underground through his work with Living Colour and into supergroup superstardom—and his longstanding gear-acquisition-syndrome.
This episode is brought to you by Reverend Guitars. Visit reverendguitars.com for more info.
![Fall Out Boy Rig Rundown [2024]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/fall-out-boy-rig-rundown-with-patrick-stump-joe-trohman-pete-wentz-guitar-bass-gear-tour.jpg?id=52823626&width=1245&height=700&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
Back in March, Chicago’s Fall Out Boy blasted through Birmingham, Alabama, in the middle of a year-long tour supporting their 2023 release, So Much (for) Stardust. It was their first solo headline tour since 2018, and they brought along loads of new noisemakers for the occasion.
Frontman Patrick Stump has moved on from his trademark Gretsch electrics, guitarist Joe Trohman scored an Explorer that may or may not remind us of a certain purple McDonald’s character, and Pete Wentz packs some basses that bring both ice and fire to the gig. And while tube amps still reign supreme in the studio, including the recording of So Much (for) Stardust, the band goes digital and speaker-free on the road.
Brought to you by D’AddarioPaint It Red
After his love affair with Gretsch came to a close, the Guild S-60D has become Patrick Stump’s new muse. Given his intense vocal responsibilities during performances, he’s aiming for function over form these days, and the S-60D and S-300 models are fitting the bill for playability and position in the mix. “I want something that stays in tune,” he says. “I try to be as minimal as possible.”
Stump bought this S-60D with its all-over bright-red paint job, then set about sourcing red components to make it almost entirely monochrome. He also dropped a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Little ’59 in the neck.
Multicolor Halo
Stump commissioned this Halo guitar, which turned out radically different from what he initially pitched. It was first envisioned to help Stump out with some metal playing he was recording for a TV project, so he called for some classic touches like scalloped frets, a Floyd Rose, and a Seymour Duncan Dimebucker in the bridge. But the color ended up anything but metal. It’s not totally applicable to most Fall Out Boy material, but Stump is giving it a shot at some live play time.
Horse With Name
For slower moments, Stump goes with this Martin X Series acoustic he picked up at Guitar Center around 15 years ago. Since he had a deal with Fender, he covered the headstock Martin logo with some black tape that’s remained there ever since.
Mighty Zemaitis
First up, Trohman shows off this Japanese-made Zemaitis The Portrait Hisashi Signature Model, a model built in honor of Glay guitarist Hisashi Tonomura. While not a genuine Tony Zemaitis build, Trohman likes this one for its stability and build quality.
The Grimace
Trohman was lusting after this ’80s Gibson Custom Shop plumburst Explorer when he saw it pop up on Reverb, and when it sold, he was heartbroken. A few days later, his wife surprised him with it. It’s named Sanders, in honor of her maiden name.
Smokin' a Sig
Trohman also brings out his signature Squier Joe Trohman Telecaster, a take on the Tele Deluxe that includes a 5-position rotary selector switch to navigate the triple-pickup configuration.
Catching Rays
Tech Christian Zayas shows off this stunning custom paint job Sterling by Music Man Pete Wentz StingRay, which is outfitted with passive (rather than the typical active) pickups and a Hipshot drop tuning system. Note the signature red-eyed-loon inlay art on the 12th fret.
Winter Wonderland
This brand new, heavy-as-hell signature StingRay is full of some type of liquid (Zayas believes its anti-freeze) plus white material that turns it into a bass-shaped snowglobe. Wentz pulls it out for a fantasy sequence in the show, and it doesn’t stick around long because of its weight and more mellow tone.
Don't Sink the 8 Ball
This Pete Wentz StingRay is also a new addition, and comes out for an 8-ball-related encore.
Pete Might've Started the Fire
The last Sterling in the stable is also Wentz’s most deadly, doubling as a flamethrower during some of the show’s pyrotechnic flourishes. A primer on the upper bout preps the rear-mounted flame system, and the red-covered switch controls ignition. The pyro team tests it before each show with local fire departments to ensure its safety. “Sometimes we wanna be KISS, and we are,” says Zayas.
Farewell To Tubes
Joe Tone
Joe Trohman's tech Ben Young helped the FOB lead guitarist creep in digital modelers and here he provides additional details for what's happening inside the Axe-Fx III:
"The Fractal is set up where we have a different patch for each song, and then use scenes for each section of the songs. I have a template with all our dialed in amps and effects for everything. All the amp sounds are based off a JCM800 for our mid gain “crunch” sound, and a Dual Rectifier for our classic Fall Out Boy heavy sound. We also have a Friedman amp and a “brown sound” amp for other higher gain options that we’ve been using on newer songs and a Matchless for clean stuff."
