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Best Cheap Wah Pedal Guide


Finding a high quality but cheap wah pedal will be a hell of a lot easier now you've found this page!

First, ask yourself these questions. Do you want to use wah predominantly in your lead soloing, clean playing or both? Do you want a classic wah sound (think Hendrix, Page, SRV) or something more modern and versatile that will also handle those screaming metal solos?

Whatever your wah needs, see the in depth guide below for a closer look at the best cheap wah pedals available new today. Read the consensus of reviews, hear them in action and get the best price.


Classic Cheap Wah Pedal #1

The go-to wah pedal for many gigging and recording pros, yet one of the cheapest available. Smooth, distinctive, instantly recognisable and irresistable with a bit of dirt.

Dunlop Original Crybaby Wah Pedal

Dunlop Original Crybaby Wah Pedal Harmony Central 4/5

Ultimate Guitar 8/10

Amazon 4/5

Forum Buzz

$US Check Price (est. $70)

£GB Check Price (est. £67)


User Review Summary

Certainly the most popular wah pedal available, and very reasonably priced. The Crybaby has reached legendary status in the wah-world, popularised by such greats as Hendrix, Clapton, Morello and Hammett. But even disregarding its "rock royalty" status, hundreds of real user reviews tell you it's simply a fantastic pedal.

Noiseless, reliable and sonically simple, it delivers a strong and distinctive wah that other pedals can't touch. It's often compared side by side with its classic rival, the Vox V847 (see below), but it always boils down to personal taste.

If any meaningful, objective comparison is to be made, the Crybaby is a mellower wah, but it's also rich and complex. Position the pedal about half way down for some added warmth to your existing tone, or ease it down slowly during a quick legato run for a beautifully smooth yawn that gives your licks an added dynamic.

The Crybaby's strongest performance can be heard with distortion. Again, that defined smoothness lifts your lead rather than chewing it up as with many cheap wah pedals.

The range is slightly narrower than on the V847, but the Crybaby is a cheap wah pedal for those who want more conservative, nuanced tone shaping capabilities, rather than full on, wild vocal expression. You can really tease the wah out of each note with ease.

 US residents buy this pedal at a discounted price here

 UK residents buy this pedal at a discounted price here



Classic Cheap Wah Pedal #2

Another no bells/whistles original, harking back to the earliest days of wah, pioneered by Vox. Offers a wider sweeping range than the Dunlop and, as many report, with "less tone sucking".

Vox V847 Wah Pedal

Vox V847 Wah Pedal Harmony Central 4/5

Ultimate Guitar 8/10

Amazon 5/5

Forum Buzz
$US Check Price (est. $90)

£GB Check Price (est. £80)

User Review Summary

The broader vocal sweep gives you more frequency to play with, giving you the option of a particularly strong wah expression, which is more focussed on the mid-range with a sweet top end.

Many users have placed the V847 firmly in the vintage rock/blues camp but it also has enough voice for those funkier, percussive chops. It handles all but the heaviest distortion fine, but truly shines over clean playing, giving you some nice phlegmy breakup as you tip the rocker forward at higher volumes.

Users also note that there is no popping noise as with the Crybaby when switching on/off (which has bugged some). This, along with the richer, fuller sonic sweep is a large part of what justifies the extra 20 bucks.

For those who seek to attain artist-specific tones such as "that Hendrix/Page/Frusciante sound", then you'll find the Vox represents many of them authentically.

In a nutshell, the V847 is for clean, classic rock/blues/funk players who want a broad vocal sweep with that vintage, honky mid range reminiscent of Jimi and SRV.

 US residents buy this pedal at a discounted price here

 UK residents buy this pedal at a discounted price here



Versatile Cheap Wah Pedal

Highly customisable and highly rated. If you need a wah pedal to complement your broad playing style, or you've skipped the two above because you need something a bit more modern and tweakable, save up that extra few bob and look no further than the...

Ibanez WD7 Weeping Demon Wah Pedal

Ibanez WD7 Weeping Demon Wah Pedal Harmony Central 4.5/5

Ultimate Guitar 9/10

Music Radar 4.5/5

Forum Buzz
$US Check Price (est. $99)

£GB Check Price (est. £120)

User Review Summary

Amazing reception from wah lovers, the WD7 gives you total control over your expression tone and allows you to, literally, lock it in place by pushing the knobs into the case.

Auto-on negates the need to stomp down onto a pad or button, activating the wah with a mere nudge of the rocker. There's also a useful spring-loaded mechanism which takes the rocker back to heel-down position when you take off your foot. If you prefer the old-fashioned switch, it's to the side rather than under the toes, meaning you can hold the rocker in your sweet spot and activate from there.

The Demon handles everything from subtle, clean sweeps to modern "extreme" wah for squealing Wylde and Dimebag-esque solos. Spend time tweaking and you will find the perfect wah tone for your individual style. That's what makes this pedal so great - you create tone.

If you just need a good starting point though, the manual comes with some presets to find your bearings and tweak from there.

It seems this pedal also has plenty of surprises - the cranked up crazy harmonics, the groove coaxing bass wah and some of the widest, most powerful sonic sweeps you'll ever need.

Overall, a relatively cheap wah pedal for those experimental players who don't want to pigeon-hole their sound or date it to a specific era.

 US residents buy this pedal at a discounted price here

 UK residents buy this pedal at a discounted price here


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