So if you are a fan of the Wah then you probably know all about the dunlop wahs. They range from the simple Original that will cost you $70 to the rack-mounted unit setting you back 600 bucks. They have all sorts of signature wahs and ones that make you sound like Jimi Hindrix, but what about the good old original.
I like to kick it old school. I am not a fan of modular this or signature that, so when I look at pedals I like analog and true by-pass. A wah can "funk" up you sound really well, but when its off I want it to stop funking around with my tone. Fans of the original Dunlop wah have often complained about the lack of true by-pass. There are lots of places to find kits and direction on how the mod your original wah, but why buy something that you have to mod. Price? well lets see...
The Modtone. I like Modtone, I'm just going to lay that out there. They make good pedals, of which I own three. Chorus, Volume, and Wah. The Modtone wah is almost identical to the dunlop. Save for one thing, the LED. The LED is one of the major complaints about the Dunlop Wah. You don't know if it is on or off unless you play through it. This can be kind of impractical in a live situation. When it comes to features, the Modtone Wah wins.
Lets break it down and see which pedal is better:
Features: Modtone
The LED and True-bypass are wonderful additions to the classic wah effect.
Tone: Modtone
This tends to be somewhat objective, but I'm going to give it to Modtone, The sweep is more vocal right out of the box. In a live setting it sound musical and full. The Dunlop seems to get very thin with the toe down
Sweep: Modtone
(The Dunlop wah almost jumps to one side or the other. This doesn't produce a good sweeping wah sound. The Modtone gives you a pronounced wah, almost like someone saying "wah" huh, go figure.)
Price Tag
Years ago when I bought my Modtone it was the same price as the Orignal Cry Baby, Both Pedals have gone up in price and now the Modtone is nearly $90 where as the Dunlop is right at $80
Conclusion:
As you can see, the Modtone takes the cake for the exception of price. Modtone makes up for that difference and then some. Keeping the vintage sound and then adding great features is a smart move. I have to give it to Modtone. But what about the Cry Baby Mini...?
Showing posts with label Dunlop Orignal Wah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dunlop Orignal Wah. Show all posts
Friday, July 24, 2015
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
5 Pedals That Every Guitarist Should Own
There are large number of pedal in this world. It is hard to know where to start. Basically, you have to find out what your needs are. But sometimes we need something that helps us expand our sonic range. If you don't have and use these pedals already, then you need to do your self a favor and look into them. They are pretty much awesome.
1)Wah-Wah
The mystic box of funky sounds. The most prolific of course being the Dolup Crybaby. There are endless varities and flavors of this effect. Most large pedal makers have an option. Some boutique guys have had a swing at making there own rocker pedals. Most of us have used if not own some type of wah. It is endlessly entertaining and super expressive. Its not so much which one your use, but that do use one. No two pedal use there wah the same. Find your voice and experiment. It makes you standout. If your play a set and employ this pedal, you'll always get a comment usually starting with "Whoa!"
2)Delay
Again, this is one of those pedal that people can use in countless ways. Some people just set it and forget. You can use it like a type of reverb, or help make your sustain sound endless. There are some genres that are built around this effect: Rock-a-billy and soundscape. Short, long, slap-back, infinite loop, they all have there place and you'd do you're self a favor by picking up one of these. You can get started with an investment of about $50. Behringer, Dan-electro, Rouge, or a use boss unit will be good bets to get you started. Currently I use a Boss DD-20 and it does tons of things, most I've yet to use live. Needing something to seriously expand you sound? Delay.
3)Fuzz
Fuzz is one of the sounds that everyone does a little differently, but they all have very distinguishable sound. Fuzz is not shy or timid. Its made to be in your face. It says look at me. You kick it in when you solo, or want to sound like Jimi. You are basically making noise that is barely recognizable as music. It is the musically equivalent of a push-up bra. This pedal is very polarizing. Some people love it and other hate it. Some people spend their lives searching for the "Holy Grail". There is no such thing as a "bad fuzz". There is only a fuzz you don't like and ones that you do. Go find one that you enjoy, and use it when you want a little attention.
4)Tube Screamer (of some kind)
In a world filled with overdrives and distortions, there is one that spreads like a virus into almost every like of pedal. You can buy the real deal (reissue) for Ibanez, or buy any of the copies that are out there. You can even buy a kit to build your own. Basically a Tube Screamer is a symmetrical distortion with a boost to the mid frequencies. There are serval: Green Screamer, Bad Monkey, Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Route 808, Boss SD-1/BD-2(ish), EHX East River Drive. Everyone has their favorite one, but its fun to take that trip down the rabbit hole and see how far you can get. The best thing I can recommend is to go your your local music store and spend time trying there selection of these, and other, pedals. Have fun and get inspired.
1)Wah-Wah
The mystic box of funky sounds. The most prolific of course being the Dolup Crybaby. There are endless varities and flavors of this effect. Most large pedal makers have an option. Some boutique guys have had a swing at making there own rocker pedals. Most of us have used if not own some type of wah. It is endlessly entertaining and super expressive. Its not so much which one your use, but that do use one. No two pedal use there wah the same. Find your voice and experiment. It makes you standout. If your play a set and employ this pedal, you'll always get a comment usually starting with "Whoa!"
2)Delay
Again, this is one of those pedal that people can use in countless ways. Some people just set it and forget. You can use it like a type of reverb, or help make your sustain sound endless. There are some genres that are built around this effect: Rock-a-billy and soundscape. Short, long, slap-back, infinite loop, they all have there place and you'd do you're self a favor by picking up one of these. You can get started with an investment of about $50. Behringer, Dan-electro, Rouge, or a use boss unit will be good bets to get you started. Currently I use a Boss DD-20 and it does tons of things, most I've yet to use live. Needing something to seriously expand you sound? Delay.
3)Fuzz
Fuzz is one of the sounds that everyone does a little differently, but they all have very distinguishable sound. Fuzz is not shy or timid. Its made to be in your face. It says look at me. You kick it in when you solo, or want to sound like Jimi. You are basically making noise that is barely recognizable as music. It is the musically equivalent of a push-up bra. This pedal is very polarizing. Some people love it and other hate it. Some people spend their lives searching for the "Holy Grail". There is no such thing as a "bad fuzz". There is only a fuzz you don't like and ones that you do. Go find one that you enjoy, and use it when you want a little attention.
4)Tube Screamer (of some kind)
In a world filled with overdrives and distortions, there is one that spreads like a virus into almost every like of pedal. You can buy the real deal (reissue) for Ibanez, or buy any of the copies that are out there. You can even buy a kit to build your own. Basically a Tube Screamer is a symmetrical distortion with a boost to the mid frequencies. There are serval: Green Screamer, Bad Monkey, Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Route 808, Boss SD-1/BD-2(ish), EHX East River Drive. Everyone has their favorite one, but its fun to take that trip down the rabbit hole and see how far you can get. The best thing I can recommend is to go your your local music store and spend time trying there selection of these, and other, pedals. Have fun and get inspired.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Modtone Vintage Wah vs Dunlop Original Wah
So if you are a fan of the Wah then you probably know all about the dunlop wahs. They range from the simple Original that will cost you $70 to the rack-mounted unit setting you back 600 bucks. They have all sorts of signature wahs and ones that make you sound like Jimi Hindrix, but what about the good old original.
I like to kick it old school. I am not a fan of modular this or signature that, so when I look at pedals I like analog and true by-pass. A wah can "funk" up you sound really well, but when its off I want it to stop funking around with my tone. Fans of the original Dunlop wah have often complained about the lack of true by-pass. There are lots of places to find kits and direction on how the mod your original wah, but why buy something that you have to mod. Price? well lets see...
The Modtone. I like Modtone, I'm just going to lay that out there. They make good pedals, of which I own three. Chorus, Volume, and Wah. The Modtone wah is almost identical to the dunlop. Save for one thing, the LED. The LED is one of the major complaints about the Dunlop Wah. You don't know if it is on or off unless you play through it. This can be kind of impractical in a live situation. When it comes to features, the Modtone Wah wins.
Lets break it down and see which pedal is better.
Features: Modtone
(as we mentioned before, the whole LED thing)
Tone: Modtone
(The Dunlop make a nasty nasally sound when the toe is down and there isn't a whole lot of bass when the heel is down. The Modtone does a nice job of keeping it even)
True By-pass: Modtone
(honestly, the Modtone has True by-pass circutry, not exactly true mechanical by-pass but more so than dunlop)
Sweep: Modtone
(The Dunlop wah almost jumps to one side or the other. This doesn't produce a good sweeping wah sound. The Modtone gives you a pronounced wah, almost like someone saying "wah" huh, go figure.)
Price: Tie (same price $69.99)
As you can see, the Modtone takes the cake for the exception of price where they split the cake.
I like to kick it old school. I am not a fan of modular this or signature that, so when I look at pedals I like analog and true by-pass. A wah can "funk" up you sound really well, but when its off I want it to stop funking around with my tone. Fans of the original Dunlop wah have often complained about the lack of true by-pass. There are lots of places to find kits and direction on how the mod your original wah, but why buy something that you have to mod. Price? well lets see...
The Modtone. I like Modtone, I'm just going to lay that out there. They make good pedals, of which I own three. Chorus, Volume, and Wah. The Modtone wah is almost identical to the dunlop. Save for one thing, the LED. The LED is one of the major complaints about the Dunlop Wah. You don't know if it is on or off unless you play through it. This can be kind of impractical in a live situation. When it comes to features, the Modtone Wah wins.
Lets break it down and see which pedal is better.
Features: Modtone
(as we mentioned before, the whole LED thing)
Tone: Modtone
(The Dunlop make a nasty nasally sound when the toe is down and there isn't a whole lot of bass when the heel is down. The Modtone does a nice job of keeping it even)
True By-pass: Modtone
(honestly, the Modtone has True by-pass circutry, not exactly true mechanical by-pass but more so than dunlop)
Sweep: Modtone
(The Dunlop wah almost jumps to one side or the other. This doesn't produce a good sweeping wah sound. The Modtone gives you a pronounced wah, almost like someone saying "wah" huh, go figure.)
Price: Tie (same price $69.99)
As you can see, the Modtone takes the cake for the exception of price where they split the cake.
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