BAD LITTLE DOGGY
The WH-1 is based on the existing WW-1 model. Haynes has added his own vintage- avoured EQ tweaks. It’s a very solid-feeling pedal too: the rocker itself has a brushed metal nish and it looks positively industrial. The purple base has an input jack on one side, and an output jack and 9vDC jack on the other (alongside Warren’s signature) as well as a ‘Q FACTOR’ switch for selecting between high and low Q modes. On the side of the pedal itself is a switch for selecting the On/ Off mode: in the ‘up’ position you need to press the pedal all the way down to engage the effects, but in the ‘down’ position you only need to put your foot in the pedal to turn the wah wah effect on. There’s an image of Warren on the bottom posing with his ES- 335 which reminds me of the Jim Dunlop Buddy Guy Crybaby.
KICKS LIKE A MULE
The high mode sounds very bright, almost strident but in a musical way with nice upper mids and tight, almost non-existent low end. It’s great for percussive, rhythmic wah wah effects and with clean tones. When you add distortion you’ll get more of an over-the-top quality to the upper mids too, almost like a controlled feedback kind of overtone. The low mode is deeper and fatter- sounding, and is great for more funky, swampy tones. It’s more subtle in some ways and more pronounced in others. If you’re in a one-guitar band you’ll probably nd yourself using the low Q mode because it lls out more of the sonic range, whereas the high Q mode seems to lift the guitar up and out of the mix. I guess that’s in keeping with Haynes’ approach too: he’s one of those guys who is always doing the right thing by the song, and it wouldn’t be in his nature to use a pedal that only sits on top of the band or only nestles into the background.
THIS WARRENS FURTHER INVESTIGATION
This is a very high-quality pedal. It has that ‘you could use it to hammer in a nail’ feel, or maybe an ‘if a bandmate hit you over the head with it you’d be fucked’ kind of vibe. It’ll most de finitely keep up with the demands of life on the road, and the two voices are broad enough to cover any musical situation. Sure, some wah wah pedals give you a lot more control over the ultimate sound, but then again the originals had no user-tweakable controls at all. This strikes the perfect balance between the two schools of thought.
