Wah Baby

The ultimate configurable wah

The GT Wah Baby rack wah effect module compares to a wide variety of available wah pedals. It provides more configuration options than most, probably any other, wah pedal available.

Description

The WahBaby is a remote-controlled wah effect. In fact, it is one of only two remoted controlled wahs that we know of, not counting a tiny number of one-off custom builds in the DIY community.

What does "remote-controlled" mean? As you know, the wah effect is controlled by a rocker pedal. That rocker pedal is turning a potentiometer, the same as when you turn a knob on a normal effect. The sweep of the wah's filter goes up and down with the rocker pedal movement. Your guitar signal travels through that potentiometer and is changed appropriately with the motion. Of course, you can use any normal wah pedal with our GT modules. But when you do that, your signal has to go from the wah to the rack if your wah is at the front of your chain. If your wah is not your first pedal, then your signal also has to go from the rack to the wah and back again. As you know, long cable runs can result in loss of tone. This doesn't have to be a serious problem. After all, your guitar signal has to go to the rack anyway. So if your guitar is plugged into your wah (and maybe a tuner) on stage and then the signal is sent to the rack, having the wah first is no worse than having no wah at all. And if you use a buffer, you can avoid the tone loss.

But what if you don't want to run those signal cables, deal with buffers and tone loss? You certainly can't have your wah in your rack unless you are perhaps an Olympic gymnast that can stand on one foot and stick your other foot into a rack. To solve that problem, you need a remote-controlled wah, which keeps your signal in the rack, but still has a rocker control where you need it to be. In that case, the rocker is still controlling a potentiometer, but your signal doesn't go through it. Instead, the potentiometer controls another control added inside your rack module, which in turn controls the effect. That is what a remote controlled wah does.

Do you need a remote controlled wah? Probably not. You can almost certainly figure out how to use a regular wah and handle any problems associated with cabling and tone loss. But maybe you have problems with that or simply don't want to deal with it. Or you want a better wah! Now you have a remote controlled wah option to solve your problem.

Does it sound the same? Hmmm… Do two regular wahs sound the same? Often, no. But there are many reasons for that.

You probably know there are many different wahs available. You may know the history of wahs, from Thomas Organs to Vox to Dunlop to all the many, many wahs that exist. What you may not know is that all wahs share the same basic circuit. "All?" Pretty much, all the commercial wahs from the first to the present that we've ever investigated share this same circuit. However, there are certain parts that they change up to produce different tones. Many of them give you switch or knob controls on some component(s) in the circuit to give you more control than just the rocker. There's also a wealth of lore about wah pots and inductors, and which ones sound the best. This is one case where part of the lore is more true than the stories you hear about other effects and their magic diodes, transistors, etc. Some of those wah parts do make a noticeable difference. And certainly, if you start changing up multiple parts at the same time, you can have big differences in the resulting tones.

The WahBaby is among the most flexible wah circuits we've encountered, offering a variety of controls, some of which we think are unique. Yes, we use the same circuit as everyone else. Yes, we offer many/most of the same options and controls. But since we don't have to fit everything into the shell of a wah pedal, we can offer more. For example, have you ever seen a wah where you can change the inductor with the flick of a switch? Maybe not.

So does the WahBaby sound like other wahs? Depending on your choice of options and their settings, a single WahBaby can reproduce the circuits and options found in pretty much all available wah pedals. So, yes, it can be made to sound like other wahs. But you also have the ability to produce many other configurations of the circuit, yielding unique configurations and unique tones.

But let's answer a different question that you might have intended. Does it also feel the same as other wahs? After all, the rocker isn't directly controlling the signal. It is controlling something else that controls the signal. Yup. That's what a remote controlled wah does.

The "feel" of a wah is largely controlled by the type of potentiometer or "pot" in the pedal. Pots with different specs have a different feel. The range of tone can be the same, but the position of the rocker and its movement differ slightly with the type of pot. Different wahs use different types of pots, and the pot type is part of the lore of wah pedals, even though different pots might give exactly the same range of tone. That's what we mean by the "feel". You might have to adjust your footwork a little to get the same variation in wah tone from different pots. Our remote solution is like that. The most popular type of wah pot is called an "ICAR" pot. That refers to the "taper" of the pot, which is how the pot physically adjusts its setting as you turn it. That does NOT change the sound you get at the extreme positions of heel down and toe down, but it changes the rocker position where all the in-between sounds can be found - the feel.

We use an ICAR pot in the pedal portion of our remote solution. And we work carefully to retain the ICAR feel in the part of our module that is controlled by the pot and in turn controls the sound. There are different, often custom, often very expensive, versions of ICAR pots in various wah pedals. They all vary the feel of their wahs a little bit, usually along with other aspects of the effect. Our remote solution is similar to these other ICAR-controlled wahs. If you are used to a particular wah and switch to a different wah, you will likely have to adjust your footwork a little bit to get the same effect. It is the same if you switch from some other wah to our WahBaby.

Well, that's a lot of words to say, in essence, the WahBaby can be configured to sound like most other wahs or something unique and that the feel of it may take some adjustment, just like switching between other wahs.

Lots of important details are described in our configuration and options sections below, which should address most of your detailed questions.

You do need a cable from the module to the wah footpedal. None of your signal goes through that cable. It carries nothing but control voltages, not sound signals. Like with our 12-Button Footswitch, we chose to use another industry standard, easy to find, affordable cable. It is a standard male/male 1/4" TRS (stereo) cable. It is not included with the module. Get one of whatever length works best for you.

As you can see, there is no connection on the back of the module for a switching input or override switch. The module is turned on/off by the footswitch on the rocker pedal. It does not use a switch on your 12-Button or 3-Button footswitch.

Also, other than the badging on the outside, the Wah Baby rocker pedal is the same as the rocker pedal for our Volume module. The price of the Wah Baby includes both the module and the rocker pedal. However, you may choose a different pot for the Wah Baby version of the rocker pedal. See the Options below.

Configurations

Wah Baby - Compares to many commercially available wah pedals

Options

There are quite a number of options for the WahBaby. As is always the case, the more controls you provide, the more difficult it is to get back to a particular setting. To help with that, we made all the options switches so you can easily keep track of switch settings instead of trying to exactly adjust sensitive knobs to your favorite settings. If you think you really, really need all the in-between settings on a knob for some switched option, let us know and we'll see if it is practical and possible to make that change.

Our standard configuration comes with several of those options built-in. These are the options we think provide the most useful controls for this circuit. But even the options can have options, since many users have detailed knowledge of the mods and customizations they prefer in a wah. Look in the Options section for details about each option. Bass players should consider the Range option.

The standard configuration comes with four of the nine switched options we offer. But you can swap those 4 for different ones if you prefer. It is most accurate to say the base configuration comes with your choice of four switchable options. Additional options are available for a small additional cost. Selecting different options than the 4 default switched options may have an additional cost, depending on what you select. Since there are so many possibilities, we may not have the appropriate front panels in stock for the options you choose. Our standard front panel selection provides for 4 or 6 of the available switched options. If you require less than 4 switches, there may be additional charges or wait time for a custom panel. Configurations with 5, 7, 8, or 9 switched options can be handled with customizations to the 4 and 6 switch panels we normally stock. This is probably not an issue, but if it is it will quickly be identified and resolved as we work out your configuration.

There are some options that come in both "Switched" and "Adjustable" versions. The Adjustable versions allow you to dial in values between, above, and/or below the Switched values, for finer tuning. Switched values are easier to select, but more restricted. Another distinction is that switches take up less room than pots/knobs on the front panel. Switched options may let you configure the module to have a smaller front panel, taking up less space in your enclosure. There are so many options available that we may not have every possible front panel config in stock, so let us know what you're trying to accomplish with your options and we'll let you know which panel options we have in stock vs maybe having to delay a bit and perhaps spend a bit more to get a different panel made.

The rocker pedal is available separately from the module, but is included in the standard configuration pricing (which can also have option changes). The "module only" pricing allows you to try different circuit configurations in different WahBaby modules without the need to buy additional rockerpedals. If you order the rocker pedal separately, there are options for which pot is included.

Level In - This option controls the size of the input resistor. The input resistor limits the level of your guitar signal going into the rest of the circuit. The smaller the resistor, the louder the effect will sound, although it is not normally a big difference. Usually you want the sound level to be "unity", or about the same volume as when the effect is bypassed. Also, if you get the value too small, the increased signal can cause some mild distortion in the effect. Usually that is not intended, but you may like it that way. Or you may prefer to control your distortion with your amp, other effects, etc intended for that purpose. Most commercial wahs have either a 68K or 100K resistor. But sometimes, particularly if other options are being used, there is a small volume loss. To make up for that, some wahs use a 33K or 39K resistor instead. This option lets you select which single value you prefer. By default, we put in 68K.
Switched Level In - This option lets you select from multiple input resistors on a switch. This can be useful when switching between guitars with low output pickups, like single coils and guitars with higher output pickups, such as humbuckers or actives. While it mainly just lets you adjust to unity volume, since it can also help with small distortion issues, it is recommended. You can have either 2 or 3 switched values. By default we will provide 3 values: 100K, 68K, and 33K. You can choose other values if you prefer.
Adjustable Level In - Switched Level In option gives you a simple "high, medium, low" selection. If you prefer to dial in exactly what you want, then choose Adjustable Level In. It will allow you to set the input resistance between about 15K to 115K, which covers the range of values used by all the wahs we know of.
Width - This option allows you to change the resistor that is the biggest factor in setting the "Q", or width of the wah filter. The width is one of the most impactful aspects of a particular wah, having the most control over how "vocal" the wah sounds. Different wahs have used different values of this resistor, mostly either 100K or 68K, occasionally 33K or some other value. The lower values provide a wider range to the filter, while higher values make it sound more "vocal". By default, we use 33K. This option lets you select which single value you prefer
Switched Width - This option lets you select from multiple width/Q resistors on a switch. This is one of the more impactful mods and is recommended. You can have either 2 or 3 switched values. By default we will provide 3 values: 100K, 68K, and 33K. This option with those 3 values is included in the standard WahBaby configuration. You can choose other values if you prefer. If you don't want this option, you can select some other switched option, although there may be some additional cost depending on which replacement option you prefer.
Adjustable Width - If you prefer to dial in non-standard values for the Width resistor, choose this option. You can dial in values from about 15K to 115K.
Range - This option allows you to change the capacitor that is most important for setting the center frequency of the wah filter. This controls the range of frequencies swept. Most wahs use either a 6.8n or 10n capacitor which puts the center frequency at popular points in the mids, roughly compatible with the range of a trebly/mids human speaking voice. Higher values move the range lower, which works better for bass guitars, although guitar players may like the lower range, too. Probably no higher than 15-33n to get in the low range for guitar. 68n is good for bass players. If bass players want a "higher bass range" for the effect, probably 56n or maybe 47n are good choices. Or for a lower bass range, 82n might work better. We use 10n by default. The Range options interact with the Width options. The wider your Q, the more potential overlap in your selected ranges, making the ranges sound a bit more alike. Narrower widths will have less range overlap.
Switched Range - This option lets you select from multiple width capacitors on a switch. This is one of the more impactful mods and is recommended. See the above note about interaction with the Width options. You can have either 2 or 3 switched values. By default we will provide 3 values: 6.8n, 10n, and 15n. This option with those 3 values is included in the standard WahBaby configuration. You can choose other values if you prefer. 6.8n and 10n are used in most wahs, so we recommend you include those in your choices. For guitar, the 15n might be increased to 22n or 33n to get down in the lower ranges. For bass players, we recommend selections of 47n or 56n, along with 68n and 82n to give a selection of bass ranges. 47n might be a bit too close to the guitar range for some tastes, leaving 56n for the smallest cap size in the selection. NOTE ABOUT RANGE OPTIONS: You may know that you can change the range of a wah pedal by physically changing the position of the gear on the pot relative to the straight moving gear that turns it. You have to be careful to keep the resulting range of motion within the range of adjustment for the pot to avoid breaking the pot and/or gears. Our Range options accomplish the same thing by replacing the range capacitor. You probably don't want a capacitor smaller than 6.8n, as that gets pretty trebly. But if that's your thing and you find yourself needing to adjust your wah pot gears to give you more a more trebly range, then you might want to consider a capacitor smaller than 6.8n as the third value, along with 6.8n and 10n. If you adjust your wah gears to give you more bass, then that third capacitor should be bigger than 15n, maybe the 22n or 33n that we mention. Yes, you can also adjust the gears on the WahBaby the same way to get the same effect. However, in our remote control design the adjustment may yield slightly different results.
Buffer - Some wahs include a buffer and some do not. A few have both input and output buffers. Many of the classic wahs (and updated current wahs) didn't have buffers. As a result, where you place them in your chain can make a big difference. Without buffers (and/or other circuit components), other effects can change how the wah operates. Their circuits effectively "combine" and interact with each other electrically, not just in the audio effect way you would likely expect. That is why some combinations of wahs and fuzz pedals for instance don't really sound that great. But that may be just the sound you are looking for if you are trying to replicate classic wah sounds by artists that faced this problem "back in the day".
No Buffer - We include an output buffer in the design of the WahBaby. The Buffer option lets you select to have the buffer all the time (when the effect is on). The No Buffer option will reflect that you don't want the buffer at all. The buffer does not change the resulting tone of the wah. Its main purpose is to keep other downstream effects from changing the resulting tone in an uncontrolled way. If you choose not to have the buffer and later change your mind, you can always get one of our buffer modules and use that, although it will obviously cost more and take up some additional space in your enclosure. Also see the Volume option below.
Switched Buffer - This option includes the output buffer described above, but puts it on a switch so you can decide whether you want to use it or not. We have a preference for circuits that "behave" wherever they are in the chain. For that reason, the Switched Buffer option is recommended and included in the standard WahBaby configuration.
No PDR - Back in the early days of effects, impedance wasn't much considered. When it is left unaddressed, your guitar pickups might "fight" with your first effect, or there may be subsequent "fights" between adjacent effects. Old fuzz pedals are a great example where that wooly loss of tone points out the impedance problem between the pickups and fuzz. This can be avoided by adding a resistor, called a "pull-down resistor" or PDR at the beginning of the circuit. It doesn't affect the tone, other than preventing the loss of tone you get without a PDR. Of course, over the years our ears have become accustomed to that loss of tone in some circumstances and we think that is how it is supposed to sound, or even prefer it that way. That's OK. It's a choice. Vintage wahs and many current wahs do not have a PDR. If you want the problems and tone impacts of those wahs, then you do NOT want a PDR. However, we prefer to control our tone, not get uncontrolled interactions between pedals. For that reason, we (and most modern pedal manufacturers) include PDRs on most of our effects. It might necessitate an adjustment in our effect settings (crank the treble down somewhere to lose those highs!), though. By default we include a PDR in the WahBaby. If you don't want one, then select the No PDR option.
Switched PDR - This option allows you to switch the PDR in and out of the circuit. We don't really think it is worth the cost (or space taken) for a switch. It seems like you either would want it or not. But it's your choice, of course.
Bass - First, don't confuse this with the Range option. The Range option moves the frequency range down into the bass frequencies. This option changes the input capacitor. The input capacitor takes a whack at the incoming guitar signal and chops off some bottom end frequencies before they even get into the main part of the effect circuit. This is done by lots of effects and is often the reason why effects don't work well with bass guitars, or at least part of that reason. The standard wah circuit takes a pretty hard chop on the incoming bass. It doesn't remove it, but it reduces it. Some think that it takes out too much even for guitar, leaving wahs a bit trebly, or leaving them a little thin. But there are other parts of the circuit, such as the Range and Gain options described below that also contribute to the bass response. The standard capacitor cuts some bass, which helps guitars cut through in a band mix. But having a bit thicker wah sound may work better in some cases, perhaps in some classic rock. If you select this option, we will replace the standard input capacitor with one that lets in more bass, whether you play guitar or bass. We'll change it so that all guitar frequencies are allowed in, along with most bass.
Switched Bass - This option puts the input capacitor on a switch. The switch will have two settings. One setting gives you the original input capacitor, good for guitar. The other gives you the capacitor that works better for bass and perhaps guitar as well.
Gain - This option controls the gain of the input stage of the effect, which can lead to a bit of distortion and a bit more volume as the gain goes up. But it also helps accentuate the lower frequencies, making it of interest to bass players. We can either lower the value of this resistor to increase gain, bass, volume, and possibly introduce some mild distortion (especially with a small input capacitor selected). Or we can increase it to do the opposite. The volume impact is very small, maybe not audible. The overall effect of the change is not dramatic, perhaps difficult to hear in some circumstances, but might be helpful for bass players or those that are looking for a tiny bit more thickness in the tone.
Switched Gain - This option gives you 3 settings on a switch. You'll get the standard setting which is present on almost all wahs, along with two incremental increase settings that will very slightly increase bass, gain, and volume, possibly adding a bit of grit.
Mids - This is another resistor value change mod. We can increase the size of this resistor by a small amount to provide a touch more midrange. This also results in a slight increase in the width of the filter. The result is subtle to most ears. By default you'll get the "usual" value used in most wahs.
Switched Mids - Same as the Mids mod, but we'll put two extra resistor values on a switch. The third value will be the original value in the circuit.
Adjustable Mids - Allows you to adjust the Mids to more and less than the usual amount.
Inductor - Our board supports a variety of inductors. By default we use the Yellow Fasel inductors in our standard WahBaby configuration. We usually have others in stock, or we can get them. Red Fasel, Dunlop Crybaby, Dunlop EVH, Whipple, or others are usually available at varying costs.
Switched Inductors - Have you ever wished you could hear two different inductors in the exact same circuit? Now you can. You can specify two or even three different inductors and we'll put them on a switch so you can select whichever one you want. Helps to put an end to debates about which inductor you might prefer. But with all the other switchable options, this gives you the ability to squeeze several different wahs into one. Inductors can be a bit pricey, but it is still much cheaper and more convenient than having several wahs.
Your Inductor - If you prefer, you can purchase whichever one you want, send it to us, and we'll solder it in (Your Inductor option). Check with us first to make sure a particular inductor will fit on our board. Most inductors follow one of a small number of pin configurations that we support.
Pot - Along with the inductor, the wah pot is probably the subject of the most wah lore. Turns out that it does matter, mostly to the feel and operation of the wah, more than the actual tone. By default we use an ICAR pot, which is generally preferred and used in most wahs. But if you made it through the long module description a few pages up from here, you know that our remote controlled wah uses the wah pot in a slightly different way. We tailor our circuit to make the pot we use "behave" and feel like a regular wah. Changing the pot to some exotic (and perhaps expensive) pot of your choice is possible, but may not yield exactly the results you would expect.
Your Pot - We usually only stock our normal "ICAR" pot, but if you want to supply your own (Your Pot option) or have us order a specific replacement, we can do so.
Carbon Comp Resistors - By default we use capacitors and resistors appropriate for the circuit and meant to keep noise to a minimum. There's little reason to change the types of most components. However, vintage wah pedals often used carbon comp resistors. These are a little noisy, but in a good way, and help provide a more vintage sound. This option swaps all the metal film resistors for carbon comp resistors in the audio path.
Noise Reduction Caps - Just like other effects, wahs can pick up some radio frequency noise. Of course your audio signal doesn't go to the actual wah pedal with the WahBaby - it stays in the rack module. Our modules are well-shielded and well-constructed, so noise isn't normally picked up like that. But it can still happen. This option includes tiny noise filter capacitors on both transistor stages, as well as the output buffer. They will shave off some very high frequency noise and hiss, but as always, you'll also lose some audio signal at those frequencies, if there is any. By default, we leave these off.
Transistors - A variety of transistors have been used since the first wahs. There has been little consistency in exactly which models have been used. The reason is that the transistors don't have much to do with the tone, at least as long as they fall into the correct spec range. But even that spec range is often ignored in current wahs, with little or no audible impact. The original Thomas Organ 5117 transistors are long gone. They were "nothing special" transistors Thomas ordered with a custom part number. There is speculation about exactly which transistor model they were, but it isn't clear we'll ever know for certain. Even Thomas had trouble keeping them in stock and their price lists included substitute transistor models for repair technicians. Some choices from lore include 2N2924, 2N2925 (same transistor, two grades), BC109, and others. MPSA13 and MPSA18 have also been used, along with numerous modern, more available transistors. We'll use transistors of the correct spec ranges, whichever models we have on hand, probably MPSA18. If you want something specific, let us know, as we generally have a wide variety of transistors in stock.
Voltage Sag - Many vintage effects, wahs included, ran only on batteries. As the batteries get low, the sound quality changes and degrades as the voltages drop. Of course "degrades" is an opinion. Some prefer the sound of starved fuzz, wah, or other types of circuits. The Voltage Sag option is available for most of our modules, but may be of interest to wah users, so we list it here. It provides you with a control that lets you reduce the voltage from around 9V to whatever "dying battery" voltage you prefer. We aren't a big fan of that type of sound, although occasionally in a fuzz it can be interesting. So, not really recommended, but available.

Front Panel

On/Off indicator LED
Input Level
Width
Range Switch
Buffer Switch
(numberous other controls or switches listed in Options above)

Rocker Pedal

On/Off indicator LED
On/Off footswitch

Rear Panel

Audio In
Audio Out
DC Power
DC Power LED

Module Width

1.5", 2", 3" depending on options
wing configurations may not be available, check with us

Power Consumption (aprox)

23-33mA

Note that the power consumption is higher when the module is off than when it is on. This is normal for this module.

Base Configurations

Part #	Description	List Price
MOD-WAH	Wah Baby module with Rocker Pedal	$275

Options

Part #	Description	List Price
MOPT-WAH-MOD	Module only	$225
MOPT-WAH-ROCKER	Rocker Pedal only	$75
MOPT-WAH-LEV	Level In	$0
MOPT-WAH-LEVSW	Switched Level In	$19
MOPT-WAH-LEVPOT	Adjustable Level In	$19
MOPT-WAH-WIDTH	Width	$0
MOPT-WAH-WIDTHSW	Switched Width	$19
MOPT-WAH-WIDTHPOT	Adjustable Width	$19
MOPT-WAH-RANGE	Range	$0
MOPT-WAH-RANGESW	Switched Range	$19
MOPT-WAH-BUF	Buffer	$0
MOPT-WAH-NOBUF	No Buffer	$-5
MOPT-WAH-BUFSW	Switched Buffer	$19
MOPT-WAH-NOPDR	No PDR	$0
MOPT-WAH-PDRSW	Switched PDR	$19
MOPT-WAH-BASS	Bass	$0
MOPT-WAH-BASSSW	Switched Bass	$19
MOPT-WAH-GAIN	Gain	$0
MOPT-WAH-GAINSW	Switched Gain	$19
MOPT-WAH-MIDS	Mids	$0
MOPT-WAH-MIDSSW	Switched Mids	$19
MOPT-WAH-MIDSPOT	Adjustable Mids	$19
MOPT-WAH-IND	Inductor	$TBD
MOPT-WAH-INDSW	Switched Inductors	$TBD
MOPT-WAH-INDYOURS	Your Inductor	$TBD
MOPT-WAH-POT	Pot	$TBD
MOPT-WAH-POTYOURS	Your Pot	$TBD
MOPT-WAH-CC	Carbon Comp Resistors	$10
MOPT-WAH-NOISE	Noise Reduction Caps	$0
MOPT-WAH-TRANS	Transistors	$TBD
MOPT-WAH-SAG	Voltage Sag	$39