Fuzz Wah

Well, I didn't hear the massive tone-suck you might expect from a wah, it must be true-bypassed or buffered very well, I'd have to check again.  The fuzz sounds like you'd expect from a "vintage" sounding creamy-type fuzz.  Not the "can of bees" sound, a smooth, pretty squished fuzz.  I think it would do well to fatten up a lead part, even when set to a cleaner sound.  I mostly stuck to my neck pickup here because the fatness factor here is where it shines. The other big advantage here is that, while with most fuzz sounds you tend to lose a real sense of dynamics, you can be very dynamically expressive because of the wah-rocker setup.  That method of control is really the selling point here, maximum expression.  While the wah doesn't really stand out on it's own (not a real FUNKY wide spectrum sweep) it can be pretty useful in shaping the tone of the fuzz while you are playing.  It's more of a mids-shaper for the fuzz than an all out wah.  So, even though are aren't many controls to tweak, you can move through a good variety of tones all while your hands are busy holding down the rock. I guess to sum up the sound, the high point is great flexibility during a performance.  The low point would be that when the fuzz is off, the wah is no substitute for a good ol' cry-baby when it comes to funky filtering.  It is definitely more like a tone knob for the fuzz.

Haven't had a problem.

This pedal is very easy to use, not only because you can right away get some nice sounds without any tweaking but it also is actually easy to use while performing.  Because of the way the footrocker is set up, you have basically have flexible tone and gain adjustments available at your feet.  You don't need to bend over to tweak anything (although there is a trimmer that acts similar to a master volume, just crank it all the way up and let your feet do the controlling).  It doesn't get a 10 only because right away, the player will have to get used to a wah-type pedal that also adjusts left to right.  It was a little akward for me at first, careful not to fall over...  There's also a small switch where you can change the order of the two effects (wah -> fuzz or fuzz -> wah).

The guys at Fender have always been friendly to me, never had a problem here.

For what this pedal is, there isn't much or anything better. There aren't too many fuzz wahs out there, and the new ones made today are mostly terrible. The Fuzz is the thickest, warmest, and most natural I've ever heard. Also, the gain boost you get when you turn it on is enormous (hello compressor). The wah is not a typical wah, not a crybaby wacka-wacka wah. This wah has two really good uses for me. One is the electronic weird sound you can get by using your foot a good amount. The other is a slow build up from being completely under water to inside your head--this wah definitely has the longest sweep by far--of any wah I've ever heard, and you can lost while getting through it--beware. When you combine the two you get to sound like Jimmy Hendrix--no joke----hendrix in a box--thats what it should be called.

If you got one then you'd know these boys are real old. They're bound to break if you abouse them. I had to have my wah adjusted because something was wrong with it. Also, they suck 9V batteries quick! But it is a HUGE HUGE metal box so it is relatively sturdy once settled down.

This is a tricky wah pedal if you ask me. However, who cares about it being a bit of a pain in the ass to use after you've heard the sound. As stated in other reviews, this pedal has a fulcrum towards your heel and it has a stomp on each side of the pedal. There is also no LED light (can be confusing).

who freakin knows----you call fender and ask them about the pedal

I got this for $225 bucks and that was a steal. There aren't many fuzz wahs out there and there aren't many fender effects either. This pedal will probably be worth alot more in 10 years, so get em while they last. I think it's the best fuzz/wah ever made for it's unique sound--not compromising warm analog tone. Don't get this pedal if you want to do the wacka wacka funk stuff--you may be able to get it with this pedal but it won't sound like a crybaby. I love it--Jimmy in a box.

This is one of the sickest fuzz-wahs I've ever heard.  It can have the highest, most shreiking quality to it with all settings on 10.  It is simply a gain monster.  Tinitus sufferers & fragile pre-amps beware.  On the down side, the hiss from this thing can be ungodly, & can almost play itself by turning it on.  Granted, it's a given that old effects make noise, this is almost more than is acceptable.  But then again, if you're taking full advantage of its super destructo tone, who cares about hiss when you're ripping out those Stooges covers anyway?

Um, lets put it this way... I'haven't played it for about two & a half years due to its non-functioning status.  The plastic stroke gear that turns the pot shaft gear is held in place by a plastic retainer, screwed into the underside of the housing.  The screw eventually falls out after numerous whackings with the pedal & the whole action goes slack.  There are only so many times that you can re-screw that thing in there before stripping the hole.  The last time I did this, I knocked the pot out of alignment, so when the gears were put back together, it never had the same sweep again.  needless to say, I've never gotten around to fixing it since the electronics of my unit were very on again/off again before the mechanical failure.  This is most frustrating since the outer casing is so huge & heavy it seems a Sherman tank could run over this thing & it'd be okay.  My advise for the owners of these pedals is to treat this screw with some Loc-Tite, or better yet some super-glue as some preventative maintainence.

As mentioned before, the pivot for this pedal is towards the rear, so if you're used to the "Cry-Baby" style pedal that has more of a central fulcrum, it may take some getting used to.  Some people might think this is better/worse depending on your point of view.  Also, there are 2 of the regular '70's era clunk foot switches on the top of the rocker that you have to manuver your foot between, sometimes it can be tricky.

Fender was probably too busy making solid state amps in the late seventies to even remember that they made this thing.

Would I replace it?  Haven't yet, but as an obsessive gear-head with a penahnt to keep everything forever, that's not to say I wouldn't.  If I found a another really good one for cheap, I might buy it just as a studio oddity to cure the duldrums. I think if you wanted to play noise-rock/trash-core/punk this would be a perfect pedal & worth it for the fuzz alone.  I think there's a reason that nobody famous is associated with using this pedal as the gain & tone are so over the top.  This could be a good thing if you're looking to set yourself apart from every other Big Muff-toting, beer swilling, knuckle-dragging, 4 chord bashing punk rocker out there.  I think if you like it, play it till it breaks & bring a Boss pedal as a backup. Overall, use of this pedal is a sure fire way to break your current lease if you don't mind putting up with some noise & figuring out how to fix it every other gig.