The Wah guitar effect is also called Crybaby or Cry Baby Wah.
It's a classic guitar effect heard in a large percentage of popular songs of many genres through the years. Jimi Hendrix made extensive use of the Wha pedal, as well as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Slash, Zakk Wylde, and Steve Vai amoung others.
Hear Example Audio of the Wha Guitar Effect Click above to listen to a sample of what the Crybaby Wha effect sounds like on an electric guitar. The effect of the wha is to give to the guitar playing a sound like a human voice, full of expression and emotion.
You can get the Wha sound on your guitar in a number of different ways. The most popular way to add this effect is through a dedicated Cry Baby Wha pedal. Dunlop sells the original version along with many variations of it, and other companies like Morley and Vox also sell good Crybaby Wha pedals.
You can also get the Wha effect through the use of Guitar Multiple effects units, POD devices, and Modeling Amps.
Technical Details of the Wha Effect
So, what exactly is the Wha effect doing to the
sound of my electric guitar? Well, electronically, the Wha is able to shift the high point of the frequency being played up and down. This movement can be done in an automatic way by the device or more often by rocking a foot pedal (expression pedal).
Some Wha devices can be set to change frequency with playing intensity or how hard or soft the strings are struck by the guitar player. As the frequency changes, a marked effect on the resonance can also be heard.
How To Set Up The Wha Parameters
What's involved in setting up the Wha parameters to get the sound I want on my guitar? There are a few settings you can use to adjust the sound the way you want it:
Wha Sensitivity - in an auto-wha setting, the sensitivity will adjust how much the wha will change with the dynamics of how hard and how loud the player is playing.
Attack - an adjustment that can be made to the response speed of the wah.
Polarity - the ability to adjust what direction the wha effect operates in.
Major Vendors Of The Wha Pedal
There are many good vendors of the Wha and Crybaby Wha for electric guitar. When you go shopping for your wha look for well known names like
sound of my electric guitar? Well, electronically, the Wha is able to shift the high point of the frequency being played up and down. This movement can be done in an automatic way by the device or more often by rocking a foot pedal (expression pedal).
