Boss PW-10 V-Wah

-Great manual, as long as you keep track of where you are in the editing process

-No problems actually doing it, but editing the distortion, making a custom wah, etc. are pretty cumbersome with the whole power down/up routine

-The toe switch really sucks- i'm 160 lbs, and i have to stomp with my heel to kill it, while the rest of my foot messes with my settings (anyone up to doing a mod on an otherwise great chunk of equipment?)

-without changing the presets (eg distortion), it's really easy to change your basic sound

-The wah models are dead on

-the uni-vibe is perfect, except it doesn't go fast enough for my tastes (i really want a Leslie cab, except that i'm a college student). The slow settings (barely past heel down) with max depth remind me of Dave Gilmour's phase sound when run with a chorus/flange (listen to Pink Floyd's Breathe for a good example)

-the noise suppressor bites the big one, as you need it when you use the distortion, but you can hear it fighting to kill the sound at high volumes unless you crank it (which kills any semblance of sustain whatsoever)

-the distortions are kinda distinguishable from one another, but all you really need is the boost for solos- let your amp (or dedicated stomp) do the distortion for you, as it sounds better, and has an EQ

-the voice mode sucks, as any fast pedal work absolutely robs you of good tone

-i still am undecided on the "double resonance" effect, as i can't find a practical use for it yet

-i get really noticeable lag (sound drops out) when i heel switch my presets, and there's a different distortion model on the next preset

-As long as I have the adaptor (batteries just don't cut it), i'll go anywhere, without a back up

-slightly less features would actually make my rating go UP- they tried to pack too much into such a small box without providing enough active control over everything.

I would like to come forward now to ask all wusses not to submit reviews on this wah. Come on people, anybody who gave this pedal anything under an 8 for ease of use, has clearly only owned it for about five minutes. This pedal is a work of fricken genius! I've owned MINE for about three months, and i actually know how it works! So if you can't figure it out, grab the owners manual and (amazingly) you might just figure it out. if you can't figure it out after reading the owners manual, then don't EVER operate anything mechanical down to a telephone! UNDERSTAND? Great.

o man, go out and try one that's all i can say. i'd like to be the third to rate this a 17.:-)

it's a boss, come on yo'.

i've pretty much said all i need to say at the top. Great pedal. Great sound. A bit of a battery eater, but hey, that's why they made an adaptor. awsome pedal.

How anyone can honestly give it above a 5 is a mystery. It is
very, very hard to use. And by the way the switches (one for toe, one for heel) are very , very hard to PUSH. So how can you press them when you are down on your butt trying to program it! I think if this pedal made it easier to find and set distortions and had less programming options it would be much more successful. If it had no distortion it probably would not make me so angry. Some of these "easy to use" submissions must come from Boss employees.

The wahs are great and can be adjusted for range which is great.
But the distortions: hard to find, hard to save, and they all have a ton of midrange. When did this love for midrange squawk and honk arise? I thought mid scooping was the trend. Better to have left them off. I can't envision anyone using this as their only or primary source of overdrive. Not that they suck but they are just very hard to find and switch and very time consuming to adjust. Just imagine taking 15 minutes at band practice trying to get a sound you found in two hours on your butt, you get the idea. Save it you say, well there are only 3 places to save and you cycle through them with your heel. OH JOY!! And when you call up your distortion with the back of your foot the drive goes to where the knob is set, not where you saved it at!!! Too many bells and whistles here. This is a wah wah pedal that can potentially make about 1000 different sounds. But that's like having to reading about the ass for an hour every time you have to fart.

I have only had five pedals go bad in 30 years and that's when I try to tinker with them. This is just not a factor for me I guess. As I said before however, if you rely on this for your distortion you must really love obtuse and anal retentive programming.

What, like I'm going to call Tokyo and get a chance to tell them how
stupid they are!!!!!!!!!! I've been trying for twenty years to get someone to make a flanger with a foot pedal on it to sweep the manual.
YEAH, IT WOULD BE GREAT. And while I'm ranting... Why do none of the fancy ass processors allow you to go dry left and wet right.
So frigging basic, it's on many recordings....BUT NO!!!!!! You can't
program any of these floor guitar processors like the GT3 to give
you a dry distortion from left and a wet only reverb from right. WHY!!!!

I can't use a pedal that makes me furious, even if it has some
great wa sounds. They should have left out the distortion and the
noise gate. The noise gate will actually cause your sound to fade out. Very nice when trying to sustain a note, NOT!! If I was'nt so lazy I'd put it on E BAY for $45.

From the first moment you take it out of the box, plug it in, turn it on and start messing with the knobs, this pedal [like most BOSS pedals with multiple settings] becomes truly engaging. My suggestion would be to sit in a room and have a "getting to know you" session with the pedal before you even think about touching the manual. After you are acquainted with the basic functions, the manual provides you with tons of easy to follow directions on how to further manipulate the pedal. Now, the problem for some may not be so-much-the-directions-as the process of programming the pedal. Saving presets, setting distortion types, etc. all have a different process to them [unplugging the pedal, pushing buttons, turning knobs...] that require nothing more than a little patience. Outside of that, this pedal is incredibly easy to use.

My setup goes: Les Paul Studio [into]>Fender PT-10>BOSS PW-10>ProCo RatII>BOSS CE-3>BOSS CS-3>KORG Dynamic Echo>[out through] Music Man HD130 Reverb Head/4x12 Cab. The WAH on it's own always sounds great. With a little bit of chorus and/or compression you can get some nice harmonic undertones to come out. With distortion [unless you use the pedal's on-board distortion(s)] the final signal likes to feed back when the pedal is rocked all the way forward. This can be adjusted somewhat by the "wah-range" knob. One of the best/noisiest sounds you can get out of this pedal is by putting it on its 3rd factory preset [a kind of distorted synthesizer emulation], turning on echo or delay, and strumming a chord or single note while slowly sweeping the pedal from low to hi tone. This creates a tremendous swell of horribly beautiful noise that sounds something like a very large space ship swooping by, or what it must sound like just before your head pops.

Very dependable. No need for a back up.

N/A

I have been playing for 12 years now. Before this pedal, I had a limited edition Dunlop Crybaby which got the job done quite well. Then the PW-10 came out, and once I realized that it could successfully emulate the sound of my Crybaby, as well as create the sounds of multiple other wahs, I was sold and traded in my Crybaby. The styles of music I play go: Jazz, classical, metal, ambient, progressive, math, and straight up rock. I use this pedal more for effecting the dynamics/tone of my guitar within a song, rather than as a tool for wanking out a solo. But, it is also very versatile within the wanking realm. With all of its options [did I mention it also has 8 different distortion settings, and can be used as just a distortion pedal?] this pedal is quite ideal for me.

I bought this for use as a wah and as such it is child's play to use. The distortion and programming features require a bit more attention but none it is rocket science. Unlike some of your other reviewers, I found the manual helpful and easy to understand.

I'm skinny. Maybe that's why I haven't experienced the problem of accidentally tripping the heel switch. You know, guys, it's the sound that's supposed to be fat -- not the players.

My setup: American Standard Stratocaster > Boss CS3 compressor > FV50H volume pedal > [wah goes here] > trusty Zoom 1010 multiFX > Boss tremolo (TRsomething) > Boss DD3 > Marshall Valvestate 30 (clean channel only; I'm saving up for a better amp!)

The V-Wah isn't at all noisy. The photelectric potentiometer is a dream, offering smooth tone transitions and no unpleasant mechanical surprises. If only the vintage wahs whose sound this babe models were a quarter as good at this.

In terms of the sounds themselves, this pedal is pure heaven. I don't want to comment on how close the sounds are to the originals modelled; taken for themselves, they're great. The Bad Horsie setting is wonderful, especially for reggae and funk (well, at least I think so). The Voice setting is a great gimmick but it can get old really fast if you use it tastelessly.

The best thing on it -- as some of your other reviewers have found -- is the Uni-Vibe setting with the pedal-controlled vibrato speed. Look, I have to confess; I never knew what a Uni-Vibe was till I got this pedal. There were all these sounds on Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti and on other albums I love that sounded tasty but I never knew what made them. I do now. This one effect alone is worth the price I paid for the whole pedal.

Somebody gave this a 17 for sound quality? Way to go.

Haven't owned it that long or gigged it yet but it looks pretty solid and I've learned to trust Boss gear. I'm easy on my stomp boxes anyway -- like I said, I don't weigh much.

Don't know. You mean this isn't manufactured offplanet by super-intelligent advanced using a technology barely distinguishable from magic?

I play rock -- all kinds, and my definition of rock is a broad, broad church with a congregation that includes Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, Tom Waits, Nirvana and Beck. I'm not a big metal or punk fan. My favourite guitar players are Jimmy Page, Ry Cooder, Andy Summers, Neil Young and Keith Richards, not necessarily in that order. I don't play like any of these guys but the settings on my cheap little Zoom multiFX box mimic (or mock if you prefer) some of the tones frequently used by those heroes.

It don' signify. This wah is a great match for any kind of music that features wah guitar. It is intrinsically musical in the way it responds to the player and can lead your playing in interesting directions if you let it.

If it were lost I would instantly go out and buy another. If it were stolen I might go out and buy a gun.

First of all, I'd like to slam craig james (who submitted a review for this product fairly recently) on being a complete technical IDIOT! THIS PEDAL IS NOT HARD AT ALL TO USE!!! EVEN IF IT WAS IT WOULD BE WAY WORTH THE MONEY ANYWAY!!! seriously, getting started is a little bit confusing, but it's not that bad when you get to know the pedal.

On a scale of one to ten, this pedal scores about a 17! This friggin pedal will all but cook you breakfast (and do the dishes too) if you want it to! It literally has about 20 different effects pedals built right in. My favorite feature is the classic wah sounds (especially the Morley Bad Horsey), but i also love the EIGHT types of distortion as well as the more modern sounding wahs.

I know you've heard that all bosses are bomb proof, but this one seems just a teency weency bit cheeper than most. i'm gonna baby mine, and i think it's gonna last me a while.

Five friggin year warrenty. that's all.

"What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?"
It doesn't matter what style music you play, this pedal does it all. The reason most of us buy effects pedals is for the sound they produce. (duh). I have to give this one a ten+ just for the superb sound that it produces. (rock on)

The PW-10 is a great wah, but you MUST read the manual THOROUGHLY if you want to use this pedal to its fullest potential. turning the knobs on the pedal is easy. accessing the distortions and other gadgets is tough, but the manual trells you everything you need to know.

my setup: BC Rich P7 Mocking bird / BC Rich NJ Beast ===> V-wah =====> BOSS MT-2 ====> BOSS GE-7 ====> Marshall MG 30

This pedal is excellent in everything it offers EXCEPT the distortions, which sound somewhat weaker than the pedals they are based off of. This pedal is worth the money regardless of the distortions. Mo, Vo, and CBY Wahs all sound excellent with their own personalities. Bass wah is designed for bass, but works well with guitar too. the advanced is similar to the CBY-Wah, but with a wider range.

The voice wah is very interesting to play with (theere is a suggested setting called "oh yeah!" which makes it say just that!). The Univibe is also a nice effect. You can create your own custom wah, but the default is a synth sound, which i really like.

overall, awesome sounding wah!

Its a BOSS. Built like a tank.

Never had to deal with them.

I play most metal and some blues. This wah pedal is excellent, and i suggest everyone at least try one!

It is easy to get a good sound out of this way right off the bat, especially in "manual" mode where the sound output is dialed in in "real time", so to speak. I'd knock a few points off b/c I feel that this wah almost has too many features, believe it or not. You do need to spend time reading the manual but it is well worth the effort. The manual is thorough and explains the unit well. I don't know if some of the features such as the voice sounds or even the distortions are necessary, especially since you have to disconnect your chosen power supply and hold the memory button down for two seconds while reconnecting the power, just to get to the distortion options. However you can then program them into 1 of 3 memory banks for recall on the fly. For such a long list of features, a couple more memory slots would have been nice. Better yet, cut out some of the aforementioned options and bring the price & simplicity down. The wah sounds are fantastic, which is what really matters. My only other gripe is the heel switch function. I tend to place enough pressure down on the heel (from using the more traditional wahs) to engage the wah's memory options which playing. I just have to lighten up on the heel pressure...

My setup = USA Fender Strat w/ Humbuckers -> V Wah -> MXR Phase 90 -> Ibanez TS9 -> Boss MT-2 -> Fender 2x12 Hot Rod DeVille. The pedal is not noisey at all, and the distortion effects have a noise supression option to quiet things down too. A nice addition. This pedal would work well with any kind of music: rock, metal, blues, disco, etc.... I use it for rock/blues. There are not a whole lot of options to tweak the distortion settings compared the the actual pedals they model, but they sound great as is. You can dial in the Drive option (gain). The wah sounds are fantastic. The pedal allows you to tweak the heck out of your wah sound via "Q", "Range", and "Presence" settings. It gets an A+ in that department.

I've only had this particluar pedal for a short period of time but given BOSS's record I do not anticipate any problems. I do not gig out too much but it feels dependable; a combo of metal and heavy duty plastic. I don't think anyone really needs a backup wah, you can get by without one unlike a blown tube or broken string.

I have not had to converse with or deal with BOSS/Roland support.

I've been playing for about 13 years. I've owned a Dunlop Crybaby and still own a Vox reissue wah (which gets serviced by Dunlop by the way, in the event of a problem). The BOSS V Wah is a no-brainer replacement. I feel that the Dunlop and Vox style pedals (or any potentiometer-based wah for that matter) will inevitablly break down. The problem with the Dunlop and Vox ones is that they break down far too soon, at least in my experience. And I mean within two years, and that's with light use. They get scratchy/squeeky and sound aweful. The V Wah won't do that due to it's infrared-based technology. The Morley's operate based on the same principal (optical). Simply put I dig the wah features/sound and since it likely will not break down anytime soon I think it's well worth the money. I am knocking off a point b/c as I wrote previously there are probably too many options for most musicians, given this application. But of course you *don't have* to use the extras.

Okay! Frig! This think is so hard to use, well not to use but to get it to sound right! I have been back and forth to the store that I bought it from and between the two of us it is pretty much useless. One minute it'll work the next it is like a screaming feedback. If you do what the manuel tells you, you'll get even more screwed up! This is the hardest pedal to use in the world I think! Schools should have a course specifically on how to use this thing! I've owned it for about 2 months and have only used the Uni-Vibe effect life in fear of blowing people's eardrums if I use the distortions on it!

Okay, yes the wahs do sound good and the uni-vibe is rocking. When the distortion do work they do sound good, but all because it is so friggin hard to use I'm gonna dock it 3 points because I'm really mad at this pedal. The sound is good but I would easily buy any of the orginals (for example an Electro Harmonix Bigg Muff or a Vox Wah) over the emulated version any day!

NO!!!!! I can't depend on it! It honestly freaks me out to turn it on incase it screecches right in my ear! I'd trust a wah more if I made it myself then this one although it is built pretty good!

I haven't emailed them yet, but I am going to! The support that the store gave me is great considering I've been there 50 million times trying to figure out how to work the stupid thing!

One of the hardest things for me to buy was a wah, then I HEARD this one and was blown away. I tried out the demo and I liked it. I bought it and POW! It sucks the bag! If it was ever stolen I would pity da foo who stole it! The sucky thing too is that the music store I bought it from is store credit only! How bad does that suck! Unfortunatley this kind of blew my mind set on boss, I always thought that their effects were cool, but this one is a pile of junk! If I ever buy a boss pedal again, I'll have to try it out for like a week first!

Not difficult to use-Didn`t get "manual"-got store demo cheap!-this is a solid pedal-like a rock.

1961 Es-355 and other jazz guitars-Fender Princeton and twin amps-I bought this for "Univibe feature alone"!-the best damn hammond organ sound I ever heard-Period I`m not an effects player but this pedal is the One effect that is truly Super a WINNER!!-Hammond Heaven!!-Forget those other reviews nothing "SillY about this awesome Sound

8 months and going strong-I use it all the time No Problems!!..

Havewen`t had need for contact- my unit is fine!!

Maybe someday I`ll use all this pedal can do-I get killer comments every time I play on sound quality and "Hey you sound just like a Hammond Organ.. Man is this thing the balls!!!..