Boss PW-10 V-Wah

As a Wah, it is wicked easy. Dial in a wah type, dial in a range, dial in some distortion if you want, step on it and wah.

It get's a little arduous when experimenting with the distortion sounds, or creating a custom wah. It is not hard per se, just very illogical. The manual has some type-o's, but explains the custom processes fairly well.

This Wah is the best I've ever heard. There are several types to chose from, I'm favoring the Crybaby model or the Morley. The ability to adjust the wah range is awesome. Not noisy at all, unless you start playing with the distortions...

I'm running mine into a JCM900 Marshall dual master volume half stack. I'm using the head's gain (full preamp, half gain), and using the V-Wah's distortions (Marshall Govner model) for a solo/gain boost. Previously, I used the DS-1 in the same manner. The distortion from the V-Wah is wicked killer (read: really nice), but also really noisy. Sounds like there is a fan in my cab. There is a built in noise gate for the distortions, but it doesn't kill the hiss when also running with the amp's gain. I'll be adding a gate soon (read good reviews on the NS-2), but it is bearable in the meantime, and I still have the DS-1 to fall back on. But as a wah alone, this rocks.

There are 2 modes to use the memory switch (the heel switch), one will give you the 3 stored choices, the other will give you just one (kinda like a A-B). I use the latter, and don't use any gain for the manual mode, and the distortion boost for the memory. This way you can use the heel switch as a seperate distortion pedal. Pretty clever.

Feels very solid, and you can tighten the pedal if the rocker becomes too loose, or you can adjust it if it is too tight new. The picture is a little deceiving...the is alot bigger than I pictured it would be, and it is all metal (looks a little plastic in the pict, but it's not).

Never dealt with them. I've had Boss gear since I was a kid, and they've never failed.

I'm into all styles. The most reliable, solid, flexable, wah I've ever owned, and will ever own. As a wah, it simply cannot be beaten. I would consider all of the other features as cool extras. They are very musical and workable, and sure as hell can't be found in other wah's in this price range (if at all), so this is definitely a bargan for anyone looking for the Ultimate Wah!! And with the infared sensors, you never have to replace anything, or even clean it for that matter. I would definitely buy this again. Definitely get the power adaptor. It takes like 6 AA batteries, so I would NOT want those to die on me in a gig, so better safe than sorry. The only thing I wish it had was a better noise gate. Not everyone is going to use the distortion as a gain boost as I am, so it might not affect YOUR tone ;-)

Once you figure out the procedure for setting presets it's not that complicated. Especially for what it's capable of. I can't stand that it won't bypass without any drive even when the pedal is off, but you can work around that.

Sometimes the sound is a little bright but overall it's pretty tight and responsive. It seems to fit most applications well.

Haven't had any problems in 2 years.

Never had to.

Good pedal. Worth the money. For God's sake though, buy the external power supply. Running this thing on AA's is expensive, especially when you factor in the time it takes to learn how to use this thing and the time you'll spend just fooling around with the endless toys it has. I only gave this a 7 because i have to keep the drive almost off to keep my signal how i want it.

Superb! Tried it out @ PMT in Birmingham, helpful guys, breif instructions on the bottom of the unit. The demo model had a broken power input, typicaly! So we opened a new one, ten minutes and a hugh dose of wah-ing later, I was walking to my lockup with one in my bag. (and a PSU, never use batteries!!)
A quick, "same time as using it" look through the instructions, and I was well away.
Admittedly, I was a little phased when 5 minutes into using my first patch It changed....I discovered the heel switch (I couldn't have got that far into the manual)
This pedal is genius, pure and simple!

Setup:
Fender Strat > Ernie Ball Volume > DOD FX Delay > Mesa V-Twin Pre-Amp > TU2 > Yamaha DG100 212 Combo.
This is now sitting at the front of my chain...I used to use a MT-2, which I still do on occasion and coincidentaly this is pretty much the same setting I used to use, but I can imagine it being fairly annoying not having the range of EQ available on the pedal itself...but please bear in mind this is a wah pedal with extras...not a distortion pedal. With this in mind the OD-2 is impressive, and has now forced me to leave my Mesa V-Twin on Clean!
The Morley is superb, I broke my bad horsie a while back, which I'd been usign for about 2 years. My replacement (a Vox job) was traded in with a friend of mine for the Mesa, so I'd been wha-less for a while. The vox patch on this pedal is not bad, not fantastic, but a worthy inclusion.
The Crybaby is fantastic, I like this one a lot.
The advanced is very useful in buildups a synth style....wicked.
Have not bothered to use the custom yet, everything I need is here!

Ah, a worthwile mention is also the Mig Muff Pi distortion...smack on!

I use the pedal with the heel set to switch between current settings and memory 1......saves swithing between thee effects to get the one you want.
(Memory)OD2 Distortion, Morley Wah.
(Settings) No Drive, Crybaby (Just for the times the mesa needs to be used!)
Every wah I could ever need!

The Univibe is great, controlable speed...I haven't used it yet.
Talker - Useless.

I'd gig with this without a backup because I can't afford one, and I haven't broken a boss pedal yet.
Besides, I think my leg would break before this beast!

The guy at PMT works for roland UK, so I can always pop by for any queries, also he registered my 3 year warranty while I was in store. but to be fair I don't think I'll ever need to use it.

This is a great pedal for every style imaginable. I play rock/pop. Not many solo's and things, but it's a great help with dynamics and phrasing...really adds character to any small lead breaks or for enhancing rhythmic stabs.
Been playing about 8 years or so, and have tried and owned a fair few wah's. This is a world beater compared to anything I've ever had (except maybe my coloursound....damn theifs....Hey, maybe that could be a next addition!!!)
If it was stolen by some light fingered git, I'd throw my pedal board at him, cut off his eyelids and pour salt over his head.
Then buy another one, because I'm sure as hell he wouldn't let go of it even then!
If you need a wah, try one now. Superb.
http://www.overplay.co.uk/jinja
(Cheap plugs all the way!!)

The only reason I won't give this a ten is because of the steps involved with programming, otherwise, it's a wah. I you used a Cry Baby then you can use this. The manual is essential in order to change distortions or store patches to one of the four memory slots.

I'm the very first review on this thread and needless to say I still have the V-Wah (which for me is saying a lot as I am constantly trading gear). I've had a couple of different Cry Babies, a Morley, the Tech 21 wah, the Akai wah pedal over the years and guess what? I don't have any of them anymore. The only wah pedal I own right now is the V-Wah (I've had it since 2002 when it first came out). The uni-vibe and the custom wah settings are by far my favorites and most used features of this unit. Occasionally I'll use the talker and some distortion (although I normally use an OD-20 for my distortions since it's easier to control). Right now I have the V-Wah in front of a OD-20 into a DD-20 into a Loop Station. All that leads to a Bose Cylindrical Radiator Persoanl PA and I'm playing a Takamine LTD-98 acoustic-electric. (By the way, I recently got the BCB-60 pedal board and everything is powered by one source and all the cables are neat and tidy and it's easy to pack and go). The V-Wah is not noisy at all, ever... It sounds great clean or distorted. My only complaint is that it is somewhat difficult to get it to change patches or to turn off IF you are sitting down while playing. That fact that I still own it is a testement to how great a pedal the V-Wah is.

Depend on a Boss product? Definitely. NEVER had a problem with their gear.

Well, I've never needed to contact them, so, in my opinion, that's the best customer support you could hope for, isn't it?

How could you not give the V-Wah a ten? Try it out, be patient, and don't let the programming steps freak you out. I'd most defintely get another if something should happen to mine. Wahs in my arsenal have come and gone, but not the V-Wah, and I've been playing for over 25 years. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Peace

When used as a wah, this pedal is incredibly easy to get a fantastic sound out of. Choose your wah type, press down on the toe and there you go, easy as that. As for the other features though, well, that could be complicated for some. First things first, you have got to read the manual to get the most out of this pedal. It will show you how to create your presets, set the noise gate, set your distortion choices (if desired) and how to alter the functionality of the heel switch. For me this was a breeze, others could find it difficult though so I'll give this an 8.

I've used this pedal in several situations so far, though I use it most for jamming and recording into a Boss BR864. The sound is fantastic, particularly the Morley model, and there is no obvious noise when distortion is not used. However, the distortion settings change things dramatically. When using these settings you will always have a trickle of reverb sounds when using the wah. You can use the noise gate to fix this, but at high gain the gate will eat your signal something fierce. Personally I don't find the slight reverb sounds to be a problem, and keep the gate at about 2 o'clock. As for the distortion settings themselves, they are all quite good. My personal favorite is the Marshal, which growls like the best of them.

Once again, when using the wah features alone, this pedal is 100% dependable. I use it as a wah, with various wah types to choose from. Use of the distortion and patches is a little more awkward as stated in other posts previous, though as I don't use them I don't care. For my needs, this gets a 10. As for build quality, this pedal is built like every other Boss unit I've owned and will last no problem. Solid.

Never dealt with them, never needed to.

I play a lot of heavy rock, metal and my own blend of blues/jazz, and this pedal helps me get both classic and modern wah tones. Truth be told it is more feature ridden than I need, but what it does give me is the flexibility I wanted in a wah. I've owned two wahs in the past, the first being an old Boss unit and the second a Crybaby 535. I would take this over either of them anyday, and would buy it again without hesitation. Good job Boss!

I have not yet tried the pedal a lot, since I just got it. I bought it used on ebay, but it didn't bring a manual. After days of looking for one on the internet, I came up with this site (a great guy that posted his boss v-wah review gave it to me). It has EVERYTHING you need to know about the wah, including the whole MANUAL!!!

http://myguitarpage.narod.ru/wah.htm

it's in russia and it's kinda slow, but the files work and are virus free...

ENJOY!

Using it as just a wah is easy - set the wah type (Cry Baby/Vox/Morley etc) and use as normal. It's a pain to try to change the drive type - you have to mess around inserting the jack whilst pressing certain buttons.

Some of the wah sounds are ok. Side by side with a stock Cry Baby the CB emulation lacked the top end spike that makes 'Shaft'-style funk playing sound so good, Sounded a bit better with more distorted sound though. BIG problem though is that the drive knob is always active in the circuit even when the pedal is off, so you have to set it to zero. Also, if you have one of the presets selected, if it has drive as part of it's preset, you'll be able to hear it even with the pedal in the off position. This renders it pretty useless as far as I'm concerned. Univibe doesn't sound that nice.

Boss stuff is usually reliable.

Never tried them

Some ok sounds but the problems with the drive sounds are plain stupid. I sold mine in the end and bought a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe - sounds absolutely superb and well worth the extra cost. Boss seem to be bringing out new pedals and just cramming extra effects in to make them appear versatile - sound quality seems to suffer greatly though.

It's interface is stupid. Read the other reviews.

I like its sounds. Mostly.

So. I think this modeling pedal idea is a really nice one! However I'm disappointed by the way it was done.

This unit could have 8 fully programmable distortions, at least 10 presets, with the ability to render distortions to the presets individually. A true and instant bypass. I hope the Boss guys will check our reviews and develop a successor for the PW-10 soon. I suggest a larger housing, like the Digitech Whammy has for example. So there can be more knobs and switches to make the users life easier.

Also, I allways wondered why isn't there a wah pedal that is weight sensitive? If you step on it, the wah activates. If you step off, the wah turns off. This could be a much better solution than the traditional toe switch.

Well, I can imagine this pedal to be able to receive and send MIDI stuff.

Yeah, I would also include a pitch shifter a panner and a volume pedal option in the second version. Making it stereo of course.

This could be a very versatile unit both in the studio and live. Right now it is not versatile because of the stupid interface.
I'm going to sell it and buy a decent multieffect.
I'm pretty sure, that for its price it could be a better unit.

Read on.

I use a Ibanez fitted with DiMarzio pickups -> Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp -> Amp

Is it noisy?

I am a bit wary about posting this review as most people seem to be very pleased with this unit and its sound but I have posted my experiences in case someone else has similar problems.

I have owned 2 V-Wah pedals. The first V-Wah was so noisy that I was convinced (by reading previous reviewers) it must be something that I was doing. After 5 days, I decided to take it back to the shop to compare it with another. They were very co-operative and, after comparison with their demo model, they concluded that the pedal did have an unacceptable level of hiss, was therefore pretty much unusable and replaced it with their demo model.

I have been using this second V-WAH for 4 weeks now. The Wah effects are very good BUT I have been infuriated with it for the following reasons:

Problems
1. It produces a lot of hiss (It is not my set-up or cables etc). The hiss can be countered by the noise suppressor. See problem 2.
2. The built-in noise suppressor works but you can hear it struggling to suppress the played notes and it kills the sustain.
3. The subsequent treble boost when the pedal is fully forward is way too high leading to shrill sounding, artificial and thoroughly dreadful tones.
4. The 2-3 second heel switch bypass method is totally useless for playing live and annoying for home/studio use.
5. The distortion effects have only one adjustable setting ?Drive?, so your mileage will vary ? some might work for you but they all sounded bad on my setup as they could not be EQ?d.
6. The Wah effect is insufficient when you play high notes above the 12th fret.
7. THE BIG ONE ? It produces a strange Breathing Hiss as if the gain is increased as a played note decays. This hiss slowly fades away over a period of 20 seconds. If you turn the guitar volume all the way off whilst it is happening the breathing hiss is still there rendering the unit unusable! You can use the noise suppressor but it doesn?t work fully and refer to problem 2. The breathing hiss is still present even if you use the toe switch to turn the Wah effect OFF.

Solutions (your result my vary as this applies to my experience)
Problem 1 ? seems to be related to the built in distortion. Even if you turn your selected distortion OFF using the ?Drive? knob, it sounds like the distortion circuit (software?) is still part of the chain. It is actually less noisy if the ?Drive? knob is turned ON slightly (with some of the distortions) so the distortion effect has just activated.

Problem 2 ? You can turn the noise suppressor OFF when you change the distortion type. You will have hiss for a while but again read on.

Problems 3 ? By customising your own Wah effect you can turn down the ?PRESENCE? which attenuates the high frequencies. Problem 3 might be to do with hot pickups (I use DiMarzio Air Norton, HS-2, ToneZone) regardless, the ?presence? adjustment solves this one. In my case this is set to almost fully anticlockwise.

Problem 5 ? Turn them OFF (see below). BOSS should have left these out as it adds a level of complexity to the unit that could have been better allocated to further Wah refinements. Without the ability to fine tune the distortions they will be pretty useless to most people. As I?ve said before you may get lucky, other reviewers have.

Problem 6 ? By customising your own Wah effect you can alter the ?Q? which alters the width/height of the tone boost. By reducing the width and increasing the height (I think it increases the height) the Wah effect now works well with high fretted notes. Problem solved.

THE BIG ONE (7) ? I tried altering the Heel Switch operation but the Breathing Hiss was still there. This Breathing Hiss is very trial & error to eradicate. Sometimes it works others not but when it does work it seems permanent (so far). Begin by following the change distortion procedure. Turn the noise suppressor OFF. Turn the driv

The first one had to go back.
It's built like a tank though.

Never dealt with them.

I'd like to know if other people have had similar problems to mine so please post with your problems/solutions.

When I got it finally working it was good.

It is pretty easy to get a good sound of the PW 10. It models some other wah's so it's not exactly the same, but it is still a good wah pedal. Plus you can create your own custom wah sound. Editing the 3 memory patches are not difficult to edit after you read the manual. Also, if you go through and read the manual, it is easy to set up. Boss probably could have used some better wording to explain some things but it's not that hard to understand. If you want to change different distortion types onstage, then get some other pedals. Changing distortion types will take time and get aggrevating. Some people have stated that to bypass it, it takes too long to use on stage. Not necessarily true. It does take like 2 seconds to bypass but if you read the manual, it tells you how the change what the heel switch changes. The heel switch comes by defalut, to change to what's ing memory. I changed my heel switch to switch the distortion on and off. Doesn't take 2 seconds, no pause, just need to read the manual. It's there.

the sound quality on this is very good. I play a Carvin DC 127 with hot pups, and a Epi LP with emg's, through a carvin sx 200 H and Peavey transtube head with a Legion Sound cab. Sometimes I will run the wah before the digitech rp 400 when I decide to use the amp modeler. The unit is really not that noisy, but for some reason, If I use the ac adapter, I get noise like crazy so I'm not terribly fond of having to use batteries. The distortions sound good, no tweatking distortion sounds on the pedal but that's what my amp eq is for. If I use a distortion on my distortion channel, it gets noisy but most amps with gain, and high gain boost will do that due to all the gain. The wah effects sound good. No need to buy another wah pedal after this one. The noise supressor is pretty good to.

It seems to be a pretty reliable pedal. I've had it a couple of years and not had any problems yet. I had to do a factory reset on it once but other than that I had no problem with it. I would use it on a gig without a backup but like everything, it will eventually go out or mess up but I trust it as much as I do any of my other equipment.

N/A Never had to use their customer support. I guess that's a good thing.

I play mostly hard rock and Metal (mostly 80's or ealry 90's sounding). The PW 10 works great for what I play. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another one. The only other wah I have is one on my RP 300, while I love the RP 300 sound, the wah is terrible compared to this one. I love all the features on it. The distortions and different wah sounds. I do hate that to change distortions between more than 3 or more than 2 clean, you have to turn the thing off and turn it on again while holding a button, that's kind of annoying. For the money you pay for it, it is a superb value.

This pedal is crazy, I am very impressed with it. It is pretty easy to use, the nose switch is simple, push it down and it is on or off. The heel switch is kind of annoying, not very easy to use, but that doesn't matter, you don't really even need it. If you are cheap and buy it used and it doesn't come with a manual, wow, you are gonna be lost. IF you have no idea what to do, you need the manual. The pedal does a lot and you need to know how to do the stuff, once you read the manual you will know how to do it with no problem. The only bad thing about this pedal is, if you wanna change the distortions and overdrives on this pedal, like change from metal zone to big muff or OD-1 or OD-2 or any of the other dists. and overdrives, you gotta take out the AC adapter, put it back in when holding down the manual/memory button ,and make sure you change it to advanced b4 you put the ac in, then you can switch dists. and overdrives. If you need to use the many distortions this pedal has and you are playing a show, you better just get some extra pedals, it will get pretty annoying to turn it off, switch to this, hold button, power on, pick what you want, and save it. That isn't a big problem, but to use the diff. dists. and overdrives is cool to have, an awesome pedal worth the $$$. It models the Morley, Vox, and Dunlop wahs greatly,they are all packed in one and you can use the Q control (range knob)!!! A 9 because the heel switch is dumb and sorta hard.

If you want Vox V846, Morley Bad Horsie, and Dunlop CryBaby all in one and that sound like them, get this pedal. I have had used or had those pedals, they sound like it and better, except 4 the Crybaby, I like the sound of my Dunlop GCB-95 better than the Boss V wahs simulation. The pedal has a noise supressor in it along with the distortions, overdrives, wahs, custom wahs, bass wah, univibe, and voice! You can't get a pedal like this or any better!

I use it on gigs, I usually use the wahs and rotovibe or uni-v. I don't need a backup 4 this pedal even though I have a ton of pedals, wahs, dists., overdrives, and every other fx.

Never need to deal with em.

This pedal is the best, I bought it mainly for the wahs and Uni-v, the voice is awesome too, but only sounds good with the dist. on the pedal because my head's distortion is too powerful. I really like how they added the old Vox Uni-v, that was a great idea. You can't even compare this to any other pedal, it would kill any other pedal anyway! If they make a 2nd version of this one, I don't know what they would do, but Boss would make another insane pedal. This pedal made me get rid of most of my fx pedals, I don't use a lot any more because of this pedal, it takes care of what some of my pedals did, and the stuff on this pedal is of the best quality and sounds awesome.

All the complaints stated below are valid. i couldn't believe that switching between presets would not bypass the distortion; weird. That being said i decided to use it as a strict wah and if i wanted a univibe flavour i would just reach down and turn a knob. i also like the preset "synth" sound although it boosts my signal too much.

I really like the sound of the filters. I use the univibe sound quite a bit. the travel could be longer and smoother.

i gig without a backup. i play often and i don't woory about it.

This pedal definately inspires me. it's fun and i barely cracked it's possibilities. Maybe that is why i'm not frustrated with it. My suggestion is don't expect it to do everything. It's a great wah with extras.

This pedal is simple, but the best ever, it has three knobs, one where you can pick which wah or effect you wanna use, another knob lets you pick the range for the sweep of the effect you picked, and another knob where you can adjust the distortion. It has 3 memory places for you own creations, easy, just push the memory button, pick which space, 1, 2, or 3 and hold memory down, and it's saved! The manual is great, if you don't know what to do or what to start off with the manual can probably help you out, describes every feature of the pedal. This is my favorite pedal ever, it is almost like a "make your own guitar pedal" because there is so much stuff to pick from and edit and add or take away, for one pedal it does so much, sooo much! You can sit and play around with this pedal for a very long time to find what you like, so many things to choose from! Some people complained about the nose switch, but it easy, if you have ever used a Vox or Dunlop pedal, it is just like turning one on and off, just push your toes down and it is on or off, but with the Boss v wah you just gotta push your toes alittle bit harder, who cares, not a big deal at all, still the best pedal ever! I don't know about the heel switch, I don't use it, it seems hard to use, but there is no need to really use it. And no, there is no delay in turning the pedal on and off when pushing down the nose, some people said you gotta hold it down for a second or two, no you don't, just like a Vox or Dunlop, just push your toes down and it is on or off! I rate it a 9, only because the heel switch is kinda hard to use.

This pedal is insane, I have a bunch of fx, almost every kind out. I have been looking for a while to find the wah that I like, I finally found the Dunlop GCB-95 wah, that was my favorite, but the Boss V wah has it in it, and you can adjust the range on it, even better! The Boss wah has a bunch of wahs in one, pick from the custom wah(make your own), advanced, bass wah,Dunlop CryBaby, Vox V846, and Morley Bad Horsie wahs, and you can adjust the range on all of them! It is great, the Boss wah is more like a "create a wah pedal" because you can make any wah you want with this pedal. You can even pick a distortion, the dist. depends on what wah you pick, there are OD-1, OD-2, Guv'nor, Big Muff, Metal Zone, and I think a few more, and you can adjust the drive on all of them, really great! It isn't just a wah pedal, it has "voice" mode, you have to know what that does, simulates vowel sounds and stuff, an awesome feature and sounds great! One of the best things about this pedal, other than making your own wah, is it also is the old Vox Rotovibe/Uni-V pedal, just turn the knob to Uni-V and turn the range knob, it is just like the old Vox pedal, it is crazy! This pedal is more than most Boss pedals, but is worth it, big time! Who cares how much, you can do so much with it! If you even think about buying it, buy it, you won't make the wrong choice, it is great, you can't find a better pedal!

Boss made it, you know it is good. If you have any Boss pedals, you know that Boss makes the best stuff. I use this thing on gigs every chance I get.

Never have to deal with them, their stuff is built great. They don't make junk that will break in a couple days, so you don't even need to contact them!

I have been playing guitar for a looong time, and I wish Boss made this pedal a while ago! If this pedal was stolen or lost, I would get another without thinking twice about it! Really, this pedal is almost like a "make you own guitar pedal" don't waste your money on some junky fx processor, get the Boss PW-10 V Wah, the best pedal out! I just can't believe how much stuff this pedal has in it and what it can do! You are probably reading this because you are thinking about getting one, don't read any more reviews, go out and get this pedal, you won't be disappointed, it will be one of the best decisions you have ever made!

GENIUS the pedal saved my life. The only-minor- problem is that the Manual isnt that much help, i pretty much guessed how to use the settings but its not hard ive had id about 5 days and i know everything about it. So easy to use MEMORY button changes from RED>GREEN>YELLOW and MANUAL (colours pre set). heel switch switch between 1 particular coulour eg yellow and MANUAL (the settings on the board at that moment) and toe switch obviously on/off wah.

dont listen to any negative reports on the sound quility, the noise suppresor works a charm (it goes a bit dodgy when the batterys run out but what doesnt), also the distortions a excellent, unless you use eg the level and tone buttons on the knob gris then youve got nothing to worry about. they sound EXACTLLY the same as the effects they simulate. It saved me having to buy a fuzz, dist and mt-2. also i think it might have some kind of power driver built in because i have a marshall vs100(i play very loud) and it sounds just as good through a 10watt amp. the only addvise with this pedal is get a EQ, then your the dogs bollox.

Its boss, you could go insane throw it off a building, piss on it etc.... then still gig without backup.

once again boss, say no more.

brill buy this, your not only getting a EXCELLENT modeling wah, your getting a dist grid with it.

I am torn as to what to put here. Everyone seems to think this is really difficult to program. I am trying to put it into prospective. If you have ever used rack gear, and dealt with endless menues (take for instance the Lexicon MPG G2 I used to own) Then This pedal is NOT complicated. If you are used to only a pedal that has an on off switch...it's more complicated than that. It has more options than most pedals so it's going to have a bit more depth in it's set up. I think a quick read through the manual and 20 minutes playing with it and you will have climbed the steep learning curve ;-)

Well the sound is alright. it adds some hiss and I can hear a difference in tone but nothing that 99% of the music listening population would notice. I had a Teese Picture Wah and an Ultravibe as well as the Fox Rox captain coconut unit....the sound is not near that type of set up...but we're also talking 1/3 to 1/4 the price. so FOR THE MONEY I think the wah and Univibe sounds are usable. The distortions are not very good and I would only use them for practice in the bedrooom...get an external unit. The lack of in depth control on the distortions make the an extra thrown into the pedal that really don't have any use for me. I mainly use a Tube Screamer for my sound into a Twin Reverb- Strats and Teles

I would think it's as reliable as an AVERAGE wah. People seem to think that the fact that there are no mechanical parts (roller, teeth, pot) to wear out that this thing will last forever....well, electronics are more complicated, eventually break, and are harder to fix usually so I can't but this above an average wah like the reissue vox847 but I think it's solid enough in this price range.

Have not Dealt with customer support.

I set mine up to have the heel switch engage the univibe nothing else. So the toe switch gets my wah and the heel gets my vibe. I have two usable effects in one pedal for a decent price. For the money this is not a bad solution. I might step up to the plate and put some extra money into something else again but I wanted to try this and it's not a bad pedal at all. Good bang for the buck, some interesting features. A lot of stuff included I would never use (distortions) passable sound-

if you just want the wah its simple, just turn the type and range and your away.
If, however, you want distortion its an arse to set and change/switch of presets as nearly everyone else has said.

esp with zack wylde emg 81 + 85, or strat with hot rails into boss od20->pw10->roland cube 30
the noise suppressor is pretty handy especially on the od 20's extreme setting.
I dont use the distortion just solely wah presets on it.
The vox and morley emulations are pretty much spot on, cant really comment on the crybaby as ive never tried one. The only real difference in them is the rocker doesnt have as much movement as the modelled wahs.
the voice is pretty good, but i think the uni v is pants and just totally screws with the sound on my active pickups.
the bass wah is good as ive tried it on my mates ibanez.
the custom wah has some good variations in sound, but the manual doesnt explain what half the functions do (whats Q?)

very reliable.
built like a brick sh*t house.
although once my patch didnt save correctly

never needed

i play metal - maiden, metallica, slayer type stuff and its good for solos and riffs with shedloads of distortion. the noise suppressor is handy but just loses sustain on high settings.
overall its good, but if you gig with it , id get a seperate distortion pedal so you can change easier, but in the studio can still be used to its fullest.

I'll keep this brief - the operator's manual sucks! This pedal takes quite a bit of getting used to. It works better as a studio-orientated multi effects pedal than a gigging utility.
It's disadvantages are:
1.The pedal's distortion can only be switched off by the bypass function - this involves pushing down on the heel of the pedal for approximately one second - not practical in a live situation.
2. When using the Univibe setting, it can only be switched off by depressing the pedal into the OFF mode- it means you can't just stomp it on and off to get a vibrato/chorus effect - but so is the Dunlop Rotovibe.
3. The preset memories are very difficult to use on stage [ again because of the depressing of the heel of the pedal ]
4. There is a slight delay between depressing the pedal, and the thing you are switching on engaging - again not so good for gigs
5. The distortions take a bit of experimentation to get right- the default one is the Boss HM2 - which is not explained in the manual and is harsh.
6.The distortion can't be switched on and off easily in a live situation, or altered easily without unplugging the unit.
7.Some of the effects are a bit too gimmicky to be used in a live situation [ requiring EQ and adjustment ]

FANTASTIC!!!!
I found it good before or after overdrive. I use a Strat with Texas specials and a Fender 75 Head, I use a TS808, MXR Phase 90. Boss OC2 and several other effects, this unit is brilliant wherever in the chain.
The Univibe is Fantastic, the Morley Wah is too. The cry baby is good [ I prefer the Vox and Morley as a matter of taste] and Boss's own wah is also good.
I've connected a Boss LS2 Line selector [ a/b switch] to engage the PW10 into the signal path so I can switch on the distortion and Univibe seperately - this makes it far more versatile, so I can use my TS808 for solos and the Big Muff or RAT setting on the PW10 for nasty stuff just by pushing on the LS2. I'm giving it a 9 because the Distortion lacks a tone control and can boost the signal a bit too much unless used advisedly.

I had to take the first one back to the shop as it was faulty.

I play Blues/rock, been playing over 20 years, owned a cry baby for 10 years. This pedal is amazing for the money. I swear that the Univibe is as good as the real thing, and to have the choice of at least 3 excellent Wah Wahs, Distortion and some gimmicky studio sounds for the money is unbeatable. The LS2 really made it flexible, but it's a shame Boss didn't fit it with a simpler by-pass to save the extra 69 quid I had to spend.

The concept is great, the sounds are terrific, but the execution is not well thought out for live use - specifically, I'm referring to the bypass switching, and the mechanical switches themselves.

I'll start with the bypass - you have to step on the heel switch for 2 seconds before bypass kicks in. Too Long. Also, before the 2 seconds are up, the pedal "thinks" you are switching presets, and goes to the next preset (which is audible). If you have a massive distortion patch in the next preset memory, but all you wanted to do was bypass the pedal, you will be surprised to get the distorto-tones for the 2-seconds it takes before bypass kicks in. Surprisingly poor design for a live pedal.

Also, the toe and heel switches require far too much pressure to activate. I've seen others complain of this as well, and I thought I could live with it, but after several gigs, I just can't. a MAJOR nusiance, particularly if you play seated.

Another faux-pas - each patch consists of a wah sound and distortion tone - great idea, and it sounds great. But say you just want the distortion - no problem, just kick the toe-switch and the wah is bypassed. But say you want to dump the distortion sound - you either have to 1) reach down and futz with a knob, 2) do the bypass dance I described above, or 3) use up one of 3 memories with an identical patch, but without distortion. Badly done (and I really tried to make this work)

wah and distortion models sound terrific, really really good. Not quite as good as my magic early 70's crybaby, but close enough for jazz, and I could have lived with it (my crybaby has a subtley brighter, more organic sound to it, but it is subtle, and the pw-10 comes close to the overall vibe).

The pedal will hold up no doubt, and work as designed. It's unfortunate that the design is so flawed, and frankly I'm surprised that people haven't ranted about this. Boss usually does a better job than this, and I'm sure that the PW-20 will nail it at some point... ;)

Don't know, don't really care...

Sounds = 10
Usability = 2
Back-of-the-envelope overall avg = 5

I really wanted to make this work. REALLY. I'm sorry that I couldn't. The sounds are great. The distortions are actually quite good (surprisingly good - in fact I've considered just keeping the pedal for this functionality).

I'm a regularly gigging player - 30 years experience, I have an endorsement deal with a major guitar manufacturer, and I have a clue as to how things need to work and sound. Most of my gear is custom built, and I almost never use pedals. My name is omitted from this review because I'm not trying to brag, just wanted to tell it like it is, and let you know that I know what I'm talking about.

I just got back from a frustrating session with this pedal, it's 2AM and I figured I'd get this off my chest before I got sidetracked...

Your mileage may vary, of course ;)

The V-Wah is easier to use that what most others are saying. It is easy to get a wah sound out of, but the distortions take a minute or two. All the info is on the back of the pedal, and the manual is in-depth. I found it easy to learn, but difficult to master, as there are many sounds hidden in this thing that you will be entertained for ages.

I use this pedal with delay (DD6 usually), and various other pedals, and play it through a variety f guitars and amps, depending on the style I feel. It is quiet and the noise supressor makes the 2-3 loud distortions quiet. The sound quality is very good IMO. I have compared the Crybaby, Morley and Vox to their original counterparts and they sound very very good. I would rather this pedal than spending hundreds of dollars for the slight sound difference. The V-Wah isn't as loose as the other Wahs, making it a little slower to move, but that doesn't effect me. For those who are looking at these reviews to wonder whether or not to buy it (that's why I bought it, and I love it!), here's a brakedown of each feature the pedal has:
The Uni-Vibe: This is one of my favourite effects in this thing. It sounds beautiful with chords and a low intensity, with a clean sound. Works well for solos with distortion too. Has a nice chorusy feel and you get swirly sounds from it. Very nice and creative effect.
Voice: This is more of a gimmicky option. I was hoping for something where I could have a talking intro to one of my songs, but no, it just goes oooo and aaahhh like a burping baby. Is unuseable for songs, but for a breakdown you could compile a short speech with it, only if you set all the memory to different things. You see, there are 11 set options on the dial, with 3 vowels in each. One has eeee when the pedal is back, then iiiii in the middle and ooooiiii at the front. You have 11 of those so it doesn't really talk, it just sounds weird. I found a spot that goes la la la and sounds great for xmas carols, but not much use otherwise.
Next is the Morley wah. This is great and sounds different from the other ones. I've found that you don't want the same sound for every song when giging, so this pedal makes every song sound different. That's what I like about it. The morley is very useful.
The Vox: This has less sweep from the others and can replicate Hendrix sounds and other wonderful songs.
Crybaby is possibly my fav, as it just sounds so cool. Perfect for solos and you can even play clean without moving your pedal at all then occasionally just wriggle it around at the end of a lick. With distortion, you get a harmonicy sound in the middle of the pedal (in between back ond forth) so you can hit a power chord and slowly rock it into place for a great feedback tone. Great for ending songs and adding an extra bite.
Bass mix is very well done for the bass, but I've only heard (I don't play bass).
Advanced: If you don't feel like playing with the classic wah sounds you can use this modern one. It is my second fav as it has a huge sweep alowing for more possibilities.
The double Resonance is under 'custom' as the factory setting, and is that synth sound. It sounds good when you slowly move the pedal forward as the fat sound grows and sounds like the synthesizer. It has its unique uses so I'm happy with it.

Now on with the distortions. Most people say they don't like them, but I don't think it has anything to do with there sound (which is very good), but the lack of options in it. Let me explain, you have the left knob which chooses your overdrive or whatever, then the middle one is the noise suppressor, and the last one is how much gain you get (low is almost clean where up full is as dirty as possible). Now with the pedal they copy, they have like presence, shape, and other options that the V-Wah doesn't have, so this pedal gets their sound, but you don't have room for a lot of customization. I just switch between distortion sounds when I want somethign different for each song. Here's a quick breakdown:
The Blues overdrive is very good, the Metal Zone is great for heavier stuff, the Guv Marshal one is perfect for even heavier stuff where the Turbo overdrive and vintage overdrive have that sound with your tone in tact. That's what makes overdrives better than distortions, the ntone boost. The Boss distortion pedal is great for punk rock or wh

I couldn't afford a back-up, nor do I need one. Never has or will break down, will last forever.

Boss. Could throw it off a tall building, see it crack against bricks then reflect off and hit a street lamp, only to see the street lamp fall. Boss always delivers and you know it is high quality.
I would say that being on the Boss helpline would be the most boring job ever. Who rings them for help? Exactly. Has any Boss pedal ever broken down anywhere? Rarely, I have a better chance of winning the lottery than seeing this brick break down.

I play Hendrix style cross bred with my own. I've been playing several years and would replace this pedal if it were stolen, of course, I would find the thief and chokeslam his dog first. I love everything about this pedal, but would like an extra knob for the distortion. I compared it to several other product and the difference was subtle, frankly you'd do better buying this instead of 15 other pedals. It opens up so many doors creatively, and I would highly recommend anyone interested in wahs to buy one. It has many great features that I love, and I will be using this pedal for many more years. I bought it for the voice mode and crybaby, but ended up not likeing voice and loving everythign else. I can and will use this so much, that I would pay twice the amount I bought it for. It is now my favourite pedal and it has changed my daily guitar time from 3 hours to 5 each day. I can garuntee that you won't be disapointed with this pedal, and urge anyone who is tempted for it to just buy it. Well done Boss.

Not hard to get a good sound out of this pedal: Just step on the toe of the pedal (Hope you weigh alot...) and wail.

There are 4 patches you can save, and load at runtime. I've had this pedal for about 5 months. I wasn't too impressed with the thinking behind the patch editing scheme. It seemed hard to use. However, I didn't actually know how to use it until last night. I was talking on the phone, and I absentmindedly picked up the wah and noticed instructions on the back of it. "Hmmmmm", I thought, "I had no idea there were 8 different kinds of distortion available, and there was another switch on the heel of the pedal." Doh! When the manual (which I quickly skimmed when I got the pedal) referred to the "heel" switch, I thought it meant that you were supposed to hit the little push-button on the front of the wah with your heel. (I mean the actual button, not the one under the toe of the rocker pedal.) That would only work if your foot was the size of a cat's and you had heels made of concrete. Noise gate? I had no idea... Crap! I usually am more thorough than this.

Having made this discovery, I'm a lot more impressed with the usability of this pedal. To create and save a patch, you basically perform a strange ritual of holding down a switch while plugging something into the input jack. Then, the "wah range" knob becomes a selector for distortion type, the "drive" knob becomes a tone control or something, etc. You adjust things till you get a sound you like, then turn the pedal over again to see how to save the patch. It comes unplugged. Oops. Start over. You sure wouldn't want to try this live! Still, there's a lot of stuff packed into this pedal. I'm going to mess with it a lot, and it will be cool.

Feature-wise, there's a lot of stuff in there: Uni-vibe, which is cool for contemplative 70's love songs, cry-baby, morley, vox wahs, distortion, a "voice" thing which won't fool a single Frampton fan, and a couple of others. Too bad it can't also be a volume pedal. That would be nice. I never buy a pedal that can't do at least 2 different things. This one does 6 or so, but a volume pedal would be a useful addition.

On the "weigh alot" issue: You won't have to worry about accidentally (dis)engaging this pedal. The effect is turned on and off by pressing down on the toe of the rocker pedal. The force required to do it is more than I can exert when sitting down. Standing up, esp. when I'm wearing a pair of jamming/scoring/butt-kicking boots, it's about right. I might take it apart and see if there's an adjustment for that. I like to sit down when playing at home.

As you move the pedal, it goes "wah. waaaaah. waaaawaaaawaaaaah." Cool. Plugging into the front of a distorted patch on a Tri-A.C. with this thing is totally addictive. This thing wails. Lots of harmonics squeeze out, and the whole thing is very emotional when sufficient distortion and delay are involved. I like the cry-baby type wah the most. The Uni-Vibe setting is interesting. The distortion, now that I know how to turn it off (!), will also serve as a nice boost.

It doesn't seem very noisy. I've used it with a couple of different amps. It goes "wah" on every one of them, as expected.

Well, hmmm, the rocker pedal is made of machined aluminum, there's a thick rubber tread in the middle of that, there are big bolts holding it onto the body of the box, and the wah effect is apparently controlled optically (see "Hall Effect"). The body appears to be a sheath of black plastic on top of something more substantial. I fancy it's titanium. I bet it's not though. I think it would be pretty hard to tear this pedal up. Not that I'll try... It's cool-looking.

Relative to the reliability of an actual Cry-Baby wah I had when I was a teenager, this thing is like a tank. That other wah was a piece of junk. It popped and crackled, was constantly going out of adjustment, and the wah effect was controlled by a rack and pinion setup that was vulnerable to dust, cat hair, beer, and spit.

As for gigging without a backup, I can only say this: I don't care about my audience enough to cancel a show because I can't go "wah" during a solo: "We rock you Omaha! Oops, sorry Omaha! Wah is broken. We do not rock you Omaha! Thank you! Goodnight!" If it stopped functioning, I wouldn't use it, and finish the gig like a true professional. Well, a professional who uses batteries in his pedal(s).

Never dealt with them.

I'm overjoyed at my recent discovery of the fabled heel switch, now that I know where it is... I'm a lot more impressed with this pedal overall than I was. It was pretty cool anyway, and the heel switch makes it that much more special.

I play all kinds of stuff involving wah pedals: Mostly porno soundtracks, and a little REO Speedwagon and Hendrix. If it were lost or stolen, I would have no wah, and would miss it. I would buy another, because it has a heel switch that I haven't seen on any other wah pedal to date.

Getting a godo sound was a breeze as soon as I realized how much better it sounded put in front of my effects. After that, man, it just wailed. I'm still playing with the editing features and looking through the manual, but acutally editing is only easy. I mean, you have to be stupid to find it complicated. I mean c'mon, 3 knobs, 1 on/off switch, 4 banks. Really guys...
I've read a lot of comments on here also that the switches are hard to engage. I had mixed feeligns about buying it after reading it, but went ahead and bought it. All I have to say is...you guys must have the weakest legs. It doesn't take very much to engage these. Just a little extra effort...duh, so it doesn't turn off when you're using it. But far from hard.
The manual is clear and well defined.

I'm currently using a couple of guitars (Washburn HB-35, Epiphone Les Paul Custom (with Gibson pickups) and a Fender Strat) into this wah, into a Boss ME-33 and then to a Peavey Studio Pro 112. I love this rig and have fine tuned it to a some sweet sounds. I wondered what it would be like adding this pedal in and if there were any changes I had to make, but it fit in perfect. It took a little bit of tweeking to get when I wanted but what doesn't right? It was only a few minutes before I had the wah I was looking for (mainly cause I knew what I wnated). Still working on the Joe Satriani sound!
This is a very strong sounding pedal. A great wah, and I love the UNI VIBE sound. Adds a lot of versatility to a rig. Opened a lot of doors for sounds and being creative. You can adjust it to whatever wah sound you want. It's great. I use it for solos with distortion. But is great for any wah sounds. If anyone wants my seeting for my wah or ME-33 let me know, you won't be disapointed.

Boss never ceases to amaze me. Thsi thing looks amazing, but is built like a tank. I have the adaptor so it'll never die out, so I'd use it without a back up, and will actually during my bands next gig. The grips on the pedal are great, and it is 100% durable. But what I could get over was how despite the toughness of it, it was incredibly light. It can't weigh more than 3-4 pounds.
Besides, why would you buy something and have a backup. Why would you buy somethign you don't have faith in?

Have never dealt with Boss - never had a reason to. Not even with my ME-33. Not a glitch.

I play in a rock band, that play a lot of different things from Our Lady Peace, to Creed, to I Mother Earth, to Bon Jovi (just to name a few from our upcoming set list), to many other things. I also play in a jazz/rock band, and a acoustic type band. On my own I like to listen to/play Joe Satriani, Van Halen, (good rock). I'm a guitar nuts I love guitar and I know how a guitar should sound, that why I use the best of everything.
I won't tell you how old I am, cause people tend to judge skill by age, so if you really want to know email me.
It'll never be lost or stolen...who would be stupid enough to let that happen? haha. But for argument's sake, I would replace it for whatever reason, unless it like broke on it's own...
I love just about everything about it. What I don't liek I jsut don't use. pretty simple. I love the wahs, the control you have, I'm sure the distorions are good if used right (I use my ME-33). And I like the Uni Vibe. This definitly helps me make music.
For those potential buyers, anyone wo said or says this is hard to use, they are full of it. It's very easy to use, you know, if you are a decent or better guitar player looking for a good wah pedal with lots of versatility. And if you are very picky like myself.
Feel free to message me with anymore questions! later everyone.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
This pedal is really easy to use, if you read the manual through at least once.

How about Editing patches?
Getting to use the different distortions is a bit unproffesional, having to hold a button with one hand while using that hand to help you put in the power source or guitar plug. I dont use the distortions though. Changing the wah sounds are a breeze, as are saving the patches.

How is the manual for it?
The manual is thorough, if you can hold your laughter through the engrish.

My setup is an ibanez Rg120 > Pw-10 > DS-1 > Delay and Reverb> computer or my 30 watt.

The pedal is considerably noisy, only if you use a distortion pedal after the wah. I get no hiss at all if i put my DS-1 before the wah, but then my distortion sounds old school, and weak wah.

The wah is incredibly strong, stronger than anything ive used. I can get considerable wah at the 24th fret at the high E. Every wah sounds good, but my favorite is the "advanced" setting. If i put it with a low sweep range i get a WOAW WAA. to good to be true. The vowel sounds are a bit useless, as is the u-vibe, to much hiss on the vibe.

I can get a funk wah, to a kirk hammet enter sandman wah.

Its a boss, it looks bulletproof, and if a burgler comes ill hurl this baby at him and knock him out or probably kill him.

Yes i would gig without a backup, its never failed me, and its digital so its likely it never will.

Did'nt have a need to call em'.

This wah is almost perfect. No wah wah is perfect though, but this pedal gets the closest bet. This wah is way more versatile than anything ever heard.

If this were stolen or lost, i would get something cheaper. Mainly because im a kid and saved up for this pedal for a while. If i had the money i would definetely get another one though.

I love the wah sound, but i hate the hiss. My favorite feature is again, the advanced setting, it sounds different than the three other wahs.

I compared this to a dunlop 535q and the dunlop gets thumbs down compared to the boss.

I wish this pedal had a more customizable bypass. I wish i could bypass the wah AND the noise gate. If i want to bypass the noise gate i have to hold the heel down for 2 seconds, which i dont wanna ever do.

not the easiest pedal to use by any means, it takes a couple hours to get the hang of, but then it's easy. Also, you have so many different types of wahs, and paremeters within each wah to tweek, it is very flexible.

My rig goes, b-bender american tele, or g&l asat clasic, into vintage ross phaser, boss vwah, maxon cp101 compressor, akai inteliphase, maxon chorus fulltone octave fuzz, mxr noise gate, into a yamaha dg80 combo, with a boomerang in the loop. I play a mixture of jazz blues and fusion, the latter being my favorite. I also play in a cover band doing top 40 type stuff at weddings. That's partly why I chose this wah. I had a dunlop 535 cue, which doesn't compare to this one. I need several wah sounds at my feet during the course of a pop gig, and the vwah helps me do that. I use a budda like setting as my main wah, not so much low end, but pronounced highs, as well as a bad horsey type wah with more low end for the rockier stuff. The humanizer and vibe are cool, but not as usable and I have other pedals that get that job done. I have to say, the vwah's factory presets are cool, but the ability to adjust the cue and frequency anounciation of each wah type, and create custom wahs is why I like this pedal. If you've got the ability to tweek, why not?

I've had it for two months, and nothing. my buddy has had his for a year and it's still working fantastically.

Boss Cs is not the best, I had an old gx700 fx processor I needed help with, and I spent two hours getting switched back and forth till I gave up, no one knew what I needed to know.

I have to urge people to check out this pedal. I have owned a budda and a vox, and they both sound amazing, but it boils down to one thing, for a live situation, you need vercitility so why not have it in the vwah. I think boss did a great job here, and this is one of the few gems in their product line. I have been dragging my feet when it comes to the realm of digital fx and amps, but I finally broke down and bought some of the new toys, and I really am impressed with this pedal.

Speaking as someone who programs a lot and likes it, hey, you actually have to read the manual here - so it's necessarily obvious from the faceplate (though it's laid out on the backplate) Not dead simple, but not bad.

Yes! Finally, the ultimate wah I've been looking for. Advanced, Bass, Cry-Baby and Vox are fantastic, Morley is - like a morley (never been my favorite wah sound), voice is varied, but not radical enough for my tastes - still, if you think of it as another wah / envelope flavor it's good. Uni-V good. I also found several of the distortion / overdrive models quite usable. In particular, the Vintage OverDrive and the Blues Driver emulations have low enough noise and are transparent enough to suit my tastes.

5 year warrenty

Never had to find out

Anyone who ever had a buzz, a click, a crack, a pop or a just plain dead tone pot should thank the engineers at Boss! This beats each and every one of the many, many different wahs I've been through over the years.

I don't really dig the distortions. I prefer mainly the wah part of the pedal. Also, the front and rear toe switches are clunky and they're tough to activate. They're worse than a CryBaby.

Wah sounds great!!! Avoid the distortions... Use an amp or a dedicated distortion pedal. Patch switching is a pain in the butt and they dont't sound all that good for the trouble.

Built like a tank, you can trust it.

None needed

This pedal has potential but I would not recommend you go out and buy one to replace your current wah. I would love to just have the wah modeler instead of the distortion patches. I found a cool website promoting customer suggetions and improvements for the V-Wah hopefully Boss will listen. http://v-wah.50megs.com