Carvin VW1 Vintage Wah

Foolproof

I originally bought this wah because it was cheap on E-bay. I new of the Carvin reputation for excellent products, so I thought this would be a great sounding wah. When I first tried it I was disappointed with the sweep and lack of a pronouned wah sound, so I put it on the shelf. Every now and then I would get it down and try it, thinking maybe it won't be as bad as I remembered it being. But then right back on the shelf it would go. Today I got it back down and decided to check out the pot, thinking maybe that was the problem. The pot checked out at 100K ohms just like most modern-day wah's have. I started to swap out the pot with another 100k ohm pot and then I noticed I had a 50K ohm pot from an old Gem(brand) Wah I had. I thought, let's see what this does. Amazing difference, nice controllable sweep, not too trebly, cuts through the mix nicely. After I put the pot in and was satisfied with the results, I realized I could have just soldered a 100K ohm resistor across the two outside solder lugs of the original pot and achieved the same result. This is because when two resistors of the same resistance (in this case two 100K ohm resistors) are wired in parallel the total resistance drops in half (to 50K ohms). I hope this helps someone else out there salvage their Carvin wah. BTW-I was using a 40th anniversary Fender Strat into a modified Bassman 50 head w/ that into a 2-12" cabinet.

They're built like a tank.

I've dealt w/ Carvin on other matters and have had excellent customer support.

I'll give it a 10 now that it does the Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) intro to a tee.

It's wah pedal......that's it.

When I got this pedal I went to this web site to see what fantastic things everyone had to say about this chrome wonder,if you've read what the majority wrote, they'er partly right.I can say that it wasn't my gear, i play only Gibson Les Pauls and I'm very picky about the gear the I use effects wise. This pedal has a very narrow tonal sweep, but it does have one, it would be a good pedal for someone just,just starting out, just to get the knack of a wah pedal, but it pails in comparison to a crybaby or a vox and others. if your starting out and want something cheap try it you might like it, after all tone, sound, its all a matter of preferance. If your a seasoned play you don't need me telling you what pedal to buy, you should know.

it was pretty well built as far as i saw, it only lasted about a month in my home after it got the boot.ALWAYS carry a back up because even the best gear has bad days.

as I said above try it if your a beginner, if not go with a dunlop or a vox.Overall a 3 not that great at all :(.

super easy to use.

Sounds ok, need to use it BEHIND your Distortion/Overdrive in the chain to get any real sweep/range. But if you use wah rarely ( i only need a wah every now and again) this does a fine job. sure it doesnt hold a candle to other wah's but it's cheap and works.

Havn't had a problem, have used the pedal for over 14 months.

Carvin is so-so with their cust support, I sent some emails to them after buying a $900 guitar and they never replied. I'm sure if i called the phone # i could have gotten more help, but the email was to complain of a broken sperzil tuner and i had an extra, so i figured it wasn't worth the time to try to get it fixed.

you get what you pay for, and this is a decent $50 wah pedal.

Very plug and play. If you can handle anything, then
you'll be able to handle this. Step on it, and go.

But what's up with the battery access hatch?
It seems like a nice touch, but if you actually
install the battery where the hatch is, then it just
floats around inside the unit, at the end of
two flimsy wires. Mounted this way, it's able to
move about freely, and damage the components mounted
to the nearby circuit board.

If, however, you remove the entire bottom plate, you'll
find a nicely-executed, foam-padded, properly
snug place for the battery to bed down. The
length of the harness wires is correct for placement
here. So why is it impossible (because of a bolt
sticking down) to mount the battery into the spot
where it's obviously meant to reside, through the hatch?
Why even install a hatch, if you're going to put the
battery where people are going to need to remove the
4-screw bottom plate anyway? The miserable little
manual accurately diagrams the removal of the bottom
plate, so what's up? I get the feeling that this entire
unit was cobbled-together from unused spare parts, including
leftover bottom plates designed for someone else's pedal.

I have to shave points. Although there is a perfectly
acceptable place for the battery to live, this idiotic
hatch is going to confuse the entry-level buyers who
make the mistake of buying this wah.

Others have said it -- there's practically no frequency
sweep. Since a wah is nothing more than a foot-operated
frequency filter, this is a major shortcoming. Did somebody
at Carvin decide to use some left-over tone pots that simply
aren't up to the job? To match the leftover bottom plates?

I don't mind the sound as much as I might, since the
lack of travel into the treble range is actually a
not-so-bad thing for my already very trebly Strat.
But for the whacka-whacka crowd, don't bother -- this
pedal won't deliver. You'll get some subtle "vowel" effects,
and not much more.

And so on:
The clacking of the pedal against the top of the shitty
on / off switch (which has twice as much "throw" as it
should need before it engages, and therefore stands
way too high) is probably fixable. I'm going to try
lowering it by loosening, then re-screwing, the top retainer
nut farther up the threaded portion of the switch, then
adding some washers or spacers to the underside to hold it
all in place. If that doesn't work, then I'll try to
find a switch with less play. Carvin should have done
this, or should at least have rejected the entire lot
of these chrome-plated paperweights back to their
Chinese(?) subcontractor for correction.

And in case anybody was wondering:
I'm putting all of this switch-related nonsense under
the "sound" category because the clacking of the switch
is in fact loud enough to become part of the sound --
you'll find this especially annoying for moderate-volume
recording.

I'd give the unit's sound by itself a "4", but until I
can remedy the switch situation, the switch is
unfortunately a part of the sound, so "1" it is.

The ironic thing about this pedal is that it is beautiful
to look at, and is built like a brick shithouse. The
circuit board, the wiring, and all of the hardware is
impeccably installed. The (useless) battery compartment
cover engages with a convincing click.

It will probably prove to be very reliable.

But so what? If it isn't functional from a design standpoint,
then what good is it to anyone? The maunufacturing effort
that went into this unit is a clear case of "polishing a turd."
Simply choosing the right switch and the right pot would have
turned the "Guitar Effect Machine" into a true "Vintage Wah."
It would have become another of Carvin's great value items,
and would have led entry level buyers to trust Carvin when
it came time later to decide what brand of guitar, amp, or PA
to buy. But no...

I'm convinced that this thing was designed from stuff
that was lying around, just to get rid of some bits
that were showing up on the books as unused inventory.
So, yeah, it works. I'll bet that if you could find a
tone pot that behaves like a tone pot, you'd have a great
pedal that would last quite a long time. As it is,
the tone pot just seems to be there so that the gear
has something to do when you rock the treadle. Boo.

You can order from them by phone, or over the net. I have
always preferred to transact business by speaking to another
employed American. Impressions?

Hit or miss in the product-knowledge department -- depends
upon to whom you speak. That's true of any sales staff.

I've been impressed with their politeness, efficiency,
and promptness whenever I've ordered. I've also returned
two items (both were of top quality, but didn't suit my
needs for one reason or the other) and those transactions
were also handled with courtesy. They're a good company,
despite what purchasers of the "Guitar Effect Machine" will
think.

I just hope they have some free phone lines left over for
taking orders when the Wah buyers start flooding the lines
looking for Return Authorization numbers...

I have to mention this first:

If this was in fact manufactured overseas, then
it's supposed to say so somewhere either on the
unit itself, or on the packaging. The wretched manual --
which comically translates "Vintage Wah" to "Guitar
Effect Machine" -- has enough misspellings and grammatical
crimes for us to deduce that the pedal was not manufactured
in California. So where's the sticker? The Asian QC tag on
the pc board inside the unit doesn't cut it.

If, on the other hand, Carvin assembled the units in the US
from foreign-sourced parts, then shame on their quality
control people for letting this abortion out the door.

This is a real black eye for Carvin, and it's made worse
because it's at the entry-level end of their price scale.
If they end up selling boatloads of these junkers, then
they're going to alienate the next generation of their
customer base (see the "crying-kid" review posted earlier
by another reviewer.) The market segment Carvin established
by selling quality stuff direct for less money is under the
squeeze right now; I think that it's beginning to affect their
judgement. The Vintage 16/5 (an otherwise decent little amp)
ships with a 100-watt speaker -- a move which smacks of a
new and disturbing "use-existing-parts" design philosophy
on Carvin's part. Now this "Guitar Effect Machine" fiasco.
They really need to withdraw this piece of shit before
it does them some serious long term damage.

All of this having been said, I own (and like) a good deal
of Carvin gear. I hope that they right the ship soon. While
they need to subcontract certain products in order to be
price-competetive while filling holes in their product
line (a sad reality in the "global" economy, and a necessary
response to the relentless flood of cheap imports) they also
need to monitor the quality of what's being produced as if they
were building it themselves. Their failure to sticker the
"Guitar Effect Machine" as being foreign-sourced gives
the impression of a company standing behind their subbed-
out wah, but I fear that it's more likely an indication
that they exercised absolutely no oversight on this project.
At least I hope they didn't!

Carvin needs to get back (quickly) to its long-time policy
of either insisting on good quality (as they always have done)
or of refusing to offer bad products simply in order to be
offering something rather than nothing. The Vintage Wah is,
in this context, worse than offering nothing -- at least
"nothing" wouldn't have Carvin's name all over it, for
disappointed kids to cry on...

Carvin needs to withdraw the Vintage Wah, and any
other product they offer which isn't up to snuff.
Otherwise, there's trouble for them, on down the road.
If mine hadn't been a Christmas present, opened after the
trial period had expired, then I would have certainly
shipped it back, along with a copy of this review.
(Or tied it around the neck of whatever dingaling approved
its design and production, and tossed them both down a well...)

Smarten up, guys. The world is gaining on you...

Well, It's a basic simple no frills wah. Cool stainless silver with rubber footpad and battery compartment. (You don't have to take the 4 screws off the bottom to change the battery)

Ok, this is my beef and it's a very long story. I've owned several wahs (Crybaby, Vox, and finally a Budda BudWah+). Each has it's strengths and weaknesses. I teach guitar full-time and do some sales work at a local music store so i'm not some winey nu-metal rager.

I had a student ask me on a recommendation of a cheap wah pedal. I've always been a big Carvin fan (two guitars, new PA speakers) and i've always been extremely happy with their stuf and even the cheapie crybaby was a little out of their price. Since i'm one of the few guys who actually cares about his students I really try to look out for them so I recommended the carvin to him.

Well, I got this phone call a week later and the kid was actually crying saying the thing sucked. I'll be honest, I didn't believe the kid. I thought he was just comparing it to the Boss V-wah that he was trying out in the store. The kid has cheap equipment for comparison purposes so I told him to bring it in the next day.

Well, the kid brought in this seemingly well built and really hip chrome pedal. I honestly thought to myself that I was going to pick up a wah that he didn't like for really friggin cheap. I plugged it into my Soldano Astroverb and Tele and did the usual "impress me" licks. When I stepped on the pedal it was like not a wah but a WUH. There was ABSOLUTELY NO tonal sweep.

Basically this pedal was like a volume pedal. I wonder if the factory over in China put the wrong tone-pot in or something on the assembly line. Sheesh, if I wanted that much sound quality, I would've bought a Rogue pedal! (j/k)

The thing is heavy, the wires on the inside were all soldered nice and neat. It looks like it could really take a beating, but theres s*%t sound.

I've personally had great service with Carvin, but i've also bought bigger ticket items. Poor kid had a bitch of a time sending the thing back (got charged return shipping which cost almost half the pedal) and he said the guys were "rude". I'll give them a 5 because they've always been great to me, and then knock off several points for not taking care of the little guy.

If Carvin would get their head out they would have a great opportunity for growth. Hello guys FINANCE. Musicians friend is always going to kick their ass in the mailorder stuff because of that and the local stores will always be able to pick up the slack. 80% of what we sell at the store is financed. Duh, not everybody is going to have that kind of disposable whip and the ones that do are seeing me about Les Pauls, PRS, and Custom Shop Strats. I myself would buy a pissload more stuff if they did financing.

This particular event really killed Carvin in our area. Our store sells a bunch of used equipment and high-schoolers have a bunch of friends. They look for budget, cheap, and used.
My student was in the market for a new guitar and in the process of saving up for it. Carvin was considered because he liked my SC90. Not anymore. He'll buy something else, and the thing that sucks is that he probably won't listen to my recommendation anymore. Thanks Carvin

i am really disappointed in carvin. considering the WONDERFUL quality of their guitars and amps, you would think that they could at quality control their chinese pedals better. this one wont even give half a 'wah', just a muffled wmmmph

No rating...got it yesterday, am returning it today

Carvin, PLEASE change your supplier

I own one of the original prototypes as I'm friends with a Carvin engineer. It connects just like any wah pedal. The battery door is a nice touch and is welcomed after years of frustrations with Vox and Dunlop where you have to take the bottom plate off to replace the battery. Just like my Vox and Dunlop Wah's I had to remove the little rubber pads near the switch so I can feel when the switch "clicks". The 9 volt AC adapter option is nice as this is not available on my Vox.

Looks like a Vox but sounds closer to a Dunlop. Vox pedals are a little more wider frequency ranged and can be very harsh with single coil pickups through vintage "type" amps. Carvin's Vintage Wah is not as harsh. When played through a thicker distortion amp, like my Carvin Legacy, the wah range is not as wide. Wah's react different to each amp and guitar as well as where they are placed in the signal chain. I prefer to hit the wah first before my distortion and modulation pedals. I use it mainly with my Carvin vintage amp and Bolt guitar and they seem to compliment each other very well.. The Vox is too harsh in this set up plus I lack the AC adapter option with the Vox.

I've played many gigs with it without a problem. The only problems I've had were due to the AC adapter falling out and the pedal losing power after tripping on the cable. I've sold my Dunlop as the Carvin seems to sound good enough for me not to miss it!

I've had tubes replaced in my amps and found the staff to be very helpful.

I play blues rock and have been in bands for almost 10 years. I think the Carvin wah is a nice alternative to spending $70 or so on a Dunlop. Final word. Looks like a Vox, sounds closer to a Dunlop. If you didn't have either to compare and this is your first Wah, you won't be dissapointed.

Well it's a basic wah, doesn't take a genius to operate......that's about the best thing I can say about it. Plug in the battery, connect up to my Peavey Delta Blues Amp and.......very, and I mean very limited range....very disappointing.

As stated above the sound basically sucks....sorry I know that sounds a bit intelectually limited but it does best describe this weak and I mean weak attempt at a wah. No range, difficult switch....cheap crap from China....you get what you pay for......and this is from a guy who likes Carvins products.

The switch was sticky but after some subtle manipulation, ( stomped on )....wella , it worked....well kinda

Carvin has the ten day try it see if you like it policy, ( thank God )......they took it back after I paid the shipping.....I sent back their Tube Overdrive pedal also...another dissapointment.

I own some decent equipment, ( Peavey DB tube amp, POD effects proc, yadda yadda yadda ) . I've been playing since the Carter Administration, ( that's a while kids ). I customize guitars, ( electronics, finish ) I build all manner of speaker cabs as a hobby. I have a degree in electrical engineering so I have a clue. If your considering a decent wah please don't buy this. Spend a few extra bucks and buy a Vox or even a Morley....Carvin you should be ashamed of yourself.

Yes, you just plug in and go. I found the only difficulty in to be the switch - a bit hard at first to tell if it was engaged just by feel - though sound makes it obvious. Has battery compartment door - nice.

It is very subtle and musical - not extreme. Perhaps lacks a little low-end whomp, but it is not to harsh on the treble end, which is nice. I think it's very musically voiced and subtle. Works well clean and for moderate gain settings - not radical enough for extreme gain where subtiles are often lost.

Well, sad to say, I'm returning the unit. It was DOA due to faulty switch wiring. In fact, I must have gotten a bad one, because mine arrived with the rubber pad off (bad glue job) - even the Carvin nameplate was on crooked. Anyway, the switch is the main thing. LOUD electric BUZZ when it contacts the rocker - which it does on every sweep. Other niggle - base plate doesn't secure down tightly and rattles around a lot.

Carvin has always been great to me. I just sent them an e-mail. I'm sure they'll get back to me...

Could have been great, but faulty workmanship undermined it. Other things of note for Wah enthusiats:
OTHER CONS
1. It's very heavy - almost doubled the weight of my pedalboard
2. It has a short throw - this is a feel thing. The range of the sweep is subtle to begin with, so the throw suits that...
3. Rocker contacts the switch on every forward sweep - doesn't engage it, but makes a loud metalic "clunk" (not through your amp, just environmentally, as room noise - which will not work in quiet environments (where the voice of this pedal is best suited)
OTHER PROS
1. It looks great! But looks, alas, aren't everything.
2. Effect engages immediately, so you don't have to rock back to come off a muddy bass sound - you are live on the treble side right away, so the first rock is a wah, not a muffled bass blatt!
3. Obviously, it cheap!

It's a no-brainer. Input/Output jacks and footswitch.

Runs on either an A/C adapter (not included) or a single 9v battery (also not included).

No other noteworthy features to speak of really except for one curious thing: Both the included instruction sheet and bottom of the pedal state that you must remove the four screws from the rubber feet securing the bottom cover in order to replace the battery, but there is a battery access cover on the bottom for this (?).

This is a tough area to assess since there seems to be a lot of controversy over what a good wah is suppose to sound like. CryBaby or Vox aficionados will probably hate it, otherwise I think that most people will at least agree that it?s at least likeable.


That said, I think the Carvin VW1 sounds good but is certainly not extraordinary. It?s actually somewhat subtle as wahs go, so if you're looking for an "in your face" wah, then look elsewhere. You can't really get a wild screaming wah or a great "wacka wacka" sound from it. On the other hand, the effect you get is very controllable, meaning; if you?re the type who doesn?t want to worry about a wah that takes over your sound, then you might like the VW1. In fact, on some wahs it?s hard to nail the ?sweet spot?, but this one seemed fairly easy to hit and you can rock the pedal back and forth has wild as you?d like without getting too extreme.

For clean playing the treble can get a little piercing, but I think this is true with most wahs to a certain extent. It sounded best with distortion (to me anyway). The wah effect is less noticeable when holding a single note - as opposed to bending a single note or playing more than one note at a time. A nice wah, but definitely not outstanding in any way.

I haven't had it long enough to know whether it'll will last, although it's case is very heavy and impresses me as being very durable. The foot pedal is also heavy with a rubber pad. It should last forever unless abused. As for the electronics... I guess only time will tell.

Carvin service has always been good for me.

For the price it's a good value. I don't require a wah effect all that much so it's fine for me. I kind of like the fact that it's subtle and relatively unobtrusive, although I'm sure there will be times when I'll probably wish it would really scream. One major plus is that it has a warm sound when playing with distortion and doesn?t screech like some wahs do, but for this reason it may also get lost in the mix while playing live - I guess it really depends on how heavy you like your wah.

Pros:

1) It?s analog as far as I can tell (no digital chips I could see)
2) No extraneous noises
3) No noticeable changes in volume when switching
4) Switching is fairly seemless (due to its subtleness)
5) Don't know if it's true bypass, but I didn't notice the effect when turned off
6) Seems very rugged
7) Inexpensive
8) Does the job

Cons:

1) Kind of generic sounding - nothing particularly special about it
2) Not "better" sounding than any other wah out there
3) Subtle (if you don?t like subtle) - may get lost in the mix somewhat
4) Made in China

I'm not especially happy with the fact that it's made in China but should have expected it due to the relatively low price. I'll probably keep it but may still look around for something that can be a little more intense when I need it to be.

I guess the bottom line is that you could do better, but would no doubt have to pay much more for it.

Good Luck!