Chicago Iron Parachute Wah

As is already clear - this is a wah, no controls except for the treddle and the switch, both of which are easy to use. Still, it's a pedal that takes practise, if you want to be able to pull out all the stops it has to offer.

Well.. this may be a matter of opinion.. I find it sounds like nothing else, except maybe the original, which I've only heard in recordings. it is certainly very close. Since this is the exactly the effect I wanted, and since it does exactly as I hoped it would, and much more, I give it a 10. Also there's no noise to speak of, which is nice. As is the true bypass feature, which for some reason does not make my gear go POP, and that's even nicer.

Built to last. No doubt about it. I guess the pots will go sooner or later.

Kurt is a very nice man, and he usually answers your inqueries right away. Never had problems with any of my C.I. units so far.

I do various genres of music, but mainly I'm into Heavy Mental. No, I didn't spell that wrong. Weird and prog. This pedal fits right in! I regard is as incomparable, since it a completely unique effect. No other thing does what it does. Yep - I'd get another one right away if I ever lost it. Come to think of it, I think I'll order me a spare right away..!

Its like a wah. Very easy. On off and sweep.

Great, very hifi, and the sweep range is huge. Great with distortion, on a semi hollowbody guitar, keyboards, bass. I haven't verified 100% but I would wager an original Parapedal was used for the wah guitar part on U2's "Mysterious Ways" You can certainly nail the sound with this and you can get an idea of the sound in contrast to a "regular" wah. Insane feedback/infinite sustain effects.

Great, although it loses a point because it started squeaking really badly after I bought it (not electrical noise, mechanical) some oil on the hinge fixed it right up.

Haven't needed it.

Expensive, but awesome.

Just plug it in and sweep easy!

I run the Parachute through a Marshall Jackhammer distortion Pedal into a Marshall 1975 Superlead head with a 1936 2x12 cabinet I use 2 Guitars a Bc Rich KKV signiture series and a Squier Stratocaster it rocks! it has a huge sweep I've compared it to 2 other Wha's (Dunlop Crybaby and Coloursound) and this blows them away you can realy get that Tony Iommi (God) like sound with it it has a unique sound and works well with both clean and distorted sounds

I've had the Parachute for nearly three weeks now and it works ok I would gig it but haven't had a chance yet

The sevice from chicago iron was great they answered all of my questions they didnt tell me that It hadn't been shiped yet 2 weeks after oder but thats ok all I wanted was the pedal thank you Kurt!

I play heavy metal eg(Sabbath Ozzy Slayer) also classic Rock (Hendrix Led zep) this pedal is super! ive had three Wha's Crybaby, Coloursound
and this i've been shredding now for 5 years this is the best pedal I have ever owned I got it to sound like Iommi but it blew my mind away after reading about them and looking for an original (an imposiblity) this is much beter if it was stolen I would hunt down and murder the theif then order another pedal the best feture is the huge sweep the only bad thing is the price but its so worth it if you want an amazing Wha pedal look no futher than this it not only recreates the Parapedal but expands it

Very easy to use. Just plug it in and ROAR!

I use a Badcat Hot Cat and a Bogner Shiva. Both are 1-12 combos. All of my modulation effects run through the loop of the Shiva. With the Badcat, I run Chicago Iron Octavian> Teece Wizard Wah> Chicago Iron Parachute Wah> and a Pharaoh Clean Boost. You should check out my review on the Octavian, if you would like. I bought both of the units(Octavian and Parachute) at the same time because I wanted the same serial #"s. I am a nut when it comes to this stuff. I also forgot to mention that I had the Parachute in my set up when I wrote the review on the Octavian because the Parachute is bigger than the normal wah. I had it sitting off to the side until the new pedalboard was finished. So I did forget to mention it. But anyway, as far as the sound goes, this pedal can go from a normal sounding wah to a wicked (full sweep) sounding wah. When you find the sweet spot for a normal wah type sound, it works as great as my Wizard Wah. But the one thing this wah has over the Wizard is lower register. This thing can get real low for some great original material or to cop some of the Black Sabbath or Trower material. It really is an incredible effect. It sounds so thick at the bottom and very smooth at the top. Not harsh!!Awesome sweep!!!!! No noise and very usable effect.

This pedal is built great. I do use it without a back up.

I've talked to Kurt twice, Great guy and a wealth of information. I think I am going to call him again to tell him to come out with a recreation of the Pedalflanger.

I play all kind of music and with something like this you can be really creative. I am glad there are people out there that make these crazy wizmo-gizmos. Without Chicago Iron, Teece, Fulltone, etc... life would be boring. As far as the "nitwit" below me, maybe you have something wrong with yours. Did you ever think of maybe sending back to Chicago Iron to get it checked out before you start calling it an overpriced scam? I really can't stand people like you.

Very easy to use.

If you are looking for a good wah this pedal isnt for you. Really the pedal dosnt sound that good for anything. Combines volume wah and phaser kinda into 1. instead of 1 good sound you get 3 average tones. It might come in handy for a song, but thats it. The noises this thing makes get old very quick, not very usable in most situations.

Seems nicely built, should be for the price, good heavens!!!

Not sure. Probably pretty good if you like his products.

I play weird rock and folk, thought this peddle might be neat. Its pretty lame, can get better sounds for much, much cheaper. Its kinda strange to see all these rave reviews. Ive played the octavian as well, and it dosnt compare to others out there. The fulltone blows it away. I think maybe the owner of the company, or some friends are writing these reviews. These effects boxes are a scam. Unusable, overpriced scams. Dont believe the hype

If your looking for a original sounding wah/phaser/volume pedal, check out Chicago Iron's take on the classic cult Parapedal, housed in a re-created re-issued mammoth blue housed wah type enlcosure, this pedal delivers a sound that's in a league of its own. There are no knobs to "fittle" with this effect, just input/output jacks, plug it in and you are set, if you are familiar with playing a wah-wah, you will have no problems with the Parachute Wah.

This pedal likes to have a overdrive before it and if you want add a delay after it. The sound of the pedal itself is what would happen if you merged a volume swell, with a phaser; and wah combined all to become one "effect". The pedal is not noisy at all, no humming,no sqeels or squacks from this piece. When the pedal is on and in the "heel position" no sound comes out of it, as you begin to creep the treddle foward the volume and wah/phaser effect come in to play, so the sound/effect change; depending on how fast or slow you decide to play. The effect sounds amazing, I love using a delay unit after it, to get these trippy phaser volume swell layers happening, it's a very complex effect to explain, you half to hear it. I am currently using a late 60's Gibson ES-335 through a 1963 Super Reverb and have tried the Parapedal with other amps and guitars, it provides a consistent sound with any set-up I have tried so far.

This pedal is built to last, it's made out of a steel housed unit, weighs quite a bit (maybe 7 lbs) too. To get to the circuit of the pedal is exactly like taking a wah pedal apart, the circuit looks simple (trust me it's not) and everything is secure, I would definately gig without a back-up, no worries here or there.

I have been dealing with Kurt Stier (owner of Chicago Iron) for the last 8 months, and this, before buying his product, he always went out of his way for me, always answering my questions over the phone and never brushing me off. Kurt is a great guy to deal with, and backs his products thoroughly.

I play all types of music and have a wide range of pedals to my disposal to get different sounds, and the parachute pedal (also known as the parapedal) fits in great with my collection, I never knew this sound or pedal existed, and when I heard the sound clips, I thought, " I have to buy one" , it's very unique, I can't wait to use it in a live situation, If it were stolen I would definately purchase another, my favorite thing about it, is the ability of it to sound like "liquid phaser drops falling" ,a very spacial effect in my opinion, it has very similar sweep (that is: the treddle moving back and forth) as a wah pedal, and yes it is true-bypass. I have A/B to a original Tycobrahe Parapedal and this thing sounds equally as good, I am very pleased with all aspects of this pedal, aesthetically, Chicago Iron, left out absolutely "no details" from the original, not an easy feat to accomplish if it were me re-creating a vintage pedal.

This pedal is easy to understand in theory. The trick is in the actual use. You can't just treat this like a Wah because it's not. Practice with it before use in a band so you have the feel of its subtle ranges. The Wah effect is pretty much limited to the first quarter inch of movement at the toe. It is rather good to excellent if you can master this. The full sweep is so unique and really can't be explained any other way than a Volume/ Phaser controlled by the treddle with the filter coming in big toward the toe. Go to the Chicago Iron website a listen to it for yourself.

Superb. The gain control on the side is a grand improvement over the original. It is also ture bypass. Silent in/out switching. Can't ask for more. One more thing, place this after your o.d./ distortions and before Modulation and Amp. I use a Marshall with it's O.D. and the Parachute reacts very naturally to be before the amp when the amp is overdriving. This is the exception to the rule.

I've had mine for about six months and have had no problems. It has a lower battery consumption than my VOX had. Kurt has done a fine job reverse engineering this monster.

There isn't enough good things to say about Kurt Stier. Great help with any problem relating to the Parachute and you rig set up.

I paid full price to get mine in a new Treddle. THis may explain the higher price but it is cheaper to buy a new treddle from Kurt than it is to buy one from Dunlop. Go figure. I plan to continue to purchase his products as he developes them. If you're looking for that different Wah effect, this is it. Nothing compares.

Well, you step on it and go to it. Operates just like a regular pedal with the addition of a level knob to control gain and unwanted distortion - a nice touch by the way. So in terms of ease of operation...it's a no brainer, but learning how to use the pedal tastefully is the key here - that's up to you. This is a very "over the top" type of effect and hand-foot-ear coordination is key. Subtle movements with your foot will produce a big effect....more on that in the sound department.

I typically use gibson guitars (w/ buckers and/or P90's) into a pedalboard fitted with both new and vintage pedals. Some before the amp (like this one) and some in the effects loop (delays, tremolo, etc.) This pedal should go before your amp, but after your dirt boxes. My distortion is an old Proco RAT II - which I don't really use that much anyway. So, the sound of this pedal.... I can only describe as a very "over the top" type of wah, combined with a phaser sweep and volume all rolled into one. Extremely thick and watery is what comes to mind. I love it. Let me say that again....I love it. It's unlike any pedal I've ever heard before. Kurt (the owner/operator of chicago iron) has apparently made some improvements to the original parapedal circuit from the 70's. I must say, he's done his homework. Oh, and by the way this is a true bypass circuit design, so when it's off - no need to worry about signal clarity and strength. Now, to get a more simple wah type of effect, it takes some practice - very little movement is needed - just need to sort of "bounce" the pedal against the spring resistance of the switch. But when you move the pedal more towards the heel down position...look out because it is an intense, fluid type of phase sweep that also drops in volume. As volume decreases, so does the frequency of your signal along the phaser sine wave...and visa vera. And it's so smooth. It's like combining an Ernie Ball volume pedal with an EH small stone and controlling both circuits with the sweep of the pedal. Then add a very thick vocal like wah effect at the toe down position. That's about the best I can do with words man, you gotta hear it for yourself. The sound clips on Kurt's web page are right on - so that's a good place to go if you want to actually hear this thing in action. It's: http://ntsys.com/parapedal

Well, I had kurt install this circuit into my old vox V847 housing. That was a great choice. The sweep motion of the pedal is very smooth and the housing is practically indestructible anyway. Haven't had it long, but I expect no reliability issues.

The best. Very responsive. Very knowledgeable. Super fast turnaround time (3-4 days!) I did have a problem with a loud popping noise when engaging and disengaging the pedal. But, Kurt was extrememly responsive. I shipped it back to him and he fixed it right away. Turned out there was a faulty switch. Hey it happens and it wasn't his fault. Now it's completely silent with no problems. Thanks Kurt! Kurt has even tried to help me with some other problems that I've had with other gear. Great guy all around!

If you want a traditional wah pedal. You're looking in the wrong place (in my opionion). If you're looking for something different and unique, this is it. I highly recommend visiting the web page and/or talking to Kurt at Chicago Iron. This was the missing link in my effects board. I now have a complete set-up that I'm happy with, and this pedal give me a unique color to add to my pallete. If you can find an original parapedal, it'll probably be over $500!!! This circuit will most likely perform better while it sounds true to the original, all for less than $150 shipped!?!? Great value is an understatement.

Boy, they don't get much easier than this. Plug it in and go. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because the sweep is big and it takes a little foot/hand/eye coordination to time everything exactly together to get the sound you want. I'm sure the learning curve will be quick though.

I use the Parachute with three guitars: Fender Starcaster, Les Paul Special, and G&L Legacy (Strat). Signal goes from the guitar to Boss TU-12 Tuner, Teese RMC3 Wah, Morley Volume, Digital Music GCX Guitar Audio Switcher. I use the Parachute in addition to or as an alternative to the RMC3 Wah, in one of the 8 GCX Loops or just before a Vintage Fender Reverb Unit (if I am using vintage Fender Tweeds) or just before Deluxe Reverbs.

The Parachute is very quiet and does not seem to effect tone. Although I am kind of an effects junky and have lots of new and vintage effects, the sound from the Parapedal is really a must have if you, like me, want to get some really cool new sounds. As you've read in other reviews, it's kind of a combination wah and volume mixed together (with a nice sweep range). I have and love the very high quality RMC3 Wah, envelope filters, etc. but this is entirely different. Sounds range from funky to spacey. I had no problem at all dialing in the exact sounds on their web site - and then some.

I did have one small problem that was fixed immediately. I got the unit, plugged it in, and it blew my mind. I put it back in the box and reconnected it the next day. I could hear the sweep but no sound came out. Kurt responded to my email the same day and pointed out that some wires were touching. It was never been a problem again. It probably stemmed from my changing the battery to a Carbon Zinc 9v to see if it sounded better than an alkaline 9v, but not putting the battery in the clip - which caused it to hit the wires when I turned it over. I don't gig but it sure seems pretty darn robust.

As mentioned above, Kurt emailed me the same day and fixed the problem. The unit arrived very quickly. Before I bought it, Kurt was very helpful and patient explaining some of my idiot questions so...Seems like there is no issue here.

As I think you can gather, I am a big fan of this pedal. It really is a cool and unique sound. I'm a fan of Phish, the Dead, String Cheese Incident, Lake Trout, Galactic, Soulive, etc.

Probably the biggest bonus of all, mine is housed in an old, junky, bottom-of-the-line Dunlop Wah (that was my first pedal ever, I didn't like it, gave it to my 9 year old son, and even he didn't like it). In this configuration, the ac input of the wah is lost to an external output level control (so you have to run it off batteries), but what a great way to recycle a useless pedal that just made me mad when I stumbled over it. Comes with cool Chicago Iron stickers on the pedal too, if that matters to you.

This pedal is a very easy to figure out even though there was no written material with it. However Scotty explained "toe Tapping" technique that he uses. Plus we had a Tychobrache to A/B it with.

e gave this a good work out for several hours under "Live Performance"
situation with 1961 Strat?, 1965 SG Special, 88 Hamer Special and a 87 G&L Skyhawk. The pedal reacted well with all guiatrs it seemed to like the G&L best. Very quiet pedal and true bypass. Used 2 amps my 64 Vibrolux and Tom's Mesa MarkII. When A/B test was done with Tychobrache... the Parachute won the "better sound" test... more gain control which is good because the Tychobrache had quiet a bit of a level jump when switched off. (Clean signal)

We only had the pedal for a few days... hard to say, but It looks like it was built very well.

OK people no problems to deal with

I went into this with a "no opinion" attitude because I've used Robbie's Tychobrache and I didn't "fall in love" with it. But the Parachute changed my mind.. the extra gain control and smoothness of the action gave me a thumbs up attitude towards the pedal. We found that this pedal likes other pedals... like feeding a TS-808 or a F.A.T. Multi-Scream both pedals remained "vocal" with the Parachute.
It would have been nice if there was a DC power supply, but quite frankly I'm one of those people who can actually hear the difference between Alkaline batteries and standard Carbon batteries (I promote the use of the older style carbon battery)