Dallas-Arbiter Wah-Face

Like a previous reviewer said, it's a Wah-Wah,it's not rocket science to set up, one lead in, the other out (no surprises there)!!!

I'm using a Fender Strat, Zoom 2020, Digitech Whammy and Marshall amp with this pedal and it sounds excellent, although, because it can be "hissy" on the top end, I route it in last so the "noise" doesn't get amplified en route to the amp. Again, a previous reviewer said about a Fasel inductor and blue Arco capacitors, so I looked and mine has these, so I suppose the sound is as good as a Dun-Arp Wah Face can be?

As far as this goes, it's a 35 year old pedal, so I can only hope the men/women who made the components and did the soldering were happy/sober/drug-free and lucid when they put it together. That's about all you can hope for after all this time. Hasn't failed yet and it's had some serious use by me since I've had it. Wouldn't take a back up to a gig, as this has such a good sound that it would be pointless trying to replicate it with a poor imitation.

To some degree, I feel lucky about having this pedal as it only cost me #2 (UK sterling) as I bought it off a friend whose step-father used to use it and died, and my mate was "clearing out his junk" (I had no idea of it's value and kudos as a pedal). Indeed it sat in a cupboard unused for about 5 years until I started playing in a band again ( www.headzup.hearusplay.com if you're interested).

As we play a lot of covers it comes in extremely handy for that nice old "wah" sound and I'd be gutted if it blew up!! There is an excellent "sweep" on this pedal, from the very nasal, to the ear splitting and if you are nice and slow up the sweep, you can use it to really add to the harmonics and quality of tone on 'yer guitar.

The only issue I've got is that somewhere in the last 35 years, three of the little rubber feet have been lost, so If anyone knows where they can be got/or similar, I'd be grateful.

It's a wah wah. Very easy to use.

This is an older Dallas Arbiter Wah Face. I opened it up and saw a red Fasel inductor. So it had to be mine.

The sound is really there. There is a certain vibe and mojo that can't be put into words. The best description I could think of was "woody". The wah sound had a richer, more "woody" texture than newer pedals that I had tried.

On the downside, the pedal has a *little* less travel than newer offerings, and therefore a tiny bit less range in the bass settings. But the sweep is still pretty full, from low-mids to a piercing yet sweet treble.

It looks solid. I went ahead and put in a new switch for true bypass. If it's lasted this long, I can't see what could go wrong.

I cannot imagine Dallas Arbiter even exists anymore, or if they would do anything for me.

It's a really good wah. It's just what I wanted, a very cool, rich 1970s wah sound. I just wanted one good wah sound for rock and roll, maybe some blues or jazz. I get the SRV and Hendrix sounds I wanted. I like it much better than the new Voxes and Crybabys I had before. This pedal sounds very nice clean or driven. I hope to keep it around for a while.

Typical Wah. Actually, visually one would mistake it for a Dunlop Crybaby, except for the white ring around the base.

(For perspective, it is being used with Fender tweed tube amps, Fender guitars, and a Klon Centaur providing overdrive.) First off, the pedal is an original '71 FASEL inductor equipped wah with the blue ARCO capacitors. It was made in Italy, for Dallas-Arbiter of England. (It is what many seek out hardware-wise.) All that being said, it is exactly the sound from a wah I wanted. Very 'Clyde-ish', a natural 'voice' sounding wah. It is how you picture a vintage wah to sound in your head. Only the last inch/half-inch when you roll your foot back is bassy, the rest is a nasaly, human voice quality sound. I have tried everything but a Teese, and find this the sound quality tops them all. Some are a heck of a lot prettier (love the looks of those chrome Dunlops), but this has 'the sound.' Artists it sounds like? I would say a good SRV 'Say What' is the closest thing to it - when he hits that nasaly, sharp, quick run in that song - this is that sound. (I guess some call it 'pukey' or 'quacky' tones.) I would give it a higher sound rating, but it may be too trebly for some and 27 year-old pots get a bit scratchy. For me, it's only a 9, only because I haven't heard that fancy Teese one.

The original 27 year-old pot tends to be a bit scratchy (but that can be fixed). Also, I hear the connections can be fragile, but then again, mine are fine... I have a back up, not nearly as cool.

Never dealt with them, and I wouldn't trust the (new?) company to mess with the vintage components. Heck, if I worked there I'd send it back to you w/out the FASEL, that's for sure.

Well, lets see. I play (or try to play, lets be realistic) a Buddy/SRV/Collins style overdriven blues. It fits the bill nicely. Most wahs a too muddy, or too screechy, or just not worth your while - and when you engage them, your sound is changed too dramatically at that instant. This one really ads that human voice quality that make you unable to stop yourself from making your mouth look like you are eating a missile pop. Anyhow, I recommend reading the article on Wahs on the Analog Man website, and I highly recommend looking for a FASEL equipped vintage wah. If you have quality equipment, a tube amp, a fan of good vintage wah sound (hey its definitely not for everyone), and are an analog pedal person, seek one out. They are not terribly hard to find, and it takes 2 seconds to peek inside and see if it has the internal components are original. Anyhow, it's nice to have an original that your happy with, that confuses the heck out of people. - (It says Dallas, from England, made in Italy?) The only, and I mean only thing I don't like about it is she's not as cool looking as a chrome Vox, and on sight people think it's a run-of-the-mill Dunlop Crybaby. Until they hear it...