Fender Fuzz Wah

This pedal is very easy to use, not only because you can right away get some nice sounds without any tweaking but it also is actually easy to use while performing. Because of the way the footrocker is set up, you have basically have flexible tone and gain adjustments available at your feet. You don't need to bend over to tweak anything (although there is a trimmer that acts similar to a master volume, just crank it all the way up and let your feet do the controlling). It doesn't get a 10 only because right away, the player will have to get used to a wah-type pedal that also adjusts left to right. It was a little akward for me at first, careful not to fall over... There's also a small switch where you can change the order of the two effects (wah -> fuzz or fuzz -> wah).

Well, I didn't hear the massive tone-suck you might expect from a wah, it must be true-bypassed or buffered very well, I'd have to check again. The fuzz sounds like you'd expect from a "vintage" sounding creamy-type fuzz. Not the "can of bees" sound, a smooth, pretty squished fuzz. I think it would do well to fatten up a lead part, even when set to a cleaner sound. I mostly stuck to my neck pickup here because the fatness factor here is where it shines.

The other big advantage here is that, while with most fuzz sounds you tend to lose a real sense of dynamics, you can be very dynamically expressive because of the wah-rocker setup. That method of control is really the selling point here, maximum expression. While the wah doesn't really stand out on it's own (not a real FUNKY wide spectrum sweep) it can be pretty useful in shaping the tone of the fuzz while you are playing. It's more of a mids-shaper for the fuzz than an all out wah. So, even though are aren't many controls to tweak, you can move through a good variety of tones all while your hands are busy holding down the rock.

I guess to sum up the sound, the high point is great flexibility during a performance. The low point would be that when the fuzz is off, the wah is no substitute for a good ol' cry-baby when it comes to funky filtering. It is definitely more like a tone knob for the fuzz.

Haven't had a problem.

The guys at Fender have always been friendly to me, never had a problem here.

I play in a band that touches on rock, pop, "indie", and hints at some jazz I guess. If you're interested: http://edisonGlass.com

Currently using either my Fender '62 Jazzmaster, '81 Bullet, or '70s Musicmaster through a Hard-On, Juicer, Fish Factory, Octron, Echodrive, Memory Lane, Timeline, and some other homemade goodies into a Bluesbreaker combo and stereo'd out to a little Blues Jr.

Another thing to consider is that this baby is pretty freaking huge. Most wah's are big, but this guy is real big (and shiny). This isn't a deterrent for me (I'm kinda drawn to the bigger pedals like the echodrive and the timeline), but I know some guys like to stick to pretty compact stuff to save space.

If I were headed to the studio, I might grab something with a wider range of sounds, but for live performance, the unique setup offers a ton of flexibility, I give it an overall thumbs up.

I'm a record producer and I use this pedal on most of the records I make. For me it would be better as a studio piece, as the wah is a bit tricky since the fulcrum point is more to the back than in the middle. The volume works on a side to side swivel, so that makes for a bit of an awkward control. I imagine most players would get used to the mechanics of it in time. The volume part is in circuit all the time and the wah and fuzz are controlled by the typical large footswitches. There are no knobs to vary the fuzz or wah.

I love the sound of the fuzz on this thing. To me, it's the classic mid 60's/early 70's fuzz. Not super gainy, but just enough to sustain and sound big. With a small Fender amp run very clean, think anywhere from classic Louis Shelton guitar stuff to cheesy Elvis movie. I like to kick in the wah and keep it at a certain frequency for ear candy parts. The wah is not quite as crazy as a Cry Baby but very usable. I don't use the volume much but for me, the fuzz makes the pedal. I own several fuzz pedals and for me it doesn't really sound like other fuzz pedals on the market today.

As with many old pedals, the volume and wah pots can be scratchy and need exercised and cleaned, and that is the case with mine. As I mentioned, for me this is more of a studio piece because I'm not sure I would trust putting it on a pedal board and doing shows with it. I might trust the fuzz, but not so much the wah and volume. In the studio, I have had no problems.

Since it's a vintage piece, Fender would be no help, but a good repair person would probably have no problem. I might imagine that getting pots or some of the parts might be tricky, but then again, you can find just about anything on the net these days.

I highly recommend this as a fantastic vintage flavor for any guitarist into retro or indie stuff. As far as metal or anything heavy, it's not going to get it. For me the fuzz is the real deal. The wah is unique and the volume mediocre, but the fuzz more than makes up for the shortcomings of the rest of the pedal.

This is a tricky wah pedal if you ask me. However, who cares about it being a bit of a pain in the ass to use after you've heard the sound. As stated in other reviews, this pedal has a fulcrum towards your heel and it has a stomp on each side of the pedal. There is also no LED light (can be confusing).

For what this pedal is, there isn't much or anything better. There aren't too many fuzz wahs out there, and the new ones made today are mostly terrible. The Fuzz is the thickest, warmest, and most natural I've ever heard. Also, the gain boost you get when you turn it on is enormous (hello compressor). The wah is not a typical wah, not a crybaby wacka-wacka wah. This wah has two really good uses for me. One is the electronic weird sound you can get by using your foot a good amount. The other is a slow build up from being completely under water to inside your head--this wah definitely has the longest sweep by far--of any wah I've ever heard, and you can lost while getting through it--beware. When you combine the two you get to sound like Jimmy Hendrix--no joke----hendrix in a box--thats what it should be called.

If you got one then you'd know these boys are real old. They're bound to break if you abouse them. I had to have my wah adjusted because something was wrong with it. Also, they suck 9V batteries quick! But it is a HUGE HUGE metal box so it is relatively sturdy once settled down.

who freakin knows----you call fender and ask them about the pedal

I got this for $225 bucks and that was a steal. There aren't many fuzz wahs out there and there aren't many fender effects either. This pedal will probably be worth alot more in 10 years, so get em while they last. I think it's the best fuzz/wah ever made for it's unique sound--not compromising warm analog tone. Don't get this pedal if you want to do the wacka wacka funk stuff--you may be able to get it with this pedal but it won't sound like a crybaby. I love it--Jimmy in a box.

PRETTY SIMPLE REALLY PLUG HER IN AND GO. BRUSHED STEAL, STURDY CONSTRUCTION, VINTAGE LOOK. I HATE FENDER BUT THIS PEDAL ROCKS.
PLUS I FOUND IT AT A FLEE MARKET FOR $3 ONLY TO FIND OUT IS WORTH MUCH MORE

NO CLICKS OR HISSES THAT ARENT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. THE WAH WORKS PERFECT FOR METAL MUSIC ESPECIALY IF YOU CRANK THIS MOTHER UP.
THOU I CAN SEE HOW CLASSICAL MUSICIANS MIGHT NOT LIKE THE AMOUNT OF FUZZ IT HAS.

WELL, I HAVENT HAD IT LONG BUT SHE HASNT SCREWED UP YET. NOT BAD FOR A $3 INVESTMENT.

C'MON ITS A FENDER I MEAN REALLY THEY CAME OUT WITH SQUIRE AND THEN WENT ON A ONE WAY ROAD TO A VERY BIG HOLE.

MOSTLY ALTERNITIVE AND METAL AND THIS PEDAL WORKS GREAT.
I WOULD RATHER LUG THIS BULKY THIK IN THEN MY OTHER STATE OF THE ART ONE JUST FOR QUALITY OF SOUND. HOWEVER IT IS HEAVY AND BIG...BUT MOM ALWAYS SAID HEAVY MEAND ITS DURABLE.
ALSO THE PIVOT FOR THE PEDAL IS DIFFERENT THAN MOST NEWER PEDALS SO THAT TAKES TIME TO GET USED TO.

As mentioned before, the pivot for this pedal is towards the rear, so if you're used to the "Cry-Baby" style pedal that has more of a central fulcrum, it may take some getting used to. Some people might think this is better/worse depending on your point of view. Also, there are 2 of the regular '70's era clunk foot switches on the top of the rocker that you have to manuver your foot between, sometimes it can be tricky.

This is one of the sickest fuzz-wahs I've ever heard. It can have the highest, most shreiking quality to it with all settings on 10. It is simply a gain monster. Tinitus sufferers & fragile pre-amps beware. On the down side, the hiss from this thing can be ungodly, & can almost play itself by turning it on. Granted, it's a given that old effects make noise, this is almost more than is acceptable. But then again, if you're taking full advantage of its super destructo tone, who cares about hiss when you're ripping out those Stooges covers anyway?

Um, lets put it this way... I'haven't played it for about two & a half years due to its non-functioning status. The plastic stroke gear that turns the pot shaft gear is held in place by a plastic retainer, screwed into the underside of the housing. The screw eventually falls out after numerous whackings with the pedal & the whole action goes slack. There are only so many times that you can re-screw that thing in there before stripping the hole. The last time I did this, I knocked the pot out of alignment, so when the gears were put back together, it never had the same sweep again. needless to say, I've never gotten around to fixing it since the electronics of my unit were very on again/off again before the mechanical failure. This is most frustrating since the outer casing is so huge & heavy it seems a Sherman tank could run over this thing & it'd be okay. My advise for the owners of these pedals is to treat this screw with some Loc-Tite, or better yet some super-glue as some preventative maintainence.

Fender was probably too busy making solid state amps in the late seventies to even remember that they made this thing.

Would I replace it? Haven't yet, but as an obsessive gear-head with a penahnt to keep everything forever, that's not to say I wouldn't. If I found a another really good one for cheap, I might buy it just as a studio oddity to cure the duldrums.

I think if you wanted to play noise-rock/trash-core/punk this would be a perfect pedal & worth it for the fuzz alone. I think there's a reason that nobody famous is associated with using this pedal as the gain & tone are so over the top. This could be a good thing if you're looking to set yourself apart from every other Big Muff-toting, beer swilling, knuckle-dragging, 4 chord bashing punk rocker out there. I think if you like it, play it till it breaks & bring a Boss pedal as a backup.

Overall, use of this pedal is a sure fire way to break your current lease if you don't mind putting up with some noise & figuring out how to fix it every other gig.

Easy to get a lot of sound out of, and quickly. The easiest pedal effect I've ever used. When the going gets tough just step on both the wah and fuzz, the combined sound is beautifully deafening in even the largest halls.

I run a Fender American Standard Strat through the pedal and into a Super Reverb. The fuzz is great but not the cool grunge sound of a VGS50, it's more smooth sounding. When you desperately need a big lead sound just click in the wah and the too sounds together make for a real psycho-delic noise wall. It helps cover uninspired lead.

Totally dependable, has served many (100?) 4 hour gigs. Battery (9 volt) usage is very low.

Fender is run by zombies from Baja California, completely out of touch of anyone who doesn't have a Strat model named after them.

This piece is great at any price, my friend Puscheck found it stashed under the stairs of the EL in Chicago, I've used it ever since. It is made of cast aluminum so it never wears out. It can do fuzz, wah wah, and volume all using the same pedal and all can be on at the same time. It can be used in every style of music, if your brave enough.

This is a truly great old pedal. It is big, chrome, and beautiful. Shaped like a wah, it rocks from a fulcrum located near the rear of the pedal, and no parts are exposed to the world when it is fully rotated back. This is wonderful as the pot won't get dirty unless you open the thing up and throw some crap inside.
It has three effect modes: Wah, Fuzz, and Volume control. The best part is, they can all be dome at the same time. The fuzz has no controls- you just step on the switch that says "fuzz" located on the left side of the pedal. To use the wah, you just step on the button that says "wah" on the right side of the pedal, and wah away. The most innovative part of this pedal's design is the way you can control the volume- the top of the wah-rocker swivels! Point your foot to the right, and there is more volume, point it to the left, and there is none. groovy!

I am using a Mexi-Strat with fat 50's pickups through a flextone amp. whern i use this efffect, i usually slap the flextone into "twang" mode (a mix between a Fender Bassman and some other fender amp) turn the gain down, and go for it.
This pedal has a very cool sounding wah- not too bassy, not to ear-piercing. With both the wah and fuzz on, it gets kinda wild- pullong the wah all the way back makes a very bassy, muddy fuzz; pushing it all the eway forward makes a very obnoxious screamy fuzz sound.
The volume is allright- not great, not bad. you can make very cool sounds, though, if you swivel your foot while using the wah- you get a kinda space-aged psychadelic sound sthat fades in and out of of the Fender netherworld...or something like that. The volume is also very handy as your guitar signal seems to loose a bit of volume when you pop on the fuzz. This is easily fixed by pointing your foot to the right and pumping up the volume. Nifty.
There is not much to say about the fuzz by itself- it has no controls, so you just turn it on and go. it's not a fulltone '69...but it's also not a stupid Boss "hyper-fuzz." Powerchords sound good through it, and things go kinda downhill from there. Classical players probably would not appreciate this unit's fuzz.

This pedal is heavy and chrome. It was made in the early days of the CBS buyout (or at least i think so...the box has the letters "CBS" on it...), so i don't figure that Fender would service it if it did break. I took a gander inside, and both the volume and wah are controlled by a wacky array of strings and pulleys. It would be a pain to fix if either string broke.
Anyhow, i would probably buy a backup for this if i was touring a bunch, but i don't so i won't. If i was on stage, and the battery failed (no AC) or a string snapped in the middle of a writhing psycho-billy/psychadellic solo, i would be very upset.

this thing is a great conversation piece, and sounds good to boot. if you find one for around $150, buy it- it's a killer pedal that is bound to go up in value.

This pedal has a rocker pedal, like a regular wah. It has three roller pots, mounted vertically, rather than the 'normal' horizontal mounting. These are Fuzz level, Wah level, and a Fuzz/wah blend. This is a great mounting because you can adjust them with a toe, with a little practice.
There are two 'stomp' switches on either side of the rocker pedal. One is for the fuzz, the other is for the wah. It can be hard to fit a large shoe between them, or get them both on for that critical moment.

Oh you'll love this, I use it with BASS. I use a stereo rig, this goes into a Peavey tnt 150 amp, with an Ibanez AD9, Dunlop Rotovibe, Arion Octave, Boss Flanger, Dod 201 phasor, and Dunlop Bass Crybaby. I've got a LOT to say about these others, but the Fender works just fine. The Wah is superb, better than Crybaby style, but very subtle. It won't suck out your volume like a Crybaby, but is not too intense.
The Fuzz is a very wonderful fuzz. No need to crank it for a good fuzz. Together w/ blending, this provides some of the most powerful swooshing shit I've ever heard. Hands down AWESOME. Mixes well with other pedals, but is GREAT alone.
Can sound like that swoosh in the intro to Rush's 'Tom Sawyer', though I don't like Rush.
Too cool. THE vintage analog pedal to have.

The pedal is Huge, almost twice the size of a Crybaby. It is in a brushed steel housing, with a rubber treaded surface glued to the rocker pedal. It is worth lugging to gigs, and is competely reliable.
I LOVE vintage gear, but I beat the hell out of pedals...kind of stupid. But they are built to be used, abused. There is no Backup to this. Morley's have their own sound, especially the old chrome A/C powered ones, but that's two different sounds.
If you need to get inside, there are four corner screws on the bottom plate, with a fifth in the middle near the battery. This plate is about 1/8" thick. That's solid, unlike the Crybaby. Sorry to sound like I'm dissing the Crybaby, their really is no comparing, but it is something to compare to those who have never seen a Fender Fuzz/Wah.

Never had to deal with the company, This pedal is so vintage, it might be pre-CBS. The Fender Co. Guitar mag should review this beast. Now that the employees own the co. Show some pride. This could make up for all the Squier crap they've ever put out.

I love it with Psychedelia-Metal, rock, funk, punk. Right now I'm in a funk-reggae hiphop group. This pedal SCARES them. It can be soo subtle, or overbearing. In 11 yrs. of playing, this has been such a monumental effect. I would beat anyone who stole it, hunt them down and beat t5hem with it. Of course, same goes for any of my pedals, though i'd let anyone borrow them. We all need some good FX. I think blending the effects for a good swoosh, or using it as a wacky tone pedal. If it had LEDs, like the Rotovibe, it would be the most powerful effect on the market. But that's too much ego for a stompbox. I've had it for 8mos. and it has found itself into more than a few songs, but I don't have to force it into every tune.
If I had to sell it, sorry but it would go for about $250 at least. If you can find it for less, Jah blesses you!

This pedal has a fuzz switch and a wah switch located on top of the foot rocker near the back so it is a pain in the ass to use. Although with practice it gets easier. It has three parameters fuzz output/wah level/fuzz blend.

This thing sounds great. Its frequency range is huge and it sounds more like the cutoff frequency with resonance of an analog synth than a cry baby style wah. Sort of like wah before the distortion even when placed after distortion. It's also pretty quiet to. Sounds great with keyboards and is the first wah that actually works well with vocals.

I would never gig it mainly because I've never seen another one like it (even after checking the net).

If this thing was made before CBS then good luck.

This thing looks vintage, tastes vintage, smells vintage is physically huge and it's silver so why haven't all the Fender "vintage" fanatics(particularly Guitar Player) written anything about this monster?