Morley Bad Horsie II

Nothing gets any easier than foot on, foot off. One of the amazing features of Morely I just love. The second wah is toggled by foot switch to allow you you adjust the tone and volume. Try doing some fo the instant on instant off wah tricks using a crybaby toe switch. BLoodly amazing if you ask me.

I think this is the best wah, I love it. I had the first model years back and I came back around to this II model. It does everything I want in a wah. The buffer circuit actually functions better than just a true by-pass and it will improve your line drive loading. In combination with true-bypass pedals it gives you an essential buffer load and preserves your tone.

I have no problems clean as I can adjust the contour if needed. This is the best gain wah I have used, highly versitle and musical. I would add a Fulltone Cylde model on my board but I will never be removing the Bad Horsie II. I power all my effects with the BBE Supercharger on a Tone Bone Slanted board. This wah goes first in chain which makes the signal better and keeps loading down. It helps your tone even when you are not using it!

I love this wah and I have had a ton of wahs, some might be better for one trick phoney tones like the tone-sucking-when-off-VOX but I love this model II and it will never leave my rig line. Some wahs might sound better clean, I have no problems, but I do not play clean all that much. From Glass, to molten metal this is the wah for me.

Hard to imagine anything built better than Morely. No moving parts, no pots, I mean really, this is genius work here, some of us get it Dr Morley and Master Vai!!!

Never talked to Morely, never needed to. These are the best wah type and volume pedals, in 30 years of playing and tone searching.

I think it's the best wah. I demand extreme versitility from my rig line and this is the wah that sits in the pole position. A lot of wahs sound good but they also have pots that are going to crap out with use (how many times can you turn a knob pot?) At least Fulltone uses a better grade pot in his Clyde and Trower uses them. Satch and Vai use this Wah, I know why. It was also bloodly inexpensive, when I was redoing my rig line I was shocked how low priced it was! I traded in about $800 bucks worth of really good like new pedals for new stuff, this wah was on my top list of four I had to have.

This is the best wah, period. Step on it, it's on, let go and it's off. No moving pots or switches, it does not get any better.

I used the first model for a number of years having gone through every wah out there. I would consider also adding the Fulltone Wah but it is still pot driven. Complaints about this wah are easily delt with using the contour adjustments. I have no problems using it clean if I adjust the contour to suit clean. When it comes to high gain Satriani, Vai, or even my fav Trower tones, this is the wah. I find it works with any type guitar. If you want old style wah then adjust the contour and level controls to suit that style of playing. Otherwise this wah cranks! I have had everything at one time or another. As I mentioned I would not mind having a Fulltone Clyde Wah as well but this pedal is not leaving my board! I'll leave the old crybaby pot wahs to the tiny amp one speaker guys. Take the old VOX, I had one, great tones, but a tone sucking spunge when off.

This is not true-bypass BUT for those who understand capacitance chain loading, cable runs, and buffers, you would realize that the Vai designed buffer circuit here is BETTER than the "over-hyped" "true by-pass" and having a good buffer amp in your chain makes for a better tone. This is the best. Just having it in line improves your line cap loading and line drive ability. I find it to be the best wah.

Nothing is going to last longer than this wah, heavy construction and no moving parts or switches to wear out. How long does an LED light source last? The Pulse LED on my old Pink Floyd CD is still blinking.

Never talked to them. I would like to compliment them on their line of pedals. I only use the best of the best and these wah pedals are just better than any old style pot wah which wear out depending on how much you use it. Try getting the technique of depressing the wah for an accent note then turning it off on the usual wah.

I am old school, I started playing when Robin Trower was the guitar god. I have always loved the wah effect and I could not count the wahs I have owned and used. Just about any of them sound good, the old inductor wahs and such. But this is the wah I will have on my board which will not fail me, have the pot wear out and get grainy. No one likes the old sounds better than me, but really if I had some of the **** amps and gear they had in the 70's I would stop playing. Humming, fizzy, feedbacking crap. Set into the 21st century, technology is not a bad thing, we can prodice and get tones not possible then and you can mimic them if you want to. My rig is detailed in the review on the Fulltone Drive II.

You have to be handicapped in order to misuse this pedal(if you are I'm sorry for you). A switch less wah and a Level and Contour knobs and a switch in order to get the bad horsie 1 circuit or the circuit that includes the two knobs.

Tis pedal sounds very good especially in higher gain settings but there is a big problem while playing it in a clean setting- if you play the guitar while the pedal is down you get a very high and harsh sound, using a compressor helps but it doesn't entirely solve the problem, and the pedal just doesent sound as good on clean.

Very Reliable- strong metal casing that will break only if you use it as a baseball bat

Never dealt with them.

I play from Rock to hair metal and this pedal is awsome for those high gain solos and riffs but if you like your wah on a clean sound then you might want to compare with a Crybaby or Vox.

The easiest Wah to use EVER! Step on it and it works, step off goes off...fantatsic!!! No need for a manual unless you are very curious about controlling wah.

I play Dean Guitars, 1 Caparison, 1 Gibson Les paul running through a Mesa Triple Rectifier. Strong effect, best with the contour off for me. I use EMGs in all my guitars and I don't need the extra bite. The wah swell is actually bigger with the contour off!!! I play metal, but my measure of a wah is playing voodoo child (slight return) clean...this pedal nails it. Really good with distortion as well.

I won't need a back up...it should be ok. It is a metal encased pedal. I weigh 187lbs and I put all my weight on it...still wah'ing like crazy!

Haven't had to deal with them...yet.

I play metal and I love the fact that I can step on it and it starts to work without the click. I am a tone head so I was worried about noise, but no noise. I read that a ton of people had problems with buzz...they were probably using the wrong power source (some musicians are kind of dumb and don't understand how to set rigs up). I have been playing for about 15 years now...this is the best wah I have played yet. I actually started out with Morley a long time ago went to Dunlop and now I am back. They hit a home run with this one. It really helps me create some good sounds.

Wow. 2 knobs for variation...switch on and off for contour control. The rest is just step on it to engage. Too awesome. Instant effect.
I dunno if this even came with a manual..doesn't need one.

Using it with Strats, Les Pauls, a buncha other guitars...with Duncans,PRS,Dimazio,Carvin pickups..etc.
I bought the adapter...this thing makes no noise...does not diminish my signal.
Um.... I have a Vox Clyde reissue...with a very pronounced wah effect..and true bypass...I have these side by side...more on that later....I don't know how anyone could say this has a weak effect..unless they got a defective pedal.

This thing is great...does it make you sound like Steve Vai? Hell no. If you recreated his entire rig and could play like him...then yes, I absolutely see his tone in this wah. Bigtime. It has a wide sweep...(sorry guys...I get a full wah spectrum from the back position all the way to the toe down position ..where it is very trebly!) And it is not just a small sweet spot. I also have the Little alligator volume pedal..and THAT has a very small area of sweep... so...maybe it is an inconsistency among Morley equipment?
I have had Morley wahs in the past...I had an old chrome jobbie from the 80's! I also had the newer incarnations from the 90's...and tried a recent wah/volume and they really were horrible..I was reluctant to give this a shot..I was about to buy a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe...and glad I got this instead..(no joke! Not that this is better...just different...)

This is NOT a fasel wah sound...so, I'm glad I have both...I have my Clyde for the 70's **** soundtrack funky stuff or Hendrix-y type tones...this is a definitley more modern sounding wah...not so much for blues..but GREAT for shred, instrumental stuff or Prog rock/metal. This is a signature wah...and Steve Vai is not a blues guy..or even a regular rock guy. He is a guitarist geared toward futuristic noises...and this wah can do that (with his rig) and much more mainstream modern wah sounds..I'm gonna give this a high score for what it is...I would say 8.5..so..I'll average up to a 9...
Using this with a few different rigs.
Voodoo Lab preamp with Carvin T100 or TS100 (new one) power amps, with a DigitechTSR24S(with parametric eq's), and BBE Maxcom thru closed back cabs loaded with Cannabis Rex or GB128 speakers. It is better with this setup...more midrange classic tones that benefit from the sweep of this wah. Friggin' gnarly. Yum.
I also use it in front of a Digitech GSP2101 with Carvin TS100 with the same cabs. This is a bit more synthetic sounding...but still good. The sweep is still there.
I run a Keeley TS9 in front of this stuff for more organic gain..sometimes a boosta grande to fatten up a strat as well as the Little Alligator, Vox Clyde Reissue, etc

This thing looks awesome. Feels solid. Heavy. Love it. Would not gig at Food Spot without a backup.
I have not had this for long...so...I will leave it n/a....

Dunno. Never dealt with them. Seems cool that they have a guy who writes here and makes himself available for customers...and that it is made here in the US. This is a VITAL point for me on my purchases. I try to only buy made in USA. Maybe I'm a sucker..but this country needs to support it's own industries and keep the jobs here...just my 2 cents....lol..
Hope I never need to return it/send it in...but from what I have heard..they back their stuff up.

Been playing over 20 years..barf. I play metal,shred,blues,jazz,funk..whatever!
Own a few guitars and the other stuff I mentioned.
I love the switchless feature..the potless feature and the versatility. I like having this and the Clyde..not that it is it's own effect...but different enough than the Clyde to justify it's place on my board. Better for shred, modern melody lines...not as good for funk or blues.
I wish it were true bypass...so I could say it was true bypass...LOL..but it does not degrade my signal noticeably. Definitely helps making music. Instinctive and easy to use..and you don't have to click a switch to engage...just step on it! Yayyyyyyyyy!

Easy to use and understand..it's a wah pedal...how hard can it be?

Disappointing. Like has been stated in MANY previous reviews, it is not a deep thick wah. it certainly sounds NOTHING like his signature recordings featuring wah (ya yo, audience, etc.) Also, like noted earlier, the pedal area where it sweeps the wah is about a 1 inch pedal travel. the area before and after this sweet spot is a waste and to try and nail tones with the small area of travel is a challenge. once you get used to it it's ok, but when anyone tries to wah on my setup they are a mess. it is a battery hog as well and WILL NOT work quietly with you existing adapters. you have to buy the morley one (which i now have) to get it to work with ac power. The one feature i do like is the spring loaded snap back. when you step off of it, it springs back to the off position by itself.

well made, reliable

na

look elsewhere for you wah. playing 27 years, hard rock, blues. if it were stolen i would laugh at the chump who now has to deal with it and be glad they left my GREAT snarling dogs wah alone.

This pedal is extremely easy to use, and is actually preferred by me, because of the lack of the on/off switch. This makes it so much easier to use and eliminates problems with engaging the switch, like on most other wah pedals. The optical on/off makes this pedal very cool and easy to use in live situations.

Here is where my beef is with this thing. The tone is OK, but lacks in depth like the Dunlop wahs that have the Fasel inductor. The wah effect is mediocre, but works. This might be a wah for someone not so concerned about tone, but usability. My big thing is tone. If the tone is not there, I just can't use it. Question is, if this wah is soooo good, why isn't Steve Vai using it?? Why? It's all a money - marketing ploy.
Anything with his name on it is going to sell. He does use other Morley pedals, and I have seen him use the bad horsie on occasion, but his main wah is the Dunlop 535Q, as well as Joe Satriani. If you want tone, go with the Dunlop 535Q.

So far this product is built pretty well. It weighs a ton, and seems to have sturdy parts on it. I would say it is pretty reliable.
If you have any HISS sounds when you use this, check your AC Adapter.
The voltage has to match or be higher than required, otherwise you get a hiss sound. Don't use it in your effects loop. Wahs are meant to go before the preamp, not after.

Don't know - never needed support

Overall I give it a good rating. it's a very nice, sturdy wah, with an ok tone to it, just not my kind of tone. I play jazz, rock, funk, metal, and fusion, and have been playing for 25 years. I own 2 Ibanez JS guitars, a Peavey JSX amp head, Carvin Legacy head, Digitech IVL harmonizer- effects unit, different pedals.
If this wah was lost or stolen, I would not buy another.
The tone is just too light and lacks in depth, but it's usability is very great. Not as good as the Dunlop 535Q.

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I just got this today, I plugged in a boss power supply to it and started to see what this thing can do. Instant hum. I was bummed that I was going to have to send the pedal back, Then I tried a one spot power supply, no more hum. So if you have a hum problem with this when you get one it's the power supply thats giving you grief.I'll report back later on this pedal when I've had some to time to play with it.

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Very easy to use,

Expression pedal with built in on/off switch

one button to switch between normal and contour mode

Volume and contour control (only for contour mode)

Well I must say I find this a great pedal. I have used Vox and Jim Dunlop wah pedals which are good but suck tone unlike this one.

I do not have any noise or buzz problems from this pedal. I can only imagine users who complain about these issues are using sub standard power supplies. I have gigged and toured this pedal and I have had no issues what so ever with this pedal. I power it with a diago power supply daisy chained to 11 other pedals and no buzz or noises etc.

It has a different feel to the Jim Dunlop and Vox style wah-wah pedals and therefore takes a little time to get use to.

I however found it very easy to use and also the contour mode allows you to set the half cocked tone for your wah and then just stand on the wah pedal and hit that spot every time without any problems. Therefore allowing you to have two useable sounds from this simple pedal. The auto on/off is great for no hassle live and studio use too.

Been gigged for 3 years and still going strong.

Never needed them so no comment.

Great pedal, very easy to use, no tone loss, no noise issues, a winner!

Real easy to use. As long as you know how to open it up and adjust the wah delay to your liking.

Sounds good by itself but as soon as I start chaining other pedals with it my amp buzzes. It does boost your sound a little which I like because when I use it I want my sound to stand out. It doesn't like any other adapters then the Morley ones. Everything else I tried made it hum in the amp. I bought a One Spot multi and still have to take along my Morley adapter because the one spot makes it hum as well. I also found you cannot have power cords or adapters close to the wah or it hums in the amp.

Seems solid. When I first got the wah it wanted to stay on all the time unless I pulled up on the toe end of the pedal. After a while it stopped doing that.

Here is why I am posting this review! I had a problem with the wah a couple years ago and emailed Morley support. The guy who answered me seemed real cool and was very helpful. But in the past week I contacted support twice about the wah making my amps hum when I chain other pedals with it and some Chad Montrose guy emailed me back and came across as a real jerk, like I was wasting his time.

I love this wah, by itself. But whenever I add any other pedal with it my amp buzzes. I tried diffreent effects, adapters, and batteries instead of adapters and sill get a bad buzz in the amp. I never had this problem before because I ran the wah by itself in front of the amp and everything else in the loop. Now I am trying to add another pedal out front of the amp and am not having any luck. We mic our amps most of the time so I can't have buzzing and hissing going on in the amp.

Very damn easy to use. Just step on it and release it to bypass. Superb job mr Vai :)

This is the area that I don't really like, it's easy to use but it doesn't sound as great as my JH1 (I traded my JH1 for bad horsie2) I've tried the original crybaby and it sounded better. My setup goes like this boss tu2 -> bad horsie2 -> Line6 ubermetal -> digitech digidelay -> boss ge7 -> behringer mic200 -> amp

It's though.

Never dealt with them.

I play almost any kind of music, Although I prefer the sound of the JH1 and the original crybaby, I'll keep this on my pedal board cos it's easy to use, If it were stolen I'll definetelty try out other wah pedal out there.

It's not an easy wah to get a good sound out of at all, compared to my old pre-Dumplop Crybaby (which is currently broken), but the tone color is a lot like it. The manual is about 5 sentences long and devoid of useful information. Also I couldn't really tell what the features or different modes were doing until I carefully messed with it in a quiet room. I thought it was broken or stuck in one mode because everything sounded basically the same with the band. It's also difficult to do flutter effects ala Hendrix (Midnight Lamp etc) because of the spring load.

Contour mode has an amp of some sort in it because it raises the gain, compression and noise significantly, even with the level pot all the way down. Turning the level up really boosts the effect of the contour pot. The contour function is nice, it sounds like it basically changes how far the filter sweeps into the treble frequencies, kind of a treble limiter, and can make some frequencies really stick out if the level is up.

Here's the trick I discovered to making this thing sound good to me, and in response to some of the negative reviews (which I totally agree with, by the way): The deal is that 90% of the wah sweep takes place in about 1 inch of travel. Within that one painfully-difficult-to-move-my-foot-like-that inch there are great tones! But it's unlike any other wah I've used, and I have had to make drastic adjustments to my traditional wah-foot technique. The reason I thought it was broken was because sweeping it back and forth at a normal speed I was blowing right past where all the action was, and it sounded like cr*p, basically low to high with noting in between but a strange little "bwap" of midrange. But going slower I found that bwap was more like "B-WHAAAAAAHHHHhshh", aha! said I, that's where all the wah tone was hidden. I still think that it's pretty lame, but maybe there is a reason for that "feature" that remains undiscovered by me.

I'd depend on it for a couple years. Once it starts creaking and squeeking (and it will eventually) I'd look for a backup.

I haven't dealt with them but I may try to find out from them if the "feature" I mentioned can be modified at all.

I don't mind learning to use a new pedal, I just think it would help if the manual explained some things about it. And like most people, when I get a wah I don't expect to need to learn anything new. My rating also reflects the $ value aspect. I suspect only very picky people will put up with this pedal to extract it's tone potential (which is exceptional, imo), and it might not be worth the pain-in-the-ass factor to you to get it. A basic wah tone can be had for less money and trouble. But I'm one of those people

My gear only involves tubes and other analog stuff, been playing 13 years, lots of styles, but not really any jazz, or funk, and not good at country either. I have not had this pedal more than a couple months and have yet to try it on a clean channel. All tone comments apply to the OD channels of used tube amps. Been playing lots of hair metal lately also (shred!) I am in a real band, with other people thank god, so this pedal gets used outside the bedroom too

Bought brand new. It's very easy to use, its easy to setup, its just a pity that the wah sweep is so short that you dont get a nice long wah-wah.. you get an abrupt 'quack'. The auto-on feature is very nice but its not true bypass - I'll go on about the 'tone' quality next...

Bad... very bad... sorry Steve, I've got a few of your Ibanez guitars, but I expected way more from this pedal. One serious problem, and its not just me, loads of guys on jemsite.com complain about this also, if you use it with a top quality, regulated 9v external power supply you get a load of hum/noise when the pedal is on. If you unplug the power and run on a battery then its fine, although still a bit noisy, and way more noise than my fantastic Dunlop 535Q. When in bypass mode its not too much of a tone sucker but beware, this pedal kills your tone when on, I know that a Wah is a fairly radical effect, but this is far from the big sweep - loads of control - loads of depth and vocal character wah that I was expecting... turns out that My Vai still uses the Dunlop wah - I wonder why?!

Seemed well made.

Didnt use them, I returned the pedal for a refund.

DO NOT BUY! if you want a quality top end wah then check out the 535Q that Mr Satriani uses, its damn good.

Tthis pedal is extremely simple. It's just a couple of knobs!

I use it with RG 570, RG620, RG770, American tele with hot rails. Guitar > Boss CS3 > WAH > AMX double shot dist. > and then for recording into ADA mp1 > ADA micro cabII > Line6 toneport UX2. for live into Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 with carvin 412 T
This pedal gives me the sound i want. It doest ruin my guitar tone at all eather way. FOLKS, there's three things: your rig, your instruments and your skill. It took me some time to get a good tone with it. The whole thing is how you step on it. It's way different from old school wahs like dunlop, vox. But nothing is perfect, obviosly some people like it some don't. I play vai, satriani type stuff, so it fits me. But it is worth at least to try!!!

Built solid and robust like an M1 Abrams :) You might want a backup for your tube amp, but not fir this thing!!!!

I have never dealt with them.

Just like I said: instrument + rig + skill = exelence Everything else is A matter of taste. I am sure not everyone is steve vai fan!!

Doesn't get any easier than this, pop in a battery, plug your guitar in, and wail! There are only two knobs to mess with, level, and contour. You only need to worry about contour when you press the contour switch. Took my about 30 seconds of tweaking to find a sound I liked.

This is the greatest wah pedal I have owned thus far. I have two cry babys (hendrix, and Dimebag darrel) and when not playing, the noise those things make is almost unbearable, and once I get a little higher in the frets I cant hear the effect at all. But the Bad Horsie gives me plenty of wah power all the way up the fretboard. There's a good frequency range that gives me plenty of versatility, and let me tell you... this things is as quiet as a mouse, even when the wah is engaged. The only thing is, if you read all of the reviews, it's not for everyone, If you scoop all the mids out of your tone, it doesn't have that much effect, but if your like me and like to have a clear middy tone, (like Vai, or say... Alexi Laiho) then this thing is wonderful. Not saying you shouldn't try it, but when checking this pedal out, plug it in to an amp in the store, set the amp up how you like it an test it. Your ears are the best judge, different pedals for diffrent people, you know?

It seems to be built very solid, moreso than my dunlops (though i've never had a problem with them) and hell, i've Steve Vai live STANDING on the damn thing rocking back and forth and it didn't flinch. As for gigging without a backup, if it busted on me in the middle of a gig, i'd just do without for that show... I can survive without wah (or any other effect) for one show.

Never had to call them

I play heavy metal with my band, Plague of Autumn, and this fits my style perfectly. The fact that I can just use it, and step off of it to disengage it (with a handy light so I KNOW it's off) is a big convenience. I don't know how many times I've been using a wah pedal, and they haven't disengaged... So it gives me freedom to use it, and step away with ease, and assurance. The contour feature is cool, cause I can get two different wah tones with one pedal. If it were stolen, or lost, i'd definitely buy a new one, because It sounds great, and the switchless design is great!

There is no switch you can't get any easier. It's alot easier to get the sound i was looking for with this than other pedals on the market. I didn't really get a manual it was more like a catalogue.

I play my Ibanez rg 520 through this pedal and to my Line 6 uber metal and then to my Crate gx-60c. I can't hear any unwanted noise. I am not trying to sound like anyone else but i can really dial in my own sound with it.

I rely on it 100% I don't belive i will ever need another wah pedal.

I have dealt with the company twice and i have to say that they are the best, they answered my questions quickly and they were very nice and helpfull (They even offered to hook me up with a new pedal just because I like the grip one the newer ones better) it is so nice to find a company that cares about the customers as much as they do.

I am a metal head and that is really all i play and I have been playing for 13 years. My favorite feature is the contour mode because i can really dial in a good setting. I can't compare it to other products because it is the best.

a rocker 2 knobs and a switch.

Dillion dr 500 with dimarzios into Fender deluxe 112's in stereo or a Laney gl50II with electroharmonix tubes and a Fender cab loaded with Eminence legend speakers. No noise except for what you make with it. The contour settings and regualar settings are both great. Sounds like Vai's wah sounds ,but is different depending on how you use it and with what. It's a very creative device. It's not a classic wah sound at all. I had a snarling dogs ,which is a different sounding wah too and I have also owned the 535q wah which is a great wah as well. The Onerr fat boy is outstanding also...All of which I've owned at one point or another...But the Bad horsie 2 is what is on my pedal board and has been for 2 years. You can get the string slide/shift with it like Zakk Wylde has too...Which is what I use it for a lot.

never fails...the battery clip fell off,but I've not used that in years...it's on a powered pedal board and a device like this one should probably be used with a power supply.

dunno..they have a cool web site....

I play anything and everything...Including stuff like Vai and heck I even have played a tune or two of his...I didn't buy it cuz Vai's name is on it, although I do love a good dose of Vai from time to time. I bought it because it's different. I do however wish the rocker was not spring loaded might be cool to lock this thing in a sweet spot and see what happens. If you want a classic wah sound stick with what you know Dunlop,Vox,Onerr, or George Dennis will be more up your alley. If you want different this is one choice. The other would be the snarling dog super duper model with all the side switches. Whatever it was called...it was red I remember it was red...but this is my wah..I like it..you don't have to

it really does not get much easier. to get to the countour just hit a switch and you are there. the sound is flawless. great wah tone with a cutting edge

i use this with a big muff and a sonus green badge and w/ the muff on the metal tones are incredible and clean it is perfect for any style of music. i have seen reviews saying it makes noise but it makes none for me. the effects are good but i really only use the contour for rock and metal. the original setting is best for clean, bluesy stuff. i can get sounds ranging from stevie ray to dimebag to fo course vai w/ this pedal

i have only had it a short time but it has been reliable so far

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i am 15 and have been playing for about 5 years and i own a dod wah. this runs all over it. i play everything from funk to metal, and this really helps me shape my music and put my mark on it. if it were stolen i would probably try a tremonti wah to see how i like it but i would most definately stick with morley. i absolutely love the sweep you can get with this thing...incredible. this is also less expensive than most signature crybabys. this is a killer for sure

It is very easy to use, just stomp on he pedal to adjust the amount of wah. As far as getting the sound you want out of it it depends on what style you play, I have read a lot of reviews for this pedal that give it a bad rating, but those people play a style that doesnt need a high frequency/contour type wah. (and they are stupid)

Very crisp and loud wah, I have an ESP with two EMG 81's and I get an emense amount of output, the wah gives even more output, and there is a slight volume increase when you use the contour. I can get Dimebag, Hammet, Wylde, Rhodes, Cantrel, Vai, all sorts of sounds from this thing. Some people dont like the sound you get out of it, but you look at there amp and their rig, and it sucks, so its no surprise that the wah doesnt sound as good.

If Vai uses this pedal, then you can use this pedal too, it is very reliable, you just have to replace the battery often so you dont lose that nice high frequency wah.

The company was amazing, I thought I had a problem with the Wah (turns out the cable and battery where bad) and they told me that if they could not fix the problem or if I was not happy, they would send me a brand new Wah.

For the money it is a great Wah pedal, you can get a normal frequency tone and a higher more solo oriented type of tone. The people that say the sound is bad past the 12 fret are a bit misguided and stupid, i do not notice any type of reduction in sound quality, then again I have a great setup (ESP w/ EMG 81's and a 60watt tube). A few of the people that wrote the reviews for this pedal have horrible rigs, so it is no surprise that the sound sucks. Between the crybaby wah, zak wylde wah, dunlop, and a few others I have tried, I prefer this one second to none.

switchless,thats the main reason i bought it.

i have to say that what some other users that are experiencing on the wah:
1.losing 'wah' pronunciation after the 12th fret,
2.annoying boost of volume,which changes the tone when activated,
3.dissapoinment that morley should produce something far better,
4.suspecting that the wah must be faulty,
is true.thats all,enough said.

there's important tweaking that can be only done by opening up the pedal and physically tweaking certain components on the circuit board, and it requires a 'special manual' to know what to change that can only be sent by morley.

Given that the contouring is a main feature (that's why its a bad horsie 2), it actually takes quite some time to get the correct frequency dialled in on the wah.

the setting which i base this review on:

two EMG 81s on a basswood body > Bad Horsie 2 > Peavey JSX head > Peavey 5150 cab

connected with planet waves gold tipped cables
powered by a boss regulated 9v adapter
Tested on the bridge EMG-81

EQ: Everything in the middle

Goods:
1.Doesn't drain the tone as much as a crybaby.
2.step on to wah, step off to deactivate
3."Level" knob can add considerable amounts of gain to increase sustain and string sensitivity. (gives you insanely long pinch harmonics!)
4.with patience, the "contour" knob can be set to have your toe down position to be in a sweetspot.

Bads: (here goes)

It is somewhat acceptable on notes played before the 12th fret on 6th to 3rd string on standard tuning (EADGBE), any notes higher than that reduces the wah progressively with higher notes until all you hear is some insignificent change in tone that doesn't sound like a wah.

It sucks on distortion. I play a lot on the lead distortion in the cab head with high gain, the wah is really bad here because firstly, it loses a lot of wah pronounciation, 2ndly the sweep range sounds a lot shorter. I am extremely dissappointed in this area, I bought a morley because I thought this guys were the modern people of wahs, not like jim dunlop and all their millenia old "vintage" sounding shit. I really thought Morley would make products excel with modern tones, but I am really very disappointed here, as a matter of fact I am actually feeling quite saddened by this. I really had high hopes that Morley will deliver in this area, perhaps I had a misconception of Morley, or maybe my Bad Horsie is just faulty.

The manner which the pedal goes "wah", is similar to the audio tappered volume pedals morley has, which means it suddenly wahs a lot towards the toe down end. This is because of the way the pedals work with "triggers", the wahs work with two trigger points, one close to the heel down position to turn the wah on, and the other trigger makes the wah frequency goes higher, which is close to the toe down side. I prefer the linear tapper concept for wahs because for this current method on the horsie you can only hear the wah pronouced when it comes to the 2nd trigger, any where before that trigger is a very slow changing "wah". For those who stepped on a morley before you probably realize that the pedal has quite a wide travel compared to crybabies, but don't think that you'll get away with a very wide wah range with that, because about half or more of the travel is a very insignificant "waah". In other words, the "waaah" is not uniform throughout the travel, and most of the "waah" is in the front half (or less) of the pedal's travel.

I've been trying to get a very strong wah vocal-like pronouciation quality, like Zakk Wylde's "Fire it up" and this horsie is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING close to that.

Vai uses this, but i cannot get the same qualities from his best wah stuff like "I'm the hell outta here", contour mode or not.

I cannot even get the qualities from average wah guys like Dave Mustain who just uses it for minor licks. Not even Kirk Hammett who uses a shitty crybaby.

there's four rubber feet under the pedal, one of the rubber feet on my horsie is not level, and MY PEDAL IS NOT BALANCED until today because of that rubber feet - this was discovered within an hour after first getting it, was playing on a perfectly flat ceremic tile. I also found that feet to be out of position, as if someone just put glue on the feet and randomly stuck it somewhere close to where it was supposed to be stuck to. The four rubber feets are not accurately glued on to the base.

My unit also had problems with the auto on/off feature with all morleys, I can turn it on, but afterwards it won't off itself as it should, and I got into quite a trouble with that for a while until I contact Bill Wenzloff who sent me a manual to get it fixed. Apparently it is a common problem, but none the less it is still not acceptable.

If I place my full one leg's weight on the pedal, I can hear the pedal making sqeeking and creeking sounds, i'm only 63kg by the way.

The housing for the circuit board is tough, but it's pointless if everything else broke.

There is a gap under the foot pedal for the "shutter" to move in and out of the steel housing (part of the schematics for morley's optic thing), this gap allows dust to enter and settle on the circuit board, not to mention even possibly settling on the LED which activates the light sensitive triggers (another part of the schematics for morley's optic thing). For those who are lost, I'm sorry but you gotta open up morley to understand.

I'm not sure if i can depend on it, I seriously won't be surprised at all if it broke on the set, the creeking sound is really worrying me, though the screws are all tight and strong I'm sure.

Yeah, and I won't go with a backup, because I cannot afford one. If some nut stole it from me I would beat his ass down and ask for payment which I'll use to buy another wah.. probably the zakk wylde crybaby i guess.

I contacted Bill Wenzloff via email about the major problems I had with my unit (auto on/off feature not turning off), the response was fast and to the point, though I have to say he could afford sound more.. human.. it's as if a computer was programmed to respond to emails.

good customer service.

I play lots of metal, and technical music, it would work well if it first gave a decent wah tone. I've seen auto-wahs on stompboxes that sounded much much more desirable than this, but in my opinion, auto wah's are quite pointless.

Yeah, and I won't go with a backup, because I cannot afford one. If some nut stole it from me I would beat his ass down and ask for payment which I'll use to buy another wah.. probably the zakk wylde crybaby i guess.

I used to think that most big guitarists uses crybabies because they are more used to it, but really thinking about it, there is people like Michael Angelo Batio, the only guitar god in this world, and he chose to use a crybaby. I cannot say I'm still wondering why they don't use morleys after I've used this bad horsie.

I don't know, I really have no idea what to do with this unit. I got it as a birthday present, and I was really happy because I thought i got the best wah in the world, but after many tests on many setups and amps, and afterwards many more hopeful tests, the results cannot be denied, this wah probably needs to be revamped, the trigger point wahing is a bad idea as it doesn't give me easy full control of how i want to wah, it doesn't work well with distortion, it is not articulate and prononced and my unit has obvious physical defects.

For those who think I am too demanding and/or too scrutinizing, think about it, I am having what is supposedly Morley's Best wah, and isn't it sensible and logical only to expect prime stuff? It would be an insult to morley if i bought this and just said "i don't expect much from this", and my level of scrutiny is for the good of those who are reading reviews to decide on a wah.

If anyone knows what's wrong, and knows how to set up to get the wah-ing qualities of guys like zakk wylde and vai, I would really like to hear from you.

The pedal is very easy to use.
I don't think a person really needs an manual for it.

This pedal has great sound quality. I don't notice any change in my tone when it is off. Some people say it hurts their tone but I just don't hear it. If your using good quality cables it should not be an issue. I use GL's cables.

Here is everything I have and the order it is hooked up.
Guitar - Morley Bad Horsie II or Cry baby what ever iam in the mood for. Then into a modded 808 Tube Screamer (modded by analog man). Then into a Boss DS1 (modded by Keeley). Then to a Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble chorus pedal.Then into a Whammy pedal. Then to the front of the amp (Carvin Legacy). I have a Boss Rv-3 Delay/reverb pedal and the Morley Little Alligator hooked up through the effects loop.
I really get a good sound out of this setup at just about any volume I want.
Reading this I really sound like a Vai nut and maybe I should try something original. But oh well it makes me happy

I have not owned it long enough to say. But it seems pretty sturdy I can not see a problem. I would use it without a backup.

Customer support is top notch.
I e-mailed them about getting replacment rubber tredal pads and they had two sets of them in my hands within three days and best of all no charge. I have only heard great stories about their support.

I have been playing for close to twenty years now mostly instrumental Vai, Satriani stuff. This pedal of course is perfect for that type of music. I would buy another one in an instant if I lost this one. It's just so easy to use and I love that it is switchless. I have a vintage Vox wha from the 60's and an original Cry baby and even though they are great this one is my favorite so far. If any of you are trying to decide if you should buy it or not all I have to say is DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

I've tried many wahs and this one is the easiest to use for me.
the spring load (used for the switchless system) makes it real easy to achieve "vocal" type of sounds and I like it alot.
the switchless system is PRICELESS, I don't know how I lived without it.
however, becouse of it you can't leave the pedal on a "sweet spot".

I play Ibnez prestige rg > Morley bh2 > Tonebone loopbone > boss fv-300l > Marshall jcm800 100W split channel combo (Ibanez de7 set as echo in my FX loop)
loopbone loop 1 - ibanez tube compressor > MXR M-135 chorus
loopbone loop 2 - Ibanez SM7 > Ibanez ts9 (combined together) > boss ge7 > boss ps5
It's a buffered bypass, no tone loss.
Don't use it in the FX loop, it will totaly ruin the sound!! (the manual mention it too).
I tried it after the distortion, it sounded alright, but I was realy amazed with the sound of it before the distortion.
it makes it sound more metalic and with a lot more attitude, the zakk wylde type of attitude, it makes my soloing much more interesting.
sound good on clean too,but many others sound equally well.
there is enough sweep range.
the thing is, in the middle of the sweep there is like a little bump, where the pedal ectually do the wah, and once you find this spot, it makes it alot easier with longer phrases.
I don't use the contour mode, but I didn't really give it a chance because I like the normal mode so much (maybe i should...).
It's the last wah I'll ever need!

you can stomp on it as much as you like, kick it and even throw it at the wall, and it wouldn't break.
when i gig, this unit is my last concern, I never even considered carrying a backup, what a waste of space!!

never needed them...

I play mostly Instrumental rock, and some proggressive,for about 14 years.
This is my favorite pedal in all the rig, if it were lost i would defenitly buy another one.
I really love the sound of it before the distortion, it's actually gives me more energy in my playing.
it's a modern sound wah, so if you like using a wah after the distortion, it sounds much calmer and subtle than the crybaby.
And really easy to use!

Brilliantly easy to use: just step on it! Much better than old clunky switches: a genius idea!

I use a pacifica 112 and an electro-acoustic bouzouki that run through the bad horsie, then Line 6 delay modeler, then Hughes and Kettner Tubeman direct into the desk.

The standard 'Vai' sound is the business: smooth, versatile, musical. 'Contour' mode is more difficult to get a good sound out of: sounds a bit muddy 'quacky' to my ears, and slightly overloads my system: but then again I mainly play clean acoustic or slightly raunchy so may be OK for Motorhead mayhem merchants!
I leave it on the standard setting all the time: wonderfull; a great, orgainic, natural sound.

Brilliant: tough as nails: I have proffesionally gigged this pedal for about four years. Totally reliable: no backup needed.

Had no need!!

I play in a roots-rock ceilidh band, and use a mixture of traditional acoustic folk sounds with out-an-out rock sounds: For this, the Bad Horsie is brilliantly suited: Very versatile for such a simply operated device. For example: You can use it to subtly push or lift one or two bars of an acoustic phrase,(helped here greatly with the switchless operation) create subtle leslie-type effects,(by wobbling your foot fast!): subtle tone shifts: probably many experimental things that would frankly sound shit with a trad. wah-wah: as well as the standard funk-style stuff that's always great fun. Once again, the switchless operation is invaluable: step on, it works, step off, it goes off: brilliant in the heat of a gig.
A truly excellent piece of proffesional kit that pushes the boundaries of what you can do with a wah wah. It's indespensible in my rig, and I would definitely get another if stolen. Don't even think of getting a lesser wah, this is the BOSS!

Bill Wenzloff from Morley here. We really enjoy reading reviews. The good ones make us feel great and the bad ones keep us trying harder. Just wanted to remind you that if you need any type of assistance with your Morley, please call me toll free at 1-800-284-5172 ext1 2 or email me at demodude@hotmail.com.

Keep the reviews coming!