Musitronics/Mu-Tron C-200 Volume-Wah

Extremely easy to use if you have feet and a minimal amount of coordination. The "heel" switch is much easier to use that the "toe" switch of most other wahs, plus it starts out with the low freq not the treble scream of other wahs.

I play in a Santana tribute band and a classic rock band. This wah IS SANTANA! It sort of fattens up the tone. The sound is unique and fantastic. Nothing else like it. The Morley is kind of close sounding, but still not as good.

I use a PRS Santana III and a Schecter C1 Elite through a Mesa Boogie and an Ibanez Tube Screamer. When running the Tube Screamer, the PRS and the Mu-Tron it is Santana. People remark all the time about how I've got the sound down to a science. That's a great compliment.

The sweep is a little long and the volume control is abrupt, but easy to learn and live with.

What can I say. After years of use/abuse, this puppy is still going strong. I had to replace the power cord a few years ago, but that was my fault (I accidently melted it). This thing is built to last, and last and last and last and last....... It's basically a tank without treads.

Never needed it but the company went out of business long ago but there are a couple of repair shops that service this type of pedal.

I play Santana, SRV, Robben Ford, Steely Dan, Eric Sardinas, Warren Haynes, Allman Bros., Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck etc.. This wah/volume pedal is PERFECT. I've been playing longer than I want to admit. If lost/stolen I would try to find another but I've seen them go for $350 on Ebay lately. Bummer!

Really easy to use, one of my first effect pedals, I bought it new mail order in the early 80's I'd guess. Worked great on my cheap guitars because of the adjustable output trim pot, I could really overdrive my amp for that good distrotion.

I've played everything from cheap copy guitars to Les Pauls, Stat's and Tele's typically through a Music Man amp and it sounds great. I did modify pretty early on (I thought I could fix anything) because the sweep was very abrupt at the end. I opened it up and determined the "V-Notch" for the photo-electric sensor (as desribed in an earlier review) ended with a small radius instead of a sharp V. I added a piece of electrical tape along the edge of the V and brought to a sharp V. This made the sweep much smoother and that's all that's ever been done.

Never had a problem with it. I bolted it to one end of my 3 1/2 foot long metal pedalboard (we're talking old) and used it as my "Handle" for carrying the pedalborad around. I'm guessing it weighed 40 to 50 lbs. so it has survived 20+ years with extreme abuse.

Long gone I'd guess

I think this is a great pedal, I saved long and hard for this when I was still a kid. I still have it and I think it was a pretty good investment of money for a kid, probably couldn't buy one for that now...

This review is for an old Mutron model C-200 vol/wah pedal. This is just as easy as any other wah pedal to use (and volume pedal). I actually think it is easier to use than a wah with the traditional Dunlop/Vox housing. This is because the footswitches are not under the footpad, they reside where your heel goes, but out in the open, not under the footpad. After a few minutes of use, I was able to get good at turning it on with my heel and then stepping on the pedal in one smooth motion. I always had problems clicking other wahs on, but this one fixes that 100% for me. That is why I gave it a 10 for ease of use. One other thing I like about the on/off switch is that the pedal isn't in full treble sweep when you turn it one. This helps make the wah sound blend in from nowhere while you are playing. It is also AC powered, which eliminates the need for a powersupply, which makes it even easier to use, in my opinion. It also has its own power on/off switch on the back. I power my pedalboard from a surge protector, which I always turn off after playing. Because of this, I never use the Mutrons on/off switch.

This wah has the longest sweep ever! It does not have quite as much low end as I would like, though, so I am giving it a 9. It is very quiet when switching on and off. I have never owned a Morley wah, but from what I have read, it seems like the C-200 may have a similar sound to some of the Morley models. Its sound is tilted towards the treble range. It seems to be able to suck every bit of bass out of a tone and turn it into ear piercing ice picks. This may sound bad, but it is controllable. This is because the pedal sweep is so long. You can get a feel for where a certain frequency range is and then work that specific area. For reference, I use this with a couple old silverface Fender Champs (one Vibro model and the other regular) and a few 60's Fender Jazzmaster guitars and a '68 Gretsch Streamliner with single coil Supertron pickups. While playing, I like to flip to the neck pickup and roll the treble all the way off, then click on the C-200 and a Lovetone Big Cheese fuzz pedal. The sound is great! It still has plenty of treble even with the guitars tone knob rolled all the way off. The Mutron has a really distinct sound that really stands out from most other wahs (it stands out from EVERY other wah I have tried, but I definitely haven't tried them all). It is also devoid of the cliched midrangey tone that Crybabies and the like produce (I am not condemning them, though, they just aren't for me). I also use a Lovetone Ring Stinger ring modulator/octave fuzz with this. The Mutron absolutely works wonders with it. I use the Mutron as a filter with it and get sounds that aren't audible when the wah is off. What I mean is I get a sound going with the Ring Stinger, then tune on the Mutron and leave the pedal in a set position. Its sweep is so strong that it brings out frequencies that were previously buried in the mix (apparently this is what happens, but I am no expert :) ) I don't believe this pedal is true bypass, I mean it is 25 or so years old, but I don't notice any ill effects. If you are looking for a wah sound that is different from the traditional, I say give one of these a shot. They seem to be kind of hard to find, though, so snatch one up when you see it!

Now for the volume section. I personally don't use the volume pedal mode very much. The rate seems to be really fast, but I was able to get some cool sounds the few times I did use it. Volume swells aren't really my thing, though. You can also engage the wah and volume at the same time if you like.

There is also an internal trim pot. I don't quite remember, but I think it controls the volume pedal function. Perhaps I should tweak it one day. There is also a pot on the right side of the pedal that sets the level of the wah. I have it set slightly louder than my straight signal to make for the slight signal loss when the pedal sucks tons of frequencies out of the signal.

I have owned this for a while and have had no problems. Like I said above, it is over 25 years old and still works perfect, so it must be reliable. I have opened it up and it looks to be 100% original inside also. This has to say something for reliability. These also have an optical sensor that works the wah and volume, so they don't become scratchy or wear out like normal pots do. A definite plus in my opinion. One time, one of the indicator lights seemed to get stuck on. I stepped on the switch a few times and it went off and has always worked properly since then. If it wasn't for that, I would give it a 10. The sound has never ever messed up, though.

Mutron went under years ago, but as things are going, I doubt I would need them anyway. Great pieces of equipment stand up on their own I guess.

This pedal has a unique sound and suites my needs better than any other wah I have ever owned. I looked for a long time until I found out about these and I am very happy I did. I will never look for another wah pedal. This is it for me. I may try to find another one of these someday (when I can afford it...I will be a Doctor of Pharmacy soon, though :) ) , though, just in case something ever happens to this one. They seem to fetch pretty high prices these days and I feel lucky to have found mine for the price I did. It is also in very nice condition cosmetically.

Yes. Very easy.

Gibson Explorers, Robin Medley Std, Customized JCM 800, two 4x12 cabinets and in my academy a JBG Custom R1 valve Combo, 20 watts, mid boost and a celestion greenback loudspeaker. This amp was designed for Jorge Babiano (constructor of JBG,associate to Retromusic)under my specifications. Brutal, but a high price.
incredible! my favourite artist, Randy Rhoads(now I hear him)Matthias Jabs on 80's, Michael Schenker, EVH, Billy Gibbons, Zakk Wilde, George Lynch, almost all uses Cry Baby.

yes.

My C-200 never damage it. i'm technician

METAL. Of course. Since 1981. Of course, the C-200 is greater. Ilove about it: Tone,range and long running action. hard duty of the foot platform, others are weak to operate. Solid construction, like a tank. Nothing for hate. YES, Cry baby,Morley,Vox,Ms,akai,and others I don't remember, these pedals are for my like a Wolkswagens for girls, and the C-200 a CORVETTE.

Very simple to use. The trick I'm learning is to hit the on-off switch with your heel and work the treadle in one motion. I was used to "toe-down" like on a Vox, but this is cool.

Not noisy. Very quiet, breathy backwash. I think this is a pretty different kind of wah. I like it a lot. It reminds me of the filter sweeps on a Moog. When going from high to low, there's almost a phase-like 'whoosh' along with the tone. The pedal has a lot of range.

Not particularly fat on the bass/low-midrange portion, not like a Teese or something like that. But this is a fun pedal.

It looks pretty well made. I'll gig with it as is. I'm ordering schematics and stuff from Analog Man, just in case it gives up the ghost. Keep in mind, it's 24 years old.

I think I'll keep this pedal around for a while. I wanted something different for a wah, less "blues-rock-traditionalist" and more wierd, electronic, nasty. I like this pedal a lot - it's different and fun sounding.

simple and accurate

I used many wahs in my 20 years of playing, but this one is awesome.
basically I play with prs and boogie and this makes your tone even more smoother than it already was.
Carlos like it and I think everybody does.

you can win a war with this pedal, built like a German tank.
don't know the reliability of the electronics.
the construction of the unit beats all the others.

don't know of the company still exist.
hopefully I never needed them.

if anybody use this unit I like to know how to make changes in sound.
feel free to contact me, special for Santana fans.

Pretty straightforward wah, plus the option to do combined volume/wah swells. Good sound is just about automatic with this piece

Used with guitars, analogue synth, vocals, through amplifiers (Fender Vibro Champ, Bassman Ten, Randall RC-30, my own custom built amp). Can be noisy, if the internal trim pot is set too high...but this option is wonderful because it means this pedal can be used with about anything. Always sounds great.

Built like a tank, never had any problems in my experience.

Used for rock, lofi, experimental. One of the best guitar sounds I've ever created was due to this piece -- just set the rocker pedal somewhere in the middle and left it there...the range of this pedal is incredible.

Very easy-two footswitches-one for vol, one for wah-veeeeery long pedal throw!

Sounds groovy...No wonder why Carlos digs it...The secret to getting Carlos' tone...not true bypass but when neither effect is on it has a POSITIVE effect on tone. Fattens everything up. I don't know if Carlos has his bypassed nowadays but I think this pedal is the secret to his old tone...Very wide range of sounds...somewhere in the back/middle of the throw lurk all the traditional wah tones and man are they beautiful...but you can push the pedal back for unheard of bassy tones or you can push it forward for crazy sci-fi sounds. Trebly but not ear piercing-there is as much pedal travel up there as a vox and this is where the vox would have ended in screech but the Mu's got all these cool sounds with flanger like overtones!

Older than me and still works fine. Built like a tank. No pots to get scractchy-uses a light source and a photo receptor. The treadle raises and lowers a shield with a v shaped notch in it between the sourse/receptor varrying the amount of light. I fear these are delicate components and considering its 30 years old I'd carry my vox around just in case they gave up the ghost.

Awsome pedal. Basically a very good wah with two more inches of bass travel,two more inches of treble travel, and after that an inch of special effect territory with flanger like overtones. Looks very cool,big and heavy metal!,Doubles as volume pedal, even wah and volume at same time!, when bypassed meatens up your tone-sound like Carlos! Thurston Moore uses one, Steve Malkmus uses one...Don't use one..let them be! Stick with your crybabys..leave these for me....

This volume/wah pedal is incredibly easy to use. There are separate metal foot switches for volume and wah, each with its own red indicator light, so you know which effect is activated. I bought it used, so there was no manual, but you couldn't possibly need one.

It's not at all noisy, thanks, at least in part, to the AC cord. My particular unit doesn't have any squeaks, either. The volume souns is pretty clean, but the wah has some flanger-like overtones. I kind of like it, but it's not the warmest sounding wah in the world.

Well, I just got it used, but it must be about twenty or so years old and works just fine. Also, it's very solidly built, so I can't imagine it breaking down.

I bought this pedal primarily for its layout and its sturdy look. It's incredibly easy to use and is built like a tank. Because it's a volume-wah, its functions are pretty basic, so I'm quite satisfied with it. I would probably buy it again.