Snarling Dogs Whine-O Wah

Stomp your foot down on it and wail!

I'm using this with a Gibson LesPaul Standard thru a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 410 amp.The Whine-O gets a little noisy when the pedal is sitting in the forward position(treble),but nothing too serious mind you.All three settings on the selector sound good,White Room being my favorite.Although this pedal sounds great and I don't regret buying it, I'm not getting the sound I'm looking for.There's a song called "Sheik"on ZZ Top's Tres Hombres album that has Billy Gibbons playing the funkiest wah-wah pedal I ever heard,it has this outrageous quacking sound that seems to be concentrated in one small area of that pedals travel,real vintage tone,maybe it's a Cry Baby or a Vox perhaps,anybody out there have any idea?The Whine-O is much different in that the tone changes gradually throughout the pedals travel,like a foot-controlled adjustable E.Q.Nice for some things but not everything.The bypass switching isn't pure because I notice more prescence or treble in my signal when the pedal is switched off compared to when my guitar is plugged straight into the amp.

This pedal is built of the highest quality.Built like a tank.If tough is what you require,tough is here!I can't see any reason why anybody would need a back-up for this bruiser.QUALITY!!!

Never had to deal with them but I read all the glowing reports,nice to know somebody still cares enough to try to keep their customers happy.

I play straight ahead Seventies Rock or Blues/Rock,while this pedal is excellent it doesn't nail the sound I'm going for.I've been playing for over 20 years.I never got to compare it against other wah pedals because I bought it through mail order.If it were lost or stolen I'd probably buy this pedal again.I bought this pedal thinking that it would duplicate most wah pedals out there but it doesn't.However what it does is still really impressive.I'd like the tone to have more of a quack to it,in a narrow area on the pedals throw.The CryBaby 535Q might be worth checking out,it has the adjustable Q. Does anyone have any suggestions on a wah pedal like ZZ Top's Tres Hombres song "Sheik"?Drop me a line.

Very easy to run. It has a pedal for sweep and two chicken head knobs,one for preamp and the other for selecting 3 different sweep ranges, low,medium or high.

I'm currently using a Fender Strat Plus and a Fender Blues Jr.(tweed)with a Boss SD-1 as a preamp for leads (distortion turned almost off). I found the Whine-O wah not any noisier than other wahs I have played (Vox,Crybaby,Morley). I find it too aggressive and too loud for my taste. I like a wah to enhance my sound not overtake it.My advice would be try them all before you buy. You never know this pedal might be the one you are looking for. I find all 3 settings good but too much of a good thing.

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I've Emailed Charlie several times and he has always responded within 24 hours.

I play blues and roots rock and found the Whine-O wah not suitable for my style or sound. I've been playing for 30 years and bought this wah as an investment . I like Charlie's attitude of making pedals usable and imaginative. I did compare the Whine-O wah to Vox,Crybaby and Morley and found it louder with more sweep. I hope this will help you choose the right wah for you.

This is a standard wah pedal with a switch for 3 different voicings and a control for gain.

This is a very aggresive wah. I only use wah for solos, so this works well for me. If you want a subtle wah for rhythm work this may not work well for you. Even with the gain all the way down this wah has a distortion/overdrive effect that kicks in with the wah. It's nice to have access to different voicings. The most aggressive voicing is too over-the-top for me. The other two are excellent and I use both equally.
This pedal doesn't have true hardwire bypass. It doesn't really matter to me since it doesn't suck tone when out.

Seems sturdy enough.

I really like this wah. I wish that it were a little less aggressive on the gain side, but it still works fine for me. This was my first purchase based solely on reviews on the net. I'm glad I bought it. I'd get another if anything happened to it.

Couldn't be much simpler. The Whine-O has a preamp volume gain and a 3 way wah mode switch. Both are equipped with huge chicken head knobs. The volume setting does not go to zero. It's set at the factory to start at a volume that is just slightly less than the pass through volume. This is the full counter-clockwise setting. The maximum clockwise setting is LOUD! At full volume, it is the loudest preamp volume boost I have ever heard in ANY effect pedal.

I play shred metal and what you might call metal blues. I love a thick meaty sound. The Whine-O gives me that sound. At first, it caught me off guard, because I was expecting a more conventional wah and tone response more typical of a Crybaby or Vox wah. The Whine-O is completely different. The sweep starts the second you depress the pedal and doesn't stop until you get to the end of the sweep. This causes the actual wah sound to build up during the entire sweep. With my Vox and Crybaby wahs, the wah is more compact. By that I mean it doesn't take the entire sweep to form the wah sound. But before and after the wah sound, there's not much there. But with the Whine-O, there seems to be something happening at every point in the sweep. This makes it possible to use the Whine-O as a frequency filter. Wherever in the sweep you leave the treadle, there is a distinctly different frequency. This works equally well in all three wah modes. Great feature.
Because of the long sweep, it took me a few days to get the Whine-O to wah on 'demand'. But the result is a wah sound that is long and powerful. If you are into Top 40 wah, the whine-O may be too intense for you.
I'm one of the guys who purchased one of the first Whine-O's late last year. I read jrocks Harmony Central review and its too bad he didn't call Snarling Dogs and ask them to see what they could do for him. If he had, based on my experience and that of the other people who posted reviews, he would have been given great customer service, and would have had his wah upgraded and returned. (I sent mine in and got it back, all within one week.) The sound on the upgraded return that I got (see customer support below) is beyond anything available in any other wah I am familiar with.
Charlie Stringer calls the original whine-O sound tame and the upgraded sound aggressive. I loved the original tame sound, but the aggressive version is much more powerful. I loved the original Whine-O sound, but Charlie talked me into the aggressive sound, as he calls it. The original sound was incredible but I actually prefer the aggressive sound even more. I have no clue what jrock means when he said the Whine-O had a transistor sound. That was a strange comment.. The tame AND aggressive versions of the Whine-O sound are the exact opposite !
The noise level generated from the Whine-O is no louder than other wahs. Its actually a little quieter than my Vox when set at the same volume levels. The exceptions would be optic cell wahs like Morley or George Dennis. But what you gain in quietness with these wahs, you lose in sound

This thing weighs a ton. I think it's over 6 pounds. You can kick it all night long, and it's not going to move. The molded case is made from solid steel. It's much bigger than any of the other wah cases. Most of the other wah brands must have their cases made by Dunlop because most of them look like the Crybaby case.
The Whine-O treadle is also solid steel and is attached to the housing on a steel axle that goes through raised steel openings in the housing. The nylon gear track that connects from the treadle to the gear is twice as wide as the gear track on my Vox. The pot is sealed Clarastat pot. if you don't have a sealed pot in your wah, you're begging for trouble.
The size of the treadle makes the Whine-O very user friendly. And in the middle of the treadle is a snarling Dogs logo that glows in the dark. In the middle of the logo are two Snarling dogs eyes that act as LEDs when the pedal is turned on. There's no way you're going to lose this wah on a dark stage.
My Whine-O also came with a bag with some spare parts in it. Very cool,.

I've NEVER dealt with a company like Snarling Dogs before. When I first saw the Whine-O advertised last winter, I assumed I could go to Guitar Center and try one out. But they didn't carry them, and still don't. So much for Guitar Center. I called Snarling Dogs and asked to speak to someone in sales. Charlie Stringer himself came to the phone. When I told him I wanted to try a Whine-O, but I couldn't find one at Guitar Center or the other stores in my area, he offered me a 30 day no questions asked money back guarantee if I wanted to buy one direct. Done.
A few months later I got email from Charlie saying that he and his designers thought the Whine-O was too noisy, and that they had special inductors made that would make them quieter. He also said they had come up with a wah sound that they liked more than the original Whine-O sound. He offered to take my Whine-O back, install the new inductor, and upgrade the sound for free. Again, done. Charlie even put me on his monthly e-mail newsletter list.

The Whine-O is the ballsiest, coolest looking effect I've ever owned. The versatility of the having the 3 way wah mode switch and preamp volume boost, the tone filter capability, and the customer support and service, make the Whine-O the best wah you can buy. Snarling Dogs is coming out with another Whine-O called the Super Bawl. The newsletter said it has a couple of additional features that make the pedal even more versatile. I've already put one on reserve.

I'm Charlie Stringer, creator of the Snarling Dogs strings, effects, and wahs. This is in response to the submission by jrock@bigfoot.com.
You purchased one of the first generation Whine-O's. Because you have obviously read the other HC comments posted by our customers - which is why I assume you claim in your review (when referring to Stringer Industries) - "... I've heard they're great and always helping with their product", I'm surprised you couldn't figure this out.
As other customers who purchased the first generation Whine-O's have done, I'm equally surprised you didn't send the Whine-O back so that we could not only have made it quieter, but upgraded its 'wah' to the aggressive wah sound our customers say is the absolute best wah they have ever experienced.
We will GLADLY compare any of our wahs (including the new $74.95 LIST priced Wonder Wah we are introducing at the Nashville NAMM Show) against ANY wah in the business - including those in the $200 to $300 price range. How about having the company that makes (or, ahem, that you work for?) your favorite wah meet us for a Battle of the Wahs at the L.A. NAMM Show next winter?
As for your musing as to whether the footpad will fall off, I've already received a number of emails from some of the folks we have sold Whine-O's to who wonder how much you weigh. ALL Snarling Dogs Wahs are housed in 6LB zinc die-cast cases. The footpad is solid steel, and pivots over a solid steel axle. JROCK, if THIS footpad breaks, you don't need a new wah, you need your stomach stapled.
The wiring connecting the LED's to the circuitry has yet to break on the 2,000+ wahs we've shipped. The wires, to our knowledge, have never broken from their solder points. We leave a lot of slack in the wires just for that reason. That's the good news. The great news is that ALL of our wahs have LED's.
++++
All I can suggest to those who read the customer postings on HC is this:
If you're in the market for a wah, BY ALL MEANS, compare the Whine-O next to NUMEROUS other wahs. If you like a super long sweep that culminates in a thick, growling wah, you'll LOVE any of the second generation, or upgraded first generation, Snarling Dogs wahs. If you prefer a traditional, frequency-condensed wah-sound like that preferred by JROCK, you probably won't like the Snarling Dogs wahs.
If you're still undecided, email the customers who have posted their reviews on HC and ask them if they are as happy with their Whine-O as their reviews would have us believe. If you're STILL undecided, email ME after the Nashville Show (I'll be back on the 15th), and I'll see if I can answer your questions, and help you choose the right wah. If I don't think the SD wahs are for you, I'll tell you so.
Because we do a lot of direct sales (we're too whacked out for most retailers to want to be associated with us) , I have one other piece of advice. Regardless of the product you buy, or the company you buy it from, you owe it to yourself (because YOU'RE the customer) to contact the company to see if they will help you with whatever problem you may be having with the product. Frankly, some of the most loyal customers we have are those who purchased the first generation Whine-O's, and then returned them to us to be quieted down and upgraded. I guess these customers have concluded ANY company can sell a product, but FEW will be there when, and if, a problem develops with the product.
If you DO have a problem, and the company doesn't want to help you out, hey, HC is a great place to vent your anger. But give the company a chance to prove it. Most of the companies in this industry are small , mine included. We haven't grown so big that business profits come before business ethics.
Best regards, Charlie Stringer

The pedal is very easy to use... Just click it on and click it off. Also, you can select wah modes from a knob on the side, although it is awkward during a gig, etc... Hard to move with foot too... Looks like it could snap off.

This thing is noisy. In bypass mode it is not so noisy, but it is not a true bypass by any stretch. It definately made my signal a lot more quiet and I can't say how to describe it other than that. But in wah mode, watch out, it will add so much static and blur to your sound that you'll think your amp has gone bad. There is an annoying sweep that will not go away and only gets worse as you select a more treble oriented wah--as in shaft, voodoo, etc...

Looks somewhat sturdy (nice layout!) although it might have a problem: the pedal matting was peeling away on the pedal even though it was brand new. The wires that connect to the glowing eyes are flimsy and held onto the LED with a wimpy bit of solder. I'd say it could be problematic.

Don't think I'll deal with it now I got rid of it, but I've heard they're great and always helping with their product.

This pedal did nothing for me but make too much noise, sound too transistor-like and whiney, and was all around annoying. When compared side by side with a VOX, Kern, etc. you might actually start laughing at the pathetically loud hum this thing makes. It is not quiet in the slightest and makes no effort to be tactful.

I had been brain washed having used the other Wah products on the market. I wasn't use to having such versatility in a Wah so I had to actually play around with it a bit to get what I wanted, and experiment to apply it to the songs my band plays. The three settings are very cool and versatile (Shaft, Voodoo, and White Room) and I found the Voodoo the most usable for all around funky scratching, Santana tone, and over the top Wah-Wah obnoxiousness. I like the White Room setting too but just to show off. The only real problem I had was the volume knob. I wasn't use to it and had to work on finding a volume setting that would not take my volume signal over the top. At 12:00 it kills! Great tone! But it's a little too loud and your volume jumps dramatically. So I lowered the volume and that took care of that. The only problem is that it's just not as intense at 8:00 as it is at 12:00. It still kills though and I'm taking the time to experiment with it in clubs by just using my guitar as a master volume. This should take care of that. All in all it's a no brainer and simple to use.

I pride myself on being an individual and being my own guitar player. I wanna sound like me and the Whine-O Wah gives me a very distinctive voice. I've tried Dunlops, Vox's, and Morley's but this one has my name on it. I don't know how to explain it other than the fact that it is radical and not for the conservative, standing in the background, wall flower guitarist. This unit makes a statement! At the moment I'm using it with a Fender Hot Rod DeVille with two 12 inch speakers and it is as quiet as a mouse, and does not alter my original tone when it is in the off position. And finding that sweet spot ala Carlos Santana and Michael Shenker is an easy thrill.

I would say that it is very reliable. I had a bit of a problem with it shutting of accidently while I was berzerkedly Wahing away but I sent it back to Charlie and he's taking care of me. It was some kind of short or something. Even with that it still kicked butt and was very dependable. If I hadn't sent it back it would have still been very reliable and usable it's just that I can be so anal sometimes ya know...

Charlie is my man! The man of the hour with all the power! The Women's pet and the Man's regret! I have never met someone so "Right There" to offer assistance and support. You can tell he really believes in his product 100%. He'll take what you have in a nano-second and get what you need done. In fact he's sending mine back as I write. Kudos! Kudos! Kudos! Salamm! Salamm! Salamy!

I'm an eclectic Blues man who travels around, under and beyond the umbrella of the Blues. From Buddy Guy to Santana, Robben Ford to Hendrix, and Albert Collins to Yngwie J. Malmsteen. I've been playing for about 25 years or so and it has taken me a long time to find myself in this world of guitar virtuosos and flavor of the month icons. I like to try new things and when the guys at Performance Guitars in Hollywood said check out the Whine-O Wah I went for it. Tone has always been a beast of burden to get for me and I'm just now getting a grip on it. This little Wah monster is taking me to that place of distinction where they know who I am when they hear me play.
The Whine-O wah makes my songs unique and people come up to me later and ask me if I wrote that song when in fact Willy Dixion wrote it 30 years ago. It just gives it flavor!
If I could change one thing it would be to hook up some kind of cybernetic link from my cerebral cortex to the switch that changes the tones from Shaft, Voodoo, and White Room. I hate to bend over during the middle of a guitar solo. Other wise I'm pleased as punch.

This is a follow-up to earlier submissions on this pedal. After about 6 months of use (about 3 months with the upgraded tone resistor installed in it, which will kick your ass all the way to the moon, and halfway back). Controls have not changed, so it's still as easy to use; step on it and wail.

The sound from this thing is still, in my opinion, unparalleled. With Charlie constantly thriving to offer his customers new upgrades for it, he is staying at the avant-garde of technology, which translates into a pretty sweet deal for his customers. The output from the highest wah setting (Shaft) on this thing will puncture your eardrums given half a chance (but hey, pain is gooooood...)! The lowest setting (White Room) sounds so guttural you'd swear your guitar was actually a warthog that was drowning in pea soup.

This is what this review focusses on: reliability. 6 months of ownership, no problems whatsoever, except for a slight static electricity SNAFU (which is NOT related to the pedal). The buildup from my basement carpet caused a *little* scratchiness in the Whine-O when used at high distortion settings. This was easily remedied with a few quick sprays of Static Guard (used for removal of static cling on clothes; you'll find this stuff at any grocery store for about $3 a can) directly into the jacks and onto the surface of the rack-and-pinion mechanism and surface of the pot. The sealed pots Charlie uses are by far the most resistant ones I've come across in a wah pedal.

Charlie's reputation speaks for itself. Check out any other review here at HC, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If you want a wah, get this one; it's all you'll ever want or need.

At first I thought that the treadle was a bit tight but I got used to that. It's pretty easy to change the vol with your foot but it's a bit tricky changing the wah with your foot. There's a manual but you really don't need it. To get a good clean sound at low volumes you have to turn you guitar vol down if you have humbuckers. It's unreal how ballsy this wah is.

If you are playing out this wah is awesome. To reiterate, if you are just playing at home then you may have to turn your guitar volume down to get a clean wah sound. I talked with Charlie (Helluva guy) and he told me that my wah was one of the newer beefier ones. When I played out with this wah it blew me away. With three wahs in one you can't beat it. I like the White Room the best because it can go real low. The Voodoo setting is also great. The Shaft setting is really cool if you are playing that kind of music. It sounds just like Shaft/Superfly. It's not very noisy. It has some noise on the shaft setting but the frequency is so high I would expect that.

I haven't had it more than two weeks but I can't see how it could break the thing is built to withstand nuclear war. The only thing I might be "slightly" worried about as stated above is the footswitch prematurley wearing because of the pedal hitting it and moving it a very small distance. I asked Charlie about this and he said they were thinking abuot putting washers around it but thought it might be to be too difficult to activate.

If there was an 11 for this category I would give that rating. Charlie Stringer has to be the most helpful CEO of all music. I had a few questions about the pedal and he replied that night giving me some tips and pointers on the wah.

This is the best wah! I play blues & rock w/some jazz and country and this wah kicks my old crybaby's butt. I've been playing for 12 years. I play a PRS CE, 335 through a mesa/boogie studio 22+. ( I used this wah at a gig through my buddy's 74 no master vol Marshall w/ a Kendrick Buffalo Pfuzz and it was unreal). If it was lost/stolen I would definatley replace it.The true bypass is a great feature along with the three wahs. I went out on a limb doing mail order for something I didn't try out and it was definatley worth it.

This wah is very easy to use and it is impossiple not to get a good sound out of it. just give it a good stomp and it cuts right on

i use the whine o through a fender automatic gt amp and a fender squier. it sounds great considering my lineup. i would love to hear what it sounds like through a good guitar and amp. there is very little noise , except when i cut it on, there is a small click, which may be just my guitar and/or amp. there are three settings, white room being like classic wah, vodoo being a little sharper, and shaft being very sharp

made of die cast zinc. weighs 6 pounds

this wah has great tone and everything else you would expect from a wah. it looks awesome too. the dogs eyes light up when the pedal is on and the actual pedal lights up w/ a black light and the snarling dogs logo glows in the dark. this pedal rules!!!!!