Washburn Lyon Wah Wah Pedal

Looks and functions like a real crybaby. I like that it has an LED to indicate whether it is switched on or not. I haven't yet determined whether it is true bypass or not but since there are only 6 pins on the stomp switch I doubt it. I'd recommend replacing the switch and rewiring to a true bypass or using an external true bypass. I use an external bypass that that's why I like the LED so I could see its state before switching into it.

Here's where it is obvious this isn't a real crybaby or even a convincing clone. It says crybaby on the circuit board but that name isn't trademarked so they can label their pedal circuit anything they want. I haven't spent the time to work through the circuit to see what's going on but I did some A/B comparisons against a Dunlop GCB-95 and a 70's Thomas Organ Crybaby and the Lyon pedal was clearly inferior.

I'm pretty sure the orignal owner ever used it as it looked too pristine but I found that the switch was installed too high and had to be lowered and pot wasn't centered correctly making most of the wha effect near toe down where you accidently switch the unit off while using it. Simple adjustments but signs that someone assembled it too quickly.

The Lyon is an exagerated wha pedal, giving you a wha effect but overly done and difficult to control.

After adjusting the pot to center the primary sweep in the middle of the pedal range, going in either direction from center the effect diminishes too quickly. In other words, when moving from heel to toe the sound sweep is minimal at first, then all at once then minimal again. I think I can cure this with a resistor but shows me that the design department didn't spend enough time perfecting this.

This required very careful foot movement which was annoying and distracting. The standard Dunlop pedal spreads the effect over the full pedal motion much better and foot movement feels natural. This alone when compared directly to a standard GCB-95 is a show stopper for me. For now it will live in a road case as a backup pedal only.

In terms of sound it introduced more background noise than both the Dunlop and the Thomas Organ pedals. Not an issue if you keep it bypassed between songs or have a gate at the end of your pedal chain.

The wha effect is over the top. The Thomas Organ pedal is smooth and understated and the Dunlop more harsh which is actually better for live performance than the T O. Both of those pedals are easy to control. The Lyon has more actual wha effect than both but is too much. I think this would be the right sound for a POS solid state amplifier with synthetic distortion because the more subtle pedals would probably not be heard.

I tested this using a 100-watt Marshall super lead and a boutique built plexi-6v6. This wha is more suited for a lower class of amplification.

It appears well constructed but actually makes a little bit of mechanical noise which I'd have to find and cure before ever trying to record with it but that is not likely.

I picked this up off craigslist for $20 thinking it would make a better backup than my Thomas Organ since it doesn't have 9v external power. I'll keep it as a backup until I get chance to mount a jack on the T O pedal then probably gut this pedal and reuse the carcass to build a crybaby clone or make it into volume pedal for foot swells.

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Play mostly classic rock for 35+ years.
Way too much gear to mention.
If the pedal was stolen I'd only worry about what else got taken.
I like that it is black.

It was worth the $20 I spent for just for the future project potential. I'll still keep an eye on CL for a broken Dunlop pedal.

Push down hard on the pedal to turn on wah mode. This method of switching is a bit smoother on a crybaby once you remove the rubber feet. Overall it is fine.

The unit also includes a knob to select wah frequency, and a 9v ac input. Both useful features.

Quality wah sounds. Best suited to clean or overdriven sounds like most wah pedals. When used with high gain shredding the vocal 'wah' doesn't cut through as loudly as I would like; but the only pedal that really does wah to that extent is the zakk wylde crybaby.
Quality bypass mode on par with crybaby. Overall I was very impressed. This wah is 'good' not just 'good enough'. Considering the price you'd be stupid not to get this.

Its made of metal so it will be sturdy enough to gig with. However I do feel the construction of a crybaby or vox to just feel more solid and heavy overall.

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The Behringer hellbabe is crap, the crybaby is more expensive. If you're buying your first wah pedal, this is the one to get. Its cheap but not cheap sounding.

Wah pedal with input/output jack. Indicator LED status for on/off
Crybaby type operation (eg step down on treadle to activate/click wah on. step down again to disengage)

has a sweep range knob that adjust the amount of wah sweep which is usable throughout hte whole range

i bought this wah with the intention of gutting it and using just hte enclosure for a BYOC wah kit.

i plugged 3 diffrent guitars (PRS CE24, American Deluxe Strat,Epi Les Paul) into the Wah then into 3 diffrent setups (Framus CS+2x12, Behringer Vamp2 direct into computer, and Vox AD15Vt) and was was pleasantly surprised.

ive owned a few wahs (geroge dennis optical,original crybaby,,morley bad horsie II and an ibanez weeping demon) and i rate this one as my fav/2nd fav.

it does the crybaby sound great and sounds cool on a clean/mid gain setting. on higher gain levels it doesnt beat the bad horsies for the modern gain wah sound(as expected) and on the completely heel down setting it a tad muffled and but its only a little rock forward. this should be able to be modded thou but it still very usable for high gain.
the sweep range knob is useable throught its range however i found it most pleasant around the 12oclock region

the bypass surprisingly is very good which IMO puts the weeping demons and the bad morsie bypass to shame. doesnt and any hiss/noise nor does it suck highs like otheres.
ill still look into modding it again for true bypass should be very simple and cheap mod

i enjoy all styles of playing from blues,rock,heavier rock,metal (in all its forms) to jazz fusion etc

here is a short clip of the wah i made. i was going for something more porno sounding but failed haha

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=780120&content=music

Overall this Wah is not only good for the money, but is a good wah full stop. ill keep it in stock form for a while until the itchy finger bug hits me (which will be soon) and i wil lstart modding it.

i may even purchase another one because its so cheap

Simple: Plug in and play and step on it!

For the money, this thing is great. About as good as it gets for wah pedal. It's not too noisy either. Good by pass, too.

Looks well built for bing made in china. However, it there is a problem, it would be the pedal stroke and its firm resistance. It might loosen over time.

I paid $26 for this, new and love it.

Plug and play - good, classic sounds right out of the box. No manual, but the only needed maintenance is replacing the battery.

Stock, this is the classic 70s Crybaby sound; the circuit is identical to the Dunlop RevG Crybaby. It's very usable and musical as-is.
BUT - I decided to modify it.
Since the circuit was identical to the Crybaby/vox, I decided to change it to 1966 Vox Clyde McCoy specs (which involved replacing 2 resistors and 2 transistors). Comparing it to a vintage demo record of the first Vox Wah, it sounds totally identical. This is the sound you hear on all the Hendrix and Cream records - the sound of 60s psychedelia.
Before mods, the sound was somewhat thin and the taper was very abrupt (dark for half, a quick quack, then ear piercing). It wasn't bad, just a little more modern then my tastes. With mods, it became fatter, more transparent, and the taper became even throughout the entire travel. I'd now consider it equal or superior to any other wah on the market.
I use a Dano U1, Silvertone 1448, '67 Fender Duo-Sonic, and reissue Mustang thru a Fender Princeton.

I used to own a Crybaby and I'd say this is better made. Everything is solid and the circuit is very well assembled. It's as dependable as anything that gets stepped on repeatedly. The whole thing is heavy cast metal, nothing breaking in there.

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It equals the Vox and Crybaby for sound and quality, but at less then a quarter of the price. There's a plethora of mod information for the circuit online, and anyone with a little know-how can turn this into an absolutely wonderful pedal.
And it's $20! That's 2 days commute - chump change!

It's a wah wah pedal, pretty straight forward, here. No external switches or programming options, just step on it hard enough to activate the switch and off to wah wah land.

I just recently unloaded an Ibanez WH10 on ebay for a disgusting amount of money (it is truly amazing the prices people will pay for stuff these days). I had the pedal for about 8 yrs and never really got the same inspiration out of it that I did from my first crybaby. I decided to sale it simply because I didn't play it enough.I saw this pedal on ebay fr really cheap and decide to check out the HC reviews-- they were fairly positive so I took a chance and bought it. I must admit I was surprised by the sturdiness of the unit when I received it in the mail; solid metal housing. The sound also surprised me. I wouldn't be surprised if this is made in the same factory as the Dunlop, they sound that similar. there is a more than adequate range in the treadle and one can easily coax that half-cocked Schenker sound with very little fuss. Works as well through the clean channel as through a dirty one (and that can't be said about a lot of wahs)It's also quiet! For the money, this pedal is a no-brainer. Save your bucks and get one of these.

It seems sturdy. I am, however, concerned about the lack of lubrication on the gear strip that moves the pot. It makes the physical movement of the pedal quite noisy (though it in no way effects the electronics) On my next trip to Autozone, I'll make sure I pick some lube up. A simple enough fix.

Doubt that I would bother. I'd just as soon buy another one. Although I'm sure Target would gladly offer a replacement.

I've been playing a lot of classic rock or classic rock influenced music for about 25 yrs. Occasionally, I'll jet off onto a jazz excursion but I always return to my first love. I have too many pedals to list but a couple of my favorites are as follows: Hao rust driver, Ibanez dl10, Danelectro rocky road (rotary speaker sim/modded),Korg PME 40x, Zoom hl-01,pd-01, uf-01. Amps: early 60's gibson skylark, peavey delta blues.Guitars: Washburn Mr450, Handmade Tele, 335 copy, Strat.
I've been playing long enough to not be distracted by the latest collectible craze or influenced by who plays what, I have more invested in the sound it produces.Nonetheless, I have a fleeting suspicion that this pedal along with the soloist and blues overdrive pedals will be highly sought after in the near future.

It's just a wah pedal. If you don't have enough brain cells to rub together to get this to work, then the help you need is way beyond what you'll find in this review.

OK, I tested this with humbucking pickups and a vintage tube amp. I wasn't expecting a great sound, but was very pleasantly surprised. Sounds as good as a Cry Baby! I had a lot of fun just playing with the pedal.

In a side by side comparison with the Cry Baby, it was no more noisy, and the small "pop" when the foot switch was pressed was no more than the Cry Baby. The input and output jacks are mounted on the PC board, along with the external power jack. The components are NOT surface mount, so any mods you want to do should be straight forward.

The wah pot is a 100k audio taper, but it's not sealed. There was one very small spot down low where I didn't care for the tone, but it's essentially a Cry Baby sound. I didn't check to see if it was true bypass, but any tone sucking was no worse than a stock Cry Baby.

It's made of cast something or other metal. Anyway, it weighs the same as a Cry Baby and feels very solid.

By only concern is with the pot not being sealed, but we'll see how that goes. I've had a whiz-bang boutique brand name pot develop a scratchy spot within a month of average use, so we shall see what we shall see. If this had a sealed pot I would not hesitate to gig without a backup.

I do enough building and modding of pedals, and this is pretty simple stuff, so I'm not likely to call them, so I have no experience or opinion here.

My only concerns with this pedal are the pot and the action on the foot switch. But, again, we'll see how the pot works out. It will be easy to replace the pot if desired. On that note, looking at the pot shaft, I'm guessing that most any DIYer could take apart the stock pot and fix the pinion gear and mounting hardware to any new pot you could buy at Radio Shack.

The treadle squeaks right out of the box, but a little grease should cure that. However, I didn't find the treadle action to be either stiff or overly loose at all. Easy to move, stays where you put it.

One interesting feature is an additional metal bracket to keep the rack gear from losing contact with the pinion gear on the pot shaft. I've never had that problem, but it's a nice touch.

It DOES come with an LED already installed.

The footswitch is a bit of a bear to turn on and off, but that can be remedied to individual taste. The simple solution would be to build up more padding where the pedal meets the switch.

This is my 5th wah pedal. I also own a VOX 847, Cry Baby, some version of a Morley, and one of those vintage pedals that has wind, surf and a siren on it. This pedal is a great way to get a Cry Baby sound without compromising the quality of the sound. When choosing between this and a Cry Baby, buy the one that costs less.

I bought this pedal because of the price - I needed an enclosure for a wah I'm custom building. Here's a tip for the DIYers - all told I got this for less than half the price of what Smallbear wants for an enclosure alone, and with the guts I have a bunch of spare parts for almost nothing.

The input/output jacks aren't labled, but other than that, it's really easy to use this. Paid $60 in the store, but for some reason it is $70 online... Didn't come with a manual, just instructions on how to change the battery. Uses 1 9-volt battery or a negative-centered 9-volt power supply. It has an LED indicator on the side to show battery power and whether the unit is on or off. Standard Crybaby-type design and construction.

Using it with a 1996 Squire Strat, a Kramer 400ST, a bunch of '60s vintage guitars, and a Cort 100th NAMM commemorative edition guitar through a Fender Frontman 25R amp. Sounds really good. One thing I don't like about it is when using it with distortion, there is a spot close to/at the heel-back position that filters out the tonic so nothing but harmonics comes through. This may be a standard thing with wahs, but I've never used any other one. Still, it could be useful for those who do unconventional things with their gear.

This thing is solid cast zinc (or steel). It's built like a tank. I'd gig without a backup for sure (until I get a Crybaby, that is). The pedal attachment is solid, and the potentiometer isn't going anywhere. The treadle is already squeaky, but that can be fixed with oil or something. Battery life is a little short, but I've never used any other wah, so it may be the same as a Crybaby.

Eh...?

This is a decent pedal. However, if you want a great wah pedal and don't want to spend a lot, get a Dunlop Crybaby. They cost the same (I just couldn't wait).

Better than average, considering that the "curve" of the wah, or whatever you call it, is much better than many wahs i've used... no toeing around in the upper half of the pedal just to avoid a dead sounding, useless bottom, etc. (morely!)

Although it is hard to turn on and off, but I always had the same problem out of Crybabies. Maybe it's just me. Works the same as a Crybaby.

Action is kind of rough, needs some grease. Doesn't come with all the lithium grease lookin' stuff on it that a new dunlop has. Add your own...

Wow! What the heck? Amazingly enough, this sounds like a wah. Doesn't seem like much to ask of a wah pedal, but past experience had taught me otherwise. Funky, full of vowels... pretty dang good. Takes well to clean or overdrive sounds. Nice range. Sound doesn't disappear into murky nothingness at the heal and doesn't destroy your eardrums at the top. Wail like crazy, no worries here.

I'm not claiming it is the god of all wah sounds, but it is certainly a sonic equal of a standard crybaby. Depending on taste, this pedal excels your Dunlop type wah expectations.

Well, the little things on the battery clip pull out easily. Oops...

Otherwise, seems pretty good.

Heck if i know....

Just bought it because it was cheap as heck. Gear snobbery allows you to practically rob one of these things used. I figured I could use the shell to make a volume pedal. Never mind that project!

I wish it turned on and off automatically like a weeping demon or morely, but oh well.

Easy to stomp on and off, even an LED, no extra controls, pretty simple.

A lot better than a Dunlop version of a Crybaby for both guitar and bass.

The exbandmate who owns it already has a sqeaky treadle (which could most likely be fixed with some oil), but I'm not sure if that's a problem.

Owner's never tried

Good tone, cheap, and easy to use