9 Rocking Wah Pedal Reviews – Make Your Guitar Scream in 2024

Like a few of the other pedals on this list, the PFW Cliff Burton Tribute from Morley is two pedals in one—in this case, both a wah and a fuzz pedal. It’s based off of the original Power Fuzz Wah that came out in the ‘70s. That was the pedal of choice for Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, and this update of the pedal was designed as a tribute to his sound and style.

The fact that it’s a tribute to one of the greatest metal bassists of all time might lead you to make some assumptions about the sound, and while it is great for aggressive styles like metal, it’s certainly not limited to any one genre. It lets you choose between a modern or a vintage fuzz and also lets you adjust the intensity, meaning it can give you an effect to suit everything from funk to rock to electronic music.

As if that’s not enough:

The Morley PFW is designed to sound great on any instrument. We found it just as effective for keyboards as it is for guitar and bass. It’s hard to pass this one up based on its sheer versatility. Granted, it’s on the higher side of the price spectrum and it has a fairly large footprint, but it’s even hard to complain about that considering it does the work of two pedals at once. No matter what you play, the Morley PFW is at least worth a listen.

Features:

• Effects: Fuzz and wah
• Wah controls: Level knob
• Fuzz controls: Level and intensity knobs, mode toggle
• Power: 9V battery or DC power supply (not included)

This is a more affordable version of the Slash Cry Baby that will be reviewed later on the list. It’s a very similar effect, but at almost half the price, it’s a better option for the player on a budget who doesn’t want to pay extra for looks or added features.

The original Cry Baby wah dates back to the mid-‘60s and was a revolutionary effect when it hit the scene. This pedal isn’t designed to replicate that classic sound but instead to put a modern twist on it, bringing more articulation to the wah overall. The high end especially has more clarity than from the vintage Cry Baby, and it’s better-suited to more aggressive styles without losing the expressive feel you’d expect from the pedal.

Build-wise, we’ve got no complaints.

The housing is die-cast metal and the pots are tested to go one million cycles without failure—in other words, it’s not going to go out on you mid-gig.

The Cry Baby has a streamlined construction. There are no knobs or switches. How you step on the pedal changes how the effect sounds—you’ll get more treble when you step on the toe, and more bass when you step on the heel—and that can take some getting used to. Players who like to tweak their tone might be disappointed by the lack of controls, but for many others the lack of fiddling makes it a lot easier to use.

Features:

• Pots: Hot Potz, 100K ohm
• Power: 9V battery or AC adapter (not included, get it here)
• Connections: ¼” input and output (get cables)

The DS-1 from Boss is a classic, a favorite of guitarists since the ‘70s, and with good reason. Just give it a quick listen and you’ll hear how rich and thick the distortion is. Maybe most impressive is how widely the effect can vary when you change the settings. That’s part of why it’s as popular today as it was with grunge players of the ‘90s and hard rockers from the ‘80s.

The Boss DS-1 is able to perform well in any style because it’s easy to customize. Adjusting the tone and distortion knobs takes you through a huge range of effect colors, from subtle grit to massive crunch. It’s the scooped midrange that’s really the signature of the Boss DS-1 tone, and that comes through no matter how you tweak it.

And here’s the kicker:

The Boss DS-1 is really affordable. It’s actually pretty incredible that they’ve kept the price so low on this little powerhouse. Every detail makes it feel like a much more expensive pedal. It’s sturdy, with a metal housing that won’t crack or fail no matter how hard you stomp on it.

This is one of those pedals that pretty much every guitarist will want to try at some point, because of its storied history if nothing else. The only caveat is that it’s better for tube amps than it is for solid state amps. Depending on your equipment, it can lose some of the low end, and some players find it sounds a bit thin. Still, considering the price, it’s an easy buy that will quickly become a staple on most guitarists’ pedal boards.

Features:

• Controls: Tone, Distortion, Level
• Power: 9V battery or AC adapter (not included, get one here)
• Connections: ¼” input and output (get cables)

The Weeping Demon definitely looks different than any other wah pedal out there—and the unique design is more than just skin deep. Ibanez as a brand has historically been associated more with guitars themselves than with effects pedals, but after hearing the Weeping Demon at work, it’s clear their expertise extends to all things guitar.

This pedal comes from the company’s Tone-Lok series, all of which have one particularly unique feature. The pots can be pushed down inside the case once you’ve got them set. This prevents the knobs from getting damaged in your gear bag and makes sure you don’t accidentally change your settings once you know where you want them.

And it gets even better.

There are also two different operating modes. In Auto-Switch mode, the effect starts as soon as you push the pedal; if you change to Foot-Switch mode, the battery box on the right of the pedal functions as an on/off switch instead. Since most players have one style they prefer, you probably won’t change this setting much, but it does make it more appealing to a wider range of players.

And this pedal isn’t just about neat design gimmicks. The sound is rich, full, and harmonically complex. It uses electro-optical technology rather than pots or inducers. This eliminates the interior components most likely to fail and makes it an overall more reliable pedal. The aluminum housing is sturdy, although the pedal itself we found didn’t have the same heft as some other options on this list—it takes a lighter touch, which might take some getting used to. The pedal resistance is adjustable, too, which is a nice feature that can help you get used to the design.

Features:

• Controls: Lo, Q, and level knobs, range toggle
• Operational modes: Auto-switch and foot-switch
• Power: 9V battery or adapter (not included, get one here)
• Connections: ¼” input and output (get cables)

Slash knows a little something about quality guitar effects—especially the wah, which has been a part of his trademark sound for decades. The Cry Baby Classic will give you that iconic sound for your own set-up, and since it’s been designed by a professional guitarist, it has all the features pros look for in a pedal.

The first thing we noticed about this pedal is the build. Obviously most guitarists shop for pedals with their ears more than their eyes, but there’s nothing wrong with a pedal that looks nice, either. The die-cast casing is sturdy enough for the hardest-rocking player and the exterior is decorated with graphics designed by slash. There are practical design details, too, like the LED indicators so you know when the effect is active.

As if that’s not enough…

The Cry Baby sounds as good as it looks. The original Cry Baby included a distortion effect, too, but that made it impossible to use both effects at once. With the Cry Baby Classic, Dunlop has focused in on just the wah effect. The custom-wound inducer is the shining star of the interior circuitry. It gives you the option of a wah in three different ranges (baritone, treble, or soprano) so that you can get as dark or bright a tone as you want. This is the only adjustment you get for the effect, so if you like tweaking your tone you might be disappointed, but the effect sounds good enough we didn’t miss the extra controls.

With a wide dynamic range and effect sweep, the Cry Baby Classic has the raunchy, bluesy wah Slash is famous for. This is a pedal that feels solid and sounds massive—an awesome choice for the gigging musician.

Features:

• Chassis: Die-cast
• Input: ¼” stereo (get cables)
• Power: 9V battery or DC adapter (not included, get one here)
• Controls: Frequency-shifting rocker

Shopping for pedals can be frustrating when you’re on a budget. If you want a pedal that’s affordable without being cheap, you’ll want to check out the Hellbabe from Behringer. It gives your tone a powerful rock wah or an almost vocal-like clarity, a huge amount of versatility.

The operation on the Hellbabe is fairly standard. It uses a spring mechanism for smooth action when you step on it. The effect turns on as soon as you step on the pedal—it doesn’t get any easier than that. All of the control knobs are positioned down the sides of the pedal, with a guide on the base so you can see what does what. Among your tone-sculpting options are a 5-way brightness switch and a knob for the range, both options you wouldn’t expect to find on something in this price point.

Unfortunately…

While Behringer didn’t make any compromises on the sound, in our opinion the same can’t be said of the build. It’s well-constructed, so it’s not flimsy, but the hard plastic casing isn’t the most durable, especially if you plan to take it on the road.

Fortunately, though the outside construction leaves a little to be desired, the interior components won’t wear out as easily thanks to the optical controls. There aren’t any pots or switches that can fail after repeated use, so the pedal will respond the same way every time you use it, no matter how long you own it.

Features:

• Power: 9V battery or Behringer PSU-SB power supply (not included)
• Controls: Range (440Hz to 250Hz), Boost, Q, Fine Tune
• Boost: +15 Db
• Inputs: ¼” audio in and bypass (get cables)

There’s no doubt this is a pro-level piece of equipment. It has features you won’t find on other options, like adjustable pedal torsion, and it’s undeniably well-designed, both in terms of aesthetics and practical use. The question isn’t whether it’s a good pedal, but whether it’s good enough to justify the price, which—at over $200—is the highest on this list.

Let’s talk about its good points.

And, like we said, it has a lot.

It’s probably the most flexible wah effect on this list. You can make the tone warmer or brighter with the bias control, change the sweep with the Q knob, and use the two-band EQ to tweak the voicing, basically letting you get whatever wah sound you want. There are even more controls inside the pedal, if you really want to dig into the customization.

Xotic has made some innovations to the classic pedal build with the XW-1, too. The pedal is fully-adjustable, not just in terms of resistance but also its range, which can be tweaked by moving the rubber stopper on the treadle. The overall build quality is high, too, with long-lasting pots and a rugged metal housing. The self-lubricating pivot is a nice touch, too, making sure the pedal’s operation is always silent and smooth.

There are features on the Xotic Wah that you just can’t find on other pedals. It’s by far the most flexible option on the market, in our opinion. No matter what wah sound you’re looking for, this pedal can give it to you. If you need that kind of customizability, it’s worth the two hundred dollar plus price tag. If you just want a simple wah effect, though, you can get it for a lot less elsewhere on this list.

Features:

• Controls: Bias, Q, treble, bass
• Power: 9V battery or DC adapter (not included)
• Input: ¼” stereo (get cables)

A lot of classic wah pedals are on the hefty side, both in terms of dimensions and weight. The Vowel from Donner is not only more compact, but you also get a volume pedal right there in the same stompbox, saving you loads of room on your pedal rack.

Of course, even if you want a small pedal you still need it to have a big sound. The output on this little guy is still quite powerful. The wah effect has a wide sweep with rich harmonics. There aren’t many options for shaping the tone, so what you hear is pretty much what you get, but if you’re looking for a classic rock wah it’s spot on.

The Vowel also functions beautifully as a volume pedal. That’s not really the focus of this article, of course, but it’s worth noting since many players will want to have that option somewhere on their pedal rack. It’s easy to toggle between the modes—a bit too easy sometimes, if we’re being honest, and that’s the most consistent complaint about this pedal: it is possible to toggle modes without meaning to if you’re not careful.

By the way…

We love the feel of the Donner Vowel. The pedal operation is flawless in terms of its response to the pressure of your foot. It does use a plastic casing, but it still feels durable, and that casing is part of what makes it as lightweight as it is. If you’re known for stomping your pedals to death, you might want to go with a heftier pedal. If you’re looking for something on the smaller side, though, this one fits the bill.

Features:

• Power: 9V DC adapter (not included, get one here)
• Modes: Volume and wah
• Hook-ups: ¼” mono input, ¼” stereo output (get cables)

The Wahter breaks the mold of the traditional wah pedal. With a tiny housing and a totally unique adjustable pedal length, it’s a bit too different for some players, and if you’re looking for a traditional wah pedal this might not be your bag. If you’re looking for something that’s compact and lightweight, though, this will definitely do the trick—and that’s a rare find, considering wah pedals are often the biggest one on a player’s board.

Instead of the traditional pedal mechanism, the Wahter uses a set of pressure sensors that can detect your foot before it applies any pressure. There’s a more traditional operating mode, too, and the pedal can be extended if it feels too small for your foot.

Sound-wise, the effect is a classic rock wah. It has a wide sweep and a balanced, smooth tone. One disadvantage of the tiny size is that there’s no room for shaping knobs. This can make it a bit of a one-trick pony—great at what it does, but not as versatile as some of the other options listed here.

You might expect something this small to feel fragile, but that’s not the case with the Wahter. It’s a solid little pedal, and definitely rugged enough to consider road-worthy. We were dubious about the sturdiness of the extendable pedal ring at first, but it seems to hold up even during aggressive use.

The Wahter isn’t for everyone.

Certainly, but it’s the epitome of a big sound from a small package. If you have way too much on your pedal rack, this little guy could be a godsend. The quality of both the build and the effect would be well worth the price at any size.

Features:

• Operating Modes: Pressure sensors or traditional operation
• Power: 9V AC adapter
• Connections: ¼” monaudio input and output