Vox V847 Wah Pedal
The “wah” sound was originally found in 50’s country songs, achieved by playing around with the tone knob. Some guitar manufacturers such as Vox and Ampeg picked up on the idea and began experimenting, but Vox was the first to have commercial success with the “wah”. And this was all thanks to Brad Plunkett, a twenty-five year old engineer. Brad was working on a design that could replace a 3 position MRB voicing switch with a potentiometer, which was a much less expensive alternative. However, one of friends suggested that he try using an oscillator circuit instead, so he whipped one up and plugged a guitar into it. BAM! The Wah Pedal was born. Since then, many great guitarists have added that to their repertoire of pedals, including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and even Jimmy Page. But wait, that list of guitar legends is missing someone, me. I went to my local guitar store today and picked up one of those beauties. Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, I present to you my review of the Vox V847 Wah-Wah Pedal.
Quality
When I first opened the box, I had a good feeling about it. The pedal is made mostly of metal or hard plastic, and that gives it a very sturdy feel. All of the screws were in tight and I didn’t hear any stray pieces moving around inside. I actually dropped it down a flight of stairs and it still worked fine. The only flaw that I found with the design was that the pedal was a little too tight, and this made it hard when I tried to do a smooth transition between the back and forward position. Included in the box was a “leather-esque” carrying pouch, which I was utterly dissatisfied with. The “leather” felt thin and the seams were weak. And after some vigorous searching, I did manage to find a “Made in China” tag hidden deep inside the pouch. But don’t worry, the pedal (gladly) was made in the good ol’ USA.
Tone
Man, this baby sure can whine. When it is all the way back it delivers a smooth, bassy tone. Push it forward, and the treble screams at you. And might I say, it delivers a pristine bow-chika-wow-wow. The pedal has an excellent range and delivers very little noise. My only complaint is that it doesn’t behave well when you add a lot of distortion. It adds a bunch of noise and exaggerates the volume. It makes it sound very loud when the pedal is forward and barely audible when the pedal is back. But it sounds great if you use the distortion in moderation, or even just put the wah before the distortion.
Overall
This pedal is definitely a wise investment for people who like to play jazz, funk, blues, Jimi Hendrix stuff, etc. But for those rock players who like to kick their distortion all the way up, then this isn’t the pedal for you. If you crave those crazy Tom Morello effects, I’d suggest going with the cheaper Cry Baby.
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