"The wah-wah pedal’s history is confused, to say the least. It was invented around 1965 by an employee of the Thomas Organ Company, then Vox’s US distributor. The original design evolved variously into the Clyde McCoy Wah-Wah Pedal, the Thomas Organ Crybaby and the Vox Wah-Wah – Vox Crybaby wahs also exist!

"Jim Dunlop moved fast when Thomas Organ/Vox failed to register the Crybaby name as a trademark in 1966. While the first few years saw the market flooded with Crybaby pedals from all over the world, Dunlop subsequently became the pre-eminent manufacturer and is today the sole owner of the famous Crybaby brand, currently offering many different versions.

"Today’s ‘Classic’ variant uses the rare Italian Fasel inductors found in the most revered early wahs, not least the one used by Hendrix to such devastating effect in Voodoo Child (Slight Return), and made by Jen Elettronica for the Thomas Organ Company in Italy.

"Legendary DC sideman Charles ‘Skip’ Pitts’ percussive guitar intro to Isaac Hayes’ Theme From Shaft was another defining moment in the wah’s history. The list of great players who have used one is almost endless: Clapton, Beck,Page, Santana, Stevie Ray… countless hits have been recorded with wahs based on that early design. Will your next song join them? The only way to find out is to plug into the most popular, best-selling pedal of all time."

FAMOUS USERS: Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Michael Schenker, Kirk Hammett… everybody!

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