FIRST LOOK: Fender Fuzz-Wah pedal

The Fuzz Wah unboxed and ready for funk
The Fuzz Wah unboxed and ready for funk

We reported from Winter NAMM in January 2008 that Fender would be expanding its Classics range of vintage reissue pedals. We even posted a video of the Phaser´s trippy lightshow in action.

Well it just so happens that in an attempt to prove that Thursdays are second only to Fridays in the best day of the week stakes, a box containing every pedal in the range has just arrived at MusicRadar HQ.

Suckers for the funk, we went straight for the Fuzz-Wah (£112 UK RRP) and bashed out a few sound clips that will give you a feel for what the pedal is capable of.

As usual, we ran the stompbox straight into Line 6´s excellent GearBox plug-in, and used an amp model based on a Vox AC30 with a little simulated spring reverb.

First, here´s a short clip that illustrates the sweep of the wah:

Now here´s a clip that demonstrates the range of control that the treadle´s top plate gives you over the fuzz sound when you move it from left to right and back again:

Here´s the wah-wah in context, with the fuzz disengaged for now:

Here´s the wah again, this time with the lead sound boosted with the onboard fuzz circuit:

For more information on the range, check out the official Fender Pedals MySpace page, or the MusicRadar review of the Blender octave fuzz.

Guitarist magazine will be running an in-depth review of all of the new models in its June issue, on sale 8 May.

The MusicRadar team

MusicRadar is the number 1 website for music makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, djs or producers...

  • GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high- quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.
  • TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.
  • STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music making that no other music website can.