Live Effects
Wah-Wah
Wah Timeline
Compiled from led-zeppelin.org:
- Vox Grey Wah: ca. August 1966-July 19, 1970
- Vox King Wah: August 14, 1970-July 5, 1971, November 11, 1971-February 29, 1972
- Vox 'Crybaby' Wah: August 7, 1971-September 29, 1971, May 27, 1972-July 29, 1973, May 17, 1975-ca. 2002
- Vox V846 Wah: January 11, 1975-March 27, 1975
Vox Grey Wah
Per WholeLottaLed
Used from '68 through July 1970, though it also goes back to his Yardbirds days like the Tone Bender. One of the earliest Vox wahs, some possibly predating Clyde McCoys. The inductor measures in at around 250mH (some possibly a little higher), half of what the the typical inductor in a Clyde McCoy, V846, etc… normally measure. The inductor and the absence of a Q resistor (the resistor that's in parallel with the inductor) creates a higher frequency wah sweep.
Per led-zeppelin.org
Jimmy Page used the Vox Grey Wah when he switched over from the 1964 Epiphone Rivoli EB232 Bass in the Yardbirds on August 25, 1966. This wah pedal had a tighter, thinner sweep, with a lot less low end, more emphasis on high end and upper midrange. Page used the Vox Grey Wah in Led Zeppelin, through the July 1970 Germany dates.
Years in use: ca. August 1966-July 19, 1970
Features: 250mH Inductor (V846, V847, Clyde McCoy & Cry Baby used 500mH), lack of 33k resistor in parallel with inductor.
My Notes
I recently bought a new production Vox V846HW, built inside a 60s Grey Vox enclosure. It even came with the original carry bag. I'm planning on building a hand-wired 60s Vox Gray Wah inside of it, as I found a vintage 250mH inductor on eBay. In the meantime, my Wilson wah with the gray spec board gets as close as I've heard to that early Page grey wah sound. It matches the description above from led-zeppelin.org, with a shorter/thinner sweep and less low end, which I prefer in a wah. TODO: Link to my wahs
Fuzz
TODO: Tonebenders
TODO: Blue Box