Wah pedals are some of the most modified pedals in the world. Thanks to their simple circuitry and large casing it is easy to create a wide range of different mods even as an amateur. What if you didn’t have to mod the pedal to get the exact sound you wanted? What if all the controls were just to the side of the pedal? Now you can get just that with the Xotic XW-1 Wah pedal.
Total Control
Although it is originally based on the Clyde McCoy wahs of the late 60’s this pedal offers up so much more. Thanks to its 4 external controls which alter Bias, Wah Q, Treble and Bass you have a near unlimited pallet of sounds at your fingertips without needing to crack out the soldering iron. The Bias controls a wide range off different things but in essence when turned down it gives you a more vintage transparent style wah while at the other end you get a more pronounced wah sound with firmer bass and a bit of an output boost.
The Wah Q control as you would expect controls the Q or width of the filter. Simply put the lower the control the smaller the distance the wah effect will move. Finally the Treble and Bass controls will add or cut +/-15dB either side so you can get the perfect wah sound that matches your rig.
Then we get to the internal controls. Inside the pedal you can also easily control the input gain with up to +6dB of boost available as well as the wah frequency range by flicking the internal dip switches.
Pedalboard Friendly
With a 20% smaller casing than most wahs this pedal is much more pedalboard friendly than most other wahs. It is always such a pain when your wah will not fit on your board properly and you need to carry round an extra pedal. Luckily with its 20% smaller frame it is much easier to get the pedal onto most pedalboards.
Fuzz Friendly
Wahs and fuzzes have had an interesting relationship. While some wah pedals can take fuzz pedals very well while others fall down instantly and just ruin your tone. The XW-1 is very fuzz friendly with its unique buffered circuitry that plays very well with any fuzzs that come before it in your pedal chain.
Specifications
- Dimensions (W/D/H): D 8.27” (210mm) W 3.94” (100mm) H 2.64 (67mm)
- Weight: 2.16lb. (980g)
- Power Consumption: 9VDC/5mA
- Battery Type: 9VDC (006P) x 1
- Input Impedance: 1M ohm
- Output Impedance: 10K ohm
- Nominal Intput Level: -20 dBV
- Nominal Output Level: -20 dBV
- Bypass: True Bypass
