The McWah started it all for McCon-O-Wah. 19 years ago founder Mike McConachie had the idea to create a wah pedal that had a vibe and tone that rivaled the best classic vintage pedals, while also providing the necessary feel, usability, and roadworthy reliability that modern musicians demand.
Hand Crafted and Assembled
Every McWah is wired and assembled by hand in our Baltimore workshop with hand selected components that are the highest quality we can source. From our in-shop, Hand-Wound 500mH “Small-Hole” Halo Inductor, to the CTS ‘Premium Series’ McCon-O-Pot II Potentiometer, or SwitchCraft Jacks, and True Bypass Wiring: rest assured that if we could make our pedals any better, we would.
McWah
To our ears, the McWah very closely tracks the sounds of early wah pedals because it is based on the original Clyde McCoy circuit. We wanted “that” sound, but we also wanted for it to have an easily usable middle range and feel. It had to be extremely vocal. The McWah, a mainstay on the pedal boards of Jesse Johnson of The Time, and Jesse Jonhson’s Revue, Ricky Rouse of Parliament Funkadelic, Tyrone Vaughan, Greg Koch, Randy Hansen, and more; is a pedal that nails the old Clyde wah sound while being far more versatile, musical, and reliable.
Product Description
*** UPDATE 11/1/2022: After almost three years of enclosure sourcing problems, we’ve finally received more! We bought all the remaining NOS stock that was found in our original supplier’s warehouse. Clients have asked for a pre-order option, so we’ll implement that in the store ASAP for you to get in line. If you’re interested, please Contact US.**
How the McWah came to be, was a carefully studied and concerted effort. Our sole mission, to stay true to the characteristic original vibe that we expect from a vintage wah, while re-creating the necessary bite, warmth, and feel that a modern pedal must have.
In the prototyping days, circa 2003, we acquired several wahs from various companies and manufacturers, paying special attention to grab as many unique units from as wide range of dates as possible. We did this to see how each design evolved from the original 1967 patent. We experimented with modern, vintage, and retro/reissue wahs in our quest for tone, documenting what we did and didn’t like about each pedal we evaluated. This provided us with invaluable information.
To our ears, the McWah closely mirrors the tone of the earlier units, because our circuit is based primarily on the original Clyde McCoy design. This was a fundamental part of our design requirements. We wanted “that” sound, but we also wanted it to have an easily usable middle range and feel. It had to be extremely vocal.
If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably encountered the same problem we sought out to fix. You have a wah that sounds good sometimes, but you can only move your foot for what feels like half an inch before the good tone goes away, and in its place is thin, gross, stank. The sweep and feel of the McWah completely alleviates that problem.
Other design and implementation requirements were roadworthiness, and slower battery consumption. Add in a DC jack, power filtration, reverse-voltage protection, and a custom case that provides a longer throw and we were almost there. Last, but not least – we needed a custom tapered and long-lasting potentiometer to take advantage of the extra pedal throw. So, we engineered our own potentiometer, in collaboration with CTS, to fit the bill.
The result is a glorious thing. A pedal that nails the old Clyde wah sound, while being far more versatile, musical, and dependable.
Additional Information
| Weight | 4.5 lbs |
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| Dimensions | 11 x 8.5 x 5.5 in |
| Product Specifications | |
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