Xotic XW-1 Wah
Effect Pedal for Electric Guitar
- Wah Wah
- Analogue
- True bypass
- Bias Control changes the basic characteristic of the Wah: Transparency / Bass reproduction / Output
- Wah Q Control changes the quality of the filters for example vocal-like Wah effects
- Treble & Bass Control: 2-band EQ with 15 dB boost/cut for the treble and bass range
- Adjustable pedal angle
- Adjustable pedal resistance
- Adjustable boost: Up to +6 dB
- Internally adjustable DIP switches for controlling the resonance frequency width of the Wah effects
- Status LED on the top (flashes when battery level drops below 50%)
- Power supply: 9V battery or 9V DC power supply (not included, Art. 409939), 2.1 mm power connection, centre negative
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Available since December 2014
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Item number 350538
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Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
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Wah Wah Pedal Yes
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Volume Pedal No
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Dynamic Wah No
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Distortion No
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True Bypass Yes
A compact, classic wah
The Xotic XW-1 Wah takes its sonic cues from arguably the most sought-after wah pedals ever made: The Italian-built Clyde McCoy pedals of 1967 and 1968, still revered by guitarists as the Holy Grail of wah tone. At the same time, Xotic has added its own twist to the recipe, as well as working to make the XW-1's footprint around 20% smaller than a standard wah. On a crowded pedalboard, that difference is often what decides whether there's still room for a tuner or an overdrive next to the wah. Of course, even a boutique wah like this isn't always going to be treated gently: Fortunately, the solid metal housing and chrome treadle are built to take it, while self-lubricating nylon bushings at the pivot keep the pedal's movement quiet and smooth.
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Sound tweaks without the soldering iron
Wahs have always been a favourite target for modding, but on the Xotic XW-1, there are four knobs on the right-hand siden that are capable of a series of fine adjustments that would otherwise call for a soldering iron. The Bias control shifts the circuit's operating point: Set cold, the wah sounds clear, transparent, and smooth through the sweep, like many vintage pedals; turned warmer, it gains output, firmer lows, and a more pronounced sweep. Wah-Q sets the width of the filter peak, and with it how subtle or how vocal the effect sounds. The two-band EQ boosts or cuts treble and bass by up to 15dB, which is great for matching the wah to the pickups and amp – to tame the low end of humbuckers, for instance. The manual even includes sample settings for three Clyde McCoy variants from 1967 to 1969, plus a Hot Rod setting especially for humbucking pickups.
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A wah for tone tweakers
Guitarists who want to dive deeper will find a second layer of adjustment options inside the Xotic XW-1 Wah. Externally and mechanically, though, both the treadle's travel and its resistance can be set – the former through the use of a rubber shim, the latter with a hex nut. Inside the pedal, meanwhile, four DIP switches brighten or darken the sound of the toe-down position, activate a booster with up to 6dB of gain (fine-tuned via a trim pot), tame any harshness with a presence cut, and shift the filter frequency for a deeper, more vocal character. Accessing these settings means opening up the pedal, so they're not something to change between songs. That makes the XW-1 a pedal for experienced players who really want to dial their wah in properly to their guitar, amp, and board – then it's a case of "set it and forget it".
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About Xotic
The story of US-based manufacturer Xotic California began in the late 1990s with the Robotalk, an innovative guitar effects pedal featuring a random arpeggiator and a vareity of filters. Today, the product lineup includes an extensive range of high-quality boosters and preamps, as well as buffer, bass, compressor, and wah pedals. Since then, Xotic has successfully expanded into the custom guitar market, producing exceptional replicas of iconic guitar designs in their workshop in Van Nuys, California. Under the name Raw Vintage, finally, Xotic also offers a wide range of pickups and other components for stringed instruments, further cementing its reputation as a top-tier brand in the music industry.
Wah this way
As a filter effect, a wah usually sits early in the signal chain between guitar and amp. That's where the Xotic XW-1 Wah feels at home too, and its relay-switched true bypass means there is no loss of tone when it's switched off. Furthermore, Xotic has also fitted the XW-1 with a specially tuned buffer circuit designed to smooth out the notoriously tricky relationship between wah and fuzz. Vintage fuzzes with low input impedance traditionally have to go before the wah, so they can be hooked straight up to the guitar's pickups – otherwise, they can be quickly thrown off by the wah's output, which shifts with every movement of the treadle. Still, there are no hard and fast rules on a pedalboard: After all, none other than Jimi Hendrix often ran his wah into a Fuzz Face, shaping part of his guitar sound's unmistakable wail.
