Vox V846 Wah Wah

Price Paid: US $25 used

Ease of Use: 10
The sound is incredible, I bought it in a pawn shop for $25, it's from about mid-60's, and it plays great.

Sound Quality: 10
I'm using this over a standard strat and a '72 tele deluxe (when i buy it), and I'm playing on a fender deluxe 90 DSP and it has no extra noise or anything. and as far as it goes with my fav artist this thing sounds exactly like Jimi's, it's so nice.

Reliability: 8
I haven't used it for any gigs yet, but it's def holding up to practice stuff, but I would def use it at a gig without a backup.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
I play rock and blues, and it's great for that. I've been palying for about 3 years, and if it were ever stolen, I would go out and find the same vintage.

Submitted by Anonymous at 08/24/2004 13:31

Price Paid: US $275.00 used

Ease of Use: 10
Amazing!!!!!! Just plug your guitar in and let go!!

Sound Quality: 10
'75 Fender Tele with active EMG pickups - plugged directly into the V846 then into a Peavey 35 Watt Backstage amp. Never played a wah in my life - now I can get hot motown!!! Sound is on the thin side but it's vintage 60's. Sweet sweep. It's the 60's sound. RightOn!!!!

Reliability: 10
I hope so!!!!!!!!! This wah looks like its been to hell and some. And it works just fine.

Customer Support: 10
I would contact people mentioned here in this forum.

Overall Rating: 10
Rock. Blues. It helps make the music happen. Inspires me to play better and better. Wish I knew about this a long time ago....but glad to have it now!! Expensive. But it's real. Has the sound. Not a wannabe. It's a worker and it's fun to play!!! Well worth the $$$!!

Submitted by Anonymous at 04/23/2004 20:00

Price Paid: US $70.

Ease of Use: 9
Easy as it gets....

Sound Quality: 9
This early vintage wah is a great tone maker but it still doesn't beat my Thomas Wah with the "tropical fish" transitor.... the Thomas has the sound...I love my early Vox too, but it's not on my pedal board... I posted this because tomorrow I try the 66' Clyde Vox... I finally found one.. Now I will be able to have the Thomas for a filter, and the Clyde for Wah... I can leave my V846 back in the Vintage Bag waiting a new sonic frontier someday!!!

Reliability: 10
Takes a knockin', but keeps on rockin'...no second chances hear folks... if it drops, I drop...

Customer Support: 5
Zip.... your own your own kids..a 40 year old pedal isn't covered under warranty....

Overall Rating: 10
Loud is good...louder is better though..Les Paul through a Tweed Champ. (Holy Grail) but not with an 8" w/ a (try and guess) speaker TONE TONE TONE...midrange distortion ,... more distortion, and even more distortion. (forget those under biased hi voltage amps) I think I'll trade for a dunlop...NOT!!!!It helps me get sick, distorted harmonix...

Submitted by ken at 03/29/2003 18:30

Price Paid: US $250

Ease of Use: 9
It's very easy to operate and even easier to get a good sound, but it does require a nice touch to make it sound it's best.

Sound Quality: 10
I'm using a '96 american standard with vintage noiseless pu's into a fulltone fulldrive 2 into the Vox wah then to my vintage Super Reverb. Mine is extremely quiet for a wah. Not to mention this particular pedal is almost 33 years old. It sounds spectacular, clear bass not muddy as new or average Wahs tend to be. It has clear smooth tone. I would say it sounds exactly like Jimi's Wah, but that would be an insult.

Reliability: 10
It's 100% original and not a single problem it's amazing. I would never bother with a backup. The casing is almost half an inch thick.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
It was very expensive but not compared to boutique copies out there. I've played since i was 5. I play all styles and it could have a place in any style of music. If it did get ripped i'd buy a Clyde or another early model Italian Vox like it.

Submitted by Anonymous at 02/12/2001 15:18

Price Paid: US $150.00 used

Ease of Use: 10
VERY EASY TO USE,ALMOST PLAYS IT-SELF, VERY LITTLE UP-GRADES

Sound Quality: 10
SOUND QUALITY IS UNLIKE ANY I HAVE HEARD, THE RE-ISSUED V847 DOES NOT HOLD A LIGHT TO THIS WAH, I USE AN SRV STRAT, FENDER VK, MODDED 7S9, FUSS ( BOSS) OCTAVIA AND OTHER ASSORTED PEDALS,WITH NO PROBLEMS

Reliability: 10
VERY DEPENDABLE, IT'S 30 YRS OLD AND IT WILL STILL OUT PREFORM ANY WAH ON THE MARKET I WOULD USE THIS WAH ON A GIG WITHOUT A BACK-UP, I DO HAVE A DULOP CRYBABY, THAT WAS MADE BEFORE THE RE-ISSUED ONE AND I MIGHT USE IT AS A BACK-UP, BUT AS FAR AS TO COMPRE THEM, FORGET IT

Customer Support: 10
I USE ANALOGMIKE FOR ALL MY SUPPORT AND MODS, TO ME HE IS TOPS, I HAVE HAD HIM MOD MY TS9, BUT THE WAH HAS NO UPGRADE EXCEPT THAT I ENSTALLED A TRUE BY-PASS SWITCH AND INSTALLED A JACK SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO MESS WITH THE 9 VOLT BATTERY HASSELL ( I WOULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS, BUT IT ALREADY HAD A HOLE DRILLED AND AN OLD STYLE JACK INSTALLED, SO I JUST INSTALLED ONE THAT WOULD BE COMPATIBLE TO MY PEDAL BOARD

Overall Rating: 10
I PLAY BLUES, THROUGH A FENDER VK, WITH THE SAME SET UP AS SRV ( OR AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET), I LOVE THE WAH AND AGAIN I CANNOT COMPARE IT TO ANY MADE TODAY ( I HAVE NOT TRIED ANY, BECAUSE I DON'T NEED TO) I WOULD GUARD THIS PEDAL WITH A SHOTGUN( I'D HATE TO BE THE PERSON THAT STOLE IT, BUT REALLY IF THAT DID HAPPEN I WOULD TRY TO FIND ANOTHER ONE TO PURCHASE, I WAS LUCKY TO FIND THIS ONE OUT OF NEW MEXICO, AND ANALOGMIKE TOLD ME TO TAKE OUT THE POT AND THE SWITCH AND INSTALL A DPDT SWITCH I WILL DO THE SWITCH, BUT THE POT IS WHERE THAT SOUND COMES FROM, IT IS MADE IN ITALY AND THE NUMBERS MATCH UP TO THE CLYDE WAH THAT WAS MADE PREVIOUS TO THIS ONE, IT DOES MAKE THE SOUND YOU WANT COME ALIVE AND IT MAKE PLAYING SRV, HENDRICK, OR ANY OTHER MUSCIAN THAT USES A WAH EASY TO RE-CREATE, IN CLOSING IF YOU WANT A GOOD WAH LOOK AROUND , FIND ONE OF THESE AND BUY IT, AND YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT THANKS VOX

Submitted by Stan Sanders at 03/08/2000 22:10

Price Paid: 170 (CAN)

Ease of Use: 10
step on it and rock your foot
aha very easy

Sound Quality: 10
SWWEEEEEEEEET.....thats all i need to say

Reliability: 10
built like a rock

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 10
sweeeeeeeet

Submitted by cheef at 01/20/2000 17:25

Price Paid: US $60 used

Ease of Use: 10
It's a wah-wah pretty basic. I love the sound of this but I have nothing to compare it to. I don't know if anything's been done to it as I bought it used and wouldn't know how to tell.

Sound Quality: 10
I play it with a Fender Strat Through a Crate GFX-30 amp. There's not much noise but there is some. This things sounds great all around. It seems good for Hendrix and other stuff like that probably because it's a lot like what he used.

Reliability: 10
It seems to be built very well after all it's lasted 30 years maybe more.

Overall Rating: 10
I'll play Hendrix through this and other stuff like that, definitley a good match as it's from the same maker and the same kind that he used. If it were stolen I'd have to find who took it and get it back as I probably couldn't find anohther so if you find on get it and keep it safe. I love evrything about it especially the chrome. I wish I knew when it was made and how it managed to get to me. Get one if you can I got a good deal but if I knew what it was I'd pay over 100 for it. Luckily the store didn't know that. There's so much more I could say but I'll just remind you one more time if you see one get it if you can afford it.

Submitted by Brian Gregory at 09/06/1999 00:31

Price Paid: Trade used

Ease of Use: 10
Basic Wah. The way this one works is the reason they all work this way...

Sound Quality: 10
Ok, I had fought off succumbing to the supposedly legendary sound of the 846 for as long as possible. I came across this one in a trade, and am now a believer. This is what a wah is supposed to sound like. I hate to buckle under to the hype, but it's true. I have owned probably 11 wahs, and I should have shelled out the dough back when I started for one of these and quit wasting time and money.
Fantastic sound. Right off the bat, a nice sweep with all that recognizable tones along the way: nasal tones, treble bite, countered with the bassy (but not too bassy or muddy) on the other end. It's all in there. (This one's inductor is the metal 'film can' - for reference.)
Anything made today (with the exceptions, depending on taste, of maybe Teese and Fulltone), fail miserably in comparison.

Reliability: 10
This guy is almost as old as myself, and had a much rougher life. Most of these are pretty worked over at this point. Why? Because they sound the best, and they got used! Notice how many pristine Morleys, King Wah's, etc. you find in the used stores? Then you run accross a 846 that looks like it went through 3 tours in Nam and was patched up in a MASH unit more than once? It's the milage. They sound great an were played because of it.
Reliability? There isn't much to go wrong in a wah aside from scratchy pots (fixed by contact cleaner), loose connections, or faulty switches. I replaced my switch when I converted to a DPDT true bypass mod, replaced the 9v battery connector, and checked all my connections. I can't see any reason why she wouldn't do another 30 years.
One other note: For some reason the sweep feels right more so than any wah I've tried. Not only that, the treadle can stay in position (a la Schenker) relatively easily unlike most wahs.

Customer Support: N/A
N/A

Overall Rating: 10
I had come to a comfortable realization after years of wah usage, demoing, comparitive A/B-ing, and familiarizing myself on wah history. My realization was, nothing sounded better than my trusty '71 Wah-Face. The Wah-Face is a Sound City Dallas-Arbiter (Made in Italy) version with the cosmetics of a Cry Baby, and the addition of a white ring around the base. This one in particular has the Fasel inductor and Arco capacitors. I had not found it's equal, but the 846 is just that -- it's equal.
It's an extremely tough call to say which is better. Across the sweeps of each, they produce strikingly similar tones, where the Vox may edge it out with a bit more human voice nasal sound, and a bit more treble bite at the top. (Not piercing like Cry Babies.) Like I said, it's a tough call. Some my like the Wah-face better just for the fact it doesn't have the Vox's extra bite (especially with overdrive running - think SRV's solo on 'Come On' off Soul to Soul).
Either way, I am a huge fan of the 846. I have no idea when I am goin g to use my Maestro Boomerang, or my Foxx wahs, with these two in the batting order.
Anyhow, if you see one, pounce on it. One other note: It takes two seconds to unscrew the back and check the guts, to make sure your getting the real deal.

Submitted by Knobby at 07/14/1999 16:53

Price Paid: US $150

Ease of Use: 10
The Vox V-846 wah is a 60's psychedelic freaky dream. I've always wanted to emulate Clapton, Page, and Hendrix, now I've got the pedal to do it. I realize that the "Clyde Mcoy" Vox Wah came right before this, but according to my estimations, Clapton and Hendrix would have bought their Wah Wah's in early 67'. They stoppped making the Clyde around late 66', which means they had the first V-846 wah's. Mine is actually from 69'. It may have to be slightly adjusted for sweep. You may have to play with it to learn its vowel characteristic.

Sound Quality: 10
I don't care what any manufacturer may say, in my opinion, they cannot emulate this wah. They may come close and the wah may sound good, but a sixties "ITALIAN" made V-846, or a "Clyde Mcoy" has a sound that is unique unto itself. I also want to dispell the myth that an old "Crybaby" or "King Vox" is the same pedal with a different label. I have Italian made versions of those too, but they do not sound like the Vox. I've heard that the Inductor and outlying components of the Vox, are specifically set for its sound. Keep in mind that some may not like this sound. The sound may be thinner compared to a newer wah. What you are getting is an unmistakeable 60's sound. Clapton had one. Hendrix had one. And Page had one with the early Zep. I use this wah with a TS9 Tube Screamer and Roger Mayer Voodoo1 for fuzz, along with a 67' SG Custom and 69 Marshall Super Lead 100. I also have a Provibe univibe effect by Foxrox. As far as Tone coloration, it does affect the signal but that coloration is part of "THAT SIXTIES SOUND."

Reliability: 10
Remember this. DO NOT CHANGE THE POTENTIOMETER UNLESS IT IS COMPLETLY BUSTED. Turns out the Pot is part of the sound. They tapered them specifically for the Vox specification. If you spray Cranolin to clean the pot, 9 times out of ten, it will cure any scratchiness. Other than that you may want to keep it in a bag, if it doesn't have one already.

Customer Support: N/A
I don't think you're gonna have any success with Korg (makes the current V-847). Geoffry Teese or Jeff Bober would be my choices for repair (they are current makers of vintage style wahs).

Overall Rating: 10
This pedal is used today by many top musicians. The style I play is Psychedelic Hard Rock. If you see one for sale, get it, because more than likely, you may not see one again. I used to see a few at vintage stores, and the internet. Not anymore. Alot of the ones I do see have been butchered or have replaced parts. Keep in mind the Sepulveda california version is not even a topic of discussion here. It is the "Italian" version that has the characteristics I've mentioned. I've been turning heads ever since I started using this pedal, and the first question they ask "How Did You Get A Wah wah to Sound Like that?" If you can find one, it may make you FAMOUS.

Submitted by Anonymous at 09/27/1998 05:20