Vox V848 Clyde McCoy Reissue

Price Paid: 210.oo (canadian)

Ease of Use: 9
it's fine

Sound Quality: 4
sounds pretty good...better than the crybaby i have...a bit of volume boost but nothing outrageous...pretty quiet

Reliability: N/A
this the second one...i played one in the store ...liked it...they gave me another one that wasn't a demonstrator...it was noisier...louder clicking when i turned it on etc...so i went back the next day and grabbed the demonstrator that i liked...i hope it is reliable..haven't gigged with it yet...i believe that there maybe a lot of lemon Vox wahs being made...too many testimonials wrt that on this message board ... american worker competence??...i don't know ...it's almost like guitars buy the one you liked ....don't order a new one sight unseen...the jury's stillout on this one

Customer Support: N/A
the store replaced my first one and if there are further problems they'll keep replacing them until they et it right

Overall Rating: N/A
should work out...

Submitted by slammer at 12/22/2005 10:21

Price Paid: €139,- i got a discount

Ease of Use: 10
Easy just step on it and rock 'n' roll

Sound Quality: 10
First i didn't liked it because i put it after my distortion/fuzz effects. If you put it after a distortion/fuzz pedal it works kind of like a volume pedal. But if you put it before your distortion/fuzz
pedal(s)than you have a awesome sound.
my setup is like this.
=> vox v848 => boss ds-2 => Big Muff USA => korg ax 10G => Mxr micro amp => boss bf-2 => boss tr-2 => amp

Reliability: 8
Seems good built to me i haven't had any problems yet (let's keep it that way).

Customer Support: N/A
Don't know never dealt with them.

Overall Rating: 9
Well i Play mostly hardrock, classic rock, Blues and rock 'n'roll. If you play that kind of music the vox v848 is the perfect wah for you.

Submitted by Blues Boy at 12/17/2005 01:36

Price Paid: US $150

Ease of Use: 10

Sound Quality: 1
started getting scratchy after 2 days

Reliability: 1
not reliable, I thought I got a bad one the first time, the second one broke faster than the first

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 1
I wrote a review of this pedal recently and said that I loved the tone before it got scratchy and I was going to get a new one. Well I got a new one and this one started scratching sooner than the first one. I don't know if I'm having terrible luck with these things or what, but if two days of playing is all it takes to get the pots scratching on these, then I really cannot recommend them. I thought I must be going insane, but I asked my guitar teacher and he said that's what usually happens to them after you use them for a long time. Well two days is too short and I'm really pissed so I'm giving them another bad review. $150 is a ton of money to spend on a pedal that doesn't last a week.

Submitted by Jack at 12/14/2005 20:00

Price Paid: US $150

Ease of Use: 10
Very Easy to Use

Sound Quality: 10
Awesome sound, compared it to a fulltone Clyde and there was not a noticeable difference. True Bypass was awesome

Reliability: 1
I've had this pedal 3 days now. Day one it was great. Day two it started to get scratchy. Day Three it stopped working entirely. I'm going to try to get another one though because the sound was so great.

Customer Support: N/A
I'm returning mine directly to the store so I hope I don't have to deal with them.

Overall Rating: 5
It broke quickly, but then again, I'm going to try to get another one. The sound is awesome.

Submitted by Jack at 12/08/2005 18:40

Price Paid: 200 (CAD)

Ease of Use: 10
A monkey could use this.

Sound Quality: 9
Schecter C-1 => Clyde McCoy Wah => BF-3 Flanger => Fender Twin Amp.

When the wah effect is engaged, even if your guitar volume is zero, you get a little bit of static (which you can manipulate by rocking the wah back n forth... kinda cool... but kinda useless too), but it's nothing to complain about. When the wah is off, however, there's absolutely no problem.

The range of this wah pedal is awesome! you can get everything from a very deep and muddy "whucka whucka" to a high frequency screechy "wicka wicka". My complaint here is that the toe down position is piercingly loud and screechy playing on clean mode. Playin a chord from heel down to toe-down sounds something like "whucka whucka wakka wakka WHICKA WICKA" OWw... What I've found is that I can eliminate the painfulness of this screech by lowering my tone on the guitar... This... doesn't really work in a live situation, unless all of your clean pieces have at least a bar of rest before you come in with the wah. With distortion/overdrive on, the wah works beautifully. You get a nice wide wah through the entire range of the guitar, unlike the original crybaby and most other wahs.

Comparing it to the Crybaby GBC-95, it's got a much wider range and works much better in the high range for solos and such. I tried the crybaby before buying this, and I found that for any individual notes on the top 3 strings above the 12th fret, you can't hear ANY wah at all. Rocking the crybaby from heel to toe, you can't hear any difference in the tone or frequency range, making it pretty much useless up there. The vox works perfectly up there, wah-ing just like it would on the low E.

My second complaint would be the inflexibility of the wah (but what can you expect? it's a classic old-school wah pedal). If you're looking for a wah you can play with and modify without having to open up and take apart, try the Crybaby GBC-535Q. Even though I WAS looking for something flexible like that, I couldn't stand the auto-off function, because it wouldn't allow me to jam the wah in one position and use it as a frequency filter. If 8.5 was offered, I'd give that score - 1 point off for the painful screech at the toe in clean mode and .5 for the inflexibility. But since it's not, I'll round up to 9.

Reliability: N/A
I've read some reviews that complain about unreliability. I guess there are a few bad eggs in every basket, but so far, mine hasn't turned out to be one of them. As long as you get one that works out of the box and doesn't have any loose cords, it should last you until the pot blows. This thing is made like a brick, and feels like one too.

Of course, this is a little presumptuous, because I just bought the wah today. But i've been playing this same pedal for the last few weeks in the store (it's the only one they had) and it hasn't broken down, so I hope i'm safe.

Customer Support: N/A
No clue. Most big companies (as in every guitar-related manufacturer except for boutiques) don't have great service. But i'm hoping not to ever have to deal with them.

Overall Rating: 10
I play everything from super clean jazz to metal, but mostly blues and classic rock. This wah is the most versatile that I've seen in my 3-month search for the perfect wah. Although the adjustable crybaby offers more options, it's a pain in the ass with the auto-off function. Nothing else comes close. The range of the sweep is sweet, and the engineering of the pedal is perfect for live performance. If it were stolen or lost, I'd definitely buy another. The painful screech and lack of options does bug me, but it doesn't change the fact that this is the best wah out there that a reasonable amount of money can buy. Try it, then buy it.

Submitted by tubz at 05/11/2005 21:18

Price Paid: US $149.00

Ease of Use: 10
Plug it up and it's ready to go right out of the box.

Sound Quality: 8
I can only compare this to my Original Crybaby and I like this much better. The Crybaby was very shrill, but this offers a warmer tone and there is so much more clarity to the actual vocals of this pedal. I use it thru an all tube Marshall and it gives every SRV/Hendrix vibe I could ask for.

Reliability: 10
Just change the batteries out. Otherwise it's seems very well built and comes with a protective case.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
I play mostly rock and pop and this pedal grooves. You can get really warm and syrupy tones or very disco like funk out of it. I really love it and the fact that it's true bypass makes it that much better. Two thumbs up.

Submitted by Anonymous at 03/02/2005 07:13

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: N/A

Sound Quality: 8
Good. Very different from most modern wahs. Kinda Quacky. Lots of treble.

Reliability: N/A
THIS IS THE ISSUE. FIRST OFF, THESE ARE MANE IN THE DUNLOP FACTORY IN CALIFORNIA, AND HAVE SOME CRY-BABY PARTS, THOUGH IT IS A "VOX DESIGN." THE POT IS SHIT. MY DUNLOP DB-02 CANE WITH THE SAME ONE, AND IT STARTS TO SCRATCH AFTER 10 MINUTES OF USE. STRANGELY, THE V847 HAS ONE OF THOSE NICE, FULLY SEALED POTS, AND LOOKS LIKE AN ECB24B WITH CROME AROUND IT. THE CLYDE POTS ARE DEFECTIVE. I HAVE HAD DUNLOP SEND ME SEVERAL POTS FOR THIS AND MY DB-02, AND THE ALL HAD THE PROBLEM. FINALLY THEY SENT ME A ECB24B AND THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. ALSO, THE SWITCH ACTS UP: SOMETIMES IT SHUTS OFF THE WAH. YOU HAVE TO ADD/REMOVE WAHERS AND RAISE/LOWER IT.
YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO GO THROUGH THAT SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Customer Support: N/A
DUNLOP WAS NICE ENOUGH TO SEND ME ALL KINDS OF POTS, BUT THATS ABOUT IT.

THEY KEEP TELLING ME THAT "ITS VOX'S DESIGN, WE DIDN'T DESIGN IT" WELL THEN WHY THE HELL IS THAT SAME SHITTY POT IN MY DUNLOP DB-02????
THE ARE PROBABLY JUST CLEARING OUT SOME CHEAP STOCK

GET YOUR STUFF IN ORDER DUNLOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEUROCRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall Rating: N/A
COOL WAH, BUT GOT TO GO THROUGH TOO MUCH BULLSHIT

Submitted by MIKE at 02/26/2005 10:23

Price Paid: US $149

Ease of Use: 10
It's a vintage-styled wah pedal! Duhhh...

Switching can be a problem if you don't adjust the switch's washer to the right height. I had to adjust mine so that the switch doesn't accidentally turn off when I'm rockin' the pedal.

Sound Quality: 10
My setup: '61 SG RI or Fender Jimmie Vaughan Strat -->Vox Clyde McCoy-->J&H OD-->Rivera R55-112-->Ibanez DE7 Delay

I want to compare the V848 to my old V847 and a friend's Original CB-95:

The GCB-95 had a very bad sweep. The vocal qualities are so sterile. Sounds much like WUHKAH-WUHKAH. Not to mention it's not true bypass.

The Vox V847 in contrast, had a better sweep, and a better vocal sound. You can get near that Jimi wah sound, but what it does lack is that WHEAAW from a Clyde McCoy. The V847 is also not true bypass. Sounds more like a WHEYAAW-WHEAYAAW.

The V848 Clyde McCoy Reissue is probably the closest you can get to a vintage Clyde McCoy wah. Although it has a Fasel Inductor (as opposed to the Halo Inductors in the originals), it does mimic that singing MWHEEAW-MWEEAW in the old wah recordings. You also have the benefits of modern wah pedals such as a DC Input and True Bypass. Best thing is you don't need to spend $400 for an original Clyde McCoy.

Reliability: N/A
So far it does have to undergo gig tests.

Customer Support: N/A
Still works!

Overall Rating: 10
If you yearn for a vintage Vox Clyde McCoy wah sound, and don't have the $400+/- for an original, this is your best bet. It is several notches above the quality of the V847. Compared to the boutique wahs such as the Fulltone Clyde and the Teese RMC-3, the V848 Clyde Reissue nails that more organic vibe of the originals, WITHOUT the tone-sucking. Purists might be angered by the DC Input and the True Bypass Switch,but trained ears can tell your 98% close to the originals.

The V848 is best enjoyed playing Voodoo Chile, just fyi.

Submitted by skunky_funk at 12/11/2004 22:30

Price Paid: US $149

Ease of Use: 10
yes, easy.

Sound Quality: 9
sound quality is great...when it works. this thing arrived and it didn't work. opened it, didn't do anything but touch the wires inside and it started working. really good sound, warm, alive!!!!!
but than, suddenly, it became noise, going up and down became shhh shhh on clean channel and brrr brrr on dirty one!!!
and then the switch problem arrived. you touch the switch and there is no signal, you re-touch it and you're playing again.

7 days ago, it stopped working. what a piece of shit.

it has beautiful sound when it works. mine is not.
seriously thinking of getting 535q by dunlop.

Reliability: 1
mine is not realiable at all.

Customer Support: N/A
i don't know.

Overall Rating: N/A
i'm so sorry that this thing never worked properly because it has really amazing voice!!! warm, alive, creamy, smooth, fluid, it loves single coils!!! i just wish it worked!!
it's being repaired now, i bought it in states and brought it to europe so couldn't replace it in any way.

just hope it'll do its job after (if) it's being repaired. i miss that sound.

bye

Submitted by mik at 12/04/2004 01:41

Price Paid: US $110.00

Ease of Use: 10
no brainer, but if you are a new player, and have never used one, basically you step on it like a gas pedal in your car to engage the switch located underneath of it to activate it, and step down hard to turn it off. When activated, you simply "rock" the pedal back and forth slightly to get the "wah" sound while playing. As you get used to it, the knack to to use it in such a way as to accent certain notes you play or rock it back and forth real fast to get a sort of tremolo/leslie effect.

Sound Quality: 9
I use Fender American Strats into a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb re-issue amp, with a bunch of effects pedals in between guitar and amp. I always place the WAH first in my signal path, then into my other effects. The sound of this McCoy wah is warm, and very vintage. Not thin or harsh like some other wah pedals. It does sound realy good.

Reliability: 1
No. This Wah has a switch problem. It cuts off completely if you just lightly press down on the wah, and it totally goes dead and you lose your whole signal. You have to step on it again to get it engaged. You cannot depend on this unit to work properly.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with them, not worth the trouble. I just replaced mine with another brand of Wah pedal.

Overall Rating: 2
Can't really use this pedal to gig, due to the faulty switching. Makes me wonder about their quality control and dependability. I know Vox has made some great classic amps and wahs over the years, but this new Clyde MyCoy seems undependable, since others have on this site have described similar problems. I can't believe they would put something out on the market for over a year now at least and not provide dealers with a fix or a recall for the problem to make the product right. I won't be buying any Vox products anytime soon.

Submitted by ann onymus at 11/30/2004 06:12