Every guitar player has a few cherished oddities in their collection, those quirky pieces of gear that tell a story. For some, it’s a pedal with a dented enclosure that still sings, for others, it’s a rare find that sparks conversations. As a fellow pedal enthusiast, I can relate. My own collection includes its share of the unconventional, from pedals doubling as paperweights to guitar picks the size of small sandwiches (yes, I’ve used one on the JHS Show!). And let’s not even get started on the mountain of original pedal boxes – sentimental treasures to me, but essentially cardboard to everyone else.
This week, I added a truly unique piece to my collection, something I pursued with perhaps a slightly embarrassing level of zeal. But this isn’t just another pedal; it’s a tangible artifact of music history. I’m talking about the original 1967 Vox Wah Wah demonstrational record. And when I say “record,” picture this: it’s crafted from cardboard, not vinyl. Look closely, and you can even see the telltale perforated edges, as if it were punched right out of a cereal box. In my mind, that’s exactly how it should be.
If you’re a long-time viewer of the JHS Show, you might recall our episode delving into the Maestro Fuzztone FZ-1, the world’s first pedal demo. This Vox Wah Wah record follows the same fascinating principle, offering a glimpse into the initial presentation of a groundbreaking effect. But before we drop the needle (or gently place the cardboard) on this demo, let’s rewind and explore the captivating story of how the Guitar Wah Pedal was born.
The Accidental Birth of the Wah Sound
For those who caught “Pedals: The Musical,” you’ve already seen a glimpse of Del Casher and Brad Plunkett’s roles in the wah saga. However, the wah pedal’s origin story begins a bit earlier, rooted in the innovative spirit of Vox.
Vox, initially known as Jennings, emerged from London’s vibrant Denmark Street music scene. At the heart of Vox’s groundbreaking designs was Dick Denney, a name that should be etched in every guitarist’s memory. Denney, a true visionary, was the mastermind behind iconic amps like the AC15 and AC30. He also conceived the 816 Booster, a circuit that many believe paved the way for the legendary Fuzz Face. His creations culminated in the Vox Super Beatle amplifier. Imagine this: in 1964, seventy million viewers tuned in to watch The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, and a Vox amp was prominently displayed on stage. In an instant, Vox transformed from a modest operation into a global phenomenon, even establishing a factory in Hollywood to meet the soaring demand.
Dick Denney designed the Super Beatle amp partly to capitalize on the Beatles’ association with Vox. While the Super Beatle wasn’t actually the amp the Beatles used on the Ed Sullivan Show (a story for another time!), it played a crucial role in our wah pedal narrative. The Super Beatle boasted a unique mid-range control, a feature that would unknowingly set the stage for the wah’s invention.
Enter Brad Plunkett, a Vox engineer, and Del Casher, a talented guitarist who graced television shows like The Lawrence Welk Show and Green Acres. Casher also served as an artist demonstrator for Vox.
The pivotal moment occurred in 1966. Brad Plunkett was tinkering with a Super Beatle amp, adjusting its mid-range control. In the next room, Del Casher’s ears perked up. He heard this expressive “wah, wah, wah” emanating from the amp. Casher, who had long dreamed of such a sound for the guitar but lacked the means to create it, rushed in, captivated. The solution was ingeniously simple: they extracted the mid-range control circuit from the Super Beatle and ingeniously placed it into the housing of a Vox Continental Organ volume control pedal. Del Casher recounts the moment:
“I definitely remember going to Stanley Cutler, head of engineering and [saying], ‘Stan, I know that this can be lifted out of the amplifier. So, can you get me the guy who did that?’ He said, ‘Well, it was Brad Plunkett.’ So I said, ‘Tell Brad that I want the breadboard put into a pedal.’ So they had the breadboard put into a pedal at my request.”
And just like that, in 1966, the first wah pedal for guitar was born, with Vox launching it as a product in 1967. Del Casher had successfully translated his sonic vision into reality, convincing Brad Plunkett to house the circuit in a volume pedal casing. However, the initial reaction at Vox was…confused. Executives envisioned it as a trumpet effect, a notion Del found baffling. But from a business perspective, their logic was somewhat understandable. In the mid-60s, the guitar’s widespread popularity was still emerging, while orchestras routinely featured multiple trumpets and saxophones. As the suits reasoned, “That’s nine pedals we can sell right off the bat.”
Del, of course, countered, “Yeah, but it’s for guitar.” Still met with skepticism, he resorted to a playful suggestion:
“I remember my brother had a recording of a guy named Clyde McCoy who played the trumpet in the [song] “Sugar Blues.” I said, ‘Why don’t you call it [the] McCoy?’ jokingly. I figured Clyde McCoy was dead. He wasn’t. He was still alive.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Vox contacted Clyde McCoy, offering him a modest $500 (roughly $3,500 in today’s money) to lend his name and image to the pedal. And so, the first production models were christened the Clyde McCoy Wah Wah.
This quirky anecdote reveals the origin of perhaps the first-ever artist-endorsed guitar pedal, born from a joke. The more you delve into music history, the more these unexpected stories you uncover.
The Cardboard Demo: Selling the “Wah” Sound
Despite its eventual fame, the Vox Wah Wah pedal wasn’t an instant sensation with guitarists in 1967. Recognizing the need to showcase its guitar-centric potential, Del Casher took initiative. “I’m going to go to my Hollywood Hills studio in my garage,” he declared, “and I’m going to cut a demo record to show how this works on a guitar.” Vox, still hesitant, allocated a minimal budget, resulting in the demo being pressed onto a plastic-coated cardboard record – a testament to their initial uncertainty. This is quite ironic, considering that guitar icons like Rage Against the Machine and Kirk Hammett would later champion the wah pedal as one of the most expressive and versatile guitar effects ever created.
Listening to this original demo record is a fascinating experience. It’s immediately apparent that the musicians, including co-creator Del Casher on guitar, were navigating uncharted sonic territory. They hadn’t yet heard the blistering wah-drenched riffs of “Bulls on Parade” or the soulful sweeps of the Shaft theme. The original Vox Wah Wah demo, while not sonically groundbreaking by today’s standards, is perfectly understandable given the context. This effect was brand new, invented just three months prior. They were pioneers, still exploring the wah’s expressive possibilities. Consequently, their demo doesn’t feature many of the wah techniques we now consider essential, like placing the wah before or after distortion, or utilizing the “cocked wah” sound.
Del’s mission was clear: sell this effect. His strategy for the demo was to target 12-string guitar players, inspired by the immense popularity of bands like The Byrds. As Del recalls:
“I went to my garage studio in Hollywood Hills. I brought in Jimmy Troxell, who was one of the session players, a very great drummer…And I said, ‘Jimmy, we’re just going to lay 13 tracks down one after another after another. And each track is going to be, you know, a minute and a half.’ So out of the 13 songs, I picked out about five songs to demonstrate the wah pedal and how the guitar can change the sounds and make it groovy, make it growl, make it funky, make a sound like a sitar. We put that all together, and I thought [Vox] was going to put my [name on it], saying ‘Del Casher, young guitarist from Hollywood featuring the wah pedal.’ But they didn’t.”
Intriguingly, in a 2019 interview in his living room, I asked Del Casher if he was aware of the impact his creation had, specifically its adoption by guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. He seemed surprisingly unaware of the extent of his invention’s influence. Yet, even in this 1967 demo, you can hear nascent hints of the expressive language Hendrix would later forge with the wah. Adding another layer of perspective, Del recounted James Brown’s initial dismissal of the wah pedal, deeming it “pointless” and “not cool” – a reminder that even our musical heroes can occasionally miss the mark.
The Vox Clyde McCoy Wah Wah holds the distinction of being technically the first signature guitar pedal, an ironic twist considering Clyde McCoy was a trumpet player who, as far as we know, never actually used a Vox pedal, or any pedal for that matter! But for $500, he lent his name and face to a guitar effect that would change music history.
As someone in the pedal-making world, here’s a piece of advice: when considering an artist’s signature pedal, do a little research to ensure they actually use it. It seems obvious, but it’s a crucial step for informed consumers. Ultimately, play what inspires you. If a Jimi Hendrix signature pedal fuels your creativity, go for it – just be aware that Hendrix’s “signature line” came after his time.
Cool? Cool. Now, go explore the expressive world of the guitar wah pedal and discover your own voice within its “wah.”
