The world of guitar effects is filled with fascinating stories, but few are as quirky and historically significant as the tale of the Wah Wah Guitar Effect. Many guitarists have a peculiar fondness for collecting gear, sometimes bordering on the eccentric. We hoard original boxes, cherish bizarre picks, and track down obscure pieces of musical history. Speaking of which, this week brought a truly unique addition to the collection: a 1967 Vox Wah Wah demonstrational record. And yes, you read that right, record – made of cardboard!
Before diving into this piece of wah history, let’s explore the captivating origin story of the wah wah guitar effect itself, a sound that has shaped countless genres and guitar legends.
How the Wah Wah Guitar Effect Was Invented: A Serendipitous Discovery
To understand the wah wah guitar effect, we need to rewind to the early days of Vox, initially known as Jennings, a London-based company in the heart of Denmark Street’s music scene. The unsung hero of this story is Dick Denney, a brilliant Vox engineer. Denney’s innovations are legendary, including iconic amps like the AC15 and AC30, and the 816 Booster, a precursor to the Fuzz Face. Crucially for our tale, he also designed the Vox Super Beatle amplifier.
The Vox Super Beatle emerged as Vox capitalized on their association with The Beatles after their groundbreaking Ed Sullivan Show performance in 1964, where Vox amps were prominently displayed. While the Super Beatle wasn’t actually the amp the Beatles used on that show, it became a symbol of Vox’s burgeoning empire. The key feature of the Super Beatle for our story? A mid-range control knob.
Enter Brad Plunkett, another Vox engineer, and Del Casher, a guitarist known for his TV appearances and role as an artist demonstrator for Vox. In 1966, while Brad Plunkett was working on a Super Beatle amp, adjusting its mid control, Del Casher, in a nearby room, heard a distinctive “wah, wah, wah” sound emanating from the amp. Casher, who had long dreamt of such a sound for guitar, was instantly captivated.
The solution was ingenious and surprisingly simple. They took the volume control pedal from a Vox Continental Organ and integrated the Super Beatle’s mid-control circuit into it. As Del Casher recounts:
“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 wah guitar effect pedal was born. Vox began production in 1967. While Del Casher had realized his sonic vision, the Vox executives initially missed the mark, believing it was better suited for trumpet players – a testament to the guitar’s then-still-growing popularity compared to instruments like trumpets and saxophones, which were more common in orchestras.
Del Casher, however, knew its true potential for guitar. To humorously convince the skeptical Vox suits, he suggested naming it after Clyde McCoy, a trumpet player known for his “wah-wah” mute technique in the song “Sugar Blues,” joking that McCoy was likely deceased. Ironically, Clyde McCoy was still alive.
This anecdote led to a surprising turn of events. Vox contacted Clyde McCoy, offered him a modest sum of $500 (around $3,500 today), and secured his endorsement, placing his image on the backplate. The first production models were christened the Clyde McCoy Wah Wah, marking the first-ever artist signature guitar pedal, born from a joke and a misunderstanding.
The 1967 Demo Record: Introducing the Wah Wah Sound to the World
Despite its production, the wah wah guitar effect wasn’t immediately embraced by guitarists in 1967. To showcase its potential, Del Casher took initiative. He decided to create a demo record in his home studio to demonstrate the wah wah guitar effect specifically for guitar. Vox, still somewhat unconvinced, provided a limited budget, resulting in the demo being pressed on a plastic-coated cardboard record – a far cry from vinyl.
Listening to this original demo provides a fascinating glimpse into the nascent stages of the wah wah guitar effect. It’s clear the musicians, including Del Casher himself, were still exploring the sonic possibilities of this brand-new effect. They hadn’t yet conceived of iconic wah wah guitar effect applications like those heard in “Bulls on Parade” or the theme from “Shaft.” The demo lacked the refined techniques we associate with the wah today, such as placing it before or after distortion or using it as a “cocked wah.”
Casher, aiming to market the pedal broadly, focused on demonstrating its appeal to 12-string guitarists, popular at the time thanks to bands like The Byrds. He assembled a session band, including drummer Jimmy Troxell, and recorded a series of short tracks highlighting different facets of the wah wah guitar effect. As Del described:
“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.”
Interestingly, despite his pivotal role in creating the wah wah guitar effect, Del Casher seemed unaware of its subsequent adoption by guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton when interviewed in 2019. Yet, even in this 1967 demo, hints of the expressive style Hendrix would later popularize can be discerned. It’s also worth noting that James Brown, a musical innovator himself, reportedly dismissed the wah pedal as pointless, highlighting that even visionaries can sometimes misjudge new sounds.
The Vox Clyde McCoy Wah Wah holds the distinction of being the first signature guitar pedal, an ironic fact given Clyde McCoy’s lack of guitar playing and pedal usage. His endorsement was purely a business arrangement.
This story offers a valuable lesson for pedal manufacturers and consumers alike. When considering artist signature gear, it’s wise to check if the artist actually uses the product. Informed consumerism is key. Ultimately, the best gear is what inspires you and enhances your playing. Whether it’s a signature pedal or not, choose what brings you joy and allows you to create the sounds you envision. And when it comes to iconic sounds, the wah wah guitar effect, born from a happy accident and a cardboard record, certainly holds a special place in guitar history.
