Background
The Xotic Wah is modeled after the holy grail of vintage wah pedals: the Italian-built 1967–1968 Clyde McCoy Wahs.
Rather than limiting you to just a few preset sounds, the Xotic Wah offers extensive control over its response, allowing you to shape and contour the pedal to suit your playing style, guitar, and rig. Its adjustability makes it one of the most versatile wah pedals available today.
External Controls
Bias Control — Increasing the bias produces slightly more output, firms up the bass frequencies, and creates a more pronounced wah effect throughout the sweep. A colder bias, commonly associated with vintage wah pedals, provides a clearer, more transparent voice with a smoother response.
Please note: The Bias control may produce a slight scratching sound while being adjusted. This is normal by design and will not be audible once the control is set. We recommend making adjustments while the wah is switched off.
Wah Q Control — Adjusts the Q, or width of the filter peak. In practical terms, this controls the intensity and character of the wah effect, allowing for precise filter shaping and vocal-like tones.
Treble & Bass Controls — A two-band EQ with ±15 dB center-detent controls allows you to optimize the voicing for different guitars, amplifiers, and playing styles.
Adjustable Rubber Stopper — Located underneath the rear of the treadle, the rubber bumper can be shimmed to adjust the pedal's travel range.
Adjustable Pedal Torsion — The resistance of the rocker pedal can be adjusted using the hex nut on the treadle.
LED Indicator — The LED at the top of the pedal illuminates when the Xotic Wah is active. It will also flash when battery power drops below approximately 50%, indicating that the battery should be replaced.
DC Jack — 2.1 mm × 5.5 mm, 9V DC, center-negative. When an external power supply is connected, the battery is disconnected from the circuit. When using a battery, unplugging the input cable during extended periods of non-use will help extend battery life. Battery access requires removal of the bottom plate (four screws).
Internal Controls
Input Gain — Controls the wah's input gain. Turning the control clockwise provides up to +6 dB of wah boost.
Relay Bypass Switching — The Xotic Wah uses relay-based true-bypass switching for transparent bypass tone and reliable operation.
Internal DIP Switches — Allow adjustment of the wah's resonance frequency range.
Premium Components
Inductor
The Xotic Inductor is designed to recreate the sound and response of the Halo inductors used in 1967 Clyde McCoy wah pedals. The ferrite core material and coil wire are carefully selected to reproduce the musical character associated with vintage wah tone.
Potentiometer
The Xotic Wah potentiometer is designed to replicate the feel and tone-shaping characteristics of vintage ICAR potentiometers while providing long service life and a very low noise level.
Microcontroller
The microcontroller-operated relay true-bypass circuit provides transparent bypass tone while offering reliable switching rated for a minimum of one million cycles.
