Jam Pedals Wahcko Wah Pedal Review

Jam Pedals Wahcko Wah Pedal Review

The Jam pedals Wahcko wah pedal is my favorite wah of all time.  I tested this originally back in 2014 and I loved it.  In my original video, I said it was the best wah I have tried.  Is the Jam Pedals Wahcko still the best? Yes! I actually prefer it over any other wah pedal all these years later.

 

Ethics Disclaimer:

I was recently sent out the Jam Pedals Wahcko for a video review. In my original video, the pedal was on loan from a local shop.  No money has changed hands, nor do Jam Pedals get a say in my video or written reviews.

 

 

What Makes the Wahcko Great?

Wah pedals are a dime-a-dozen. There are plenty of wah pedals that sound good, but the Wahcko sounds great.  My go-to pedal has been the Jim Dunlop Crybaby GCB-95F for many years and it’s a great wah.  The difference between my beloved GCB-95F and this is that my Dunlop pedal only has one sound or “sweep”.

The beautiful thing about the Wahcko is it has 6 different sweeps to choose from. Each of these voicings allows you to get a super-funky mellow tone or a very bright and aggressive sound.  Each of these positions marry up perfectly with different clean and dirty tones giving you many possible tonal combinations.  This pedal is extremely musical and still to this day, is the best Wah I have ever used.

 

Visual Design & Unboxing

Jam pedals are one of the premier pedal builders out of Greece.  The entire experience from the unboxing to the playing is all great.  Unboxing this pedal made me smile. Jam Pedals put a lot of effort into the visual design of their pedals and this also trickles down to their pedal boxes.

I am fully aware that unboxing is not very exciting to some but this was the first pedal in a long time that made me smile when I had the box in my hand.  There’s a lot of great design elements at play.  If you’ve ever unboxed an apple product, you know you are holding something of quality.  This unboxing experience is very similar.

The pedal itself is beautiful. It’s painted with a look and visual vibe that screams Psycodellic. Not only is the finish unique and beautiful, there’s also a top plate that has a transparent plastic footrest.  This allows you to see further detail on the top section of the pedal.  Thankfully, for those that want practicality, a rubber strip is included to fasten to the top plate if required.

 

Build Quality

The best pedals in the World are coming out of Europe, and Greece in particular.  Whether it’s Jam Pedals, VS Audio, Crazy Tube Circuits, or Nordvang – they are all fantastic quality.  Jam Pedals is looked upon as one of the best builders in Greece and their reputation has not let me down.

The Jam Pedals Wahcko is built like a tank.  It’s as robust as any Jim Dunlop Wah pedal I have tried in the past and the voicing/sweep control is very solid.  The button that activates the wah (by pressing toe-down) has a good amount of tension and the rocker feels awesome.

 

Downsides

The Jam Pedals Wahcko comes in at $319 USD. This price may seem high but this is a premium pedal with a premium design. The only downside is that some customers may be priced out of buying this pedal.

 

Wah Pedal Alternatives

If you are after a less-expensive option check out this Jim Dunlop 535Q Cry Baby Wah Pedal on Sweetwater or Thomann

 

Official Specifications