Vox V845 Classic Wah Pedal: A Gearwire Pro Review

Does the world really need another «budget» wah-wah pedal? What if it's got «VOX» stamped on the rocker? Introduced earlier in the year, the Vox Classic Wah-Wah v845 streets for $69.99, putting it in direct competition with entry-level wahs from the likes of Jim Dunlop and Morley. Plus, if you purchase a v845 before the end of the year, Vox will give you a $20 rebate, making this pedal less expensive than even the rock-bottom Behringer «Hellbabe» wah. Still, fifty bucks is fifty bucks, and while the Vox brand may be associated with wah-legend, the Classic v845 still needs to meet three basic requirements to be worthy of your hard-earned Grant: is it well-built, does it sound good, and barring acceptable stock tone, can it be easily modded? I put the v845 and my web-forum-raking skills to the test to find out. Wah's In A Name? Ahh, U.S. Patent No. 3,530,224: the «foot-controlled continuously variable preference circuit for musical instruments.» It's become as much a cornerstone of the sound of classic rock music as U.S. Patents No. 2,089,171, No.3,213,181, and No.2,438,259. The first commercially available wahs were produced under the Vox brand when it was owned by the Thomson Organ Company, and originally branded as an effect for woodwind instruments—hence the first Vox wahs bearing the image and endorsement of trumpeter Clyde McCoy (though, notably, the schematics filed with the circuit's U.S. patent application show the input signal originating from a crudely-drawn...