Review
The MARK1 Wah from Morley is one of the artist signature wah pedals from Morley USA. Heavy duty construction is a constant feature with Morley products and is no exception here. We have spent a couple months using the MARK1 and have grown very fond of it for several different reasons.
First is kind of a vain reason but with the diamond plate rubber on the top the pedal just flat out looks cool. That alone is no reason to buy a guitar pedal but heck it probably wouldnt be the first time or last that it happened. I soon found out that the diamond plate actually served a purpose! It keeps the foot in place. No Slipage! Think of it as snow tires for your wah.
Second reason to love this pedal. The boost feature. Over the years I have thought it would be great to just step on a wah for solos and not have to hit a seperate boost pedal. Well its right here in the MARK1. It takes a few times back and forth but set the boost for your desired solo volume and its set and forget. No more tap dancing. Just step on the wah and your boost and wah are slamming at the same time. Ok THAT alone is enough to pick this one up !
Notice I didnt say click the wah on, I said step on it which brings me to a third reason to like this one.
I am willing to bet if you have used wahs of the past you as well as I have had this happen more than once. Playing along and notice your tone just does not sound right. So you start thinking what could be wrong. Speakers going out ? Bad power here? Batteries dead in a pedal? Tubes going out? Now as the panic grows a few songs go by and you are really getting worried. You go for a solo and step on the wah. Its already on! That was the tone difference! Its honestly happened to me more than once over the years. This is a huge plus on the Morley wahs. NO SWITCHING. Its optical. I cant explain how it works but it does. When you want to solo step on it. When you are done take your foot off. No more trying to click it off and never sure if its off or not.The MARK 1 also has a red LED that comes on when the wah is engaged.
While the pedal leans more toward a modern voicing I had no problem and was very happy with the sound using it for classic funk and Hendrix tunes. It really works for all types of music and is dead quiet even at high gains unlike more traditional wahs.The battery compartment requires no screws to open, very handy!
So lets recap.
No pesky switches to click on and off. Hmmm come to think of it no pesky pots to replace either!
A built in user preset boost that activates itself when the pedal is engaged.
A non slip surface that looks pretty swell.
A red LED that comes on automatically when pedal is in use.
Bulletproof design.
And one very important tidbit. Made in the USA.
All in all with this wah Morley has addressed and fixed every complaint I have had over the years with traditional wahs. I couldnt be happier with it.
Tony Cole musicgearsource.com
See your local Morley dealer or visit www.morleypedals.com
