Keeley Electronics Nova Wah

First off, we need to establish what this pedal is and is not. This is pretty much two wah circuits inside this box. You can adjust them individually, and you can create all kinds of effects where the wah would be in a static position. It also has knobs and switches to allow you to adjust the envelope filter in this and more. It's not really a normal auto wah, and it's not meant to be used that way. The pedal features individual knobs for each wah circuit. It also has a switch to select between different voicings for the pedal.

UTILIZATION

The pedal is housed in a nice, sturdy enclosure. It's something that'll never fail, even with the most intense touring. That's a good thing as this is going to be stomped on more than other pedals, most likely. It's a very useful pedal if you know how to use it, but I'll get to that in the sound portion. The knobs are easy to get at, and settings are a breeze to figure out. The manual gives you some help as to what everything does, but the pedal is simple enough to figure out on its own. The real cool thing about this is that it's true bypass. You no longer have to worry about your effects sucking tone. Just be sure you have a buffer if you have a long string of TB pedals.

SOUND QUALITY

The pedal is not an auto wah, and it's really not meant to be used as one. Instead, you get two individual wah effects that you can taylor to your liking. It's great for those old school, vintage style tones. The best use I found with this, however, is by using it like a cocked wah left on all the time. If you've never heard Michael Schenker's tone, you'll know what I'm referring to. It's a great way to cut through even the most dense mix out there, and it works great for those 80s riffs. However, I couldn't find a use for it to keep it on my pedal board, so off it went.

OVERALL OPINION

If you're looking for an auto wah, look elsewhere. While this can do a similar effect, it's not the same. This is more for those guys looking for independent wah style pedals with individual manual filter controls and all that jazz. It's kinda hard to explain, but once you try it out, you'll understand what this pedal is all about. If you're not sure if you'll need it, you probably don't.