Z. Vex Wah Probe Review
Review by Kirk Bolen
No one makes effects like Z.Vex. Not only are these pedals the most unique looking pedals around, they are also some of the most unique sounding units to hit the guitar market. Many users like these pedals for the often “otherworldly” sounds that can be created. In many cases Z.Vex pedals could be considered instruments on their own, many of them capable of very unique self oscillation. Z.Vex pedals are hand painted so each pedal is unique all having a slight variation in the design and color. The paint job is prone to chip and scratch easily but it does give each pedal more character. The Wah Probe has been the main wah on my board for about 2 years now and is one of my favorite pedals.
The Probe series of pedals feature a copper plate that emits a RF field that alters the parameters of the effect as your foot, hand or anything gets closer to the unit. With the Wah Probe as your foot gets closer to the plate it is like rocking a traditional wah all the way forward. There is a Super Hard On built into the pedal that can be used to raise the level and gain of the effect. When this knob is all the way down you get a very clean sounding wah. As this knob is turned you can hear the sound start to break up giving more sustain and bite. For most situations I keep this knob around 10 o’clock. There are two mini pots on the bottom of the pedal, one to adjust the RF field and the other to adjust the LED sweep. I usually prefer a touch less high end on my wah so I rolled back the LED pot to hit my preferred sweet spot.
Using this wah does require a little bit of a learning curve but within minutes you feel comfortable. The Wah Probe really excels on songs like “Voodoo Child” when you are running with a OD or a fuzz as well. It can sometimes be difficult to get the fast clean funk sound, but once you learn the way the RF field reacts is comes pretty naturally.
You can get some new wah sounds out of the Wah Probe. One thing I have found exciting is to move my foot back and forth as well as up and down. When you do this you skip frequencies in the sweep of the wah giving it the sound of a manually controlled seek wah.
All in all this is great pedal. Every time another guitar player looks at my board the first thing they comment on is the Wah Probe, whether they have heard of it or not. Then usually after hearing it and trying it for themselves they usually start making plans of getting one themselves. If you are looking for a traditional wah this probably isnt for you but if you want a very flexible and unique wah this is the one.
