The VOX Clyde McCoy Script Wah

Is one of the two versions of the, most likely, most iconic Wah pedal to “wah” the earth. From Jimi Hendrix to Ace Frehley of Kiss, legends played these pedals. The birth of the Wah pedal is unclear. According to some it was somewhat invented already in 1964 by the good guys at Thomas Organ in the USA as a MRB (Mid Range Boost) section in an amplifier they were working on. This MRB however had a switch to change the range of the boost rather than a potentiometer, so the transition was not smooth. To cut production costs, engineer Brad Plunkett has been tasked to change the circuit to accept an inexpensive potentiometer instead of that expensive switch. He did that, tried the prototype on guitar, loved it, and the rest is history.

The unofficial version

Del Casher, a session guitarists who was employed by Thomas Organ during the ’60s tells a different story. According to him, he invented the Wah Wah after hearing the MRB section on an amp.

Anyway, whoever invented the Wah Wah in 1967 changed the history of guitar tone and music in general.

But why is it called the “Clyde McCoy” Wah?

Well, Clyde McCoy was a trumpet player active in the ’20s, known for producing a “crying tone” from his trumpet by moving the mute of his instrument. When Del Casher heard the Wah pedal, he joked around that it sounded like Clyde McCoy’s tone. Well, the joke was taken seriously, so seriously that Thomas Organ management immediately called and signed a contract with Clyde McCoy, allowing them to put his name and face on the new pedal.

Picture vs Script Clyde McCoy Wah

The very first versions had on the back plate a picture of Clyde McCoy’s face, thus often called “Picture Wah”. Soon after and pretty much simultaneously a Script version was produced. There is a word going around saying that the circuits are different, well, based on the many units we have examined we cannot say that this is the case. There may be some deviations in sourced parts, but that was not intentionally made per model, and all in all a common thing among many makers of that era – you use what you have.

Original owner and hidden circuits

Our Clyde McCoy Wah is a rare European version which has its circuit covered and hidden to prevent competitors from copying the circuit. It is completely original and in a wonderful condition. It belonged to Mimmo Bucci, an Italian session musician from Bari. According to his son, Daniele, Mimmo kept this pedal in a cupboard next to his bed. The pedal arrived in its original bag, it is clear that it was loved and appreciated by Mimmo and for a good reason – Not only this is a rare pedal, it is also an incredibly good sounding one.

The TONE of the VOX Clyde McCoy Wah

Whatever word you use to describe the good tone of Wah pedals, this one has it in spades! Clyde McCoy Wahs are known for their warm, non harsh tone. They are very musical and while they do cut the low frequency range, they make up for it with the nicest low to high mid range one could expect. To us the sweep of the pedal is where magic happens, these pedals are so great for rhythm, wow.