Wah Guitar Tones

How to get a wah tone — and 31 famous songs that use it, each with researched amp settings and gear you can adapt to your rig.

Dialing wah: A wah is a swept bandpass filter — it's about the sweep, not one position. Rock it with the rhythm for the classic vocal "wah", or park it half-open (a "cocked wah") for a fixed honk like Kirk Hammett's leads. Before distortion = vocal and aggressive; after = smoother.
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Songs that use wah

Alice in Chains

Acid Bath

David Bowie

Guns N' Roses

Måneskin

Metallica

Rage Against the Machine

Black Label Society

Bon Jovi

Cream

Dire Straits

Disturbed

Dream Theater

Eddie Hazel

Eric Clapton

Kessoku Band

Litfiba

Marilyn Manson

Molotov

Pink Floyd

Polyphia

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Tool

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Wah — FAQ

How do I get a wah tone on guitar?

A wah is a swept bandpass filter — it's about the sweep, not one position. Rock it with the rhythm for the classic vocal "wah", or park it half-open (a "cocked wah") for a fixed honk like Kirk Hammett's leads. Before distortion = vocal and aggressive; after = smoother.

What songs use a wah pedal?

Famous songs that use wah include Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses, Fade to Black by Metallica, Money for Nothing by Dire Straits, Man in TheBox by Alice in Chains, ...And Justice for All by Metallica, Bulls On Parade (Live In Mexico City, MX, 10/28/99) by Rage Against the Machine — and 31 tones on this page have researched settings you can adapt to your own rig.

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Tone quiz · GuitarToneAdapt · researched amp settings & effects for famous tones, adapted to your rig. guitartoneadapt.com