I’ve been looking for a wah in mini format for a long time, which fits on a pedal that is comfortable to carry, but which is also of excellent quality. In short, the cake and the drunk wife. In no uncertain terms, the Russian AMT WH-1, also called Japanese Girl, is able to satisfy all these requests with extreme ease.
The best maintenance free mini wah you can put on the pedal board? Let’s see.
Features
The dimensions are those of a classic Boss pedal, really small for the type.
It is optical, unlike its other competitors such as the mini cry-baby, which means no long-term mechanical wear issues. had of these problems).
It is true-by-pass! Great, we can then interface it before a fuzz with no problems. It is activated like the classic cry-baby, or by pressing to bring it to the end of the treble.
It has two blue activation LEDs on the sides, so much better than a single one in front, you can really easily see if it is engaged.
Finally, it is equipped with a switch to select three bandwidth ranges: 0.2-1kH, 0.3-1.5kH and 0.4-2kH.
It’s completely analog !!!
In summary (features taken from website of the company):
- 100% analog WAH-WAH effect;
- Fixed switching among bandpass filter ranges: 0.2-1kH, 0.3-1.5 kH, 0.4-2kH;
- True bypass;
- Removable support feet (the option is useful when you install the AMT WH-1 on the pedal board);
- Effect monitoring by using blue LEDs on both pedal sides (visible engaged AMT WH-1 mode);
- Powered by DC adapter or 9-12V 9V battery;
- Low power consumption (approx.7mA);
- Small size: 110 x 62 x 58 mm (fits easily into your guitar case);
- Weight (without battery) 0.45 kg.
Sound
Beautiful, defined, rich in bass (almost like the Morley Bad Horsie) without ever being shrill (as I sometimes found to be the cry-baby). I generally use wah to darken the sound, and that’s perfect. On the other hand, the sonority that it manages to express in the most Hendrixian parts does not make us regret the cry-baby at all, on the contrary.
The frequency switch really changes the sound and I personally think it’s enough to sculpt it the way you want it. Indeed, I believe that it can easily convince even the most convinced lovers of other wahs.
Para quem fala português, aqui está um interesting video ????
Usage
Here, many ask themselves (rightly): how is it to use such a small thing under your feet, perhaps in live situations and not sitting comfortably in your room?
Zero problems , at least as far as I’m concerned. Of course, with these dimensions you might not put another pedal on it, or you risk pressing that one too inadvertently, but I have not encountered any problems with the inclination of the foot when putting it to the bottom in both directions.
Of course the AMT WH-1 won’t be as comfortable as a full size pedal, but it doesn’t make you regret it too much either. Once you get used to it (and it doesn’t take long), you have a micro wah in the pedalboard with the sonic performance (if not more) than a classic traditional sized wah.
Conclusions
So, back to the original question, is the AMT WH-1 the best maintenance free mini wah you can put on your pedal board?
Yes, absolutely yes!
I have it, I included it in a mini pedal board and I don’t rule out buying another one in the future if I decide to wire another small travel pedal board. Why without wah how do you do it ??? ???? Sure the AMT WH-1 would be my first choice.
Used on music market or reverb.com it is about 100 euros, but in my opinion it is not convenient, on ebay you can find advertisements from mother Russia for much less, about 75 euros shipped new. If you don’t see similar ads, wait, they come back cyclically.
Published on musicanza.it on: 01/06/2020.
