Slash uses very few pedals or other effects when crafting his intoxicatingly sweet solo tones and raw, crunchy riffs.
He does, however, like to boost his Marshalls with some type of distortion/overdrive pedal and is undeniably a master of the wah pedal. His original signature Cry Baby wah combined these two effects into one pedal, which made it somewhat difficult to nail the ideal combination of dirt and wah.
Slash’s new approach separates these effects into an entirely revoiced signature SC95 Dunlop Cry Baby Classic wah pedal and a signature SF01 MXR Octave Fuzz. Both feature true-bypass circuitry, a distressed hot-rod finish, battery or external power options, and the trademark Slash-and-crossbones logo.
Slash SC95 Cry Baby Classic Signature
Most wah pedals have one sweet spot in their treadle’s travel where the filtered, vocal wah occurs. Amazingly, Slash’s SC95 signature pedal has three, thanks to a custom-wound inductor paired with a silky-smooth pot, which allows players to create wah effects that are baritone, soprano or treble. Moving the rocker forward slightly adds a taut and warm bass-centered wah, while traditional midrange wah tones happen midway through the travel, and upper-midrange/treble wah effects occur right before the switch is activated with the rocker fully forward. The most detailed overtones are experienced when paired with single-coil pickups or light-to-medium output humbuckers, and its multipersonality nuances are as balanced with a clean amp as with a dirty one. Blue LEDs light on both sides of the pedal, so you’ll know when it’s on regardless of where you are onstage.
MXR SF01 Slash signature Octave Fuzz
Fuzz pedals, especially those with an octave feature, are notorious for overtaking the guitar and amp’s tone. Slash’s signature Octave Fuzz, however, produces vintage-style fuzz that blends with your sound at a lower volume than the original signal. The left switch activates the suboctave effect, while the mini top-panel button engages the fuzz with the suboctave. The pedal can be used as a standalone fuzz by activating the left switch with the mini top-panel button engaged and turning down the suboctave knob.
Stomping the right footswitch adds the upper-octave fuzz circuit. Although extreme settings are possible, the Slash SF01 shines when used to thicken the signal and create a wider soundstage of pitch and depth variations. I can see everyone from detuned hardcore shredders to traditional blues wailers becoming addicted to this pedal’s refined octave/fuzz grind and attack-preserving tonal integrity.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The finely tuned Dunlop SC95 Cry Baby Classic Slash signature wah is capable of producing three distinct wah voices, while the MXR SF01 Slash signature octave fuzz beautifully maintains the original signal’s purity.
