The Area 51 Rev 10a All Options Wah is a handmade wah pedal from Area 51 Tube Audio Designs, built in Fremont, Michigan1. It is the fullest-featured version of the maker's wah line: a cast aluminum chassis with adjustable tension, a rugged 3PDT footswitch, and a bypass and buffering system you can set six different ways. The maker lists it at $299.95 USD1.
Bypass and buffering options
The headline feature of the Rev 10a is its Selectable Bypass and Buffering System. Rather than committing you to one bypass style, it offers six modes1:
- True Bypass, with the output buffer off
- True Bypass, with the output buffer on
- Vintage Bypass, with the output buffer off
- Vintage Bypass, with the output buffer on
- Buffered Bypass, with the output buffer off
- Buffered Bypass, with the output buffer on
In True Bypass, the maker's own description is simple: "Very simply, your signal passes directly from input jack to output jack when the effect is bypassed."1 That matters on a crowded board, where long cable runs and many pedals can dull a guitar's top end; the buffered and vintage modes give you alternatives if you prefer to keep a buffer in the chain. For more on how buffers interact with wah pedals, see Buffer Pedals and the general Wah-Wah Pedals page.
The input level/impedance control
New for 2020, the Rev 10a adds an input level/impedance control, and the maker describes three practical settings for it1:
- Turned down low: a classic vintage Vox or Thomas Organ style wah tone
- About half way: the standard Area 51 setting, roughly unity gain compared to the bypass signal
- All the way up: drops the impedance so the wah cleans up as you back off the guitar volume control
That last setting is the one players with hot pickups or aggressive playing tend to reach for, since it lets the pedal respond to the guitar's volume knob rather than staying full-on1.
Where it came from
The Area 51 wah line started when the maker set out to simply duplicate a vintage wah he really liked. That circuit became the Clone Wah, then evolved into the original Area 51 Wah and the Drop In Kit, with options added over roughly 20 years1. Of that original circuit, the maker writes: "It was louder, meaner, ballsier, and badassier (is that a word?) than anything I'd heard."1
The original Area 51 Wah was, in the maker's own words, "louder, meaner, ballsier, and badassier (is that a word?) than anything I'd heard"2. The Rev 10a All Options Wah carries that design forward at $299.95 USD, built around a cast aluminum chassis with adjustable tension and a rugged 3PDT footswitch2. Players who want to modify an existing pedal can also look at the Wah Standard and the Wah Output Buffer Kit2.
Build and power
The pedal uses what the maker calls "REAL old-style switchcraft jacks - chassis mounted (not the board mounted plastic ones - no way!)"1, a detail aimed at players who gig hard and want jacks that survive repeated plugging. Power comes from a "Boss" type 9VDC, center pin negative supply, through a standard 2.1mm DC jack with dual filtering and regulation, compatible with pedalboard power supplies and any Boss type 9VDC center negative wall wart1.
The Rev 10a takes a 9VDC center pin negative supply on a 2.1mm jack, the same polarity standard Boss pedals use, so it will share a pedalboard power supply output with most modern pedals1.
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Questions
Is the Area 51 All Options Wah true bypass?
Yes, and more than that: the Rev 10a lets you choose between True Bypass, Vintage Bypass and Buffered Bypass, each with the output buffer switched on or off, giving six possible bypass modes. In True Bypass the signal passes directly from the input jack to the output jack when the effect is bypassed, so you can set it up to suit the rest of your pedalboard.
What power supply does the Area 51 Rev 10a need?
It runs on a Boss type 9VDC, center pin negative supply, connected through a standard 2.1mm DC jack with dual filtering and regulation. Area 51 says it is compatible with pedalboard power supplies as well as any Boss type 9VDC center negative wall wart.
What does the input level/impedance control do?
New for 2020, it shapes how the wah reacts to your guitar. Turned down low it gives a classic vintage Vox or Thomas Organ tone; about half way is the standard Area 51 setting, roughly unity gain compared to the bypass signal; and turned all the way up it drops the impedance so the wah cleans up with the guitar volume control.
Where is the Area 51 wah pedal made?
The Rev 10a All Options Wah is handmade in Fremont, Michigan, by Area 51 Tube Audio Designs.
What is the Area 51 Clone Wah?
The Clone Wah is where the Area 51 wah line began: the maker set out to duplicate a vintage wah he really liked, and that circuit became the Clone Wah before evolving into the original Area 51 Wah, the Drop In Kit and, over roughly 20 years of added options, the Rev 10a All Options Wah.
Sources (2)
- Area 51 - All options wah, Area 51 Tube Audio Designs, 2020
- Area 51 Wah, Area 51 Tube Audio Designs
