The DeArmond 1850 Thunderbolt is a wah pedal with a twist: it is an inductor-less design, meaning it sweeps its filter without the coil that most wah circuits rely on, and it adds a switchable distortion circuit on top of the wah. Godlyke Distributing, which listed a unit in October 2026, describes it as a "Very unique and rare 'inductor-less' wah pedal from DeArmond, with switchable distortion!"1
For a player, that puts it in a small corner of the wah world. If you are new to the effect, wah-wah pedals sweep a filter up and down the guitar's frequencies with a rocker pedal, and the inductor is a traditional part of how that filter sounds and feels. An inductor-less approach gets to the same effect by other means, which is why designs like this one draw attention from players who collect or compare wah circuits. The built-in distortion, switchable on or off, means the pedal can cover ground a player might otherwise split between a wah and a separate distortion pedal1.
Availability and condition
The pedal is not something you will find on a shop wall. The one unit documented here was offered as B-stock, meaning it showed signs of use and came without its box, and it was already marked sold out at the time of the listing. The asking price on that listing was £345.00 GBP, given in pounds sterling as stated and not converted here.1
The unit listed by Godlyke Distributing was B-stock: it showed signs of use and shipped without a box. All photos in the listing were of the actual pedal.1
Because the pedal is rare, players are unlikely to find it as new stock; the B-stock listing for this unit is sold out. Anyone comparing it against more common wah designs will find the usual suspects on the wah type page, where inductor and inductor-less circuits sit side by side1.
Videos
Anders Marcuslund-Reuss (Reuss Musical Instruments)
Questions
What makes the DeArmond 1850 Thunderbolt different from other wah pedals?
Most wah pedals use an inductor, a coil that shapes the sweeping filter at the heart of the effect. The 1850 Thunderbolt is an inductor-less design, which the seller describes as very unique and rare. It also carries a switchable distortion circuit alongside the wah, so a player can combine the two in one pedal rather than running a separate distortion unit.
Is the DeArmond 1850 Thunderbolt still in production?
The pedal is described as rare, and the one unit listed by Godlyke Distributing in October 2026 was a used B-stock example sold without its box, and it was already marked sold out. That points to a pedal that turns up secondhand rather than one sitting in current production stock.
Sources (1)
- DeArmond 1850 Thunderbolt wah (B-STOCK), Godlyke Distributing, Inc.