The Flower Pedals Hosta is a fully analog wah filter pedal that fits on any pedalboard without needing a rocker. Instead of the treadle of a traditional wah, it packs its filter into a compact 125B-class stompbox enclosure and gives you three ways to move it: an automatic LFO, a fixed parked position, and an envelope filter that follows your picking dynamics1.
The signal path is analog, based on what Flower Pedals describes as the most well known wah in history, complete with a genuine red Fasel inductor. The control side is digital, which is what makes every parameter preset-saveable and opens the door to MIDI12. Guitar World summed up the appeal at launch: the Hosta offers "plenty of filtered wacka-wacka sounds in a standard effect pedal enclosure"3.
Where the Hosta came from
Flower Pedals announced the original Hosta in early 2020, when it listed for $27945. Guitar.com described it at the time as a wah pedal in a standard enclosure with no foot rocker, but with an expression pedal input for traditional wah use4. Premier Guitar's launch coverage noted that knobs A and B control up to four parameters of each mode, alongside an extra footswitch for tap and ramping5.
In 2025 the company released the Hosta V2, which Delicious Audio reported as transforming "the analog wah filter concept into a fully programmable, MIDI-compatible powerhouse"2. The V2 lists for $34967.
Three modes: Auto, Fixed and Envelope
The Hosta's three modes each move the filter differently12.
| Mode | What it does | Key controls |
|---|---|---|
| Auto | An internal LFO drives the wah filter, with continuously variable waveform shapes and speed syncable to tap tempo | Speed, shape, ramping options |
| Fixed | Parks the filter for a static cocked-wah tone, or works as a traditional wah with an expression pedal | Ramp set to Latch, Up or Down |
| Envelope | Responds to playing dynamics, opening and closing the filter with your attack | Sensitivity, attack, release |
In Auto mode, the LFO offers four different continuously variable shapes, and the V2 adds a new Drift waveform for what Delicious Audio called organic speed fluctuations28. The V1's tap tempo offered four subdivisions, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth and triplet eighth, cycled by holding both footswitches for three seconds2.
Fixed mode is where the Hosta covers traditional wah ground. Connect an expression pedal and it behaves like a conventional treadle wah; alternatively, the footswitch ramps the wah position at an adjustable speed, and the maker says this mode excels at a static cocked-wah tone1. Gearnews noted that Fixed mode accessed via an expression pedal acts "more like a traditional wah pedal"8.
Envelope mode uses your playing dynamics to open and close the filter: the harder you strum, the faster it opens8. Flower Pedals advises lowering sensitivity for hot pickups and raising it for single coils, and a ramp switch sets whether the envelope pushes the filter up or down1. The V2 added an Attack control for precise peak response2.
The controls and footswitches
The V2's control surface, as listed by Guitar Pedal X, is:
- LEVEL (with Attack as a secondary function)
- FREQUENCY
- DEPTH (with drift depth as a secondary function)
- MODE: fixed / auto / envelope
- RAMP: up / moment / latch / drift / down
- SHAPE / RELEASE
- SPEED / SENSITIVITY
- Q bandwidth
- TAP / RAMP footswitch
- ON / HOLD footswitch7
The two footswitches do more than bypass and tap. Ramping works three ways: Latch toggles between speeds with a tap, momentary ramping holds the footswitch to sweep to a second speed, and Drift automatically varies the speed up and down for evolving textures1. On the V1, knobs A and B had secondary functions accessed by holding the On/Hold footswitch2.
Power, MIDI and expression
The Hosta runs on 9 to 18V DC, center negative, drawing under 150mA1. The 9 to 18V range arrived with the V2, which Delicious Audio described as a tighter analog circuit2.
MIDI comes in on a 3.5mm in/thru pair, Type A TRS, with an integrated optocoupler for isolation, and can control every parameter1. Delicious Audio highlighted the optocoupler isolation as noise-free MIDI control, with no converter needed for TRS Type A setups2.
The 1/4" expression jack doubles as an external tap connection for the Tap/Ramp functions1. On the V1, which function the jack served was chosen by an internal switch2.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson has been enthusiastic across both generations, writing that "The V1 Hosta was already my all-time favourite Auto-Wah and it's even better now in this new iteration"7, and later that the V2 "is significantly evolved and improved from that one", though he keeps the Plutoneium Chi-Wah-Wah permanently on his board6.
Gearnews' take at launch was pragmatic:
"I can certainly see the benefit of owning one of these, as it's compact and offers a lot more than your standard wah."
Videos
Flower Pedals
Flower Pedals
collector//emitter
Questions
Can you use the Flower Pedals Hosta with an expression pedal?
Yes. The Hosta has a 1/4 inch expression jack that also supports an external tap connection. In Fixed mode, connecting an expression pedal turns the Hosta into a traditional wah, sweeping the filter with your foot instead of a rocker. Expression settings can also be stored in the presets, and the parameter is controllable over MIDI.
Does the Hosta have a Fasel inductor?
Yes. Flower Pedals says the analog circuitry is based on the most well known wah in history and uses a genuine red Fasel inductor, the component associated with classic vintage wah voicing. The same claim appears in both the maker's product listing and press coverage of the pedal.
What changed in the Hosta V2?
The V2, reported in 2025, adds MIDI integration, six savable presets including tap tempo and expression settings, an Attack control in Envelope mode, a new Drift waveform in Auto mode, and 9 to 18V operation. It also incorporates innovations from Flower Pedals' Sunflower and Dahlia pedals.
Can the Hosta run at 18 volts?
Yes. The maker specifies 9 to 18V DC, center negative, with a current draw under 150mA. The higher voltage range was introduced with the Hosta V2, which Delicious Audio described as a tighter analog circuit with 9 to 18V operation.
How many presets does the Hosta store?
Six. The maker lists six onboard presets with color-coded LEDs, and the V2 lets you save and recall all six, including tap tempo and expression settings. Every parameter of the analog circuit is preset-saveable because the control side is digital.
Sources (8)
- Hosta Wah Filter, Flower Pedals
- Updated Pedal: Flower Pedals Hosta V2, Delicious Audio, 2025-07-29
- Flower Pedals rethinks the wah with the foot rocker-free Hosta, Guitar World, 2020-03-09
- Flower Pedal’s Hosta is a whole new approach to Wah, guitar.com, 2020-02-27
- Flower Pedals Launches the Hosta Wah Filter, Premier Guitar, 2020-02-26
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-09
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-05-21
- Flower Pedals Hosta Wah Filter: A flowery, funky, flexible little auto wah., gearnews.com, 2020-03-10
