Jam Pedals Wahcko

The Jam Pedals Wahcko is a wah pedal for guitar and bass, hand-built and hand-painted by JAM Pedals in Athens, Greece. It has been part of the company's line since 2008, and the current version, the Wahcko mk.2, is an update of that original pedal with a new custom inductor, an added internal Q trimmer, a bass mode, and a rubber tread replacing the old plexiglass footplate¹².

JAM Pedals describes the mk.2 as "an expressive wah pedal for guitar and bass, with six selectable frequency ranges and adjustable wah response"¹. At the heart of the circuit is a custom JAM inductor inspired by the vintage TDK inductors found in classic 1960s Cry Baby and Vox wah circuits¹. The original Wahcko instead used a red Fasel inductor, the well-loved 565mH type, along with carbon resistors²³.

What it does

A wah pedal sweeps a resonant filter across the frequency range as you rock the pedal, and the Wahcko gives the player unusual control over where that sweep sits and how it behaves. The side-mounted SWEEP rotary switch selects from six distinct frequency ranges, so you can place the wah's voice low and vocal or high and cutting without touching anything inside the pedal¹.

Inside, the circuit is built around JAM's custom inductor, modeled after the vintage TDK inductors used in early Vox and Cry Baby wahs¹⁴. Delicious Audio reports that the mk.2 "replaces the classic red Fasel inductor with a custom-designed coil inspired by vintage 1960s TDK inductors"⁵. The pedal also uses Carbon-Comp resistors⁵.

One design point matters to players who run vintage-style fuzz: the Wahcko features a bufferless proprietary circuit design that allows impedance-sensitive pedals, like germanium fuzz boxes, to be placed after it with no issues⁵. There is also an optional Seagull effect, the reversed-wah sound JAM Pedals also offers as a standalone pedal, that can be requested when the Wahcko is ordered⁵.

The controls: sweep switch, Q and gain trimmers

Both internal trimmers default to approximately 12 o'clock, so the pedal works well as shipped and can be dialed in from there¹. Gearnews notes that the gain control and six-position sweep carry over from the first iteration, which also featured a rotary switch for six frequency ranges and an internal trimmer for input gain².

The rocker itself is adjustable: its resistance is set with the included 4 mm Allen key, letting you choose a lighter movement or a firmer feel under the foot¹. Gearnews describes this as the ability to adjust the spring tension using the included 4-mm Allen wrench².

Power and connections

The Wahcko mk.2 runs on a 9V DC adaptor with a center-negative plug, drawing 10 mA, and also supports 9V battery operation, which Gearnews reports is a new feature for the MK2¹². Pete Thorn's demo notes both options: you can run it off the 9V jack on the side with a pedalboard power supply, or on a 9V battery⁶. Input impedance is approximately 70 kΩ and output impedance approximately 10 kΩ¹.

History and versions: from the Fasel original to the mk.2

The Wahcko joined the JAM Pedals line in 2008, and Gearnews writes that "since 2008, the Wahcko has shown how to capture the vintage flavor of a wah effect in a modern pedal"². The original version used a red Fasel inductor and carbon resistors², and Guitar Pedal X described it as a high-end, tension-adjustable, Fasel-based wah with plenty of flavor²⁵.

The mk.2, announced in September 2026, makes several changes²⁴:

• A custom JAM inductor inspired by vintage TDK designs replaces the red Fasel²⁵
• A new internal Q trimmer shapes the character and intensity of the response¹⁴
• Internal DIP switches add a dedicated bass mode²
• A durable, non-slip rubber tread replaces the old plexiglass footplate⁵
• Optional 9V battery operation is new²

Guitar Pedal X reported the mk.2 should be available imminently at all major international dealers²⁴. On price, the press disagrees: Gearnews listed $319.00 / £289.00 / 339.00€ on 2026-09-23², while Guitar Pedal X a day later gave €379 / $399 / £329 on the JAM Pedals webstore⁴. The maker's own product page lists a regular price of £329.00¹.

Artwork and Custom Shop editions

JAM Pedals paints every Wahcko by hand, and the company sells custom artwork versions of the mk.2 alongside the standard multi-colored Wah-li-gator finish, which Guitar Pedal X notes remains on the MK2⁴⁷. The limited artwork collection holds five products⁷, and the editions share the same sound with different artwork⁷⁸. Every custom artwork pedal is a one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece, and the pedal you receive will differ in detail from the photos shown¹⁹.

Editions listed by the maker include the "Loading Dock", "Metal", "Noiz R Us", "Silver Sky" and "Achenbach" Wahckos¹. The "Metal" edition adds a newly designed custom rubber tread⁹, and the "Achenbach" edition, a Custom Shop finish in purple per Guitar Pedal X, is sold out¹⁰³. Custom Shop editions cost more: Guitar Pedal X reported the standard Wahcko at €369, rising to €479 and more for Custom Shop editions³.

What reviewers said

Pete Thorn demoed the second-generation Wahcko in September 2026, using it for all the guitar sounds in his video with a PT-15 channel one and a fuzz pedal⁶. His verdict:

On That Pedal Show, Mick Taylor compared the mk.2 with the previous version and found it has a bit more aggression, which he associated with more vintage wahs, and said he has been using it in his live rig¹¹.

Delicious Audio, which included the Wahcko in its round-up of wah pedals, wrote that "the Wahcko exhibits a rugged, broken-in maturity. It sounds like a sweet old wah with lots of miles on it"⁵. Guitar Pedal X wrote that the MK2 "gets further improved, with some really neat touches"⁴.

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Who uses it

JAM Pedals lists the Wahcko as used by the likes of Nile Rodgers, Mick Thomson and Mateus Asato⁹. Nile Rodgers endorses it in the maker's own words: "I probably have more Wahckos than anybody in the world! The reason I use Wahckos is because of expression"⁵. In Premier Guitar's rig rundown of Circles Around the Sun, Dan Horne's JAM Pedals Wahcko was custom ordered solely based on the finish¹².

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