The Morley 20/20 Classic Switchless Wah is a compact wah pedal from Morley, priced at $1391. Its defining feature is right in the name: there is no footswitch. You step on the treadle to engage the wah and step off to bypass it1. Under the treadle it uses Morley's electro optical design, which the company sums up as "No pots to wear out!"1, and the wah voice itself comes from a custom MQ2 inductor that Morley says delivers classic wah tone1.
The pedal sits in Morley's 20/20 series, a line of smaller housings that Morley said would keep "the same throw, sweep and feel as our classic Morley's" in the new size2. It measures 6.85 by 4.5 by 2.5 inches and is built in a rugged cold rolled steel housing with LED indication and a quick clip battery door1.
A switchless optical wah
Most wah pedals make you click a footswitch before you can use the treadle. The 20/20 Classic Switchless Wah skips that step: stepping on the treadle engages the wah, and stepping off bypasses it1. Morley extended this behavior across the whole 20/20 wah line, with LEDs on the pedals showing when the wah is on or off3. For a player, that means no missed switch clicks in the middle of a phrase, and no guessing in the dark about whether the effect is active.
The treadle itself is read optically rather than mechanically. In a conventional wah, a potentiometer tracks the treadle's position, and that pot is a moving part that can wear and get scratchy. Morley's electro optical design replaces that with light, which is why the company advertises "No pots to wear out!"1.
The wah voice comes from the custom MQ2 inductor1. In a wah circuit, the inductor shapes the resonant peak the treadle sweeps, so it is central to how the pedal sounds. Morley also credits its MQ2 inductor with the classic wah tone of the 20/20 Mini Classic Wah4.
"Armed with Morley's acclaimed MQ2 inductor, the Mini Classic Switchless Wah delivers classic wah-wah tone"
A demo video from Sweetwater covers the 20/20 Mini Classic Wah, a sibling in the same series. In it, Morley's Pete Fennec walks through the switchless operation and notes that the pedal has Morley's buffer circuit4.
Power and connections
The Classic Switchless Wah runs on one 9-volt battery, and the quick clip battery door makes battery changes fast1. If you would rather use pedalboard power, it takes an optional Morley 9V adapter, and Morley says it is compatible with most 9V adapters1. The same power arrangement, one 9-volt battery or an optional Morley 9V adapter, applies across the 20/20 wah line, including the Power Wah, Lead Wah, Power Wah Volume, Wah Lock, Bad Horsie Wah, Distortion Wah, Wah Boost and Lead Wah Boost5678910.
Every 20/20 pedal also carries the 20/20 buffer circuit. On the Classic Switchless Wah, Morley says it "ensures pure guitar tone and output"1; on the rest of the line the company describes it as a circuit that "prevents signal loss and maintains tone"567. A buffer keeps the guitar signal strong through long cables and crowded pedalboards, which matters on a small-format pedal where the wah may sit early in the chain.
The pedal ships with a one year warranty, but Morley offers a lifetime warranty if you register it1. The same registration based lifetime warranty applies across the 20/20 line5678.
The rest of the 20/20 wah line
The Classic Switchless Wah is one pedal in a series. Morley rolled the 20/20 line out in stages through 2019, with press releases promising the same throw, sweep and feel as the company's classic wahs in the smaller enclosure2. The line covers several variations on the wah:
| Pedal | What it is | Notable features |
|---|---|---|
| 20/20 Power Wah | Switchable optical wah with a wide sweep and vintage tone | Side switch activation, unlike the switchless models511 |
| 20/20 Lead Wah | Switchless optical wah designed for high gain with a wide sweep | Wider frequency sweep, low end boost62 |
| 20/20 Wah Lock | Switchless optical wah with three modes | Wah, WHOA and Wah Lock modes, silent switching72 |
| 20/20 Bad Horsie | Switchless optical wah | Compact version of Morley's Bad Horsie design12 |
| 20/20 Distortion Wah | Wah with a distortion circuit | Discontinued and no longer available9 |
| 20/20 Wah Boost | Wah with a boost | 20/20 buffer circuit10 |
The Wah Lock is the most feature rich of the switchless models, with its three modes. Morley describes it as the company's most versatile wah, with the Wah Lock mode usable as a tone filter13. The Distortion Wah, which combined switchless wah activation with a distortion circuit, is discontinued and no longer available9.
A second Sweetwater demo video looks at the 20/20 Power Wah and Wah Lock, where Morley's Pete Fennec and Sweetwater's Don Carr discuss the line's features and its lifetime warranty14.
Videos
Brett Kingman
American Musical Supply
The Bass Channel
Questions
How does the Morley switchless wah turn on and off?
There is no footswitch to hit. You step on the treadle to engage the wah and step off it to bypass. Morley says all 20/20 wah pedals work this way, and LEDs on the pedal show when the wah is on or off, so you can see its status on a dark stage.
Does the Morley 20/20 Classic Switchless Wah use a battery?
Yes. It is powered by one 9-volt battery, and the housing has a quick clip battery door for fast changes. You can also run it from an optional Morley 9V adapter, and Morley says it is compatible with most 9V adapters, so common pedalboard power supplies work.
What is the MQ2 inductor in Morley wahs?
The MQ2 is a custom inductor Morley builds into its wah circuits, including the 20/20 Classic Switchless Wah and the 20/20 Mini Classic Wah. Morley credits it with the classic wah tone of these pedals. In a wah circuit the inductor shapes the frequency peak the treadle sweeps, so it is central to the pedal's voice.
Does an optical wah have pots that wear out?
No. Morley's electro optical design uses light rather than a mechanical potentiometer to read the treadle position, and Morley describes it as having no pots to wear out. In a conventional wah the pot is a moving part that can get scratchy over time, which is the problem this design avoids.
What is the 20/20 buffer circuit?
It is a buffer Morley added across the 20/20 line. On the Classic Switchless Wah Morley says it ensures pure guitar tone and output, and on other 20/20 pedals the company describes it as preventing signal loss and maintaining tone. A buffer keeps the signal strong through long cable runs and pedal chains.
How long is the warranty on the Morley 20/20 Classic Wah?
The pedal carries a one year warranty from Morley. A lifetime warranty is available if you register the pedal with Morley. The same one year plus registration based lifetime warranty applies across the 20/20 line, including the Power Wah, Lead Wah, Bad Horsie Wah and Wah Lock.
Sources (14)
- 20/20 Classic Switchless Wah, Morley
- Next 20/20 Pedals Press Release, Morley, 2019-11
- Final 20/20 Pedals Press Release, Morley, 2019-12
- Morley 20/20 Mini Classic Wah Pedal, Sweetwater, 2019-11-25
- 20/20 Power Wah, Morley
- 20/20 Lead Wah, Morley
- 20/20 Wah Lock, Morley
- 20/20 Bad Horsie Wah, Morley
- 20/20 Distortion Wah, Morley
- 20/20 Wah Boost, Morley
- Morley 20/20 Power Wah Pedal Demo, Sweetwater, 2019-11-07
- 20/20 Bad Horsie Wah by Morley, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Morley extends its 20/20 vision with 4 tricked-out wah pedals, Guitar World, 2019-11-19
- Morley 20/20 Power Fuzz Wah Pedal Demo, Sweetwater, 2019-11-22
