Morley Cliff Burton Tribute Power Fuzz Wah

The Morley Cliff Burton Tribute Power Fuzz Wah is a wah and fuzz pedal in one unit, built by Morley as a tribute to the late Metallica bassist and based on the 1970s Morley Power Wah Fuzz he played¹². Morley describes the pedal as a reissued and modernized version of that classic, made "with the stamp of approval from the Burton family"¹. The combination of fuzz and wah is what gave Cliff his signature tone, especially when soloing³, and Guitar World's 2015 review of the pedal pointed out the advantages of combining the two effects in a single heavy-duty pedal⁴.

The pedal is a careful recreation of the original 1976 issue, using the same optical circuitry that gave Burton's pedal its character⁵. The 2024 reissue adds Morley's switchless activation: step on the treadle and the effect engages, step off and it instantly bypasses⁶⁵. It is suitable for guitar, bass or keyboards, so despite the name it is not just for bass²⁷.

The controls

The wah and fuzz sections each have their own controls. The wah has a separate level control, while the fuzz has level and intensity controls plus a Modern/Vintage switch that selects between two types of fuzz³. On the 2024 reissue, the wah circuit's level control offers 15 dB of boost, which Morley describes as "perfect for pushing your signal above the mix for earth-shattering signature solos"⁶⁵.

Guitar Interactive Magazine's reviewer found the vintage/modern switch and intensity control let you move "from classic Rock/Blues fuzz right up to saturated high gain modern leads, without losing note definition or getting too muddy"². The same reviewer found the wah "felt good, was smooth in use and sounded great," calling it a great basic wah sound suited to distorted Metallica-style solos or clean funky rhythms².

The fuzz circuit is voiced to emulate what Morley calls "that old-school ripped speaker sound of the original," while the low sweep of the wah is unchanged from the 1976 pedal⁶⁵. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley summed up the reissue as "a wah circuit with 15dB of juice behind it, and a fuzz that sounds like things are coming apart"⁷. The reissue is also configured to start at the lower end of its sweep⁷.

Switchless operation and the circuit

Morley's Electro-Optical wah design uses light rather than a mechanical potentiometer to control the sweep, which means there are no pots to wear out⁶¹⁰. The reissue's switchless activation engages the effect the moment you step on the treadle and bypasses it the instant you step off, with no separate footswitch to hit⁶⁵. A premium buffer circuit is included to keep the output clean⁶⁵.

The pedal is housed in a cold rolled steel chassis. The 2015 version came in a faux chrome finish³, while the 2024 reissue uses a distressed chrome finish that mirrors the gig-worn pedal Burton placed on stage every night⁵⁶. Both versions carry dual LED indication, and the 2015 pedal had an easy-access battery compartment³.

Cliff Burton and the Power Fuzz Wah

Cliff Burton, Metallica's late bassist, used a 1970s Morley Power Wah Fuzz as one of the secret weapons in his tone arsenal¹⁷. Guitar World reports it was the pedal he used on his iconic recordings, including the intro to "For Whom the Bell Tolls"⁵. Morley says Burton used it interchangeably with a second Morley pedal, the Power Wah Boost, a combo wah and boost pedal now reissued in the Tel-Ray Revival line with up to 40 dB of boost¹⁰.

For the tribute pedal, Morley collaborated with Metallica and Cliff's father Ray Burton on the design⁹. It is not an exact replica of Cliff's original: it carries the same tone with updates for the modern player, including a smaller enclosure, a battery option, the standard 9V AC input and LED indication⁹. Designer Scott Flesher noted, "Even though Cliff made this pedal famous, it was originally a guitar pedal that could be used for guitar, bass or keys"³. The sound and tone of the original Tel-Ray Morley version were duplicated exactly³.

From the 2015 silver original to the chrome edition and the 2024 reissue

Morley released the first Cliff Burton Tribute Power Fuzz Wah in 2015, housed in silver, and it became one of the most sought-after Morley pedals in the company's history⁸¹¹. It retailed for $316, was made in the U.S. and carried Morley's two-year warranty³.

Cliff fans kept asking for a chrome version like the original Tel-Ray Morley, so in December 2016 Morley, in collaboration with Ray Burton, released a Limited Edition chrome version⁸. Only 500 pedals were made worldwide: 250 in Morley's World Famous Optical design and 250 in the M2 European version⁸. It was housed in a mirror finished chrome cold rolled steel chassis with dual LED indication and a Quick Clip battery door, at a $250 street price, with a no-hassle two-year warranty, and some units were autographed by Ray Burton⁸.

In February 2024 Morley launched the modernized reissue, the Cliff Burton Tribute Power Wah Fuzz, with switchless activation and the distressed chrome finish, priced at $229¹⁶⁷. It was sold exclusively at Guitar Center and Musician's Friend in the USA at launch, with a wider release from April 1, and came with a one-year warranty¹⁵⁷.

Related Morley pedals

Morley's current range includes several pedals connected to this one. The Morley Power Fuzz Wah is the standard reissue of the classic circuit, and the Morley PWF Power Wah Fuzz covers the 1970s original. The Morley Cliff Burton Tribute Series Power Wah Fuzz and the Morley Limited Edition Power Fuzz Wah (Chrome) are the versions described above, and the Morley Man FX Cliff Burton Fuzz Box is a standalone fuzz from the same tribute family. Morley has also collaborated with DOD on the Morley x DOD Wah-ocTo-Fuzz, a three-in-one wah, octave and fuzz pedal. For more on the effect types, see the pages on wah-wah pedals and fuzz pedals.

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