The Morley RWV Rotating Wah Volume is a 1971 pedal that put three effects in one floor unit: volume, wah, and a rotating, Leslie-like sound built around an oil can1. It belongs to the era of Morley's oil-can pedals, and it remains one of the most unusual entries in the company's history of wah pedals.
Build and circuit
The oil-can unit was housed on a solid, chrome-plated metal chassis with a rubber-covered treadle pedal, and Vintage Guitar summed it up as "15 pounds of chromed tone"2. Unlike most pedals of its day, it was not dependent on a 9-volt battery or a wall-wart transformer: Morley designed its effects to run on AC power, wired with a standard cord2.
Inside, the RWV used an electro-optical circuit. The pedal operates a shutter that controls the amount of light from a bulb that reaches a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR), an approach Morley used across its range2.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Intensity knob | Adjusts the speed of the oil can, and thus the rotating-speaker simulation2 |
| Variation lever | Adjusts the tone from watery to drought2 |
| Treadle pedal | Long-throw pedal for volume and wah2 |
Morley pedals also boasted a long pedal throw, much longer than the Cry Baby or Vox, which allowed for subtle and precise control of the volume and wah2. That long throw is a defining difference from a standard wah such as a Cry Baby, which offers only the filter sweep. Later Morley wah and wah/volume designs, from the Pro Series II Wah to the Bad Horsie 2, carried on the company's optical approach.
The sound
The rotating effect comes from the oil can rather than a spinning speaker, and Vintage Guitar described the result in characteristically vivid terms2:
"The sound is a swelling, whacked-out, dreamy voice that instantly turns you into that wailing, long-haired Morley Man."
Delicious Audio, in a roundup of rotary pedals and Leslie emulations, refers to the pedal as "Morley's 1971 RWV Rotating Wah Volume oil-can pedal"1.
Price and status
The RWV carried a retail price of $259.95, which Vintage Guitar called steep for its time2. Dave Hunter, writing in GuitarPlayer about Morley's early 1970s range, noted the pedals were "listed at a whopping $259"3. The pedal is long out of production; Morley's current wah range is built around newer designs such as the Classic Wah and the Rex Brown Old Blue Wah.
Videos
John Aselin
CW Music
Doktor Sewage
Questions
Does the Morley RWV run on a battery?
No. Vintage Guitar notes that Morley pedals of this era were not dependent on a 9-volt battery or a wall-wart transformer. The RWV was designed to run on AC power, wired with a standard cord, which set it apart from most battery-powered pedals of its day.
How is the RWV different from a Cry Baby wah?
The RWV combined three effects in one unit: volume, wah and a rotating, Leslie-like sound, where a Cry Baby is a wah alone. Vintage Guitar also notes that Morley pedals had a much longer pedal throw than the Cry Baby or Vox, allowing subtle and precise control of the volume and wah.
What does the Intensity knob do on the RWV?
According to Vintage Guitar, the Intensity knob adjusts the speed of the oil can, and with it the rotating-speaker simulation. A separate Variation lever adjusts the tone from watery to drought.
How heavy is the Morley RWV?
Vintage Guitar describes the RWV as 15 pounds of chromed tone. Its solid, chrome-plated metal chassis and rubber-covered treadle pedal account for the weight.
Does the RWV really sound like a Leslie speaker?
The RWV produces a rotating, Leslie-like sound using an oil-can mechanism rather than a spinning speaker. Vintage Guitar describes its voice as a swelling, whacked-out, dreamy sound, and Delicious Audio lists it among Morley's oil-can pedals.
Sources (3)
- Best Rotary Pedals & Leslie Simulators In 2023: Compare Price And Features, Delicious Audio, 2023-02-13
- The Morley Rotating Wah, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2014-02-03
- Introduced in the 1970s, Morley's PWF Power Wah Fuzz Pedal Was the Final Word in Unrelenting Fuzz-Wah Tone, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2023-06-07
