The Real McCoy Custom Joe Walsh Signature Wah is a wah-wah pedal built to the specifications of Joe Walsh, the guitarist whose wah work runs through his early recordings. Announced on December 14, 2007, it was the company's first signature pedal, and it is the production version of the prototype that has been on Walsh's own pedalboard since early summer 20071.
From Walsh's prototype to the production model
Geoffrey R. Teese of Real McCoy Custom developed the pedal over well more than a year, designing it to meet Walsh's precise sonic specifications1. The company describes the result as delivering "the classic wah sounds heard on all of Joe's early recordings"1. According to Teese, Joe Walsh's personal wah and the production model are identical except for the flame graphics on the production piece, which were created by Perry Hall at Joe's request2.
The pedal went out of production at some point after its 2007 release and came back: as of September 15, 2015, Teese announced that the RMC6FL/Wheels Of Fire Wah and the Joe Walsh Signature Wah were in production again3. In a 2015 news post he described the pedal as Walsh's "original 2007 prototype wah-wah pedal with board mounted jacks"3.
Controls and features
The Joe Walsh Signature Wah keeps its feature set short and focused:
- Exclusive RMC ROC-POT potentiometer, Real McCoy Custom's own pot for the wah sweep1
- Licensed fuzz-friendly technology, which addresses the poor interaction many wahs have when run before a fuzz1
- True-bypass switching1
- AC adapter jack for power1
- Flame graphics by Perry Hall on the production enclosure1
The pedal has no battery clip mentioned on the maker's page: power is via an AC adapter jack1. It also shares a production run with the RMC6 WHEELS OF FIRE, which returned to production at the same time in 20153.
Where it sits in the Real McCoy Custom range
Real McCoy Custom builds a line of wah pedals around vintage-style circuits, including the fully tunable RMC3, the RMC4 Picture Wah, the RMC1 and the RMC10. The Joe Walsh Signature Wah differs from those in being a fixed-voiced signature model rather than a tunable or blueprinted reproduction: its voicing is set to one player's specifications, with the ROC-POT as the company's exclusive potentiometer in the sweep1.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Real McCoy Custom Joe Walsh wah true bypass?
Yes. Real McCoy Custom's product page for the Joe Walsh Signature Wah lists true-bypass alongside its licensed fuzz-friendly technology. True bypass means the pedal's circuit is removed from the signal path entirely when the wah is off, so it does not load down or color the tone of pedals before or after it on a board.
How much does the Joe Walsh Signature Wah cost?
Real McCoy Custom listed the Joe Walsh Signature Wah at a US MSRP of $235 when the pedal was announced on December 14, 2007. As a boutique, hand-built pedal it has at times been produced in limited runs, so availability has varied since the original announcement.
What is the ROC-POT potentiometer?
The ROC-POT is Real McCoy Custom's exclusive potentiometer, the component inside a wah that the rocker pedal sweeps to move the filter. It is fitted to the Joe Walsh Signature Wah as part of the circuit built to Joe Walsh's sonic specifications.
Does the Joe Walsh wah work well with a fuzz pedal?
The pedal includes licensed fuzz-friendly technology, which addresses the harsh, squealing interaction many wahs have when placed before a fuzz. Real McCoy Custom lists this feature, together with true bypass, on the Joe Walsh Signature Wah's product page.
What warranty comes with the Joe Walsh Signature Wah?
Real McCoy Custom covers the Joe Walsh Signature Wah with its limited one year warranty, as stated on the pedal's product page.
Sources (3)
- JOE WALSH SIGNATURE WAH, Real McCoy Custom, 2007-12-14
- RMC HISTORY, Real McCoy Custom, 2022
- WHAT'S HAPPENING, Real McCoy Custom, 2015-11-05
