The Real McCoy Custom RMC5 Wizard Wah is a hand built analog wah pedal developed and built by Geoffrey Teese. The maker describes it as part RMC1 and part Picture Wah, and says it "sounds like nothing else, with an extended sweep range, rich, yet tight lows, smooth mids, a natural sounding top end, and a slight overall boost"1. It joined the RMC lineup in February of 2003 as the fifth model, according to Teese's own company history2.
What it does to your sound
The Wizard Wah's defining trait is its sweep. Where a typical vintage-voiced wah covers a familiar band, Teese positions the sweet spot differently and extends the travel, so the pedal reaches lower before it opens up. In his buying guide he puts it plainly: "it is more like a down-tuned Picture Wah. The WW works with most any pickup and any amp configuration"4. That makes it a wah voiced for lower tunings and heavier material rather than a straight recreation of a 1960s unit.
The Pedal of the Day reviewer, writing about the 2005 version, heard it the same way: "This is a smooth but a bit darker-sounding wah, making it not the most traditional choice for some players"5. Players who want a bright, vocal, classic funk wah may look elsewhere in the Real McCoy Custom range; players after a deeper, fuller sweep are the ones this circuit was built for.
How it differs from the RMC1 and the Picture Wah
The Wizard sits alongside two of the maker's other designs, the RMC1 and the Picture Wah, and it is often described in terms of both: Pedal of the Day called it "a mix of the RMC1 and the Picture Wah"5. Teese's own description of the Wizard is that it "sounds like nothing else, with an extended sweep range, rich, yet tight lows, smooth mids, a natural sounding top end, and a slight overall boost"3. That combination of an extended sweep with tight lows and smooth mids is what sets it apart from the maker's other wahs, and it is the shortest way to hear the pedal in your head before you plug in.
| RMC1 | RMC5 Wizard Wah | Picture Wah | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position in the range | Hand built flagship2 | Fifth model, added February 20032 | Blueprinted vintage Italian wah2 |
| Voice | More sweep range than mass produced wahs, richer mids, stronger low end6 | Extended sweep range, down-tuned Picture Wah character14 | Vintage Italian wah voicing4 |
| Wah pot | 100K RMC-ICAR6 | Not specified by the maker | Not specified by the maker |
| Inductor | Low noise6 | Low noise1; custom manufacture Karmaflux on the 2005 model5 | Not specified by the maker |
Circuit, inductor and power
The Wizard Wah is an analog circuit3. The maker's product page lists a low noise inductor and RFI filtering1; the Pedal of the Day review of the 2005 model specifies the inductor as a custom manufacture Karmaflux and confirms both RFI and EMI filtering5. It runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 20mA3.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Circuit type | Analog3 |
| Power | 9V DC, center negative3 |
| Current draw | 20mA3 |
| Inductor | Low noise1; custom manufacture Karmaflux on the 2005 model5 |
| Filtering | RFI1; RFI and EMI on the 2005 model5 |
| Warranty | Limited one year1 |
At 20mA the Wizard Wah is beyond what a daisy chain shared with several pedals may comfortably supply, so plan a dedicated outlet on your power supply3.
Production history and status
The Wizard Wah arrived in February 2003 as the fifth model in the RMC lineup2. The 2005 version reviewed by Pedal of the Day is, in that review's words, "no longer in production"5. The design has continued in revised form on the maker's product pages, and in July 2019 Teese announced a final run: "My last red long box (when they finally arrive) Wizard Wahs will be PRECISION FWR version"7. So a given unit's exact version depends on when it was built, and the red long box PRECISION FWR units mark the end of that particular run.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's 2014 review is the main published verdict on the pedal. The reviewer's overall read was of "a smooth but a bit darker-sounding wah, making it not the most traditional choice for some players"5, paired with the maker's claim of an extended sweep and a slight overall boost53. The review also documented the Karmaflux inductor and the EMI and RFI filtering, details that line up with the maker's own specifications5.
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Questions
Is the RMC5 Wizard Wah still in production?
The version Pedal of the Day reviewed, a 2005 model, is no longer in production according to that review. Real McCoy Custom has continued to revise the Wizard Wah over the years: in 2019 Geoffrey Teese announced that the last red long box Wizard Wahs would be the PRECISION FWR version. The pedal remains listed on the maker's own product pages.
What is the difference between the RMC5 Wizard Wah and the Picture Wah?
The Wizard Wah is described by Real McCoy Custom as part RMC1 and part Picture Wah, and Geoffrey Teese's buying guide calls it more like a down-tuned Picture Wah rather than a standard vintage-sounding wah. Teese says the Wizard works with most any pickup and any amp configuration, while the Picture Wah is the maker's blueprinted vintage Italian wah.
What inductor does the Wizard Wah use?
Real McCoy Custom's product page lists the inductor as low noise. The Pedal of the Day review of the 2005 model lists it as a custom manufacture Karmaflux inductor. Both sources also confirm the pedal's RFI filtering.
Is the RMC5 Wizard Wah analog?
Yes. The RockBoard PedalPedia listing for the Wizard Wah gives its circuit type as analog, and the pedal runs on 9V DC center negative power with a current draw of 20mA.
Sources (7)
- RMC5-WIZARD WAH, Real McCoy Custom, 2024
- RMC HISTORY, Real McCoy Custom, 2003-02
- RMC5/Wizard Wah by Real Mccoy Custom, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- WHICH WAH?, Real McCoy Custom (realmccoycustom.com), 2024
- Geoffrey Teese Real McCoy Custom RMC5 Wizard Wah, Pedal of the Day, 2014-04-09
- RMC1, realmccoycustom.com, 2022
- WHAT'S HAPPENING, Real McCoy Custom, 2019-07-10
