The Shin-Ei Companion WF-8 Fuzz Wah is a vintage Japanese pedal that puts fuzz and wah together in one unit, part of the wider family of fuzz pedals and wah pedals that Shin-Ei built its name on. What sets it apart from a fuzz and a wah on separate boards is how the two effects interact in a single circuit, and players who use one tend to treat it as a distinct voice rather than a combination of two1.
William Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain is a documented long-term user. In a 2019 interview with Dan Epstein for Stompbox Book, he described the pedal's character in his own words1:
"It's definitely another instrument, that pedal."
Reid said he started bringing the Shin-Ei back into his setup in the early Nineties and, as of that 2019 interview, was still using it1.
Reliability and price
Long-term users report frequent failures. Reid: "The problem with Shin-Eis is that they're very untrustworthy; they go bad an awful lot."1
The WF-8's market history shows a steep climb. Reid recalled that in the Eighties the pedals were hard to find but cheap, going for fifteen to twenty pounds if you could locate one at all. By 2019 he observed that they "seem to be costing hundreds of dollars," a change he noted with some surprise1.
Related Shin-Ei fuzz pedals
Shin-Ei's Companion line includes several fuzz designs that are documented elsewhere on this site:
- Shin-ei Companion Super Fuzz, released in 1970
- Shin-Ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz
- Shin-ei FY-6 Super Fuzz
- Shin Ei 6TR Fuzz Wah, a related fuzz wah design
- Shin-ei Maya (Shin-ei) 8Tr Fuzz Wah
Videos
Johan Segeborn
Fogerty Page
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Questions
Who uses the Shin-Ei Companion WF-8 Fuzz Wah?
William Reid, guitarist of The Jesus and Mary Chain, has used a Shin-Ei Companion WF-8 Fuzz Wah since the early Nineties. In a 2019 interview he said he started bringing the Shin-Ei back into his rig then and that he is still using it. He described the pedal as "definitely another instrument" rather than just an effect.
Are Shin-Ei Companion pedals reliable?
Reliability is a known concern with these pedals. William Reid, a long-term user, put it plainly: "The problem with Shin-Eis is that they're very untrustworthy; they go bad an awful lot." Anyone considering a vintage Companion unit should be aware that breakdowns are a documented part of owning one.
What does a Shin-Ei Companion WF-8 cost today?
Prices have risen sharply. William Reid recalled that in the Eighties the pedals were hard to find but cheap, going for fifteen to twenty pounds if you could locate one. As of 2019 he noted they "seem to be costing hundreds of dollars," so a used WF-8 is now a costly purchase compared with its past.
Sources (1)
- Interviewing William Reid, Stompbox Book, 2019-04-14
