The Rands WT-20 Wah Wah is a vintage wah pedal made in Japan by Shin-ei in 1976 and sold under the Rands brand name1. It belongs to the family of wah wah pedals, the foot-controlled filter effect that sweeps a peak in the frequency response up and down the guitar's range as the player rocks the pedal.
What makes the WT-20 interesting to a player is not that it is rare in design, but that it is rare in name. TONEHOME, the vintage effects reference, describes it as identical to a long list of sibling pedals sold under other brand names1.
One circuit, many badges
TONEHOME states plainly that "the Rands WT-20 is identical to all the other Alex, Apollo, Avora, Boomer, Bruno, Companian, Crest, Crestwood, Cromwell," and the list continues through Crown, Greco, Hohner, J. H. Experience, Jax, Kent, Kimbara, Mana, Mayfair, Memphis, PAX, Sekova, Teisco, Tele-Star and Tempo1. In other words, Shin-ei built one wah design and supplied it to many sellers, each of which put its own name on it.
For a player, that has practical value. Anyone researching a WT-20 can also learn from documentation and discussion of its siblings, since the circuit is the same. TONEHOME notes that a Shin-ei WT1/WT20 schematic is available, which is useful to anyone servicing or modifying one of these pedals1.
The WT-20 is a 1976 vintage pedal, long out of production. Examples surface on the used and vintage market rather than in shops as new stock.
Where Shin-ei fits in
The WT-20 was made in Japan by Shin-ei in 19761. Shin-ei built the pedal under its own name, and the unit's circuit is documented in the Shin-ei WT1/WT20 schematic, tying the WT-20 to that family of designs1.
Shin-ei also made combined effects, such as the Shin Ei 8TR Fuzz Wah. The WT-20, by contrast, is a wah only1.
Questions
Is the Rands WT-20 a unique pedal?
No. According to TONEHOME, the Rands WT-20 is identical to wah pedals sold under many other brand names, including Alex, Apollo, Avora, Boomer, Bruno, Companion, Crest, Crestwood, Cromwell, Crown, Greco, Hohner, Jax, Kent, Kimbara, Memphis, Sekova, Teisco and Tempo. Shin-ei built the same circuit and badged it for different sellers, so a WT-20 is essentially one of these sibling pedals wearing the Rands name.
Who made the Rands WT-20 and when?
Shin-ei made the WT-20 in Japan in 1976. Shin-ei was a Japanese effects maker whose origins go back to the Honey firm, started by former Teisco employees, which went bankrupt by 1967 and was reborn as Shin-ei. The company built wah and fuzz wah pedals under its own and other brand names through the 1970s.
Sources (1)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals
