WAHs,
Auto-wahs
and Filters
Early funk guitar, as
epitomized by the playing
of Leo Nocentelli of the
Meters’ and James Brown
sidemen Jimmy Nolen and
Catfish Collins (brother to
bass hero Bootsy Collins), was
dry and without effects, but
the funk guitar that followed
often made great use of
tonal modifiers of all kinds.
Iconic early ‘70s tracks like
Isaac Hayes’ “Shaft,” which
featured the tasty playing of
Charles Pitts, Curtis Mayfield’s
“Superfly,” and Sly & the
12
TONE TALK //
Family Stone’s “Thank You
(Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”
made the wah-wah pedal
a must-have effect for funk.
Sure, there are plenty of
no-talent wankers out there
abusing the wah with bad
imitations of these brilliant
tunes, but do not let this
dissuade you from getting
your funk wah game together.
For the vintage-style tones it’s
important to remember that
you want clean and smooth,
not pukey, clipped, or overly
Funk U: All You Need To Know About Funk Guitar
guttural. As far as specific
wah-wah models go, it’s hard
to beat an early ‘70s Thomas
Organ Cry Baby for those
clean, sexy early ‘70s tones.
Despite being vintage, these
wahs are pretty common
and affordable, sometimes
selling for about the same as
a new Cry Baby. Other clean
sounding funky wahs include
the Vox V847 and Fulltone’s
Clyde Deluxe on the “Shaft”
setting. Area 51’s custom
wahs also receive numerous
accolades from modern funk
guitarists with a penchant for
Shaft-style wah sounds.
The auto-wah and envelope
filter also have a place in funk
music, though they are not
quite as versatile as a regular,
manually operated wah.
The possibilities are many,
however, as illustrated by
songs like the Headhunters’
“God Make Me Funky.”
Blackbyrd McKnight’s auto-
wah riffage on this influential
and heavily sampled tune is
almost impossibly stanky and
beautiful. See also James
Brown’s “Stone to the Bone”
and “Tell Me Something
Good” by Rufus and Chaka
Khan.