8/13/2019 Ibanez Tone-Lock WD7 review from Soundcheck

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BY ERIC KIRKLAND

WHEN THEY DEBUTEDin1967, the first mass-marketwah-wah pedals didnt have

optional settings or additional features.Their design consisted of little morethan a rocker pedal that moved a po-tentiometer to sweep the frequenciesof a resonant filter.

A lot has changed during the pedals40-year history. Today, electro-opti-cal systems are often used instead ofmechanical potentiometers, externaltone and peak frequency controls arecommonplace, and automatic switchinghas increased the wahs potential as the

ultimate spontaneous expression effect.If these advancements sound excit-

ing, then youre likely to be wowed byIbanezs new feature-laden Tone-LokWD7 Weeping Demon wah pedal. Thismodern superwah boasts numerouscontrols to shape the wahs toneand gives you a choice betweenstandard pedal operation orspring-assisted pedal travel withautomatic switching. Best ofall, it sounds great, with a tonepalette that ranges from tradi-tional to terrifying.

FEATURESTHE SKELETAL ROCKER pedal andfuturistic aluminum chassis give theWeeping Demon a fresh high-techappearance. A large lever to the pedalsleft sets the operation style. Placing thelever in the rear position puts the pedalin Auto Switch mode. Here, the WD7takes advantage of automatic switchingand spring-assisted pedal movement:push the pedal forward and the wah ef-fect is automatically engaged; take yourfoot off the pedal and the spring willreturn the pedal to its bass position,and after a short delay, the effect willautomatically disengage. If you prefer

standard pedal operation, flipping thelever to the forward position places itin Foot Switch mode. In this setting,the rocker floats freely, and the batterybox cover, to the right of the pedal,does duty as an on/off switch.

Ibanez has provided controls to letyou adjust the pedals responsive-

ness. A rear-facing screw can beused to set the auto spring ten-sion, and a top-mounted spring,

accessible through the middle ofthe treadle, adjusts the amount of

friction in the pedals travel.Tonal options are another of

the Weeping Demonsmany features. A

switch lets youchoose between theWeeping Demonsnormal and low-frequency ranges.Although most

guitar players will

find the normal range suitsthem, bass players and gui-tarists who tune down willbe thankful for this lower-register option. The threeknobs above the range

switch let you control thepedals output level, itsresonant frequency (Q)

and low-frequency cutoff(Lo). Unlike some other wahs

that have a low-contour knob,this latter control does not affect

or limit the wahs treble response.All three knobs are set on spring

locks, so that you can push themdown into the chassis after youve setthem, thereby eliminating the chance

LIST PRICE: $166.65

MANUFACTURER:

Ibanez Guitars,ibanez.com

CONTROLS: Level, Q, Lo,Auto Switch delay time,Treble fine tune, FootSwitch/Auto Switchmode selector, Rangeswitch, pedal frictionand spring tensionscrews

INPUT/OUTPUT: Monoin, mono out

BYPASS: Buffered

CIRCUITRY: Analog

POWER: Nine-voltbattery or adaptor

IBANEZ TONE-LOK

WD7 WEEPING

DEMON WAH PEDAL

SOUNDCHECKSOUNDCHECK the gear in review

that your foot will accidentally turnany of the knobs. Finally, two smallknobs under the front of the treadle letyou adjust the pedals high-frequencylimits and set the length of time beforethe wah turns off when its in AutoSwitch mode.

Internally, the Weeping Demonuses all analog circuitry, but theresno potentiometer and no inductor. Anadvanced electro-optical system tracksthe pedals movement, and a speciallydesigned filter configuration createsthe wahs effect. A standard nine-voltbattery or an Ibanez adaptor will pow-er the pedal.

PERFORMANCEWITH THE PEDAL set for the normalfrequency range, I found that moder-ate Q and Lo control settings producedtones that were harmonically rich andtypical of an inductor-based wah pedal.However, higher settings of these twocontrols yielded exaggerated wails andgrowls that were ideal for any guitaristlooking to push the limits of a wah ef-fect. The Weeping Demons sound mat-ed best with humbuckers and high-gaintones, but certain settings with a Stratand a clean amp yielded modulated waheffects that almost mimicked a talk box.Bass players and guitarists that tunedown or solo on the neck pickup will

find that the low-range setting createsdeep bellows like no other wah pedal.The WD7 doesnt quite have the sweetwah tone for which vintage pedals areprized, but as its name indicates, it doesdeliver evil howls.

THE BOTTOM LINEIBANEZS WD7 WEEPING DEMONwahpedal is a high-tech tour de force thatprovides unequalled control oversound and function. The option ofFoot Switch and Auto Switch modes isgreat, and the pedals dual ranges makeit suitable for guitar, bass and detunedapplications. If you want old-schooltones, this is probably not your wah,

but if youre looking for a wah thatbawls malevolently, then the Weep-ing Demons will undoubtedly becomeyour weapon of choice.

PRIMAL SCREAMIbanez Tone-Lok WD7 Weeping Demon wah pedal

192 G UI TAR WO R L D

PRO CON

NOT TRUE BYPASS;CLEAN TONES

COULD BE SWEETER

EXCELLENT BUILDQUALITY; FREE-FLOATING

OR SPRING-LOADEDAUTO-SWITCH PEDAL

OPERATION; SUPERIORCONTROL OVER TONE

ONDISC

ONDISC

Tension screwslet you dial in

the desiredpedal friction

and springtension. Multiple controls let you per-

sonalize the wahs tone.

Soundchecks.indd 192 7/25/07 5:51:13