GIG-FX
PETER FRAMPTON
MEGAWAH
BY JORDAN WAGNER
Often credited as the inventor of “talk- ing guitar,” Peter Frampton captured
the attention of guitar nuts with his blistering axe work as a member of Humble
Pie—most notably on the band’s incredible
Performance—Rockin’ the Fillmore. By the
time he released Frampton Comes Alive in
1976, he was one of the premier rock acts
of the day. With his trusty Gibson Les Paul
Custom Black Beauty, a 100-watt Marshall,
and a few effects—most notably, his highly
recognizable talk box—he helped set the
standard for the high-octane arena rock
that would define the era. Now Gig-FX,
which established its own precedents for
sweet tone with the popular Mega Wah and
Chopper pedals, has released a signature
variation on their all-analog Mega Wah for
the illustrious guitarist, dubbed the Peter
Frampton Mega Wah.
Gain control
Auto Wah mode,
Trig Wah mode
Resonance
control
Show Me the Way
The aluminum Frampton Mega Wah is a
stout, sturdy device. And Gig-FX’s practical
design sensibility is very much intact in this
signature model, which is laid out with two
sets of knobs on either side of a compact
( 9" x 4"), I-shaped pedal. The design is
among the most distinctive on the market,
and it serves the two-fold purpose of making the controls more accessible and visible
while keeping them out of harm’s way on
the sides of the enclosure. The improved
access and readability is vital on the
Frampton Mega Wah, which is essentially
four wah effects in one—each with its own
unique voice and character.
The four wah modes are selected from a
4-way knob on the left side of the pedal and
include Classic Wah, Mega Wah, Triggered
Wah, and Auto Wah modes. As I cycled
through each mode, I felt a satisfying, solid
click in each position of the selector knob—
a sure sign that the moving components in
Silent switchless
bypass
the pedal are just as robust as the enclosure
itself. The five other knobs—which controlled Auto Wah Rate, Gain, Sensitivity,
and Resonance—felt just as sturdy.
I wasn’t too keen on having to use a
screwdriver to remove the battery-compart-
ment door. This is a small detail perhaps, but
one that has proven to be a source of pain to
road warriors when power supplies go on the
fritz. It was a great feeling to know that there
was nothing flimsy about the construction
of the Frampton Mega Wah. It was even bet-
ter to discover that there was nothing flimsy
about its tone, either.
Doobie Wah
Frampton’s playing has always been synonymous with tonal expressiveness. His
style can have an almost seasick quality
to it, swaying back and forth from one
tonal extreme to another. The Frampton
Mega Wah captured this sound exceptionally
