XOTIC EFFECTS Xotic Wah - User Manual

The Xotic Wah XW-1 is a versatile and innovative wah pedal designed to offer an extensive range of sounds, drawing inspiration from classic wah pedals like the 1967-1968 Italian-built Clyde McCoy Wahs. Unlike pedals that offer a limited number of preset sounds, the XW-1 provides "unlimited sounds" through its unique and highly adjustable controls, allowing users to precisely shape and contour their sound. Its adjustability and flexibility make it one of the most adaptable wah pedals available.

One of the key usage features of the XW-1 is its self-lubricating nylon bushing pivot, which ensures quiet and smooth operation. This is complemented by a fully-adjustable rocker pedal tension, allowing users to customize the feel of the pedal to their preference. For signal integrity, the pedal incorporates gold contact relay true bypassing. This feature ensures a transparent true bypass tone, meaning the pedal does not color the sound when disengaged. The relay switching is also ultra-reliable, boasting a minimum of one million life cycles, which speaks to the pedal's durability and longevity.

The XW-1 is designed with a compact footprint, being 20% smaller than conventional wah pedals, making it easier to integrate into pedalboards where space is often at a premium.

The pedal offers a comprehensive set of external controls for sound shaping. The BIAS CONTROL is a crucial feature that significantly impacts the pedal's character. Turning up the bias control increases the output slightly and firms up bass frequencies, resulting in a more pronounced wah effect throughout the sweep. Conversely, a "cold bias" is characteristic of vintage wah pedals, providing a very clear voice that is more transparent in tone and smoother in operation. This allows users to dial in anything from a classic vintage wah sound to a more modern, aggressive tone.

The WAH Q CONTROL adjusts the "Q" of the filter peak, which, in simpler terms, controls the width of the wah effect. This knob allows for precise filter shaping, enabling users to achieve vocal-like effects or more subtle sweeps depending on their musical needs.

Further enhancing its versatility are the TREBLE & BASS CONTROL knobs. These constitute a two-band EQ with +/-15 dB of boost or cut. The potentiometers are center-detent, making it easy to return to a neutral setting. This EQ section allows users to optimize the voicing of the wah for different playing styles and to match various guitars and amplifiers, ensuring the wah sits perfectly in any mix.

Beyond the external controls, the XW-1 features a range of internal controls and features that offer even deeper customization. Relay Bypass Switching ensures true bypass, maintaining signal integrity. The Input Gain control allows users to boost the wah input gain by up to +6dB when turned clockwise, providing additional volume or drive. This input gain trimmer is active only when the #2 internal DIP switch is engaged.

The pedal also includes INTERNAL DIP SWITCHES for fine-tuning its response.

1. TOE DOWN RANGE: Activating this switch maximizes treble frequency, resulting in a brighter toe-down sound. Turning it off provides a darker toe-down frequency response.
2. INPUT GAIN: This switch activates the internal input gain trimmer, allowing users to adjust the input gain.
3. PRESENCE CUT: Activating this switch provides a smoother high end, which can be useful for taming harsh frequencies or achieving a warmer tone.
4. WAH Q FREQUENCY: This switch activates a deeper vowel frequency response, enhancing the vocal quality of the wah effect.

The XW-1 is also designed to be "fuzz friendly." It incorporates a buffering circuit that ensures a great sounding wah tone even when used with fuzz pedals, which are notoriously sensitive to impedance changes and can often sound poor when placed after certain wahs. This feature makes the XW-1 highly compatible with a wide range of effects.

For user convenience and maintenance, the XW-1 includes several thoughtful features. An ADJUSTABLE RUBBER STOPPER is located on the backside bottom of the treadle. This bumper can be shimmed to adjust the overall travel range of the pedal, allowing users to set their preferred sweep extent. The ADJUSTABLE PEDAL TORSION allows for fully-adjustable rocker pedal tension by simply adjusting a Hex nut on the treadle, further customizing the pedal's feel.

An LED INDICATOR is positioned at the top of the XW-1, illuminating when the pedal is active. A unique feature of this LED is its ability to flash when the battery power falls below 50%, serving as a clear indicator that it's time to change the battery.

The pedal can be powered via a standard DC JACK (2.1mm x 5.5mm 9VDC, negative center) or by a 9V battery. To extend battery life, users are advised to unplug the input jack when the effect is not in use for extended periods. Battery access is straightforward, requiring the removal of the bottom plate, which is secured by four rubber feet.

In summary, the Xotic Wah XW-1 is a meticulously designed wah pedal that combines vintage inspiration with modern adjustability and reliability. Its extensive internal and external controls, robust construction, and user-friendly maintenance features make it a powerful tool for guitarists seeking unparalleled control over their wah sound.