Are These the Best Wah Pedal Guitar Solos in Rock + Metal?

Few effects in the history of rock guitar are as instantly recognizable — or divisive — as the wah pedal.

You know it when you hear it. From aching, explosive bends to scratchy, percussive funk licks, the wah pedal has provided countless guitarists with the extra spice to turn an already-great solo into a singular work of art.

The original wah, the Vox Clyde McCoy Wah-Wah Pedal, first hit the market in early 1967. The effect quickly found a home in the rigs of virtuosos such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. In the '80s, guitarists such as Kirk Hammett, Joe Satriani and Slash would push the boundaries of what a wah pedal could achieve and log some of the most iconic solos in rock history.

The wah pedal is not without its detractors, of course. Some critics argue that it becomes a crutch for guitarists, muddying their tone and obscuring the individual notes they play. But an abundance of haters is just further proof of the wah's innovative nature and unique sound.

Celebrate that unique sound with us by reading the following list of the 11 best wah pedal guitar solos in rock and metal.

READ MORE: The Top 20 Hair Metal Guitar Solos of All Time

11. Pearl Jam, "Even Flow"

Guitarist: Mike McCready

Despite emerging as "grunge" kingpins in the early '90s, Pearl Jam harked back to the riff-heavy hard rock of the '70s on their gargantuan debut album Ten. Mike McCready's epic wah solo on "Even Flow," inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, is a shining example. "When [Vaughan] did 'Voodoo Child,' it was so badass," McCready told Guitar World. "He changed how I wanted to play, and if you listen to 'Even Flow,' you can hear me trying to emulate his stuff."

10. Black Sabbath, "Turn Up the Night"

Guitarist: Tony Iommi

Armed with a seemingly endless supply of earth-shaking, doom-laden riffs, Tony Iommi helped invent and reinvent heavy metal during Black Sabbath's first tenure with Ozzy Osbourne. Those riffs stayed intact when Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy, but the springier sound of the records they made together gave Iommi room to flex his soloing chops. He delivers one of his best performances on Mob Rules' opening track "Turn Up the Night," firing off speedy, wah-drenched licks with expert precision and a tone that's to die for.

9. David Lee Roth, "Yankee Rose"

Guitarist: Steve Vai

Most people would cite the chunky riffs and sledgehammer grooves of Steve Vai's 1995 song "Bad Horsie" as evidence of his wah supremacy. (Vai did name his signature pedal after the track, after all.) But they've clearly forgotten his one-of-a-kind wah usage on "Yankee Rose," the lead single off David Lee Roth's debut solo album Eat 'Em and Smile. Vai's zany back-and-forth with Roth at the beginning of the song marks one of the most iconic call-and-responses in rock, and it quickly helped Vai step out of Eddie Van Halen's massive shadow.

8. Metallica, "Battery"

Guitarist: Kirk Hammett

Wah haters will argue that the pedal muddies a player's tone and makes it difficult to distinguish individual notes. To that we say ... yeah, and? The wah's inherent disorder can be wielded as a tool — just look at Kirk Hammett, one of the pedal's most famous proponents. His solo on Metallica's "Battery" is dizzyingly fast and mind-meltingly chaotic. You don't need to hear the precise articulation of every note to get the point: This guy's playing really f---in' fast.

7. Pantera, "Psycho Holiday"

Guitarist: Dimebag Darrell

Among Pantera's myriad superpowers was their ability to mix steel-toed metal riffs with Texas-sized boogie. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell does so effortlessly on Cowboys From Hell cut "Psycho Holiday," chugging through monster riffs and pinch harmonic squeals before unleashing a hellacious solo full of dizzying legato runs and skyscraping bends — all with help from his trusty wah, of course. It's no wonder Dunlop borrowed the album title when making Dime's signature Cry Baby From Hell wah pedal.

6. Joe Satriani, "Surfing With the Alien"

Guitarist: Joe Satriani (duh)

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more aptly named song than the title track to Joe Satriani's breakthrough sophomore album. In terms of tone, melody and composition, "Surfing With the Alien" sounds positively otherworldly. Satch's combination of wah, overdrive and harmonizer pedals rockets the singsong melodies and jaw-dropping solos on "Surfing" to intergalactic heights.

5. Led Zeppelin, "Whole Lotta Love"

Guitarist: Jimmy Page

Following its spacy, psychedelic breakdown, "Whole Lotta Love" snaps back to reality with Jimmy Page's short, blazing solo. The cocked wah (pressed all the way forward) gives the solo an abrasive, nasally sound that shouldn't work in theory, but lends to its aggressive and commanding nature. Clocking in at a mere 15 seconds, it's short and blisteringly effective — that's all Page needed to make his point.

4. Chicago, "25 or 6 to 4"

Guitarist: Terry Kath

The secret weapon powering Chicago's "rock band with horns" sound was guitarist Terry Kath, who unleashes an all-time solo on the band's mammoth hit "25 or 6 to 4." After a flurry of runs up and down the neck in the first half, Kath kicks on the wah pedal for a series of climactic bends and descending hammer-ons and pull-offs. Anybody wondering why Jimi Hendrix once proclaimed Kath the "best guitarist in the universe" need look no further.

3. Guns N' Roses, "Sweet Child O' Mine"

Guitarist: Slash

In an era dominated by Aqua Netted speed kings and Eddie Van Halen wannabes, Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Slash stood out by harking back to the sleazy, monolithic blues-rock of the '60s and '70s. His "Sweet Child O' Mine" solo is a masterclass in phrasing and tension building, as the slow, aching first half gives way to a speedy, wah-assisted run that tees up the incendiary second half. It's a solo composed of mini motifs, each more memorable than the last, and it established Slash as one of the decade's pre-eminent guitar heroes.

2. Cream, "White Room"

Guitarist: Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton was shaken to his core the first time he saw Jimi Hendrix perform, reportedly seething to Hendrix's manager (and the Animals bassist) Chas Chandler, "You never told me he was that fucking good." Yet even if Clapton was rattled, he was still a guitar god in his own right — a status he reaffirmed on Cream's "White Room." His wah-drenched licks and solos are razor-sharp, slashing through Jack Bruce's vocals with Clapton's signature slow-hand precision and a seemingly newfound fervor. Perhaps he ought to have thanked Hendrix for scaring the living daylights out of him.

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)"

Guitarist: Jimi Hendrix

The scratchy, percussive intro to "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" is the mother of all wah pedal exercises — walk into a Guitar Center on any given Wednesday afternoon and you'll likely hear half a dozen aspiring bedroom shredders hacking their way through it. Hendrix dials up the intensity in the main solos, unleashing a flurry of screaming bends and explosive licks that contort as they pan across both speakers. Nearly 60 years after its release, it's still the gold standard for wah pedal freakouts.

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