http://www.vertexeffects.com/blog/vertex-axis-wah
Got mine yesterday(#21 prototype) from Mason and ran it for more than 2 hours with my gear(see sig). First thing I noticed is how vocal its wah sound is and it has a very even sweep. I'm always going for the Hendrix-y(Voodoo Chile, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, Little Miss Lover, etc.) type of wah sound and this one didn't disappoint. Every aspect of the build and the voicing is well-thought-out. Here are some other things I like about it:
1. No sudden treble spikes which is quite common specially on wahs with wide sweeps and it doesn't make the fundamental notes sound synth-y which is my gripe with most mass-produced wahs.
2. It has a body knob which makes it versatile for single coil and humbuckers. It seems to me that it's like a combination of a Q and bass knob rolled into one knob. I think it's the best feature of the pedal for me. The range is wide but not finicky. Very well-balanced sweep on it that setting it is a breeze.
3. It also has a nice true bypass switch that easily engages but not too soft that you will accidentally turn it off.
4. The provided LED also will help you check that it's not turned on when you don't need it. I had a friend gig a whole set not knowing his wah is on and he can't figure why on earth his tone is so piercing that night. He's got many pedals on his board and so little time to troubleshoot. After that he makes sure every wah he has would have a LED. This is a useful feature which for some reason, even some boutique builders tend to leave out.
4. It's relatively very quiet. Even with high gain, it doesn't hum badly where other wahs normally would. In fact, it almost doesn't hum at all that I'm tempted to say it's noiseless but we all know no wah is.
5. This has got to be the neatest wah build I ever saw. The wires pass through wire guides to keep them from straying and the wires going to the tb switch are enclosed in sleeves. It's got a nicely-applied goop on its board and also the overall weight is light.
6. No volume drop. Just like his claim on his website, it really has no volume drop. For me it also has no shrieking volume boost caused by the tone-down-position treble on other wahs when you turn them on. The transition from on to off sound is almost seamless.
Mason seems to be a very busy guy but he answers emails within 2 days. My pedal arrived 10 days after I paid for it(ordered during Thanksgiving) and the pedal is well packed with industrial bubble wraps.
So overall, I'm obviously a very happy customer. This is definitely one of the best and most satisfying purchases I made this year.
Got mine yesterday(#21 prototype) from Mason and ran it for more than 2 hours with my gear(see sig). First thing I noticed is how vocal its wah sound is and it has a very even sweep. I'm always going for the Hendrix-y(Voodoo Chile, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, Little Miss Lover, etc.) type of wah sound and this one didn't disappoint. Every aspect of the build and the voicing is well-thought-out. Here are some other things I like about it:
1. No sudden treble spikes which is quite common specially on wahs with wide sweeps and it doesn't make the fundamental notes sound synth-y which is my gripe with most mass-produced wahs.
2. It has a body knob which makes it versatile for single coil and humbuckers. It seems to me that it's like a combination of a Q and bass knob rolled into one knob. I think it's the best feature of the pedal for me. The range is wide but not finicky. Very well-balanced sweep on it that setting it is a breeze.
3. It also has a nice true bypass switch that easily engages but not too soft that you will accidentally turn it off.
4. The provided LED also will help you check that it's not turned on when you don't need it. I had a friend gig a whole set not knowing his wah is on and he can't figure why on earth his tone is so piercing that night. He's got many pedals on his board and so little time to troubleshoot. After that he makes sure every wah he has would have a LED. This is a useful feature which for some reason, even some boutique builders tend to leave out.
4. It's relatively very quiet. Even with high gain, it doesn't hum badly where other wahs normally would. In fact, it almost doesn't hum at all that I'm tempted to say it's noiseless but we all know no wah is.
5. This has got to be the neatest wah build I ever saw. The wires pass through wire guides to keep them from straying and the wires going to the tb switch are enclosed in sleeves. It's got a nicely-applied goop on its board and also the overall weight is light.
6. No volume drop. Just like his claim on his website, it really has no volume drop. For me it also has no shrieking volume boost caused by the tone-down-position treble on other wahs when you turn them on. The transition from on to off sound is almost seamless.
Mason seems to be a very busy guy but he answers emails within 2 days. My pedal arrived 10 days after I paid for it(ordered during Thanksgiving) and the pedal is well packed with industrial bubble wraps.
So overall, I'm obviously a very happy customer. This is definitely one of the best and most satisfying purchases I made this year.
