Behringer HB01 Hell Babe

This is yet another quality Behringer rip-off of a more famous, far more expensive "brand name" pedal, the Dunlop "Cry baby from hell". I own both and really there's precious little separating the two, infact if anything I would say "go behringer" as the wah frequency threshold is adjustable (easily, knob on the side) so you can also use this as a bass wah simply (the dunlop sounds bad when used with bass, doesn't really work).

The workmanship here is pretty much identical to the dunlop pedal. It's slightly bigger in terms of footsize/area so I guess if you're a big footed lummox this would, again, probably be the better pedal to go for.

One small problem I noticed with the pedal is that for a bit of the "travel" of the rocker there isn't really much change to the sound, with the majority of the "wah" effect taking place in a shorter travel range than the full pedal allows. This was easily fixed with a simple internal mod which is detailed in many, many different youtube videos which are easy to find, just search the name of the pedal and the word "mod" and you'll find them. This is absolutely no reason to put anyone off buying the pedal and, for many people, this will probably not be an issue at all but I am an anally retentive freak so OF COURSE it bothered me ;-)

I dipped 1 star in both "handling" and "quality" for this small issue (and it really is a small issue, the sound/range is still there it's just spread over less travel than the pedal offers from the off). Also, I'm not sure if all will be set up like this, it might just be a few from time to time that aren't set up right. Considering this is more than 1/2 the price of the Dunlop unit one can happily take 5 minutes or so to fix this issue.

Also, another thing this has over the dunlop pedal is that it's all "optical" whereas the dunlop wah's rely on mechanical parts/wheels inside. This means it'll never get gummed up/worn down and should, theoretically, last much longer. Think of the difference between an old school "ball" computer mouse and a new optical/laser mouse. Which one do you have to clean out regularly ? (clue: it's not the optical/laser one)

Works well with the harley benton power plant, no detectable buzz/colouration of sound when in bypass mode and it works well, also, in combination with other pedals (particularly nice when placed in line after a distortion, but you probably already know that, right ?)

Overall this is a bit above the average Behringer pedal, not from sound quality (I think they all sound good) but in terms of being close to the original (if not beyond) in terms of build quality. I foresee no problems in using this in reasonably animated live situations for "one footed surfing" style nonsense.

Would definitely recommend.

I was looking for an affordable wah pedal that I could later modify with different electronic parts. All I wanted, was an optical control (lasts longer and is just more reliable). I picked this one, but in the end, I kept the original electronics, as it sounds surprisingly good! It offers a lot of controls to shape the output sound to your liking. It does not have a switch, because it switches on/off automatically when you move the pedal. I didn't trust that at first, but it's MUCH more convenient than a standard mechanical on/off switch, and again, you can control how fast it switches off.

When activated, it adds some noise to the signal, but for distorted sounds it's not that noticeable. It becomes worse with the boost. Looks like it's not shielded inside at all. It is a thick plastic chassis, so not that bad, but definitely don't try to stand on it. The wah effect happens only in a relatively short region of the pedal movement (can be DIY-modified).

It has its issues, but it's perfect as your first wah pedal OR as a cheap basis for further modifications, if you're into that.

I needed a Wah Wah pedal for my pedal board for use in rehearsals and live performances. However, since I use it in 1/5 of the songs, I did not want to spend a fortune on it.

And then I saw this one and watched some YouTube videos to get an idea.

Now that I have it I can say it is worth it if you are also using it for a few songs.

+Build quality
+Sound of the effect
+Many options to make your Wah sound the way you like

-The LED which shows that your Wah is engaged, is in a bad position. You can not actually see that light in a live performance since your leg covers the view.

All in all though, I would definitely recommend it.

In a world where £90 is the expected price for a decent wah this pedal is very cheap but offers a very good pedal for the money. The construction is plastic buy feels very strong and it still looks like new after spending a lot of time on my pedal board.

The big pro for this pedal you don't need to activate a physical switch to turn the effect on, something that can be a bit hit and miss on traditional wah pedals is now very easy. As soon as you love the pedal the effect kicks in, once you take your foot and the pedal goes to its resting place it will switch off. This makes the wah very easy to engage for very short passages of play that simply wouldn't be possible on some of the industry standard models.

It's also adjustable with a dial on the side, which is another feature more expensive models sometimes don't have. There's also a boost feature, which can be handy to lift a solo, the button for this is on the side and easy enough to turn on and off with your foot

All in all for not much money you're getting a good sound, a good enclosure and added adjustability. Really good value pedal. Perfect for the gigging musician who isn't worried about using the bright brand or for those who want their first wah without breaking the bank.

As with all of these Behringer stomp boxes they are based on other manufacturers tried and true classics.
If you haven't guessed they have tried to cram every wah pedal in one... and it aint bad.
The casing is clearly light plastic along with cheaper knobs than others but it is a fraction of the price so make the call (if you'er a lead foot, this pedal is not for you)
sound wise it is good and teh function of the unit is very good having no on off button (which I always hated on wahs - I have enough to think abou without trying to stand on a switch that vanished into a rocking pedal board)
toe down gets you goin and foot off returns the pedal to heel down, level boost sett and sweep/ cue mods available (perfect for active basses and hot guitars)
All these pedals have the dc input on the side which I reckon is a brilliant idea for non standard pedal board saving space, but yours might have an issue with this so check it out first.