John Frusciante’s Ibanez WH-10 V1 Wah Pedal

The Ibanez WH-10 Wah pedal has been John’s go-to since he first joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He explained that he prefers this pedal over something like a Dunlop CryBaby due to its wider frequency range:

I have an Ibanez wah-wah pedal because it has a wider range than the others. I use a Fuzzface and a Boss distortion pedal, and an MXR phase shifter, and that’s about it.

Guitar (UK), February 1991

John received the WH-10 as a gift from Ibanez when he joined the band in 1988, along with two guitars. While he quickly parted ways with the guitars—literally smashing them on stage to appease Anthony and Flea—he kept the wah pedal.

When I first joined the Chili Peppers Ibanez was really friendly and gave me the wah pedal along with two or three guitars. I played the guitars for a while but the band—by which I mean Anthony and Flea—was totally against it, and so when I switched to playing Fender Stratocasters I smashed the Ibanez guitars on stage just to make them happy—but I definitely kept the wah pedal!

How John Frusciante Got His Red Hot Wah Tones

Over the years, John experimented with other wah pedals, including various Dunlop CryBaby models. However, none managed to replace the WH-10. He consistently praised its wider frequency range, which gave him more control over feedback and tonal variation.

Only the Vintage Models

It’s worth noting that John exclusively uses vintage WH-10 models. These are made of plastic (unlike the newer metal version) and are notoriously fragile. By the time John left the band after Stadium Arcadium, he mentioned that he had broken several and was down to just one remaining unit.

Ibanez WH-10 is my standard wah since BloodSugarSexMagik. I don’t think there’s a better wah. When we were making Stadium Arcadium, there was so much wah I figured I’d use a variety of pedals and there wasn’t one that came close to the Ibanez. There are a couple of Crybabys that are cool, but for me, they weren’t as good, because I use a lot of feedback. I want something that when I put it in one position, one note is going to feedback, and when I put it in another position, another note is going to feedback. You just have more variation with the Ibanez because there’s a wider frequency range.

Vintage Guitar (USA), April 2009

An easy way to distinguish a V1 Ibanez WH-10 from a V2 model is by looking at two specific features. The V1 has a “dry” output located on the left side of the pedal, and the small triangle pattern on the top has a grippy texture, making it visually and tactilely different from the V2.

The V1 version of the Ibanez WH-10 was produced between 1987 and 1993, after which it was replaced by the V2 model. The currently available version is the V3. If purchasing an original V1—which has become quite expensive—isn’t an option, you can have a V3 modified by Vintage WH10 Revival to sound closer to the original.