For countless musicians, hearing Cliff Burton’s monstrous bass tones on Metallica’s first trio of albums was a game-changer. And now Morley has modernized and reissued Burton’s “secret weapon” fuzz wah whilst bolstering its build with modern features.
Tonally, the Cliff Burton Tribute Series Power Wah Fuzz is a careful recreation of the original 1976 issue pedal and features the same optical circuitry that gave Burton’s pedal its unique flavor. Its fuzz therefore emulates that "old-school ripped speaker sound" of the original, whilst the low sweep of the wah remains unchanged.
By doing so, Morely hopes an “entire new generation of players will be able to experience the exact same pedal that Cliff used on his iconic recordings.”
Structurally, it’s a re-imagining, with a series of new features added to appeal to guitar, bass, and keys players beyond nostalgists.
Chief among its improvements is the inclusion of Morley’s switchless activation. With the feature, players need not engage a footswitch to power the effect on or off; instead, it kicks into gear as soon as its treadle is stepped on. Stepping off the treadles instantly bypasses the effect.
Not only is this a practical enhancement, but Morley says it means that players can start with the effect engaged at “the more desirable lower end of the sweep”, which is the sound Burton unleashed on the For Whom the Bell Tolls intro.
Its in-built wah circuit offers a 15db level control to help boost the signal and have it cut through the mix for the kind of ‘bass is way cooler’ solos that Burton loved to unleash.
There’s also a glow-in-the-dark treadle and toe sticker to make it easy to find the pedal as it lurks on even the darkest of stages.
Aesthetically, the pedal has been given a distressed chrome finish to mirror the gig-worn pedal Burton would place upon stages every night. Paired with those nifty glow-in-the-dark features, it makes for a fairly gnarly-looking bit of kit.
Coming in classic Morley sizing (L:9.13″, W:5.88″, H:2.75″) it benefits from the firm's electro-optical design, meaning its pots will "never wear out." A premium buffer circuit ensures unblemished tonal output, and it is powered by your standard 9V adapter.
Says Morley: “Morley’s mission with this pedal is to keep Cliff Burton’s legacy alive and to grow it. Without our great fans and the great musicians like Cliff Burton who have used our pedals, we would not be where we are today.”
The firm’s owner, Scott Fietsam adds to that by saying: “When I acquired Morley, I made it my mission to be the best steward I possibly could for the brand. I want players to experience the same joy that I had with my first Morley. We are honored to now shepherd the legacy of Cliff Burton, quench the thirst of his loving fans, and to expose his genius to the next generation of players.”
Morley has created signature wahs for the likes of Steve Vai, Mark Tremonti, DJ Ashba and Dokken's George Lynch over the years – his was entirely glow-in-the-dark, featured a dragon, and was a little more compact – but no player is as closely associated with the pedal as Burton.
Metallica are continuing Burton's legacy in their own way, and recently nabbed the Best Metal Performance Grammy for their latest album, 72 Seasons, pipping Spiritbox to the post.
The Cliff Burton Tribute Series Power Wah Fuzz is being sold exclusively at Guitar Center and Musician’s Friend in the USA and is available to order now. For the rest of the world, it can become part of your collection from April 1. It costs $229.
For more information, visit Morley.
