Bel Air Wah
Bel Air Wah
FUTURISTIC ERGONOMIC DESIGN WITHOUT SWITCHES OR POTENTIOMETERS

DUAL MODE VOLUME/EXPRESSION AND WAH



Design Introduction:

One look at the Bel Air Low Line will visually illustrate to you that this foot controller is unlike any other products that are on the market.

Once you have stepped onto one and experienced the ease of use it will be difficult to go back to what you may be using now.

We have started with a clean sheet of paper and addressed each of the shortcomings that previous designs have.

It is truly a revolutionary design right from its looks to the many technical and ergonomic innovations it brings to the player.

The low profile and silky smooth action allows players to achieve a more natural way to express themselves as the connection between foot and mind become virtually transparent.

The awkward and stiff mechanical manipulations of a gear train and switch are removed in our new desigb evolution that replaces the established 50-year-old design.

Say goodbye to the balancing act required to use the old fashioned style pedals.

I have a long history of 50 years successfully creating custom wah electronics that have produced some of the most notable wah sounds ever recorded.

Continuous evolution with heritage has been my inspiration striving always to move the goal posts forwards and produce state of the art designs incorporating the latest cutting edge technology and materials available.

It is with great pride that we introduce our latest and best evolution of the VISION WAH LOW LINE SERIES to bring forward a truly revolutionary concept of foot controller.

Technical Features :

WAH SWEEP POTENTIOMETER :

Continuous control of wah sweep frequency. Discover the wah tones I developed for Jimi and used by him at the "Band of Gypsys" concert plus the Funk tones used on many records.

WAH BLEND:

This allows blending of the guitar back into the wah sound to allow full control of wah depth and Q.

VARIABLE VOLUME RANGE :

Remove the bottom plate to access this multi-turn control. This control allows precise adjustment of the reduction in volume level desired when the pedal is in the up position.
The volume range has purposely been limited to a maximum of -30dB so that during performance the pedal has a usable range and is not just a volume switch. An excessively large range of control is not that easy to control with your foot when standing up and in fact when using the pedal in a live situation a range of 20dB is popular and is easily controlable from your foot. This corresponds to turning the guitar volume from 10 to 5. The fact that the range can be limited and set now enables the Bel Air to accurately control amp or pedal distortion.

DUAL MODE BYPASS :

There are two modes that can be selected via by moving a jumper on the card.
Mode 1 = AUTO - Switch between WAH and VOLUME.
Mode 2 = WAH - Switch between WAH and BYPASS.

BYPASS SWITCH FEEL :

The pressure required on the foot plate in the down position to actuate the changeover or bypass can be set electronically on the PC Card.

PEDAL FEEL :

A vari-friction nylon bearing adjusts the pedal feel and because the top plate is fully balanced it will remain in position even in the lightest friction settings.

Ergonomic Player Design:

It is 40% lower than the Cry Baby Style of pedals and also has 28% more angular travel. The slightly downwards position of the top plate results in a much more relaxed and balanced operating posture and also allows the player to step off the pedal in a forward motion whilst simultaneously operating the bypass function. The silky smooth feel and low profile all improve the overall physical performance by using a foot control that is natural and easy to use. The cables plug into the side pods and are swept back out of harms way. The front control knobs are also recessed into the side pods to provide protection.

No potentiometer gears or mechanical switch:

Advanced instrumentation techniques measure the top plate angle continuously to provide data that controls the wah, volume and bypass switch functions. This solid-state approach results in reliable silent operation with no parts to wear out and replace.

Advanced Input and Output Electronics:

The use of ultra high bandwidth Class A all analogue discrete circuits provides circuit performance with ultimate fidelity. The Bel Air Wah effectively reduces the length of total guitar cable to that of the input lead and can drive long cable lengths to the amplifier without any loss of detail at all both in BYPASS or in WAH MODE.
TRANSPARENCY is preserved and we have found this approach to be superior in every instance and the need for mechanical switching with all it's reliability and other associated problems can be forgotten.

Balanced Carbon Composite Top Plate:

This enables the position to be held at any friction level.

Pedal Status:

LED indicator on the side pod.

Powering:

Internal 9V battery or from an AC Adapter (not supplied).

Further Technical Information:

Follows the links below for Operating Manual and Adjustment Application Notes:

Bel Air Operating Manual

Bel Air Adjustments


 view showing low profile