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Morley George Lynch Dragon 2 Wah
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George Lynch Signature wah pedal -
Switchless -
2 wah modes -
Notch filter and level control -
Volume Boost
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Searched Morley George Lynch Dragon 2 Wah in Reviews
Switchless with no draw backs 
| Ease Of Use |
This pedal is extremely easy to use despite the multitude of features it has on tap. The wah engages by merely stepping on the pedal, doesn't get much more simple than that. The spring loaded pedal and the lack of a switch on/off does take a little getting used to but after a song or two with it, you'll be just fine. There are a few controls for the effect's level and the frequency filter when the notch filter is engaged. Overall, I don't think anyone should have a problem with this.
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| Sound |
For the audio clip, I ran my JS1200 straight into the Morley and straight into the front of my Crate GTX212. There's a little EQ on the distorted stuff to open it up a little but the clean is with all the levels at 5. I have the wah powered with an AC adapter, not the Morley recommended one, but supplying it with the appropriate voltage and current none the less. I apologize for the less than great playing, I was just noodling around so that the focus would be on the sound of the pedal and not the prowess of the player.
And on to the review...I found this wah to be very different from the 535q I normally use. It's a lot more modern with a very distinct voice. It runs perfectly quiet, which I can't say about the 535q that occasionally picks up radio stations. On the regular wah setting, there is decidedly geared for treble frequencies and the frequency sweep seems kind of narrow compared to the sweep of the pedal. I felt like I went 2/3rds of the way before I started to really move across the spectrum. That said, the tone is pretty sweet and would be excellent for searing solos that blaze across the upper register. I did not find the normal wah setting to do as much with mid-range tones as it swept past those frequencies a little too quickly. As I said before, the tone is very distinct and some players will love it, others not so much. This will not give you the same wah sounds of yesteryear, but it will work well with modern distorted tones and funky clean rhythms.
In "Wow" mode, I found a much greater emphasis on the mids, particularly the lower mids. There was more growl and less whine in this mode and I found it my preferred setting. With the wider sweep of the mids, I was able to be a little more articulate with my tone. I had a greater margin for error in finding the sweet spot for what I was playing. It felt more like the tones I was used to from a wah pedal than the first setting.
Both settings work well for modern styles of music but I would not recommend this if you're looking for that classic wah sound. This pedal is designed for a totally different tonal beast and it excels at that Morley sound. One thing I did notice with the wah was that you need to be careful when you let your foot rock back as it does shut off and usually with a noticeable volume drop out as you go back into regular non-wah tone. I've messed with the level knob to be sure that my wah level matches the normal signal level and I still get this. The volume returns but there is a split second of greatly reduced signal strength as the wah disengages. I'm not sure what the cause of this is. You don't notice it unless you hold a note with the pedal all the way back and allow it to disengage the wah.
Lastly, they covered something with this wah that I believe their other switchless offerings always lacked-the notch filter. While I don't use that feature too often, there are times where I like to use the wah pedal as a tone control and make things more round and wooly or more sharp and nasally. Rather than having to keep my foot on the pedal, working against the spring tension, Morley put a switchable notch filter with a pot to control the frequency onto this pedal. It works great and covers the frequency spectrum of the wah's pedal sweep. Interestingly, it reacts differently depdning on which wah mode you're in, giving even more versatility to this feature. With it, I believe they solved one of the last pitfalls of the switchless wah.
I like the sound although it was somewhat off putting at first. I came from a background of classic wah tones and this was very different. It's very crisp and precise. The pedal has a great deal of sonic options that allowed me to find something that I liked pretty quickly. I really like the switchless feature and the fact that it's dead quiet with absolutely no radio stations or other noise, even using an AC adapter. The graphics are cool and the tone is just as eye/ear catching as the red dragon on the pedal.
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| Reliability |
Seems to be built solidly. It's all metal casing feels rugged and the sweep of the pedal is nice and smooth. I could see the spring wearing out after years and years of use, but it would take a lot of wah-ing before that would occur. The graphics would probably get scuffed while gigging, but I don't really care if Kamikaze and Sensei are visible as long as things sound good. If it's anything like my Pro Series II, it'll last decades.
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| Customer Support |
They provided me with the pedal for the purpose of submitting this review. I think it's excellent that they would take their time and money to ship us products and I appreciate their involvement in the Reviewers Club.
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| Liked about it |
1. Really liked the Growl of the Wow mode.
2. Switchless. This was my first chance to really use one of these and I have a hard time going back to the toe down tap of my other wah pedals. Great Feature.
3. Notch Filter makes this wah every bit the complete package. You get all the perks of the switchless without any of the drawbacks.
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| Didn't like |
1. The signal level drop/return as the wah disengaged. I'm puzzled over what this was but it occurred consistently with both wah settings regardless of where I had the wah level control set.
2. Limited sweep of the mid-range in the normal wah mode. I play a lot of wah stuff in the middle register and the normal setting is geared for the upper register. Thankfully, there's the Wow mode.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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