Known for its hefty chrome-plated construction, Morley raised the bar among professional guitar effects in the ’70s with its flagship Power Wah Fuzz. The latest rendition was developed in honor of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, who used one on several occasions – most notably in the breakneck solo track “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth” – and it purports to capture the tone of the original while enhancing function and performance.

The design retains Morley’s signature electro-optical control of the wah, meaning there’s no potentiometer to wear out, while adding nifty features like step-on/step-off engagement and glow-in-the-dark treadle rubber. Its wah effect includes a Level control with up to 15 dB of boost, while Fuzz sports Intensity, Level, and its own footswitch. Power enters a center-negative connection from external 9-volt DC source (not supplied).

Though devised in honor of a bassist, it’s likely to be more widely used for guitar, and the Burton ramped up a mighty wall of psychedelic noise indeed with a Stratocaster into a mid-’60s Bassman head and 2×12″ cab. Fuzz and wah are a classic pairing, and the renditions coupled here played beautifully together; “all on” delivered chewy, screaming, vocal-like tones with very inspiring girth and depth.

Wah alone worked great for funky, spanky rhythm lines, though Morleys have their own characteristic sweep and feel, which might take some acclimation for players more familiar with the Vox/Crybaby formats (it’ll be second nature by the second or third pass of “Theme From Shaft”). The fuzz on its own is a juicy, thick version that should be broadly appealing, yet with plenty of razory edge with the Intensity maxed out. The step-on/off engagement can turn the wah on and off unintentionally during wah’ing action, but in all, the Burton’s build and tone make it well worth checking out. Oh… and it sounds great with bass, too!

This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.