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Sonicake 2 Wah/Volume Pedal Review – Affordable, versatile and TINY
Introduction
We all love the Wah effect! When used correctly, it can be a fantastic tool—fun, creative, and a great way to elevate a simple solo to the next level. However, there are a few downsides to Wah pedals: the price and the size. Enter the Sonicake 2 Wah/Volume pedal, which aims to address both these issues while adding a few more features on top!
There are plenty of ‘mini’ Wah pedals on the market, but they tend to be a bit pricey. On the other hand, there are affordable Wah pedals available, but they come in full size. So, when I came across the Sonicake 2 pedal, I was eager to try it out as it seemed to offer the best of both worlds. But does it deliver on its promise?
Sonicake Wah/Volume Pedal
The Sonicake 2 is a Wah and Volume pedal in a miniature form factor, aiming to serve two purposes while keeping both price and board space minimal. Using the foot rocker, you can control the volume of your guitar signal into your amp, allowing you to do swells or just back off the signal if needed. However, click the foot switch, and the pedal switches to its Wah setting, giving you a typical Wah sound through a miniature form factor.
It contains a pure analog circuit design that combines a vintage Wah with an active volume control, housing it all in a compact and space-saving case. The Wah is voiced on a classic CryBaby Wah sound that we all know and love.
More on the Sonicake Wah/Volume Pedal
The pedal housing is made out of plastic, with the foot rocker also being made out of plastic. The bottom plate is metal, but that is the only metal on the pedal. The Sonicake 2 is “always” a volume pedal, and when you switch it on, it turns into a Wah pedal. This means that the pedal is effectively always on, and you just swap between Volume and Wah by clicking the foot switch down. The colored LED will let you know which mode you are in: red for Wah and blue for Volume.
I purchased the pedal from AliExpress for £35 delivered. However, you can buy the Sonicake 2 Wah from Amazon for just a little more and have faster delivery. Or, if you really wanted a bargain, you could go to any second-hand site and have a look around!
The Sounds
Demoing Wah pedals is difficult, especially when they act as a volume pedal as well. So, I thought I would just throw together a quick blues track and see what happens! For the demo song, I have kept the signal flow very simple: just guitar into Sonicake Wah, then into Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini (Review Here), then into Revv D20 (Review Here). A very typical blues setup that gets the job done!
Afterwards we run through some sounds using foot camera! Not a lot to demo, you all know what the classic dunlop Wah sounds like as well as volume swells! So just a quick mess around! We through in a bit of Fuzz (Goliath FX TomeBender Review), so you can see if it does that “Hendrix” thing!
What are my thoughts?
Firstly, the packaging and delivery of this pedal are fairly basic, which I expected due to the price. But don’t expect anything fancy! No fancy bags or stickers—just a brown box with the pedal inside wrapped in plastic. Not a huge point, and it doesn’t really affect the use of the pedal at all, but it’s something worth mentioning.
Now, we have to talk about the size! Of course, this is a “Mini Wah,” but I wasn’t expecting just how small this pedal is. It’s so small! I mean, we’re talking just slightly bigger than my Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini. This thing is tiny! I would say that if you have even the slightest bit of room left on your pedal board, then this is perfect for you!
Anything Else?
I really love the dual feature of this pedal! The fact that it is both a Wah and a volume pedal is really useful. Having that volume pedal option for swells or to adjust the volume of your guitar is handy, and then to just be able to click it over to Wah is so easy! You do have to remember to leave the pedal all the way down when the Wah is off to get full volume. Don’t do what I did and leave it cocked back and wonder why you have no volume!
There is an LED to let you know what mode you are in, but being honest, this is pretty much pointless as you can’t see the color when you are standing over the pedal using it. You have to go by sound! I have done a few gigs with this pedal and accidentally hit it back when pressing another pedal and knocked the volume back a bit.
Using the Wah setting, you do get a gain increase and slight overdrive when you click the Wah on (which you do with most Wah pedals, to be honest). It doesn’t make the pedal unusable, but it does make clean funky rhythms a bit more of a challenge. You have to be ready on your guitar volume to adjust.
Another thing to mention is that the sweep of the pedal isn’t the best. It doesn’t gradually sweep; there is a bit of a jump at the start. It’s not really an issue when using it as a Wah, but when using the volume, it can throw you off a bit. Rocking your foot forward, there is a jump in volume. You might be able to change this by swapping out the potentiometer for something of higher quality.
Final Words
There is no adjustment for anything on this pedal, which I did expect, but it’s worth noting. No Q adjustment or options to switch off the switching. What you get is very much what you get. Also worth noting is that the pedal is side-loaded. This is to be expected with a Wah and volume pedal. Because of its size, it isn’t too much of an issue, really. The final negative about this pedal is the build quality. It is okay. It is mostly plastic and feels cheaper than pro pedals. Would this be okay for a pedal you plan to use infrequently? Yes. Would it stand up to touring and abuse? No, I think it would crumble rather quickly, especially if you are heavy-footed!
Even with all these flaws, I must say the Sonicake Wah and Volume is just a killer pedal! If you are after a Wah and don’t want to spend too much and also don’t want to take up too much room on your pedal board, then I would highly recommend you look at the Sonicake Wah and Volume pedal. Two pedals in one, minimal board space, and a silly low price! What’s not to love?
Conclusion
That is our review of the Sonicake Wah and Volume pedal! A proper killer little pedal and well worth the price! Who do I think this pedal is aimed at? Who do I think should buy it? Well, I would say if you are a guitar player looking to get into using Wah but won’t be using it frequently and don’t have much room on your pedal board, this is the pedal for you!
Its small size and low purchase cost make it the perfect pedal to mess around with. However, if you are after something more professional and maybe in a metal housing, then something more expensive or bigger might be your best bet!
Maybe we need to review some more Wah pedals! If size doesn’t matter but cost does, make sure to check out our Harley Benton Wah pedal review here!
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