Black Cat Introduces The Mona Wah

New pot design offers more expression than traditional wah-wahs   06-Jan-14

Black Cat tells us that their new Mona Wah was designed with the help of DIY guru and wah master, Joe Gagan, and features a revolutionary breakthrough in traditional wah-wah design. The Black Cat Mona features a special custom tuned Black Cat  inductor, as well as the newly engineered Black Cat wah pot, which the company says is like nothing else on the market. They tell us that these features allow the Black Cat Mona to be used as a sophisticated tone-sculpting tool instead of a mere novelty quack machine. Here's the full details in Black Cat's own words...

Designed by Joe Gagan, the Black Cat wah pot features a new taper and redesigned gear which yield a subtly of expression never before possible with any other wah. This unique new design allows for a totally smooth, even sweep that covers the entire range of the pot, which places it in a league above the compromised design of the ICAR and other condensed or "S taper" pots.

The Black Cat Mona wah is available in two different models - Vintage and Modern. The Mona Modern uses Dale precision resistors and Wima film capacitors, and is optimized for a clean, full frequency response. The Mona Vintage uses carbon comp resistors and NOS vintage capacitors (tropical fish, orange drops, etc) and is voiced more like a vintage Vox wah. Each model is available in standard and deluxe editions.

All the standard Black Cat Mona Wahs have three internal trimpots (Frequency, Q, and Volume), plus a built in buffer with an external mini-switch that allows you to bypass the buffer completely. The Volume control is for the output level when the buffer is engaged.

The Q and Freq controls are for adjusting the Q (resonant peak or sharpness) and the Frequency range. By experimenting with these controls you'll be able to achieve a number of subtle and intriguing tone-shaping effects, including passive tone control and pedal-steel type swells. Of course, when a good old-fashioned wah-wah is what you need, the Black Cat Mona can wakka wakka with the best of them.

Black Cat Mona Wah Features:

• Durable powder-coat "Holographic Sparkle" finish
• On-board tone-shaping controls
• Bypass-able buffer for compatibility with low-impedance effects
• Lighter weight, more "pedalboard friendly" design
• Dual LED indicators:
• (red for Vintage, blue for Modern)
• 3PDT true-bypass switch and Switchcraft jacks
• Uses 2.1mm Boss style power jack or internal 9V battery
• Hand-wired, Boutique quality, Made in USA

The Deluxe Edition Black Cat Mona moves the three internal controls (Q, Freq & Vol) to the outside, which lets you make on-the-fly adjustments. In addition, the Deluxe Mona has a 3-position mini-switch to give you three separate and distinct voicings to choose from. One position is a deeply resonant lowpass filter that is reminiscent of a Tycobrahe Parapedal; the middle position is a thin, reedy synth-like filter sound; and the third position is close to the stock standard Mona, only more aggressive.

Pricing and Availability:

Black Cat Mona Wah - $225
Black Cat Deluxe Mona Wah - $295
Black Cat Mona w/ external controls only - $260
Black Cat Mona w/ 3-way voicing switch only - $260
Jimi Special: Black Cat Mona Vintage + Black Cat Vibe - $475 

More information:

• Black Cat Pedals