The Carl Martin Ottawa is a Carl Martin wah pedal, currently around $150.88. Close alternatives include the Emma DiscomBOBulator and the Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter. It pairs well with the Fender Prosonic and the Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-115 Combo Bass Amp.
Carl Martin Ottawa
Carl Martin · pedal
The Carl Martin Ottawa is an analog optical envelope filter pedal delivering classic auto-wah and filter sweep effects without a treadle. Features three selectable filter modes: High Pass (HP), Band Pass (BP), and Low Pass (LP) for different frequency response characters. Q control shapes resonance and filter sweep width. Attack and Tone controls adjust filter response timing and high-frequency content. Current draw approximately 14mA. Danish boutique analog construction. Suited for funk, soul, and R&B guitar and bass players seeking touch-sensitive auto-wah tones.
- filter
- optical
- envelope filter
- frequency
- sensitivity
- synth
- resonance
- wah
Price updated Aug 27, 2026
Genres the Carl Martin Ottawa is commonly used in
- Soul
- Funk
- Experimental
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Reggae
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Electronic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Carl Martin Ottawa
Fender Prosonic
amplifier
22% matchWhat Fender Prosonic brings here leans toward warm — that's worth building a pairing around
Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-115 Combo Bass Amp
Ampeg
22% matchInto the RB-115's massive, vintage-voiced preamp, the Ottawa's optical envelope filter tracks dynamics instead of getting buried.
Dumble Steel String Singer
Dumble
tonal matchDumble Steel String Singer smooths a bright tone's top end
Gibson GA-50
Gibson
tonal matchGibson GA-50 warms up and rounds off a bright tone
Orange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp
Orange
tonal matchOrange BT1000H Terror Bass 1000-Watt Bass Amp warms up and rounds off a bright tone
Orange Terror Bass
Orange
tonal matchOrange Terror Bass warms up and rounds off a bright tone
Orange Little Bass Thing
Orange
tonal matchOrange Little Bass Thing warms up and rounds off a bright tone
Fuchs ODS II Custom 25/50 Combo
Fuchs
tonal matchFuchs ODS II Custom 25/50 Combo warms up and rounds off a bright tone
Pedals that stack with the Carl Martin Ottawa
One Control Lingonberry Overdrive
One Control
16% matchWhat One Control Lingonberry Overdrive brings here leans toward warm — that's worth building a pairing around
One Control Strawberry Red Overdrive
One Control
15% matchOne Control Strawberry Red Overdrive leans toward harmonically rich, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
pedal
11% matchKeep Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler after Carl Martin Ottawa in the signal chain, clear of Carl Martin Ottawa's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte
Caroline Guitar Company
11% matchCaroline Guitar Company Kilobyte's pristine voice goes after Carl Martin Ottawa in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Carl Martin Ottawa's own dynamic character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Orange - Vintage Distortion
Orange
tonal matchOrange - Vintage Distortion warms up and rounds off a bright tone
SolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive
Solidgoldfx
tonal matchSolidGoldFX Commodore Breaker Overdrive smooths a bright tone's top end
Behringer Chorus Symphony
Behringer
tonal matchBehringer Chorus Symphony smooths a bright tone's top end
Dunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo
Dunlop
tonal matchDunlop Blue Hippo Optical Tremolo warms up and rounds off a bright tone
Cheaper alternatives
Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron Envelope Filter
Electro-Harmonix
75% similarityShared character: soul, overdrive_pedals, mono_synth
Donner Dynamic wah
Donner
65% similarityShared character: overdrive_pedals, sensitivity, wah
Electro-Harmonix Doctor Q
Electro-Harmonix
97% similaritysimilar tone character
Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron
Electro-Harmonix
97% similaritysimilar tone character
MXR M120 Auto Q Wah
MXR
96% similaritysimilar tone character
DigiTech DOD Envelope Filter 440
Digitech
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Emma DiscomBOBulator
pedal
77% similarityShared character: soul, mono_synth, sensitivity
Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter
Carl Martin
77% similarityShared character: tone_control, wide_range, soul
Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron Plus
Electro-Harmonix
71% similarityShared character: mono_synth, wah, natural_resonance
Guyatone Wah Rocker WR3
pedal
70% similarityShared character: mono_synth, sensitivity, wah
Musitronics Mu-Tron III
Musitronics
67% similarityShared character: pick_attack, filter, touch
Smokin' Amp Co. Micro V Envelope Filter
Smokin Amp Co
97% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Carl Martin Ottawa (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Carl Martin Ottawa?+
The closest matches in character are the Emma DiscomBOBulator, the Carl Martin Ottawa Vintage Optical Envelope Auto-Wah/Envelope Filter, the Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron Plus. Budget picks: Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron Envelope Filter, Donner Dynamic wah, Electro-Harmonix Doctor Q. Boutique upgrades: Maxon AF-9 Auto Filter, Ashdown Type 23 Three Band Filter.
What pairs well with the Carl Martin Ottawa?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fender Prosonic, Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-115 Combo Bass Amp, Dumble Steel String Singer — What Fender Prosonic brings here leans toward warm — that's worth building a pairing around.
How much does the Carl Martin Ottawa cost?+
Around $150.88 (live listing price, updated Aug 27, 2026).
Compare
- vs Ashdown Type 23 Three Band Filter
- vs Electro-Harmonix Doctor Q
- vs Smokin' Amp Co. Micro V Envelope Filter