The Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal is a Real Mccoy Custom wah pedal, currently around $165. Close alternatives include the Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby BG95 and the Tech 21 Killer Wail v2 Wah. It pairs well with the Marshall JVM410H and the Park P50 Classic.
Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal
Real Mccoy Custom · pedal
The Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah recreates the original 1967 Clyde McCoy wah tone through a blueprinted circuit modeled on a vintage Italian Picture Wah, built by Geoffrey Teese, who earned a reputation as the wah guru after years spent repairing and studying vintage Italian and English wah pedals dating back to the 1960s. Carlos Santana runs the chrome-topped version as the wah in his notably sparse pedalboard, visible and audible on the Live at Montreux 2011 release, feeding directly from his Pete Cornish LD-1 line driver into what functions as essentially his sole dedicated effect for shaping his signature vocal-like lead tone.
What stands out
“The standout caveat is that, as a boutique hand-built pedal from a small manufacturer, it carries a premium price and limited availability compared to standard production wahs”
— from the community notes
“As a limited-production boutique item, availability and pricing put it well above mass-market wah alternatives, but for players specifically chasing authentic vintage wah character, it's widely regarded as one of the genre's benchmark moder…”
— from the reviews
“its use case for santana is central to his signature expressive lead tone”
— from the community notes
“The Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah recreates the original 1967 Clyde McCoy wah tone through a blueprinted circuit modeled on a vintage Italian Picture Wah, built by Geoffrey Teese, who earned a reputation as the wah guru after years spe…”
— from the listing
“feeding directly from his pete cornish ld-1 line driver into what functions as essentially his sole dedicated effect for shaping his signature vocal-like lead tone”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“Carlos Santana runs the chrome-topped version as the wah in his notably sparse pedalboard, visible and audible on the Live at Montreux 2011 release, feeding directly from his Pete Cornish LD-1 line driver into what functions as essentially …”
— from the listing
- wah
- vintage
- expressive
- vocal
- lead
- dynamic
- articulation
- modern
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal is commonly used in
- Alternative Rock
- Funk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal
Marshall JVM410H
Marshall
22% matchMarshall JVM410H layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Comes later in the signal chain
Park P50 Classic
Park
20% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
Park P50 Classic leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own
Comes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce Stage II
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce Stage II leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own
Friedman Small Box 50W EL34 Amp Head
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Friedman Small Box 50W EL34 Amp Head leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own
Hughes & Kettner Coreblade
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hughes & Kettner Coreblade layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Friedman PT-20
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Friedman PT-20 leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own
Friedman Pink Taco Head
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Friedman Pink Taco Head leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Pedals that stack with the Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal
Pete Cornish LD-1
Pete Cornish
48% match“feeding directly from his Pete Cornish LD-1 line driver into what functions as essentially his sole dedicated effect for shaping his signature vocal-like lead tone”— from the real-mccoy-custom-rmc4-picture-wah-pedal listing
Used together by 1 artist
Comes later in the signal chain
Cusack Music Tap-A-Fuzz
Cusack Music
25% matchCusack Music Tap-A-Fuzz stacks fuzzy on top of the mid-forward already here
Comes later in the signal chain
Keeley Halo
Keeley
10% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keeley Halo's ambient voice goes after Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal's own dynamic character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Echoplex EP-3
Echoplex
9% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Echoplex EP-3's analog warmth voice goes after Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal's own dynamic character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
MXR Badass Variac
MXR
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Into a dynamic tone, MXR Badass Variac brings a pull toward compressed that's missing
JHS Pedals JHS Cheeseball
JHS Pedals
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
JHS Pedals JHS Cheeseball leans this dynamic tone toward compressed, which it doesn't make on its own
Footloose Effects Red Light
Footloose Effects
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Footloose Effects Red Light stacks fuzzy on top of the mid-forward already here
Death By Audio Destruction
Death By Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Death By Audio Destruction stacks fuzzy on top of the mid-forward already here
Cheaper alternatives
Dunlop Cry Baby
Dunlop
63% similarityShared character: 1960s, wah, vocal
Dunlop Cry Baby GCB-95
Dunlop
58% similarityShared character: wah, true bypass, lead
Dunlop CB95 Crybaby
Dunlop
58% similarityShared character: wah, vocal
The Next Sound CH-07 Wah Tone
The Next Sound
55% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, alternative
Electro-Harmonix Wailer Wah
Electro-Harmonix
55% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, true bypass
Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Electro-Harmonix
54% similarityShared character: wah, vintage charm
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby BG95
Cry Baby
61% similarityShared character: genre, wah, vocal
Tech 21 Killer Wail v2 Wah
Tech 21
59% similarityShared character: wah, lead
Cry Baby Mini Wah
Cry Baby
59% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, lead
Vox V847A Wah
pedal
59% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, true bypass
Jam Pedals Wahcko
Jam Pedals
58% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, alternative
Morley Wah
Morley
58% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, vintage charm
See all alternatives to the Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal?+
The closest matches in character are the Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby BG95, the Tech 21 Killer Wail v2 Wah, the Cry Baby Mini Wah. Budget picks: Dunlop Cry Baby, Dunlop Cry Baby GCB-95, Dunlop CB95 Crybaby. Boutique upgrades: T-Rex Gull Wah, Dunlop DB1B Dimebag Crybaby From Hell Wah, Dunlop EC95 Eric Clapton Cry Baby Wah.
What pairs well with the Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall JVM410H, Park P50 Classic, Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce Stage II — Marshall JVM410H layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal.
How much does the Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Picture Wah Pedal cost?+
Around $165 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).