Del Casher, the guitarist who invented the wah wah pedal, has died at the age of 88

Del Casher, the guitarist who invented the wah wah pedal [the pedal that modifies the sound of the instrument through a gradual change in tone between high and low, adjusted by means of a special potentiometer activated by pushing the foot on the pedal, ed.] died on 1 October 2026 at the age of 88 after having had a tumor, as reported on a GoFundMe page raising funds for his widow, Eiko. “For the past year, Del battled cancer and passed away on October 1,” it read. “Prior to this loss, COVID devastated his recording studio business, forcing him to sell valuable guitars and equipment just to survive.”

THE CAREER

Born on December 28, 1937 in Hammond, Indiana, Del Casher graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in communications. He then began his career performing with artists such as Gene Autry, Lawrence Welk and the Three Suns, experimenting with new technologies in an attempt to make his electric guitar style unique. In the early 1960s, while playing with the Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra, created by the Thomas Organ Company to advertise Vox amplifiers, Casher wondered if it was possible to obtain a guitar sound similar to that of a trumpet and trombone, with the possibility of attenuating the instrument during performance. Brad Plunkett of Thomas Organ had produced the wah wah effect in knob form, but Casher had then transformed the device into a pedal initially nicknamed "Cry Baby". The guitarist had also recorded both a 45 rpm single to illustrate how the instrument worked and an accompanying single for musical instrument shops. Marketed in 1967, the wah wah pedal, however, did not achieve immediate success with consumers. However, Frank Zappa, who had used the device in 1966, when Casher played with the group The Mothers of Invention, had given one to Jimi Hendrix. The guitarist had used the pedal on the album Electric Ladyland (1968), in particular on the songs Voodoo Child, Burning of the Midnight Lamp and All Along the Watchower. Even Eric Clapton had used the new discovery in Cream songs such as Tales of Brave Ulysses. The invention had also won over other rock guitarists of the time such as Jimmy Pagei, Tony Iommi and David Gilmour. In 1971 the song Theme From Shaft by Isaac Hayes, which had reached first place in the charts and won the Oscar for Best Original Song, had been able to count on the wah wah pedal. Chamber had also contributed to the creation of the Ecco-Fonic and the Fender Electronic Echo Chamber. He had also collaborated with artists such as Elvis Presley. He had in fact appeared in the film The Fairground Singer (1964) starring The King of Rock and Roll. He had also composed soundtracks for cinema. “I am gratified by the fact that I have been there since the beginning,” the guitarist declared in an interview with the New York Times newspaper. "I just wish guitarists would think of me from time to time. The only thing I ask is: remember me."