Del Casher, Inventor of the Wah-Wah Pedal, Dead at 88

Del Casher, the guitarist and inventor best-known for creating the wah-wah pedal, has died at the age of 88.

News of Chaser’s passing was shared via a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for his wife, Eiko. “Over the last year, Del battled cancer and passed away on October 1st,” the page said in part. “Before that loss, COVID devastated his sound studio business and forced him to sell valuable guitars and equipment just to survive.”

Born in Hammond, Indiana, Casher moved to Hollywood after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. His first major gig as a guitarist came on The Lawrence Welk Show. He parlayed that into a touring role with the Three Suns, the pop group known for their hit song "Twilight Time." It was while on the road with the Three Suns that Casher came up with one of his first notable inventions, the Ecco-Fonic, a portable tape device that allowed performers to use echo effects in concert.

Though Casher would go on to work as a session guitarist with several notable stars – including Elvis Presley, Gene Autry and Sonny & Cher -- it would be another one of his inventions that left the biggest impact.

How Del Casher Came Up With the Wah-Wah Pedal

In the mid-’60s, Casher was working with the Vox amplifier company -- and playing with the Thomas Organ Company’s Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra -- when he presented an idea. “I want to sound like I can compete with a trumpet or a trombone,” he recalled saying to the Vox engineering team, while describing the technical attributes he wanted to achieve. Their collaborative work resulted in what we know today as the wah-wah pedal, but at the time Casher struggled to convince people of the device’s potential.

“I was describing to James Brown that the wah-wah pedal is really a thing of the future,” he remembered, noting how he tried to pitch the pedal to the Godfather of Soul. “And James Brown said, ‘I just think it’s a passing fad.’”

Vox initially had no plans to release the device for guitars, instead thinking it would be better suited for other instruments. “Nobody saw any future for the guitar being used with this device,” he noted to the New York Times. “They thought I was a crackpot.” However, Casher eventually convinced them to let him release a promotional recording using their prototype. The guitarist then traveled to instrument stores to put on demonstrations with the pedal, but he still failed to generate much commercial interest.

It was a different rock pioneer, Frank Zappa, who gave the wah-wah a needed push. After Casher sat in with the Mothers of Invention, Zappa became intrigued by the pedal’s distinctive sound. He gifted one to Jimi Hendrix, who then utilized the device throughout his groundbreaking 1968 album Electric Ladyland. Suddenly, the wah-wah was a sound every guitarist wanted.

Such iconic rockers as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and David Gilmour utilized the wah-wah pedal to great success. It has since been utilized by generations of guitarists.

“I feel gratified that I was there at the beginning,” Casher admitted to the New York Times, noting his unique place in music history. “I would just like guitar players to think of me once in a while. The only thing I ask is: remember me.”