Del Casher, inventor of the wah-wah pedal, dead at 88

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Set us as preferred Del Casher, the guitarist who invented the wah-wah pedal that transformed the sound of classic rock, has died.He was 88.Casher died Oct.

1 after battling cancer, according to a GoFundMe account posted Oct.29 by family friends to support his widow.

Born Delton Kacher in Indiana, the guitarist played with the famed session ensemble the Wrecking Crew.He performed with Gene Autry and Lawrence Welk, and appeared on screen with Elvis Presley in the musical film “Roustabout” and Jerry Lewis in comedy film “The Patsy.” While tinkering with new electronics to innovate his sound in the late ‘60s, he had the idea for a pedal that could alter the instrument’s EQ frequencies mid-performance.

Along with engineer Brad Plunkett, he developed the first “Cry Baby” pedal with the Thomas Organ Co.The pedal added a distinct, elastic and almost vocal-like tone to lead playing — which gave it its onomatopoeic nickname.

Music Lloyd’s playing in Television fulfilled the genre’s promises of swaggering virtuosity and restless re-invention.Though the pedal wasn’t an instant sensation, after Frank Zappa gave one to Jimi Hendrix, the wah-wah became a core part of Hendrix’s sound, bringing new textures and expressiveness to his revolutionary riffs on “Voodoo Child” and “All Along the Watchtower.”Countless bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Rage Against the Machine made the pedal fixtures in their rigs, and funk musicians savored the rich tang it could bring to R&B playing.The pedal’s most recognizable use is probably on Isaac Hayes’ theme from “Shaft,” which became a top-selling record and won an Oscar.

Alongside his hallmark invention, Casher helped develop, invent and popularize the Ecco-Fonic, a compact tape echo system, the Fender Electronic Echo Chamber and the Roland Guitar S...