Listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Wah-Drenched "Poster Child" Single Here

Red Hot Chili Peppers "Poster Child" animated video still
(Image credit: Warner)

Red Hot Chili Peppers have released a second single from their highly anticipated new album, Unlimited Love. 

"Poster Child" is the fifth track from the band's latest long-player that was recorded with legendary guitarist John Frusciante after he rejoined the band again back in 2019.

The song heavily features Frusciante's signature wah sound which can be heard from the off. 

Known for his love of the Ibanez WH10 wah pedal, the guitarist has needed to track down numerous replacement/backup units over the years as the original WH10 version was constructed using plastic and inevitably cracked or wore out.

Frusciante's often expansive pedalboard has taken many forms over the years, though the Ibanez WH10 wah wah has been a mainstay

Frusciante's often expansive pedalboard has taken many forms over the years, though the Ibanez WH10 has been a mainstay. (Image credit: Paul Redmond/WireImage for Evolutionary Media Group)

Nonetheless, "I don’t think there’s a better wah," Frusciante told Vintage Guitar in 2009. "When we were making [2006’s] Stadium Arcadium, there was so much wah I figured I’d use a variety of pedals and there wasn’t one that came close to the Ibanez."

But what makes the WH10 unique among wah pedals?

According to the Ibanez website, the WH10 is "the first wah pedal to utilize a multiple feedback opamp circuit, creating a much different tonal quality versus more common inductor based wahs."

Ibanez WH10V3

Ibanez WH10V3 (Image credit: Thomann)

Interestingly, around the time of Frusciante's return to the Chili Peppers fold in 2019, Ibanez released a third version of the WH10 using a more resilient metal enclosure, as per the unit's second incarnation, the WH10V2.

While the WH10V2 sports the same control features as the original, the new Ibanez WH10V3 introduces a handy true/buffered bypass toggle. 

Otherwise, the WH10V3 remains faithful to previous designs which include a depth knob along with a guitar/bass frequency range switch (350Hz - 2.2kHz and 175Hz - 1.1kHz respectively.)

Listen to "Poster Child" here...

An animated video accompanying the new single has also appeared on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Facebook page.

Red Hot Chili Peppers 'Unlimited Love' album

(Image credit: Warner)

Pre-order Unlimited Love here.

Rod Brakes

Rod Brakes is a music journalist with an expertise in guitars. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a writer covering artists, industry pros and gear includes contributions for leading publications and websites such as GuitaristTotal Guitar, Guitar WorldGuitar Player and MusicRadar in addition to specialist music books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.