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building a Wah

9/12/2003 4:35 PM
Chris ( CMW amps )	building a Wah Hi all I did get an old VolumePedal from a buddy and it's just perfect for a cool WahWah-case . After purchasing and modding an old ColorSound WahWah I do wanna build a VOX / CryBaby one . What do you suggest regarding : - circuit - transistors - pot - choke - pcb tia & have a nice weekend ! Chris

9/12/2003 7:28 PM
Chris B	I would change the input cap on the crybaby to a .1uF instead of the stock value (can't remember what that is right now) and also change the 390 ohm resistor on Q1 to 220 ohm. These are the mods my crybaby has in it, and I like it. Chris B

9/12/2003 8:20 PM
Chris ( CMW amps )	Chris Thanks for your suggestions . Right now I only do have the pedal and a Vox , CryBaby or "Clyde" alike would be a cool project . I do have some "general" PCBs and the caps and resistors ain't no problem . I'm looking for a fat but clear Wah sound or like "Voodoo Chile" , "Please let me talking to you" ( ? , anyway : a jazzy/wah wah Hendrix song )and reggae . I can make and install a Q-pot and a cap-switch but I need some good advice on the transistors , choke and pot . Chris W(ah)

9/12/2003 8:20 PM

Chris ( CMW amps )

Chris

Thanks for your suggestions .
Right now I only do have the pedal and a Vox , CryBaby or "Clyde" alike would be a cool project . I do have some "general" PCBs and the caps and resistors ain't no problem .
I'm looking for a fat but clear Wah sound or like "Voodoo Chile" , "Please let me talking to you" ( ? , anyway : a jazzy/wah wah Hendrix song )and reggae .
I can make and install a Q-pot and a cap-switch but I need some good advice on the transistors , choke and pot .

Chris W(ah)

9/13/2003 5:02 AM
Chris B	Chris, My wah was the standard GCB-95 Crybaby Wah before the mods. I used a .1uF cap on the input, a 220 ohm resistor on the first stage of the wah section, and I went to a 47k resistor in parallel with the inductor. I think that there's a schematic for the GCB-95 in RG Keen's technology of the wah article. I think my wah sounds a lot like Jimi Hendrix's wah, but I'm no wah expert. I don't use my wah much, just when I get my Big Muff Pi or Fuzz Face out and play crazy stuff! I think "Voodoo Chile (slight return)" is what my wah sounds like now Chris B

9/13/2003 5:02 AM

Chris B

Chris,

My wah was the standard GCB-95 Crybaby Wah before the mods. I used a .1uF cap on the input, a 220 ohm resistor on the first stage of the wah section, and I went to a 47k resistor in parallel with the inductor. I think that there's a schematic for the GCB-95 in RG Keen's technology of the wah article.

I think my wah sounds a lot like Jimi Hendrix's wah, but I'm no wah expert. I don't use my wah much, just when I get my Big Muff Pi or Fuzz Face out and play crazy stuff!

I think "Voodoo Chile (slight return)" is what my wah sounds like now

Chris B

9/13/2003 10:03 AM
Chris ( CMW amps )	best choke and pot for WahWah ? Chris The schematics and tweaks are no problem to me , plenty (wah)schematics over here and last week I did mod a ColorSound ( about the same circuit ) into something wayyy nicer , fatter , better range and no volume-drop . This project is just rebuilding an old volume-pedal so I don't have a PCB ..... just the case and the "pot-mechanics" . Because the pedal was given to me and 2nd hand CryBabies are about € 60 + over here I wanna spend some bucks on a very good choke and pot . ( Yeah , I know : the total costs will be higher ) I need to know about the "best" choke and pot to use , did see some things about Fulltone and/or Teese replacement-parts and I wanna know more about them . Also : what's the "best sounding" transistor ? Did read somewhere the old ones did use BC109s ..... Chris

9/13/2003 10:03 AM

Chris ( CMW amps )

best choke and pot for WahWah ?

Chris

The schematics and tweaks are no problem to me , plenty (wah)schematics over here and last week I did mod a ColorSound ( about the same circuit ) into something wayyy nicer , fatter , better range and no volume-drop .

This project is just rebuilding an old volume-pedal so I don't have a PCB ..... just the case and the "pot-mechanics" .
Because the pedal was given to me and 2nd hand CryBabies are about € 60 + over here I wanna spend some bucks on a very good choke and pot . ( Yeah , I know : the total costs will be higher

)

I need to know about the "best" choke and pot to use , did see some things about Fulltone and/or Teese replacement-parts and I wanna know more about them .
Also : what's the "best sounding" transistor ? Did read somewhere the old ones did use BC109s .....

Chris

9/13/2003 11:07 AM
Dai Hirokawa	This site has some info and a parts source in UK: http://www.green-fuz.freeserve.co.uk R.G.'s article is excellent too. In a link on the site above, there is a wah wah UK site: http://www.wah-wah.co.uk/ --and they sell inductors, wah pots, transistors, some boards (kind of look like Teese copies). Wah wahs are maybe kind of like amps, i.e., there is no one best one for everyone but multiple good sounds/combinations of parts, I gather. Haven't tried the Fulltone inductor but the Japanese distributor has apparently begun carrying them so if I see one I'll buy it. It's supposed to be good according to a number of people who've tried/swapped them. The Fulltone pot seems pretty good. Smooth rotation. But don't use too much DeOxit on it or you'll ruin the carbon track. Teese doesn't offer parts any more. There was someone saying that none of the new pots accurately reflects the original ICAR taper, and although it kind of looks like it here: http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/kazuhee/wahpots.htm I'm not really sure since I don't have any oldies to reference off of. Recently, I'm really digging that wah sound when Clapton is demonstrating his wah on the Cream Farewell Tour film. Dai

9/13/2003 11:07 AM

Dai Hirokawa

This site has some info and a parts source in UK:

http://www.green-fuz.freeserve.co.uk

R.G.'s article is excellent too.

In a link on the site above, there is a wah wah UK site:

http://www.wah-wah.co.uk/

--and they sell inductors, wah pots, transistors, some boards (kind of look like Teese copies). Wah wahs are maybe kind of like amps, i.e., there is no one best one for everyone but multiple good sounds/combinations of parts, I gather. Haven't tried the Fulltone inductor but the Japanese distributor has apparently begun carrying them so if I see one I'll buy it. It's supposed to be good according to a number of people who've tried/swapped them. The Fulltone pot seems pretty good. Smooth rotation. But don't use too much DeOxit on it or you'll ruin the carbon track. Teese doesn't offer parts any more. There was someone saying that none of the new pots accurately reflects the original ICAR taper, and although it kind of looks like it here:

http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/kazuhee/wahpots.htm

I'm not really sure since I don't have any oldies to reference off of. Recently, I'm really digging that wah sound when Clapton is demonstrating his wah on the Cream Farewell Tour film.

Dai

9/13/2003 3:15 PM
Chris ( CMW amps )	Thanks Dai ! Yep ; "best" is not a good term to describe sounds ! The pot and choke ( and switch ) are the expensive parts . I wanna start with a 60s style Wah with the parts on a solderless breadboard for testing and tweaking and I'll probably install an extra pot on the side for Q and maybe a switch for caps or other resistors after choosing some "nice" presets . When the design is finished I'll use a pref-board . The case is pretty cool ( thanks Peter S. !!! ) and it's fun to experiment with fx due to all the amp-work over here ( people are happy and then start asking about modding their pedals ) . Did see the Fulltone choke and pot at : http://www.musictoyz.com/fulltone.htm#fullparts ( lower price then Fulltone ..... ) . If the impact from the choke is like an OT in an amplifier I sure gonna try the Fulltone one , hoping it ain't no hype again thanks for sharing your experiences and links , Chris

9/13/2003 3:15 PM

Chris ( CMW amps )

Thanks Dai !

Yep ; "best" is not a good term to describe sounds !

The pot and choke ( and switch ) are the expensive parts . I wanna start with a 60s style Wah with the parts on a solderless breadboard for testing and tweaking and I'll probably install an extra pot on the side for Q and maybe a switch for caps or other resistors after choosing some "nice" presets . When the design is finished I'll use a pref-board .
The case is pretty cool ( thanks Peter S. !!!

) and it's fun to experiment with fx due to all the amp-work over here ( people are happy and then start asking about modding their pedals ) .

Did see the Fulltone choke and pot at : http://www.musictoyz.com/fulltone.htm#fullparts ( lower price then Fulltone ..... ) .
If the impact from the choke is like an OT in an amplifier I sure gonna try the Fulltone one , hoping it ain't no hype

again thanks for sharing your experiences and links ,

Chris

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