Favorite wah?

[rayinreverse]

Ive only ever really used a crybaby, and a morley.
I liked the Morley's switching system, but it sounded weak, and seemed to have a narrow sweep.
My crybaby was a pain in the ass to turn on. It seemed like I had to push down really hard to activate it. I sold it, rather than investigate to see if that was normal.
So I am in the market again. Any opinions? Vox?

[johnny problem]

[Discö Rice]

Wow. Those Teese wahs got told. Outdone on both counts. I like the stretch wah the most, followed closely by the crybaby.

[NoSleepTilSleep]

A Fulltone Clyde standard has always been my go-to (it's a particularly sweet sounding one). Also worth checking is the Ernie Ball wah, it gets a lot
of shit for having "no character" (really it just doesn't have any frequency peaks, just a very even response). Which makes it work really well with heavier fuzz and drive.   

[ROWDYBEER]

My area 51 has the best sweet spots. For all out wah wahing I really like my budwah.

[peyotepeddler]

i use a standard crybaby wah, if you don't add a true bypass it will suck some mids out, i never modded mine



tried a teese picture wah, that thing was killer, but i don't use wah enough to justify the price

[Instant Dan]

Colorsound wah, just for uniqueness. Otherwise, the Budda wah is one of my favorites but the modded Vox Wah Rowdybeer sold me is pretty righteous, gets some whacked out tones. I really just boost the volume, bass, and adjust the sweep ever so slightly as it gets too much on ten.

[hayseed]

I love my Crybaby. It has been a staple in my guitar rig for quite sometime now. No mods, nothing special, just a Crybaby. For a bass wah, I recommend the Behringer Hellbabe for tone but the build quality is REALLY bad. Sounds great however.

[Dave J]

I like my Snarling Dog wah, it has a good, wide sweep.  I mainly use my Morely Power Wah Fuzz now, though.  I get all the sounds i need.

[black_out]

I used to have a Fulltone Clyde Standard. I sold it to a friend because I was broke and I wasn't using it very often at the time. I regret selling it every time I seem him playing it.

[mortlock]

i got a crybaby bass wah..had it for years. very durable..
i also have the same issue with turning it on on off. i like the sound but it could have a bigger sweep. i like the morley. at least i think id like to have one. dont own one yet but thinking about it..

[ROWDYBEER]

A little off topic but it's real easy to adjust how hard it is to turn a wah of and on.
Take off the bottom of the wah.
Take nut off top of switch.
On the inside of wah between switch and body on neck of switch there's a bunch of washers or shims.
Take out some shims and switching will get easier as the switch will stuck further out the top.
Basically from the factory the switch has a bunch of shims and is set low so you have to mash down on the pedal (actually the rubber feet) to get it to switch.
Takes about a minute to adjust to your liking.
Hope I explained that well. So easy. 
Back on subject.
Garmopat modded vox and crybabys are sweet as well.

[Baltar]

I got this T.O. Crybaby for $50 and modded it.  ICAR pot, 3PDT, Stack o' Dimes, LED.

[mortlock]

im not sure what all that is but i wish i had it in my crybaby..

[RacerX]

It's modded to true bypass and has an added on/off indicator led. Purple, heh.

[dogfood]

Vox.  bought it in the 90's.  I haven't bought a new one since a dude who worked at a guitar store told me after a show "that is what a wah is supposed to sound like, mine does not."  Word.  Though I have been eyeball'n a new booteek guts package.

[Baltar]

Vox.  bought it in the 90's.  I haven't bought a new one since a dude who worked at a guitar store told me after a show "that is what a wah is supposed to sound like, mine does not."  Word.  Though I have been eyeball'n a new booteek guts package.

Doing the resistor mod is very cheap, maybe $1-2 for 3-4 resistors. The Whipple package on ebay is worth it.  $47 is good for the whole shooting match.  I would have nabbed it if my Crybaby didn't have the "stack o' dimes" inductor.  Dunlop only recently started to make their wahs better.  Their new sig models have better components in them (Fasel inductors, true-bypass), but the older ones are kinda junky, plus they suck volume and tone when engaged.  Even a stock Crybaby will sound a lot better after a few resistor swaps.

Here's an article I saved from the Greenfuzz page.

Replace the 33K resistor in parallel with the inductor with a 68K. This gives a more vocal quality to the wah. Some Vox Clyde McCoy wahs had 100K resistors here.
Gain and Bass Response
Replace the 470 ohm resistor (some have 390 or 510) at the emitter of Q1 with a lower value. This increases gain, which is useful if you've converted to true bypass. The bass response is also increased. Too low a value here may introduce some distortion and make the wah sound muddy. Try 270 - 330 ohms to start with.
Midrange
Replace the 1K5 resistor between the base of Q1 and the inductor with a larger value. This increases the midrange and helps if your wah sounds dull and muted when you rock the pedal back. Try 1K8 to 2K7. Higher values than stock also smooth out the bass-treble transition. Most people refer to the 33K as the "Q" resistor, but this resistor also affects the Q.
Sweep Range
Change the sweep by swapping the 0.01µF cap between the emitter of Q2 and the inductor. A smaller value will make the wah sweep more trebly and vice-versa. If you're converting to or from a bass wah, this is the one to change. Try 0.068µF for a bass wah.
Volume
If you've converted to true bypass, replace the 68K series input resistor with a lower value, say 47K. This gives a slight increase in volume. Too low a value is likely to result in the pedal picking up radio interference. This can be addressed by adding small value (10 - 20pF) capacitors between the collector and base of each transistor.
Reference Photos
Vox V847 (US). Dunlop Crybaby Rev. C & D are similar.










Dunlop Crybaby GCB-95 Rev. F & G.
?

Pots
You can use any old pot, but cheap carbon pots will wear out in no time and standard log/lin resistance tapers aren't ideal for use in a wah. Commercial wah pots have a kink in the taper, where the resistance suddenly shoots up within a small degree of rotation. This kink is the point where the bass-treble transition is most noticeable, and which makes the wah so expressive.
A standard log (audio) taper pot will produce a sweep which is mostly treble, unless you sacrifice the high frequencies to get some low end - a pedal with an extra long throw helps. A linear taper pot will sweep more quickly from treble to bass, but it's a smooth sweep and not very expressive. For a "correct" Vox/Crybaby wah pot, there are a few options, but they are relatively expensive. The better ones are modelled on the resistance taper of the ICAR pots found in '60s Vox wahs. I recommend the Pro Pot.
Colorsounds use a cranked linkage to get a non-linear sweep from a linear pot. I recommend Bourns conductive plastic pots for these. Unfortunately, they're not available as a dual gang version for wah-swell pedals.
Wah-Volume pedal mod
Lifting the earth connection of the 4.7µF capacitor will cancel the wah effect and leave you with a volume pedal. The wah circuit will thin out the tone in volume mode - to get around this, the '70s Jen Wah-Volume pedal switches in a 4K7 resistor and 0.22µF cap in series across the 0.01µF "sweep cap". This isn't a very useful mod in practice; if the pot is set to get a good wah sweep, it won't go silent in volume mode, and if it's set up to kill the volume, there won't be enough treble in the wah.









Mod-able Wah Project notes
Revision 02 June 2004


Thanks to Gerben Koopman for this wonderful project!  I have slightly enhanced
his original project and created an improved pcb mask.

The idea of this project is to use an exsisting wah and replace the circuit board
add a couple rotary switches and have a "super wah"!

The PCB has 3 different ways to change the sound:
1.  different trimpots to change the 'timbre' of the Wah
2.  different capacitors to select the range over which the filter works
3.  selection of 1 of 2 inductor or 2 inductors in series.


Trimpots
--------
You can measure the trimpots before you install them.  Using a ohm-meter you
can tune the trimpot into the original value of the resistor it is replacing
and mark that spot on the trimpot.  This will give you a reference for tuning
the trim pots once the project is up and running.

1. Gain-50K-pot (R1b). This gives, together with the 22K, the original 68 K for the
  input resistor. Lowering the value gives more gain and a bit more bass.
  This pot can be used to make the wah uni-gain or to give a small volume
  boost.

2. 'Saturation'-5K-pot (R2). This replaces the 1K5-resistor. To my ears it gives
  more mid/saturation when raising the value. Go easy on this one or the
  sound will get to muddy.

3. Q-50K-pot (R7b). The original 33K is still in place. Changes the the Q of the
  filter. Raising this pot gives a more peaky wah sound.

4. 'Honk'-1K-pot (R4). This replaces the original 510/470 Ohm-resitor. Lowering
   this one gives more 'Honk' to my ears.

Capacitors (C2a-f)
Bigger value caps = lower frequency range

Suggested values; 5n6, 8n2, 10n (original), 15n, 22n and 33n. Try and see
what you like. Use a 6PDT rotaryswitch with 'break-before-make' contacts.
You can place a 1M-resistor over every pole on the switch stop the popping
(which is really loud!) when switching when the wah is in use.

Inductors.
Using 2 inductors in series gives a really fat sound which is different
than switching the 'range-capacitor'. The Fulltone-inductor gives my
main-sound and I use the original Vox-inductor in series for the 'fat'-sound.

Note that the diagram shows wiring for a rotary switch, you can also use a 4PDT on-on-on toggle switch if you can find one.

Copyright 2004  JD Sleep
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com


Tone sucking is the commonest complaint about wah pedals. The design of the most common "Crybaby" wah and of the Vox reissues is a throwback to earlier years when true bypass was not considered to be an absolute requirement in pedal design. The input of the wah circuit is connected to the guitar signal all the time, and the loading of the wah input affects the treble of the guitar signal disproportionately, giving a deader sound even when the wah is "bypassed".
There are two ways around this. One is to completely disconnect the wah board from the guitar signal when the wah pedal is bypassed by changing the Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) bypass switch that is stock in most wahs for a Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) footswitch. This converts the stock wah pedal to true bypass, and tone sucking is eliminated. However, there is the question of that DPDT footswitch and how it gets wired.
In many cases, you can achieve just as good an elimination of tone sucking by buffering the input of the wah pedal. A buffer consists of an active device that has a very high input impedance, 1M ohm or more, that will not load the guitar signal down and that will drive the wah input as well (or better!) than the guitar signal itself. This buffer is inserted between the existing input signal and the input of the wah circuit. With a buffer in place, the original SPDT bypass switch can be left in place, and tone sucking will be a thing of the past.
The easiest simple buffer is the JFET source follower. This is simple and cheap to hook into the existing wah board, and only one of the existing wah components has to be disturbed at all. This schematic shows the changes we will be doing. On the left is the original circuit, and on the right we have inserted the buffer. Even if your wah board is not exactly like the one in the following pictures, you should be able to locate the input resistor, +9V, and ground points on your board and be able to wire a buffer in.
This picture shows a typical Crybaby wah board. There have been several generations of this kind of board, differing slightly in appearance, but all of which seem to share the component layout shown here. Some early ones will not have the diode we use for connections to +9V and ground, or the capacitor and resistor immediately above it. On these earlier boards, you can use your voltmeter to find a component lead that connects to +9V and ground, and transfer those connections to the alternate component leads you find. In all the cases I've looked at, the input resistor is in the same place, though. Carefully compare your wah board to this one, and only modify yours if it matches the component layout, or if you have the skills to make the modifications from the schematic if your board is differently arranged.
To make the mods, refer to the first steps picture. This identifies the input resistor and the points where you can tap off +9V and ground for the buffer.
Once you have the layout firmly in mind, refer to the second mods picture. Remove the board from the case, and use a soldering iron to melt the solder on the solder side of the end of the input resistor as indicated. Use needle nosed pliers or a similar tool to avoid burned fingers and lift out the indicated end of the resistor as the solder melts. Bend the now-free end of the resistor up out of the board as indicated. Place the sharp end of a wooden toothpick or the end of a pencil near the center of the solder pad you just pulled the resistor lead from and remelt the solder so the toothpick opens up the hole and you can reinsert a new lead into it.
Take a 1M 1/4W resistor and position it as shown. Insert one of its leads under the indicated end of the resistor and solder it to the resistor lead. This connects it to ground. Slip a bit of insulation stripped from some hookup wire over the free end of the resistor and insert it into the hole vacated by the free end of the input resistor. Solder this lead on the solder side of the board and clip any excess off.
Spread the gate and drain leads of your JFET sideways away from the center source lead of the device (note - if you use a different type number JFET, you may have a different pinout, and you'll have to figure out which lead is which to connect them up). It's not a bad idea to slip bits of insulation stripped from hookup wire over the JFET leads as we will be using them for point to point wiring. Bend the end of the gate lead into a little hook, hook it under the end of the 1M resistor on the top/component side of the board and solder it in place. The JFET now sits in midair, held up by its gate lead. Bend the free end of the input resistor towards the JFET, bend a hook in the end of the center (source) lead, then bend the source lead of the JFET to the end of the resistor, hook them together and solder .
Position a 10K 1/4W resistor as shown, and clip its leads to approximate length. Form the ends into little hooks, and hook one end over the anode (non-banded) end of the diode as shown, and solder it into place. Hook the other end over the previously soldered joint between the JFET source lead and the input resistor free end, and solder it into place.
Finally take a bit of insulation and slip it over one end of the 10 ohm resistor and place the 10 ohm as indicated. The insulation will keep the leads of the 10K and the 10 ohm from shorting +9V to ground. Clip the leads to approximate length as show, form hooks on each end, and solder each end, one to +9V at the diode, and the other to the drain lead of the JFET. Note that the 10 ohm resistor is used here just as a low resistance connection, and you could simply use a piece of insulated hookup wire instead of a 10 ohm resistor.
Make sure that none of the wires short where they shouldn't, and that they go where they should. When you solder, use a well tinned tip, and use the least amount of solder you can, as any excess solder will give you misery from intermittent shorts. Also be sure that you place the 10K and 10 ohm resistors so they will not interfere with the screw that goes through the board mounting hole.
That's it! The JFET is connected to ground by the 1M resistor, and it picks up the input signal from the wiring pad that the input resistor used to connect to. The JFET drain is connected to +9V through a low resistance path. The JFET source is connected to ground by a 10K resistor, which self-biases the JFET into the linear region, and the signal is taken from the source of the JFET into the old input resistor. The input blocking capacitor that used to block the 0V signal level from the guitar from reaching the several-volt bias level of the first wah transistor now blocks the volt-or-two DC level at the JFET source from reaching the first wah transistor, so all is well from a DC bias standpoint. The JFET is happy with it's gate at ground, the guitar is happy with a 1M input resistor, and no tone sucking happens.
Copyright 1999 R.G. Keen. All rights reserved.


The Vox 847 wah pedal:

?


Installed: Carling 316PP DPDT on/off switch for true bypass
Fulltone Icar tone pot
Area 51 wah inductor
Volume mod on R1: changed from 68K resistor to 47K resistor

"Q" adjustment mod: changed Resistor 3 (33K Ohms) to a 100K trimpot. You can use either a 56K or 68K resistor to tune the "Q". Tuned trimpot to 56K ohms w/ multimeter before installing wah on circuit board.

Gain/Bass mod: changed the Resistor 8 ( 510 Ohms) to a 1K Ohm trimpot. I adjusted trimpot w/ multimeter to 330 Ohms. Recommended trimpot values would be between 270 to 330 Ohms. You can use regular resistors in the 270 to 330 Ohms range as well.

Midrange mod: changed Resistor 2 (1.5K Ohms) to 2.2K Ohms. Other values to try out would be 1.7K to 2.2K Ohm resistors. I was considering adding a 5K Ohm trimpot in place of the resistor and marking the trimpot on the values mentioned above. I might try this out in the future.

The 1989 Dunlop Crybaby Wah Pedal. Not everyone's favorite wah pedal, but available and very easy to find. Again this wah pedal has the typical Crybaby tone, shrill highs & muddy lows. I bought this one off of a college student for $15.00 used.
This wah pedal needed a lot of work since the pedal since the pedal was originally non functioning. I had to resolder one of the capacitors and install a new 9 volt battery.
This is a picture of it:?



Installed: Carling 316PP DPDT on/off switch for true bypass
Fulltone Icar tone pot
Dunlop reissue Fasel wah inductor (red)

"Q" adjustment mod: changed 33K Ohms resistor to a 100K Ohm trimpot. You can use either a 56K or 68K resistor to tune the "Q". Tuned trimpot to 56K ohms w/ multimeter before installing wah on circuit board.

Gain/Bass mod: changed the 510 Ohms resistor to a 1K Ohm trimpot. I adjusted trimpot w/ multimeter to 330 Ohms. Recommended trimpot values would be between 270 to 330 Ohms. You can use regular resistors in the 270 to 330 Ohms range.

Midrange mod: changed 1.5K Ohms resistor to 2.2K Ohms resistor. Other values to try out would be between 1.7K to 2.2K Ohm resistors. I was considering adding a 5K Ohm trimpot in place of the resistor and marking the trimpot on the values mentioned above. I might try this out in the future.

Volume mod: changed from 68K resistor to 47K resistor

Soon to be upgraded: Changing the 0.01uFcapacitor to a 0.022uF capacitor to lower the wah frequency range.

Installation of Boss PSA adaptor jack to make the wah pedal's power supply universal with any commercially made power supply.

There are a number of websites on the Internet that has information for doing wah pedal mods. I found these links very informative for those of you interested in doing wah mods:

http://hem.bredband.net/b120062/projects/wahmods/

http://members01.chello.se/pastorn/fx/mods/dunlop.htm

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

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/s.cast...eenfuz/wah.html

?


"Q" resistor A stock value: 33k
mod: 68k-100k
This resistor sets the sharpness of the peak, larger values can provide increased vocality. I've found that the oft-suggested 68k is too sharp for me.

"Q" resistor B and Mids mod:2k  
stock value: 1k5
Bass and Gain mod: 390 ohms
stock value: 510 ohms
Sweep Cap mod: 0.0133 µF
stock value: 0.01µF  

[blackkrosses]

A little off topic but it's real easy to adjust how hard it is to turn a wah of and on.
Take off the bottom of the wah.
Take nut off top of switch.
On the inside of wah between switch and body on neck of switch there's a bunch of washers or shims.
Take out some shims and switching will get easier as the switch will stuck further out the top.
Basically from the factory the switch has a bunch of shims and is set low so you have to mash down on the pedal (actually the rubber feet) to get it to switch.
Takes about a minute to adjust to your liking.
Hope I explained that well. So easy. 
Back on subject.
Garmopat modded vox and crybabys are sweet as well.

I also had good luck gluing a penny to the felt of the toe on the rocker.