cry cry baby

My buddy who plays guitar/computer repair got a free crybaby original wah in trade. He is unhappy with the sound and is looking to mod it out.
Suggestions?

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=112&Itemid=158

"The effects in this catagory give the guitar sound a wah wah effect." Despite that dumb first sentence, there's some good stuff here. They might even have PCB's available.

If you're ambitious: http://ax84.com/media/ax84_m58.pdf

what kind of inductor does it have?

dave

First link bad?

go to geofex.com and read about it a good read helps with the inductor mystery part I mean this in a very good way the "magic" iductor gave up it secret (it was built with a cheap(junk?) core)

Then tell us what you want it to sound like and what it sounds like. I have done a number of whas both 2 and 3 transistor models, funny thing except for the one "magic" inductor type most can be tuned to sound OK. The "magic" one is something very cool.

Wow! A tube wah!

You can buy long life pots and inductors from Mike at Fulltone, if he is still offering.
I have a Clyde and it sounds great. Don't like the longer pedal as much as the original wah.

Then tell us what you want it to sound like and what it sounds like.

Click to expand...

I have no idea to be honest. I am not a guitar player by any means. my buddy, and I quote "it just doesn't move me. can you see if there are any mods that I can do to it?"

If you can take a picture of the board post it.

Panasonic Vs (stacked PET) can sound real good in a wha. FWIW TFC are PET caps I have cut them open.
Poly pros little to no DA, some PETs pan Vs, mallory 150s? just the right amount of DA. Increasing the feedback cap from .01 to .022 can give some more low end. Moving the pot and pinion to a different spot in relation to the rack can change the sweep etc. etc.

Fasel inductor?

you gotta post a picture of the inductor. some are good for this, others good for that...

dave

My fulltone has some of those tropical fish caps in it.

Antique Electronics wants $18 for either of the Fasel inductors. (One is allegedly clean sounding, the other is "vintage"). If'n I'm not mistaken, it's an air-core coil that wouldn't be hard to make.

I think it's a pot core ferrite. I will open up the clyde to check.

if its a real fasel, $18 is fair, fulltone and mccoy were charging more.

dave

[quote author="soundguy"]if its a real fasel, $18 is fair, fulltone and mccoy were charging more.

dave[/quote]

What a surprize!

yeah, but the mccoy inductor was insanely insanely awesome, so insanely awesome that he stopped selling them. Id pay $50 for one without even thinking twice, it was an EXACT sounding replica of the inductors that predated the TDK's in the thomas organ crybabys. Exact. The fulltone sorta sounded like a halo, but not really. The mccoy was insane though. I have a friend in london who hand winds inductors for wah pedals and he'll wind you whatever you want, Ive used his inductors in several wahs Ive built and they are really great.

You might have a good inductor to start with though, post a pic...

dave

I had one of the really old Crybabies. When I was in high school, a kid in my shop class sold it to me for cheap because it was "broken." Turned out it just needed one wire re-soldered from the battery clip.

That was a good-sounding wah. I used it a lot in my first band, but I lost interest in wah after we split up and I haven't "wah'ed" since. The pedal could still be floating around somewhere in my parents' basement for all I know. I should look for it sometime.

Here are a few of my toys.
The rat has been modded with germanium diodes:



Here is a closer look at the clyde.
I got #33:



You can tweak the tone with the trim pot: