Fixing two wah-wah problems

[andrewsrea]

I designed and prototyped a true bypass + LED indicator drop-in board, to resolve the two annoyances of a stock wah pedal: 1.) Why does it such tone when the effect is off, and 2.) Is it on or is it off (no visual indicator)?

It is 5v relay-based, required moving 4 wires and only 6 solder joints. Silent, suck-free switching and you cannot miss the jumbo LED which indicates the effect is still on. All fit inside the pedal and away from the internal battery, so a user would not accidentally interfere with it.

Vox Wah TBP w- LED.jpg

[mozz]

Been down the Clyde/wah rabbit hole way too many times. I love the 80's-90's Vox pedals. Anyway on the cry baby i rip the pcb board right out and start from scratch. On the Vox i have here i used one of those custom 500mh inductors from eBay, they are $30 now plus shipping from Greece. Some lower gain transistors such as 2n2924/25, tropical fish for 220n, polystyrene for the .010s and a Callins 4uf cap. If you ever gut a Thomas/Maestro era organ you'll get a good assortment of era correct transistors, orange, green, and yellow dot gain buckets.

IMG_20241227_141736187.jpg

[andrewsrea]

Been down the Clyde/wah rabbit hole way too many times.
IMG_20241227_141736187.jpg

Sounds like you have an ear for these effects! I do and I don't, at least not like when I OCD about a guitar, pickup, amp or dirt pedal.

When you head down the rabbit hole, what is the sonic / performance outcome that tells you that you are closer to wah nirvana?

[mozz]

Well, for me it comes down to the sweep range. If it's too narrow it's too hard to control, and if it's to wide it takes too much movement to get there. Pots and the travel are another thing. The freq range has to be wide but not too wide. You don't really want a sharp "Q" on the filter or too broad. That 100k or 33k across the inductor makes a difference. I think when i had a Colorsound wah (UK made)back in the 80's and i learned on that, anything else doesn't work good for me. Old dog/new tricks is hard to learn. Wish i never sold it, or the Thomas wah i had either. I have 2 cry babys on a shelf and 2 other empty shells when that bug hits me again to mod them.

[andrewsrea]

@mozz, I am glad you mentioned the 'Q', as that is where I was leaning. On the edge of the effect sounding like the inside of a pipe or flanger. I also like when they have a sweet spot in the mid-range that you can set the treadle and solo or do he 'Money for Nothing' thing.