Singing Frog Syndrom

[dstrats]

Hi all,

Don't know if this belongs here but I'll give it a try.

I own a wah-wah pedal that has been great for many years. I had to change the pot about 2 years ago but that was it. Well, I had this wah at a gig last month on the 26th (not that it matters) and every time I switched it on it didn't work. It just cut my signal all together. When I switched it to be off my signal returned. I have a TS808 and a TS7 after the wah. I thought it was a battery so I changed it before we actually started to play the show. Well, it still didn't work during most of the performance. It worked on a couple of the songs at the end of the set.

I figured after that it might be the switch. So this last Saturday I tested it at home, all by itself. I used the same cable I did at the gig, a George L. Well, at home it didn't work. Then, I thought it could be the cable itself, so I then tried a Fender guitar cable. Sure enough it started working, perfectly. So, I had a gig this last Sunday. Brought the same wah and used the Fender cable. Well, the wah refused to work. It never turned on.

So tonight I decided to test it again. I wired it up just like at the gigs with the two TS pedals after the wah. I used my G-L cable and nothin'. Then I put in the Fender cable and it worked. I then put back in the G-L cable to rule it out but, to my surprise, it worked with the G-L cable too!

So... what can be the prob? Is it indeed the switch? Could it be the input jack? What should I look for?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to some replies. 

[jasperoosthoek]

Do you have a DMM? Things like that are most easily clarified if you check resistances. If it works with one cable there is nothing to test with that cable (and at least the wah circuit seems to work). But if it refuses with another cable, what is the cause? You could hook it up and check of there is a connection between the signal wire and the wire inside the jack input. Maybe there are shorts? (Between the signal wire and the ground). Maybe there is a problem with the cable itself. Sometimes the signal wire breaks inside the wire close to the jack plug. If you move it a bit the connection can return.

A cheap DMM costs only a couple of bucks, much less than a good guitar cable. The cheapest ones usually work fine. I know because my well trusted DMM was only 3 euros/$4.

[petemoore]

  The debugging thread details what's needed in the content of an electronics question to make it decreasingly long, increasingly answerable.

[maarten]

As both cables work now and then (erratically) I suppose the problem is within your wah pedal itself. Check for bad solder joints and /or for possible shortage to ground, maybe starting with the pot you put in 2 years ago. When testing, also twist and bend cables and exercise some force (tapping or heavier) on the pedal, to see whether the signal appears or disappears. When it appears not to be working, check all connections with an ohmsmeter. Sometimes it can be very hard to locate a problem like this. Hope this will help you,
Maarten

[chi_boy]

More importantly, how many people get the singing frog reference. Can't help, but a bump just the same.


-MJF

[Joe Hart]

More importantly, how many people get the singing frog reference. Can't help, but a bump just the same.


-MJF

I have recently gotten my kids (7 and 3) into the classic WB 'tunes, much to my wife's chagrin. She's a Disney gal. My kids love that short!
-Joe Hart

[GibsonGM]

Are the jacks tight to the enclosure? I've seen a LOT of wahs crap out cuz the jacks were loose.  And they sometimes rotate and take out their wires inside, too.   
Just sayin'...

[Quackzed]

Are the jacks tight to the enclosure? I've seen a LOT of wahs crap out cuz the jacks were loose.

+1
also check that the jack pins are making good contact with the tip and sleeve of the plugs... if its very easy to insert / remove the in/out cable plugs, or if they feel loose when plugged in,  you may just need to bend the jack pins a bit to make better contact with the plugs.

[Brymus]

More importantly, how many people get the singing frog reference. Can't help, but a bump just the same.


-MJF

I have recently gotten my kids (7 and 3) into the classic WB 'tunes, much to my wife's chagrin. She's a Disney gal. My kids love that short!
-Joe Hart

Yeah that is one of the better ones that WB did,.............ribbit

[dstrats]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

The jacks are tight and secure, with and without a guitar cable in.

I do own a DMM, so I will probe around and check all the resistors and such and see if one needs to be changed. All the wires on jacks and pot seem to be connected well with no solder breaks. The joints still look pretty shiny too.

Sorry, "petemoore", for putting this here. I will remember the suggested location with future posts. Thanks.

The "Singing Frog" is indeed a classic WB 'tune. It's where the frog will only sing with the owner in private. When in public or with a person close by other than the owner it would not sing. Kinda like my wah working sorta at home but not at a gig. Classic WB 'tunes rule! 

[Kearns892]

Sorry, "petemoore", for putting this here. I will remember the suggested location with future posts. Thanks.

I believe you misunderstood Pete. This is the proper location to post for help debugging a stompbox. The debugging thread cannot actually be posted on (it is a locked thread at the top of the first page), and instead details some common problems you should double check for, and a method for posting information about the stompbox and the specific problem in a standardized way that is easier for people to make sense of so they can better help you.

As for my 2 cents, the fact that this is an intermittent problem and a pedal that used to be reliable makes me think something inside has come loose. Checking the input jack (and output jack for that matter) to see if any of the connections to the jack are weak or it the jack is loose and able to rotate if it could possible be touching something else metal in the box and grounding itself out. Your best bet may be sending a signal through the pedal and wiggling loose bits around and see if you can the area that is causing an intermittent connection.

Hope that helps.

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

I have helped repair a number of wahs with these symptoms and in every case it was dry solder joints around the input and output jacks. There is a lot of stress put on these joints in wahs because they get moved so much and are usually soldered directly to the pcb

[audiohub]

Most wahs use a stereo input jack, with the ring contact connecting the negative side of the battery to ground when a standard mono guitar cable is plugged in. If this part of the connector doesn't make good contact with the plug, or is dirty/damaged, then the wah won't power up, and will only work in bypass.
If the wah has a plug for an AC adapter, check this out as well. These have a contact for the + side of the battery, to take it out of the circuit when an adapter is used. This contact will fail sometimes as well.
If any of this stuff is on the PC board, check and possibly reflow those connections.
Good Luck!

[dstrats]

Hi all,

Thanks for the two additional posts. I appreciate the advice.

I do believe it is something wrong with the input jack. I tested the pedal again, same two TS pedal behind the wah. Took the amp off stand-by and switched the wah on and nothing. I then slowly wiggled my guitar cable's jack end that was in the wah and the signal came back. It was on. But, then when I let the cable go, even though the rocker part of the pedal was in the bass position (toe-up), the sound produced was the signal fading away and it automatically (sound-wise) toed-down. As it faded it got brighter. That's just strange to me.

I will check the solder joints on the input jack again. BTW, the jacks are not on the board. There is an AC adapter on the PCB, but I never use it, although I will check the solder joints there too. I was wondering, being that I only use 9v for my pedals, would there be any harm in removing the AC adapter from the board or will that harm the circuit?

Thanks again guys, and thank you "Kearns892" for clearing that up for me. I will reference that page more often before posting. 

Take care!!

[dstrats]

Hi all,

Just wanted to let y'all know that I got my wah to work again, like new. I guess it was just a bad input jack. I reheated the solder joints on the jack to make 'em shine again and I even re-soldered the pot cuz my first attempt was kinda sloppy.

Got all contacts soldered beautifully and tested it again and still the same prob only a lil better. When I put the jack into the input it wouldn't pass signal whilst the pedal was on until I gently pushed down on the guitar cables end with my foot and then it worked... until I unplugged and re-plugged. Then I'd have to tap on the guitar cable end to activate the wah again, and again.

So I decided to replace the input jack with a spare one from my Fuzz Face (stereo jack) and sure enough it worked like new. No probs what-so-ever.

So, thanks again to y'all that helped with suggestions and such. Once again I say, THIS SITE ROCKS!!!!!

Thanks!