I don't like my wah anymore - pot wear?

[nils]

Hi there!

I've got a CryBaby that's a few years old (somewhere between 5 and 10 years), and I don't like it anymore. It used to sound pretty nice and smooth, but I've had a 2-year break w/o a band where it didn't get used very much, just occasionally (but IMO enough to keep the pot clean and working).

But when I tried it out again today at the rehearsal space it sounded like shit. The treble position doesn't sound as sharp as I remember, there's an annoying mid peak now shortly after lifting the pedal, and all the way up it sounds... indifferent. What's wrong here? Pot wear (I think the pot's already been changed once a few years ago)? Or general part wear (caps/res)? I think all the parts are stock values except the Rq which is a 100k pot instead of the fixed 33k, and I might have changed the 390R to 470R or 510R, I don't really remember; but it used to sound great. Any ideas? Thanks!

P.S. how good or bad is the idea to attack the wah pot with this contact cleaner spray I have sitting on my desk?

[petemoore]

well the problem is either electro or mechanical, because you describe much of the range as being different I'm less inclined to advise the wah pot as a place to start being it is the most odds on failure component. IME a bad wah pot starts off being a point in the range where the pot opens...to 0 resistance, a misfuncion over most of the pot range *could be the cause, hard to say without seeing it...
 Other than that it could be a bad ground or anything.

[jimbob]

How busy of a guy are you? Theres tons of info here about what your looking for. I'm so amazed / impressed by the info at the GGG site on the super mod wah,  Instead of using trimmers I used pots and drilled through the casing for  that exact sound I wanted ..and DAMN !! I found more than Id ever expected!! So many choices!! Trash your board and buy ot perf this thing.  If You cant find what your looking for- than just give up. :cry:

Good luck! I just about finished mine and it ROCKS!!!
BTW--Tone pad also has a few great ideas that might add to what your looking for as well.

Worse case- sell it on EBAY and buy an RMC..