tweaking the sweep of a wah

[Exactopposite]

ok so I've officially been bitten by the wah modding bug. i have a crybaby that i have modded and it sounds pretty good but there is a dead spot at the bass end of the sweep.

here's a list of what i have done so far. anything not mentioned has remained stock:

red fasel (i had a yellow one but it was microphonic)
fulltone pot
true bypass
vocal mod (68k)
gain/bass response mod (replaced the 390 ohm resistor with a 270 ohm)
replaced the 68k input resistor with a 47k
i socketed the transistors. i have a pair of each of these from small bear  to try in there (all start with bc):
108, 108B, 109, 109C i didn't see a 109B listed

I'll be experimenting with the transistors 2moro. i just got the red fasel and the transistors in today. i got the transistor sockets and the inductor in (the other stuff had already been done) but it was too late to really try it out without disturbing the neighbors. i tested it enough to make sure everything was working fine tho.

for whatever reason i have a dead spot at the bass end of the wah travel where it's too low to be useable. when i move it forward towards the treble end just a little it sounds like it's where the wah should be with the rocker all the way to the bass position. it sounds like that's where the "wah" starts. i adjusted the pot as far to the treble end as possible, so beyond that what else is there to tweak to adjust the sweep?

(i also have an old thomas organ wah with the tdk inductor on the way. it's said to not be functioning properly but hopefully i can get it up and running pretty easy. it was only $25+ shipping so i figure it's worth a shot)

[alderbody]

I have a fulltone pot that does that same but in the "exact opposite"  side of the sweep...

It had a spot slightly before the full treble side, where there must have been a peak of KOhms in the zero KOhm area
and it sounded like it had two curves!...

I just had to move the gear a few "teeth" and lead the pot to operate within the useable area.
I'm still using it like that, although i have bought a spare - ready to drop in.

Obviously something must have gone wrong during the modification of the pot's taper at the factory...

Maybe your pot has the same problem, if i understand your description clearly.

EDIT: Did you overheat it at soldering? The first fulltone pot i ever got died of overheating.
Ok, this happened after heavy use and quite a lot of mods (rewired it many times).

[Paul Marossy]

So why not just adjust the pot a little bit to get rid of the "dead spot"?

[Exactopposite]

So why not just adjust the pot a little bit to get rid of the "dead spot"?

the dead spot is with the rocker all the way back to the bass end. i would need to adjust the pot further inthe treble direction to fix that (adjusting it the other way just gives more dead area), but i ahve adjusted it as far as possible in that direction. i'm hoping there is a way to adjust this with the other components since there is physically no more adjustment in the pot in the direction i need to go in.

[Exactopposite]

I have a fulltone pot that does that same but in the "exact opposite"  side of the sweep...

It had a spot slightly before the full treble side, where there must have been a peak of KOhms in the zero KOhm area
and it sounded like it had two curves!...

I just had to move the gear a few "teeth" and lead the pot to operate within the useable area.
I'm still using it like that, although i have bought a spare - ready to drop in.

Obviously something must have gone wrong during the modification of the pot's taper at the factory...

Maybe your pot has the same problem, if i understand your description clearly.

EDIT: Did you overheat it at soldering? The first fulltone pot i ever got died of overheating.
Ok, this happened after heavy use and quite a lot of mods (rewired it many times).

yeah this could just be a glitch with the pot. it's not a big deal for genearl usage of the wah, but sometimes i like to leave a wah all the way to the bass end to get that  gritty sound. so where normally i could just tilt it all the way back and be "in the house" now i have to adjust the rocker to jsut the right spot a little up from all the way back.

also, as far as getting the pot too hot during soldering goes, i very seriouslly doubt it. i went to college for electronics (tho i don't work in that feild anymore) and i've been soldering for amny years now. i even use to have to solder SMT parts under a microscope.  anyway, that's not to say that it's not possible for me to make a mistake soldering (i recnentlly killed a computer motherboard) but in general i'd say i'm really good with a soldering iron.

[Exactopposite]

I've had time today to really check the pedal out with the new transistors. the bc109 and 109c sounded brighter than the 108 and 108b. i like the 108's better personally. the 109's sound kinda harsh in comparison. I'm going to leave the 108b's in there.

i remember before when i compared this crybaby in stock form to my colorsound reissue the crybaby sounded thin and harsh in comparison. now the crybaby makes the colorsound sound thin. it's a night and day transformation. it's amazing what these simple mods can do for a stock wah.

so aside form the dead travel at the bass end of the sweep all is good in wah land. i just have to get use to using the crybaby now since it feels a lot different form the colorsound tha i've been using for years.

[jonathan perez]

try adding some mids, by swapping the value of the mid resistor with a lower value.

that usually clears up some "congestion" in the low part of the sweep.

how about a higher value for the bass/gain resistor?

[jonathan perez]

THATS assuming that you already messed with the pot and heard no positive difference.

[Exactopposite]

THATS assuming that you already messed with the pot and heard no positive difference.

like i said above (a couple of times now lol) i already asjusted the pot as far to the treble end as possible. adjsuting it inthe opposite direction jsut gives me more dead spoaceat the bass end of the travel.

[Exactopposite]

try adding some mids, by swapping the value of the mid resistor with a lower value.

that usually clears up some "congestion" in the low part of the sweep.

how about a higher value for the bass/gain resistor?

u mean lowering the value of the 1.5k resistor? i thought the mids were increased by using a higher value. i had a 2.2k in ther brieflly. it was way too much, but it didn't change what was going on at the bass end of the sweep. i also changed the valu of the resistor that affects the bass response to a 270 ohm. it affected the sound but not that dead spot.

it may jsut be a thing wiht the pot like the other perosn said above.

[rockgardenlove]

2.2k too much!?
I've been using a 3.9 k in that spot, makes it much smoother.

[formerMember1]

This is exactly why i don't use the fulltone pot, the bass end is weird.  He adjusts it like that i think, so that he doesn't need to mess with the sweep cap to get the lower range.

move the 1k5 mids resistor higher to make it more smoother bass to mid transistion.

Your problem is probably due to having such a low bass resistor and using that with a fulltone pot....

Try running your pot at one tooth back from full treble, and increasing the sweep cap to .011uf or .012uf..   that should do it...

if not,.. try another wah pot....

just my 2 cents...

[Exactopposite]

2.2k too much!?
I've been using a 3.9 k in that spot, makes it much smoother.

really? well hell i'll try it again lol. that was wiht the other inductor and transistors. i'll get it in there 2moro

[Exactopposite]

This is exactly why i don't use the fulltone pot, the bass end is weird.  He adjusts it like that i think, so that he doesn't need to mess with the sweep cap to get the lower range.

move the 1k5 mids resistor higher to make it more smoother bass to mid transistion.

Your problem is probably due to having such a low bass resistor and using that with a fulltone pot....

Try running your pot at one tooth back from full treble, and increasing the sweep cap to .011uf or .012uf..   that should do it...

if not,.. try another wah pot....

just my 2 cents...

actually it was the same way with the stock bass resistor.  i'll stick the stock pot back in there 2moro and see what i get. i really hate to think that i spent $25 on a bum pot. especially when your avg pot for anything other than a wah is about a buck

[formerMember1]

I like the Protpot that Smallbear sells.  OR the black top pot or whatever it is called.  They are both the same pot, just two different manufactures.

The fulltone pot isn't bad, it just is different.  I don't like it.

buy one of those other pots, and then just put that fulltone pot on the sale/trade forum here, someone would like it for cheaper than new price, as long as the lugs aren't over heated.  THese wah pots seem to burn up quick!

[Exactopposite]

where can i find some more of that white grease (or a suitible substitute) that lubes the gear mechanism that turns the pot?

[formerMember1]

you can search the forum for alot of tips and mods and stuff too:icon_wink:

I think home depot or lowes sell what is called White Lithium Grease.   It comes in a big tube and is like $3 i think.... enough for a lifetime,.. literally....

[Exactopposite]

i have done a lot of searching and reading on the forum about wah mods actually. i found lots of really useful information. i posted about this particullar problem because i didn't see any like it in my searches.

thanks for the tip on the grease.

[Paul Marossy]

I have a ProPot in one of my wahs. I like it. I think the Dunlop Hot Potz IIs are pretty good, too. OK, let me run before the stones start flying in my direction... 

[Exactopposite]

i ordered the pot today. i didn't get a chance to experiment wiht the wah today since i had to fix a comptuer for somebody.