[NEW VERO] VOX V846 IN A 1590BB BOX (VERIFIED)

[ulysses]

hey guys

heres a new vero i did for the vox v846 wah. i wanted it in a 1590bb box so i couldnt use the existing large pcb floating around. with it now on vero - everyone can have a go

i dont have an album in the layouts gallery so feel free to add it to yours if you want to

im pretty pleased with this one:
-all the caps fit perfectly - no pin bending
-all parts orientated vertically
-no trace cuts under parts
-well orientated external wiring - pot wires all together - input on one side - output on the other



if you like it - or build it - let me know how you get on

cheers
ulysses

[Sweetalk]

Nice Layout!!, congrats!!

[tcobretti]

Very nice layout, how's it sound?

[rove]

Very nice layout, how's it sound?

ditto the above, I was asked to build something like this for a friend so I'll probably have a go at it once I get an inductor...

[ulysses]

hey guys

it sounds very nice

i bought a jim dunlop wah in a 1590bb case a few years ago - it was shit - went straight onto ebay

this one is really nice though - actually sounds like a real wah - lol

cheers
ulysses

[alderbody]

Great Job!!!!

I have done the same thing, but not so close to the original spec...

For instance, i used a CV7112 for Q1, selectable Q caps and other mods.

here's how it looks like:

[alderbody]

btw, have you tried it before (or after) a "normal" Wah pedal?

a good way to achieve "the tales of brave ulysses" sound...
(not that EC was using two Wahs.../just needed to make a pun with your nickname...) 

Also for SRV's "say what?" tone, which was indeed achieved with two Wah pedals. (OK, rocked simultaneously)

[rove]

I built this yesterday and it sounds good.  I used the inductor out of a crybaby and added a switch to change the sweep caps.  My only complaint is that it drops the volume noticeably.  Any body else notice this?  Was thinking of adding an LPB recovery stage, but would a buffer possibly be better?
Thanks again for the great layout, I was able to fit it into a B size box all crammed in...

[tcobretti]

Decrease R2 to increase the gain of the circuit (a 100k trimpot would allow you to tune).  However, it sounds like something may be wrong.  I'd check for solder bridges between the vero strips.

[jonathan perez]

btw, have you tried it before (or after) a "normal" Wah pedal?

a good way to achieve "the tales of brave ulysses" sound...
(not that EC was using two Wahs.../just needed to make a pun with your nickname...) 

Also for SRV's "say what?" tone, which was indeed achieved with two Wah pedals. (OK, rocked simultaneously)

reduce the 4.7uF to 4uF, if you can. its hard to find one, but thats not saying you cant.

the 100k (or around there) resistor thats connected to the positive (i think) side of the electro, up that 100k resistor to...say, 120k+. youll get higher "saturation," getting you a little closer to home. carbon comps were all over the map, so i had to do that with metal film to get me THAT sound.

[rove]

Yeah, I replaced the 68k R2 with a 39k and no difference, I will have another look at the traces to make sure its neat.  Tonally it sounds fine, though.
thanks.

[rove]

turned around the transistors and whaddyaknow it works right.
Excellent layout, I'll have to get some more inductors and do some experimenting.
thanks!

[ulysses]

hey rove

glad it worked out for you

out of interest which trannies did you use? i tried several and found that the BC547's worked really well. i have seen other posts around on the board that say people used different trannies and liked them - i tried as many as i could including ones people said they liked - i thought the BC547's were best.

about the inductor - ive used many modern wahs and i simply couldnt get that muted trumpet sound that i was looking for - in the end im sure its just the inductor - i have not tried a modern day vox/dunlop replacement inductor in this layout - i went straight for the 520mh halo replica

ive got to say this layout with the 520mh halo replica inductor and bc547's really does give you that muted trumpet sound - which is what i was looking for originally.

i originally built the layout with 2x SPST switches to mod the "Q" resistor and the "Bass response" resistor. i found that they both made little difference - so i cut them off the layout to keep it as original as possible - there is still plenty of room on the right hand side of the vero to add them back in.

if you do get a halo replica 500mh-520mh inductor - let us know how much better (or worse) it sounds

cheers
ulysses

EDIT: i dont believe any of the current vox or dunlop wah's use a 500mh inductor (even the reissues) - read rg's article on wahs to find out why the 500mh inductor is important - its an interesting read - thanks rg

[rove]

I used MPSA18 transistors as it is what I had on hand.  Fortunately, I socketed them.  But I haven't tried others, don't think I have any BC547's, any other suggestions for an "improvement"?  what differences are you noticing from the transistors?
I was thinking of ordering one of the Halo replicas from SmallBear, is that the one of which you speak?
I have one switch to go between .01 and .022 sweep cap and its a noticeable difference, I thought, however, that switching between .01 and .015 was not so useful, so stuck to this simple switch with the caps mounted on the switch. haven't tried the bass response switch...
best,
Paul

[jonathan perez]

I used MPSA18 transistors as it is what I had on hand.  Fortunately, I socketed them.  But I haven't tried others, don't think I have any BC547's, any other suggestions for an "improvement"?  what differences are you noticing from the transistors?


when you lower the gain in transistors, you get closer to a vintage tone. between 200 and 400, will get you close to home. BC109s, or of the like.

with higher gain transistors, you get more "range." the wah seems to have more treble, and a bit more wah "depth." clearer, sharper...less smooth.

I was thinking of ordering one of the Halo replicas from SmallBear, is that the one of which you speak?


no, check out Arielfx for their halo, unless you want to keep it DIY, then buy smallbears halo kit.

[jonathan perez]

i dont believe any of the current vox or dunlop wah's use a 500mh inductor (even the reissues)

they dont, but you might get lucky and find a 550 or 530mH inductor. i have, and they sound pretty good. 530 isnt far off from 520...but i like my wahs to have a bit of girth with a .01 sweep cap, to begin with. the lower the mH, the "thinner" the wah will sound. ive even got some inductors from dunlop wahs at 700mH...girthy as all hell, but not the sound im going after. area51 inductors measure at 600mH/18ohms. although similar to some dunlop inductors, they DO sound different...a bit more crisp, id say. assuming youre going for a thick, vocal, wah tone to begin with.

its not "important" to have a 500mH inductor, unless youre going for THAT sound. at the end of the day, a wah sounds like a wah sounds like a wah sounds like a wah sounds like a wah. but i do suggest you folks go with Arielfx, or the dude, dandyjob, on ebay. hes only charging 20 dollars, and ive used 10 of them, all of which sound/measure perfect!

[ulysses]

rolling your own halo from the halo kit on ebay looks scarey 

i chose to let the dude who's done it before a hundred times to to do it for me

if you watch the videos on his arielfx website he has put together some neat device connected to a motor which winds them perfectly

the trannies made a big difference to the prominence of the effect. as you lower the hfe the effect becomes more subtle. the bc547 has a max hfe of 800.

cheers
ulysses

[alderbody]

Try to find a Fulltone inductor... By far the best and closest to the old wah sound.

Btw, aron's Fasels are very good. He tests them before shipping to make sure they're in the correct mH range.

In my wah i have four (selectable) inductors, so i can compare.

I have a Fulltone, a red Fasel, a Banzai, and a yellow Fasel.

I'll post pics (and eventually some clips), soon.