If we could design our own wah casing, what would we design in?

[Solidhex]

Sign me up!

--Brad

[mnordbye]

You're a genius! Looking forward to the day it becomes available!

Magnus Nordbye

[MicFarlow77]

Hi All,

Many Thanks for the very kind comments!

OK, Here is probably the last round of pics, as I think I am pretty much done with the overall prototyping stage.... well... strike that... I have redesigned the pivot area and beefed it up quite a bit, but I do not have that done to the prototype... I'll have to do that soon and get some pics of that up.....

In any event, except as noted before, this prototype is pretty much finished.

Recent additions include:

Hard Stops up front to limit the toe down. Not totally necessary for anything that has a footswitch, but certainly needed if a switch is not there or a less than heavy duty one is used.


Also added in rear hard stops:



Due to the fact that the tolerances are so tight in regard to the pot rotation, I felt that hard stops offered more protection from over-torque than rubber stops... also a little more predictable and adjustable.

I also added in one other main piece... a Plexiglas layer, topped by a layer of .080... I really wish I had some high intensity LEDS to light this puppy up for a photo! I have 2 holes in the bottom paddle and the Plexiglas to pop LEDS into.. one roughly in the middle of the toe area and another roughly in the middle of the heel area.. use 2 different color LEDS and I would imagine you would have a nice fade between them.... super cool!



I also added on a layer of grip tape:



And last but not least, I added in the tension clutch:



here is another pic of the toe area from the other side:



Due to the size of this post, I'm gonna do another one to discuss the last facet of this process....

Thanks,

Mick

[letsgocoyote]

wow this is starting to look awesome.  i think id maybe have to snag a couple

[kurtlives]

Looks killer!

If you need someone to test one of these sign me up.

[John Lyons]

Mick
Looking good! The thicker treadle looks good to me, helps flesh out the balance of the thick bottom and thin top...asthetic details 

Is the rack a standard issue cry baby type or did I just get confused by previous posts? Looks longer but maybe not.
If so I guess the throw was made longer by the box/treadle angle and mechanics of the redesigned enclosure right?

The LED light up treadle is pretty cool but a little "disco" for my tastes...hmmm...Maybe just depends on the LED color and intensity...might be cool now that I think more about it.

You could probably stack and inside mount two nuts for rack tension mounting bolt. JB weld them to the bottom of the case simulating a deep threaded lug inside a typical wah shell. It hides that nut poking up through the shell...more details...

The stops at the toe would be fine to set with a switch, adding a felt pad to the treadle bottom to get rid of the clack.
A single stop at the back should be fine. I'd probably just leave off the stops so people can customize it to their specific use.

The nut and bolt pair for the pot bracket could be welded on as well (obviously you have thought of this) but hey, it's a prototype and you'll experiment with more than one pot at a time with this case etc etc.

Battery door thing looks great!! A grommet and a knot in the battery wires inside of the case should help keep the battery snap wires from getting yanked loose. Classy!

I've said it before but I really dig your followthrough with this project (and all the others). There are so many people who talk about stuff but never follow through. Kudos!

John

[MicFarlow77]

Hi All,

Time to talk pricing.

Before I can even get to the pricing stage, I need to know just how much I need to do with these before I ship them.

There are more options for this enclosure than you can shake a stick at and I would imagine that we all have the tools and ability to do any customization necessary. Basically, this is a blank canvas and we all have paint....  

However, there are some things that I would consider to be a minimum.

For example, full enclosure with bottom and all that jazz... no issue there. Also, the paddle and pivot point and the mounting of that paddle to the enclosure I would think to be a minimum. I would also have to include in the base price the clips for mounting the first rack and pot as well as the first rack. I would also include into the base price the hardware for mounting the brackets and rack.

But I am not sure that I should mount those brackets because there are some many different ways to put it in there depending on what you want to accomplish with the enclosure.

Also, since this opens up the opprotunity to use any pot you can get a pinion onto, a standard mounting place for the pot bracket is going to be difficult as well.

By the way, the rack and pinion has a diametral pitch of 32 and a 14.5 degree pressure angle. You can likely go to any hobby shop or hobby website and purchase 32 pitch pinion gears that can probably be modified to fit onto pot shafts.. I'm guessing here, but I went to a hobby shop to confirm my pitch calculations with a real world part and it was a cinch to ask for a 32 pitch gear. If they have a 32 pitch pinion with a .25 bore and a set screw you would be in high cotton.

I am also aware that there may be those that just want to get one setup like I have my prototype done. With that in mind, I would be glad to finish it out for a few extra dollars.

Also, things like the hard stops and grip tape would be offered as add ons. I went to a local hardware store to pick up 6-32 and 8-32 hardware for the prototype hardware and nothing is hard to come by. I even had some of it already, like I would imagine some here already have as well.

The Plexiglas and it's associated top plate would be an add on.

So to summarize:

For a base unit, you would get the enclosure and mounted paddle and all the hardware (except pot, pinion and clutch) to make up a standard wah. I would also provide templates or directions and dimensions for where to best mount the rack to the paddle. (In general, it can be mounted anywhere along a line across the toe, be it to the left, right or middle, or one, two or even three of them across the toe.)

Add ons would include:

Grip Tape
Hard Stops
Extra Rack
Extra Mounting brackets
Plexiglas Kit
Installation and setup charge if you wish to receive a fully assembled wah

I apologize for getting long winded, but I want to get a product out there that is flexible, easy to modify, sturdy and cost competitive.

Please let me know your thoughts and comments!

Thanks again all for your patience and kind comments and suggestions! I really appreciate it!

Mick

[MicFarlow77]

Hey John,

Thanks for the comments!

The rack is the same pitch as the crybaby rack and pinion but I buy it in 1 foot lengths and cut and drill and modify it to fit the bracket. (see above post as well for more info about the rack)

My rack is only a little over a 1/4 inch or so longer than the crybaby one, but it is all teeth... For what it's worth, it takes 14 teeth of rack at 32 pitch to turn a pot 300 degrees. The crybaby rack has 14 teeth and if you use them all, you will turn the pot 300 degrees. But the way the crybaby rack is made with only 14 teeth and also the way the pot bracket and rack mounting is done, you only engage maybe 9 or 10 teeth... haven't actually measured that, but just taking a guess....

So, long story short, the angles are engineered to provide 14 teeth of pot travel.

I agree with the grommet and knot idea, but would leave that to the individual to sort out. Might offer a grommet for that as an add on.... something to think about. Same goes with felt pads.

Good idea for using nuts as a tension clutch. Only issue I have would be that if they ever popped loose, you'd have a devil of a time getting that dried JB weld outta there to reattach them.

Also, I agree that using a single stop would suffice as far as stopping power is concerned, but I like having two to keep from having any twisting action on the treadle.

Pretty interesting comment about follow-thru.... I got into this DIY stuff to build circuits for myself and some friends.. even thought about selling a few in music stores or on ebay. But I can't seem to get that far because I really enjoy building the enclosures. I will eventually follow-thru with that other stuff... I keep telling myself that....

Thanks again for all your comments.

Oh, BTW, I already have a tester in mind...  I will be asking John Lyons to perform that duty because he so graciously offered at his own expense to send me his wah casing to use as a guide or to get specs from. I cannot Thank him enough and having him to do some testing is only a small token of appreciation!

PM coming your way John...  Actually, an email....

Mick

[Auke Haarsma]

I've said it before...but this thing looks AMAZING!

I hope you can get us a nice price, because I feel I need to get at least two of these! (with the plexi-glass!!!)

Keep it up!

[mnordbye]

As for pricing, i think the most important things to contain should be everything that has to be there to make it a wah. Like a basic kit or something.

Magnus Nordbye

[Paul Marossy]

I haven't followed this thread for a while... but real progress has been made! Looking good. 

[MicFarlow77]

Hi All,

A basic kit to build a wah with this enclosure will be priced at $43.50. (This does not include the pot, pinion or tension clutch)

I know that is a little more than the kit Steve sells, but it is a whole lot more enclosure if you factor in what can be accomplished with this thing.

It can cost as much as $20 to $25 in aluminium per enclosure, so I cut the price to the bone to be competitive.

It will take at the very least 2 hours to build each one and most likely closer to 3, not to mention the time to pack them up and ship them out.

Because of the size and weight, shipping will be at least $10 to the lower 48, but I will know for sure when I send John the tester unit.

Also, pricing for the other things will be along the lines of:

Grip Tape = $4.00 (includes enough to do a single paddle)
Extra Rack Kit = $5.00 (includes Rack, Mounting bracket and associated hardware.)
Hard Stop Kit = $2.00 (Includes 4 nut and bolt sets for toe and heel stops)
Plexiglas Kit = $17.50 (Price includes Plexi and top sheet, but also includes complete assembly)
Final Assembly = $12.00 and up, based on what you want (send me your parts and I'll send you a finished enclosure setup anyway you please)

Included will also be full Final Assembly instructions so that you can know what will be needed to customize this enclosure as you desire.

It is my hope that you guys will find this pricing reasonable.

Let me know your thoughts!

Mick

[ugly_guitar_guy]

Sounds good to me for a virtually limitless customizable wah casing.. I'll be in on it.

[any]

Hi All,

A basic kit to build a wah with this enclosure will be priced at $43.50. (This does not include the pot, pinion or tension clutch)

In my honest opinion, I think that's rather on the cheap side for the amount of resources/time spent...
(not that I want you to factor more in, but this is quality stuff!)

[Zedmin_fx]

O Gosh thoes look so freaking good Mick

[kurtlives]

Add me to the waiting list for one of thses if there is not one already.

[John Lyons]

The price is fair for sure. A custom enclosure optimised to your liking with a few add ons and instructions...where you gonna get that deal anywhere else?

The bare bones kit is probably going to be the best thing in my mind. Cool that you offer add ones for sure though.
Most people will be able to set these up as they need.

One thing you can do Mick is ship these in the USPS priority mail Flat Rate boxes (the boxes are free).
The price just went up but I think it's $9 roughly in the us anywhere, no weight limit.

Thanks again mick!

[Fuzzy-Train]

^ The price is definitely right!!!

Can't wait to get my hands on one. 

Great work, Mick!!!

[tehfunk]

Amazing work, I've been following the thread all along, I really like what you've done! And, I am still astonished just 2 and a half to 3 hours to build one? It would take me a few days, if I could even do it.

[MicFarlow77]

Hi All,

Thanks for the comments. I'm glad that the price is not putting anyone off. One of my objectives was to keep the price in line with what else is available.

John you are correct concerning the Flat Rate boxes.... Here is a the blurb from the USPS:

"Can be used for Domestic Priority Mail ($9.80) and International Priority Mail ($23.95 to Canada and Mexico- $38.95 to all other countries, 20 lb weight limit applies)"

So, there is a 20 pound limit but the pricing is in line...  I can easily get 2 in a box, possibly even 3 and they weigh in at 2.5 pounds each, so keeping it under 20 is not an issue.

My initial build run will be 10.

First things first though, I need to get John one with a full set of instructions and make sure that everything is well put together. Once that is done, we'll get them knocked out as soon as possible.

I don't think I want to start a waiting list. Last time I did that, I spent forever going Thur posts to make sure I had it all covered. What I will do though is post a quick note in the main forum stating that they will be in the For Sale forum shortly so that everyone can keep an eye out. (That is if Aron is OK with that)

Thanks again for all your kind comments. I took it to band practice tonight and they were loving it.... Everyone said, when am I getting one? Kinda gets back to that follow though thing... It'll happen when the time is right....

Thanks,

Mick