So my wife says I think I need an auto wah...

[soggybag]

To which my first reaction is to say, in my best thundering voice, "No wife of mine will be sounding like Jerry Garcia!". Of course I suppress this urge with practiced aplomb. Six years of marriage and I can pin my tongue between my molars with only a slight grimace.

Anyway, at this point I'm over joyed. I explain that I have a plethora of choices! I run down stairs eager to show that all of the time and the "few dollars here and there" spent on my hobby have not gone to waste.  

Now I'm looking at a box full of circuit boards bristling with wires, pots and switches. There must be 50, maybe 60, maybe more. Really it's two boxes, one is more full than the other, which is not overflowing so I can't call it "full".

I find a Neutron, Silly Feline (Funny Cat) and an FSH-1 (Tonepad). None of these ever made it into a box for various reasons. After some thought and a little more excavation, I come up with another FSH-1 (UStomp) and a Mc Meat (Meatball) that was in box on a shelf.

Of course at this point I realize that none of these are fully functional. The Mc Meat never got wired up. Though I had made a box. I think, after assembling the PCB and getting the box together, the amount of wiring made me dizzy and I put it aside and forgot about it.

I decide the Neutron has pedigree and start there. Didn't Stevie Wonder use one of these on Superstition? Can't get more funky than that. I made this one along time ago. It might even predate my marriage. The PCB says 2002. Can you have vintage DIY? I built this back when MAX1044 was exotic. Probably this is the first version of R.G.s PCB. I notice the current version of the PCB is a little different than the one I have. After a few tests I realize the Direction switch is not working. After much probing and testing it appears that the Band and High pass outputs go dead when it's in Up mode. Hmmm, better try one of the others.

The FSH-1, Tonepad first version, is working a little better. The filter is sounding really good. Of course, guess what, the direction switch isn't working? maybe I have a problem with 6 terminal devices? Otherwise the added controls for Attack and Decay make for a great effect. Hmmm... has possibilities.

Then again, both of these need a wallwart power supply. Might be best to give my wife something self contained that runs on a single 9v. So I start looking at the Funny Cat, R.G. version. The PCB board says 2003. This might predate my marriage also. Any way, this appears to be working but the sound might be what my wife was thinking of.

Of course the other FSH-1, UStomp version,  is less functional than the other.

At this point I'm already planning build a Nurse Quacky. Or maybe the MXR filter, Tonepad has a nice layout for this. Then again Jack Ormans Dr. Quack has gotten a fair share of reviews. Of course I think I better check with my wife to see when she needs this auto wah...

Glad to meet you all my name is Mitchell and I have a problem... Just kidding. Of course I can rationalize it all but I won't bore you with that, preaching to the choir as it were. I just bring this up here because I was sure you would all understand.

[Mark Hammer]

You may find some solace in Alex Petrini's layouts for the EHX Bass Balls ( http://topopiccione.atspace.com/PJ08EHBassBalls.html ) and the DOD FX-25 ( http://topopiccione.atspace.com/PJ11DODfx25.html ).  I have had much success with both, and they can fit into a wide array of chassis with ease.

The FX-25 does not have direction shift, but it can be converted from bandpass to lowpass, and has a nice resonance.  The Bass Balls is amenable to a ton of mods that each lend a special something.  I've built 4 different versions of that same layout/circuit with different control complements, and they each produce satisfying variation with something to commend them.

The Quack is better than the Quacky in terms of audio quality, and is also amenable to mods.

Similar to the Q/Quack/Quacky is the K&R Q-Tripper.  It is essentially the same filter as a DQ, but is continuously pannable between the two filter modes, which is kinda neat.  The sweep is actually a lot nicer than the DQ/Quack for some reason.  A very musical little circuit which you can find a layout for here, courtesy of MarkM: http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/MarkMs-Gallery/album15/album76/?g2_page=7 and the schematic here: http://www8.plala.or.jp/KandR/Q-Triper10.gif

[stringsthings]

http://www.paia.com/proddetail.asp?prod=CA-25&cat=14

i built one of these a long time ago .... it's versatile ....

the book itself is worth it just for the information ...

[Mark Hammer]

The Anderton Bi-Filter Follower is a sweet little pedal.  Compromised by being designed for a +/-9v supply, but worth the headache.

The Seamoon Funk Machine is meh at best, though I understand there were several versions so I may have based my opinion on the worst one.

Personally, I have always loved the MXR Envelope Filter ever since I bought my first one around 1977 or 78.  The filtering is perhaps not quite as robust or in-your-face as the Mutron, but the variable attack time made it a piece of cake to adapt the feel of the unit to just about any song.  With the additional mods (range, variable Q, direction) it becomes an even better pedal.

[markeebee]

Actually, Mrs Soggybag said "I think I need a naughty bra" but was misheard in true DIYSB fashion....

[tiges_ tendres]

I'm a big fan of the Bass Balls pedal.  I like it because when you set the sensitivity high you can almost make it sound like a talk box.  It may not be quite "wah"t you're looking for, but as Mr. Hammer suggested, it's very versatile and easy to play with.

[DougH]

For $20 or so you can't go wrong with an Otto filter module, if you have another tonecore base to stick it in. It's very versatile, esp for the money. I was surprised how deep and thick of wah sounds I could get out of it, in addition to pseudo talk box, synth sounds, and all the typical Garcia/Disco-Duck sounds.

[Mark Hammer]

It basically does all the Mu-Tron tricks, and a little bit more.

[stringsthings]

Personally, I have always loved the MXR Envelope Filter ever since I bought my first one around 1977 or 78.  The filtering is perhaps not quite as robust or in-your-face as the Mutron, but the variable attack time made it a piece of cake to adapt the feel of the unit to just about any song.  With the additional mods (range, variable Q, direction) it becomes an even better pedal.

MXR made some truly wonderful pieces of gear .... top quality construction ....

[MikeH]

That's cool that your wife wanted you to build her a pedal.  The best I could do for mine was a paper weight that has a button on it that lights up an LED.  She says it has a satisfying 'click' to it.   

[DougH]

Actually, Mrs Soggybag said "I think I need a naughty bra" but was misheard in true DIYSB fashion....

In that case the answer is YES!!!  

[soggybag]

My better half is trying to get her band together. She played with the wah pedal and liked it, and so wanted to try the auto wah.

I just printed up a PCB for the MXR EF. After reading up on this I was very intrigued. It's a very interesting design, unique.

I boxed up the FSH-1. I tested it out last night. This is a really great effect. The filter and envelope sound very cool with lots of options. Though I suspect it would be more suited to bass. The down side to this effect is with five knobs and two switches, some of which don't do anything sometimes and some settings that don't produce any effect, it's a bit complex to use.

I wish I could get my Neutron working. I think I'll have another go at it tonight. A recap for anyone who's still paying attention. The effect works fine in the up mode. In the down mode, only the Low pass works. The high and band pass produce no sound. I checked all of the parts. I followed all the wiring and all of the PCB traces and everything checks. It's very strange since it would seem that the direction switch has no direct connection to the high and band pass section of the circuit. I checked the envelope and it seems to work correctly in both directions. I watched the voltage rise and fall with my scope. I audio probed everything and the audio just disappears after the first op-amp, very mysterious.

[MikeH]

Actually, Mrs Soggybag said "I think I need a naughty bra" but was misheard in true DIYSB fashion....

In that case the answer is YES!!!  

Oh, I actually have a schematic and layout for that.  I'll post it in the burst box thread later.

[Mark Hammer]

Just note that you must be 18 or over to purchase those transistors.

[pedalgrinder]

ok first off get rid of your wife then join a band 

[Earthscum]

I bought an Auto-Q that was dead, figured I have schems for it... bah, it was all SMD. I've been wanting to build one for awhile. Is the Auto-Q THE MXR filter, or did they have others that I haven't found?

I was looking at my DOD wah and considered modding it to do an auto-wah mode, since it uses PWM as the control signal. Basically, I think I figured out it would be easier to just make one from scratch... MXR detection circuit controlling a pair of OTA lowpass filters (or any configuration... bandpass like the DOD used to be until I got ahold of it).

[StephenGiles]

Girls in bands............bah......humbug!!

Have you seen the girls in Jeff Beck's new band?

[garcho]

I've made 3 or 4 Jack Orman Dr Quacks, for pseudo-synths and guitar. I used some weird blue oval LEDs instead of the standard red, and some of the 'sharpness' and what I think might be 'ripple' were reduced, and made for a more musical sound (with the guitar, anyway). I am happy with the results of experimenting with the diodes and other components, but I'm no engineer and can't really tell you what does what or why in any detail. Easy build, and easy to mod to your taste. I suggest Mark Hammer's 'attack' mod. In my opinion, it's like having a 'blend' knob, for those times you want some EF but you don't want to sound like a disco duck. If you feel like taking on an epic build, Ray over at MFOS has a guitar synth that sounds incredible with a schematic that's 4 pages long. Check out the envelope filter sound samples. I'm going to tackle that someday...

[DavenPaget]

instead of the standard red, and some of the 'sharpness' and what I think might be 'ripple' were reduced, and made for a more musical sound (with the guitar, anyway).

Silicon isn't so harsh after all