Restoring an old Maestro Boomerang wah pedal

[Jebus0000]

Bought one today.  All that's wrong is that the pot is scratchy.  I measured the pot and it's a 25K POT.  From what I've been told this is a rather unusual value for a wah pot.  So I'd like to try cleaning it first but I've aslo been told that I should only use Caig deoxit if I'm going to spray it.  Unfortunately that stuff not available in my city.  Are there any other kind of spray that are safe?  I have MG Chemicals Contact Cleaner...no good?  Or is there another way to clean the carbon thingy?  I took off the back of the pot so I have complete access to the insides.

If cleaning it doesn't help then where would I find a replacement 25k pot?

[RobB]

I think Dunlop sell a 20k pot for their bass wah.  This might be a close enough value for the Maestro you have.

[JasonG]

I  use MG contact cleaner and have never had any problems with it.( When you clean it gentaly pry at the gear and spray in to the shaft. )I used it on my boomer 2 and it  cleaned the pot right up. If the pot is bad I recomend hunting down some a Heavy duty MG 25k pot . I found some at a surplus parts store in my area. For me the MG pots sound the best and they are cheap. I got mine for 75 cents! I replaced the one in my boomer 2 because I thought this one sounded better and because the other one was getting some years on it. I hoped that helps.

[1wahfreak]

I also need a 25k pot for my BG-1 but it is mounted opposite from all the other wah pedals I have so the treble would be in the heel position if I mount a standard pot to it. Did all the Maestro's come that way or was it just the BG-1?

[petemoore]

1 thought
 my wahs have had more than enough throw, not exactly the tapering I'd perfer. Either goes too high or the bass is already rolled off about 2/3rds the way by just adjusting the gear positions.
 1 tapering a larger K pot, you'll have plenty of range tapering room for fixed resistors inside the pots lugs 1 and 3.
 2 starting with only 20k variable [20k pot] and adding resistors to the 'outside' [lugs 1 and 3] might get you to the even taper/sweep you want more quickly.
 That's what I know so far.
 Does method 1 make it hard to get an even sweep?
 Do wahs sometimes have wierd taper pots to even the sweep out?
 How tricky is it to get a wah even swept using a linear or log pot and tapering resistors?
 These are all questions I've yet to feel the need to have to experiment on. I use from toe down to 2/3rds up and get the right amount of treble adjusted, the last 1/3 doesn't do much. Makes for otherwise perfectly usable wahs and EZ fast wobble. The other one is more normal sweep.